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The ultimate goal of the research outlined is to develop intervention and control methods to reduce the number of cases of human campylobacteriosis caused by Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli.
C. jejuni is a leading cause of human gastrointestinal disease worldwide, causing between two to eight million cases of diarrheal illness per year in the United States. Infection with C. jejuni is characterized by fever, severe abdominal cramps, and diarrhea containing bloodand leukocytes. Most cases of campylobacteriosis are sporadic in nature, resulting from the consumption of Campylobacter-contaminated chicken, unpasteurized milk, and unchlorinated water. The proteins that mediate the binding of C. jejuni to host cells are termed adhesins. The goal of this project is to further characterize one C.jejuni adhesin termed CadF, for Campylobacter adhesin to fibronectin. CadF is conserved among C. jejuni and C. coli isolates and is required for the colonization of newly hatched Leghorn chickens. These data suggest that CadF may be useful as an acellular vaccine candidate. The results of this research will better define the pathogenic mechanisms and virulence determinants of one enteric pathogen, Campylobacter jejuni, and will lead to new intervention strategies to reduce the high carriage incidence of Campylobacter in poultry and other reservoir hosts.