Bacterial cell invasion factors as vaccine targets

该项目旨在确定负责牛支原体细胞入侵和系统传播的毒力因子，并使用基因组编辑技术（CRISPR-Cas9）创建不能入侵宿主细胞的基因敲除突变体，并测试其作为动物候选疫苗的潜力。牛支原体（Mycoplasma bovis）是引起奶牛乳房炎的一种新的病原体，是奶牛业中最重要的传染病，并造成重大的经济损失。该项目开发的候选疫苗预计将用于控制乳腺炎的爆发，并改善澳大利亚和全球乳制品行业的生物安全，生产和动物福利。

This project aims to determine the virulence factors responsible for cellular invasion and systemic spread of Mycoplasma bovis, and use genome editing technologies (CRISPR-Cas9) to create gene knock out mutants that cannot invade host cells and test their potential as vaccine candidates in animals. Mycoplasma bovis is an emerging cause of mastitis, the most important infectious disease in the dairy industry, and causes significant economic losses. The vaccine candidates developed in this project are expected to be used to control outbreaks of mastitis, and to improve biosecurity, production and animal welfare in the Australian and global dairy industries.