Campylobacters are bacteria that cause gastroenteritis and they infect millions of people in the world annually. Campylobacters infect the human gut where they live in an environment with reduced oxygen. However, some Campylobacters also survive on supermarket meat where oxygen is not limited. Such bacteria are likely to infect humans. Campylobacters are listed as priority pathogens by the World Health Organisation due to a rise in resistance to the fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics which occurs even when in the absence of bacterial exposure to these antibiotics. Evidence suggests that fluoroquinolone resistant bacteria are fitter and more virulent than sensitive strains and they have a greater ability to survive in air compared to antibiotic sensitive bacteria.
This project aims to characterise Campylobacters isolated from diarrheal stools that can survive in air. The level of resistance to fluoroquinolone antibiotics will be measured and this will be correlated with the ability of the bacteria to form a biofilm and to secrete proteins. Biofilm formation occurs when bacteria become encased in material such as slime and DNA and this can protect bacteria from adverse conditions and from antibiotics. We will assess bacterial protein secretion as the ability of Campylobacters to secrete protein is correlated with their ability to attack intestinal cells and cause disease.
This study will generate data on the potential of these Campylobacters to persist in the food chain and cause disease and will advise us on how to screen for these isolates as they emerge.
