Campylobacter Jejuni Infection in Chickens - Intestinal Colonisation and Host Pathogen Interactions

Our understanding of the mechanisms whereby Campylobacter jejuni colonises chickens and the nature of the host response to the organism is poor. Studies will be carried out to improve this situation using the infection model developed at IAH. In vivo and in vitro models will be used to determine in greater detail, the nature of the host- pathogen interactions. <P>
The work will be multi-disciplinary, since aspects of microbial physiology, biochemistry and genetics will be involved in addition to studying innate and adaptive immune responses.
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The areas of major research will be: <OL> <LI> Mechanisms of intestinal colonisation in the chicken, involving parameters of infection and bacterial genes and physiology <LI> Mechanisms of innate and adaptive immunity in the chicken and in vitro, to determine whether immune clearance occurs in the bird and in progeny, how genus- specific colonisation exclusion effects gut clearance and the extent to which innate immune responses explain target- host specificity