Investigating the role of blood group antigens in campylobacter infections

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The bacterium Campylobacter jejuni is one of the most important causes of food poisoning worldwide. It can cause a spectrum of illness from mild diarrhoea to severe dysentery-like illness. Although not normally life-threatening, these infections are very common and are costly in terms of time taken off work and healthcare-associated costs. Occasionally Campylobacter disease results in very serious complications including the life-threatening neurological disease Guillain-Barre syndrome. The bacterium normally lives in the gut of wild and domesticated animals, notably chickens. Improper handling and undercooking of chicken are major sources of human infection. At present we do not have a good understanding of the factors that affect colonisation of animals or disease in humans. A better understanding of these complex processes will be necessary to design new strategies for preventing colonisation of domesticated animals, especially chickens, as well as human disease. We have shown two Campylobacter surface molecules, called FlaA and MOMP, to be involved in binding to receptors on human blood cells and intestinal cells. We propose to characterise the interaction between the bacteria and human cells that are mediated by these molecules. We also propose to determine whether these molecules are also important in colonisation of chickens. The information gained may lead to the development of agents that interfere with these interactions, and thus reduce both contamination of chicken meat, as well as reduce human disease.