Targeting specific bacterial species
Our work targets bacterial species belonging to the genera Streptococcus, Enterococcus and Lactococcus. These bacteria are responsible for many diseases in a wide range of hosts, from humans and other terrestrial and aquatic mammals, through to fish.
We can mutate these bacterial species by random insertion into the genome of the ISS1 mutagen. Coupled with our ability to identify mutated sequences in entire populations of bacteria, this allows rapid evaluation of any genetic sequence (coding or non-coding), for any phenotype.
We are currently working on identification of key genes important in pathogenesis of:
- Streptococcus uberis in dairy cattle mastitis
- Streptococcus suis in pigs
- Streptococcal and Lactococcal bacterial infections in fish
- Streptococcus pnuemoniae and Streptococcus agalactiae in models of human infection
The whole-genome perspective
A second but equally important research activity involves investigating changes at a whole genome level.
This enables us to determine the interaction of genomic sequences (and products), the role of regulatory sequences and the subtle effects of SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) in both coding and non-coding sequences and determine how these alter bacterial fitness.
This aspect of our research is identifying specific bacterial genes and their products as:
- Targets for new therapeutic drugs
- Targets for developing disease-preventing vaccines
- Suitable for further investigation on the role of genomic variation, genome evolution and gene expression in bacterial virulence
Bacterial insertional mutant banks
We have a number of comprehensive insertional mutant banks available and ready for use. These include:
- S. uberis
- S. suis
- S. equi
- S. iniae
- S. agalactiae (human ST17 and ST12)
- S. agalactiae (fish strain)
- S. pneumoniae
- L. garvieae
- S. dysgalactiae