Campylobacter is the most common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide, but it can be difficult to trace the source of human infection since it can be isolated from many other sources, including livestock, wild animals, food and water. The PubMLST Campylobacter database is central to our research, using a genomic approach to improve our knowledge of Campylobacter, an elusive zoonotic pathogen. The database stores essential metadata and genotyping information stored for more than 100,000 Campylobacter isolates from across the globe, with more than half of these isolates having whole genome data. The database also enables easy use of many tools and visualisation methods needed to further analyse the data.
We were delighted to invite you to an online event, highlighting research into the epidemiology of this organism, along with the benefits of using the PubMLST database. Internationally recognised researchers gave short talks, to include topics such as the epidemiology of Campylobacter in wild birds, chickens, and human disease, MLST and core genome MLST (cgMLST).
This event was held in memory of our dear friend and colleague Dr Alison Cody (Ali), who contributed so much to Campylobacter genomic research, before she sadly passed away in 2020.
You can watch the event on our YouTube channel.
Programme
- 14:00 Welcome and introduction - Martin Maiden, University of Oxford, UK
- 14:05 A brief history of Campylobacter research using PubMLST - Frances Colles, University of Oxford, UK
- 14:20 Agricultural intensification and the rise of pathogenic Campylobacter - Sam Sheppard, University of Bath, UK
- 14:35 Investigating the phenomenon of reoccurring C. jejuni genotypes in human infections over the last decade in Luxembourg and identification of potential cross-border spread: new insights for implementing a WGS-enhanced surveillance across countries - Catherine Ragimbeau, Laboratoire National de Santé, Luxembourg
- 14:50 Tea break
- 15:00 Comparison of temporally and geospatially related populations of Campylobacter jejuni from chickens and environmental waters - Rick Meinersmann, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- 15:15 Integrating genetic and other data in the surveillance of human campylobacteroisis - Noel McCarthy, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- 15:30 A longitudinal study of Campylobacter within a New Zealand broiler farm - Patrick Biggs, Massey University, New Zealand
- 15:40 General discussion and a tribute to Alison Cody
- 16:00 Close