Use DNA technology to demystify pathogen.Scientists at the United Kingdom's Institute of Food Research have discovered how C. jejuni is able to disguise itself and use plasticity to survive. The Campylobacter Campylobacter Genus of gram-negative spiral-shaped bacteria infecting mammals. Many species, especially C. fetus, cause miscarriage in sheep and cattle. C. jejuni is a common cause of food poisoning. Sources include meats (particularly chicken) and unpasteurized milk. genome contains highly variable plastic regions, which give some strains the ability to disguise themselves and avoid detection by the host immune system immune system Cells, cell products, organs, and structures of the body involved in the detection and destruction of foreign invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. Immunity is based on the system's ability to launch a defense against such invaders. . Genes in these plastic regions may also enable strains to adapt to huge stresses they experience as they move between environments and hosts. This gives new meaning to the bacteria's reputation as the chameleon of the pathogenic pack. Researchers have also found extra DNA DNA: see nucleic acid. DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid One of two types of nucleic acid (the other is RNA); a complex organic compound found in all living cells and many viruses. It is the chemical substance of genes. to the genome--plasmids--that help to explain the spread of antibiotic resistance antibiotic resistance, n the ability of certain strains of microorganisms to develop resistance to antibiotics. antibiotic resistance . The extra genes carried on the plasmids confer resistance to antibiotics and can be transferred from one Campylobacter strain to another. These systems have a significant impact on human health because they can lead to the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance genes and increase the spread of genes that enhance the virulence of this bug. The U.K. research was carried out using DNA microarray technology to investigate strains isolated from chickens, food and humans. This effort will help identify the strains most dangerous to humans and pioneer new ways to outwit out·wit tr.v. out·wit·ted, out·wit·ting, out·wits 1. To surpass in cleverness or cunning; outsmart. 2. Archaic To surpass in intelligence. the bacteria. Microarrays are treated microscope slides that carry an ordered mosaic of the gene sequences of an organism. The institute's researchers have established a bacterial DNA microarray facility which is being used to produce DNA microarrays of the entire genomes of Campylobacter, E. coli E. coli: see Escherichia coli. E. coli in full Escherichia coli Species of bacterium that inhabits the stomach and intestines. E. coli can be transmitted by water, milk, food, or flies and other insects. and S. typhimurium. The use of DNA microarrays is central to the new functional genomic approach being developed by several research groups at the institute and will allow scientists to study the expression of all genes in a bacterium in a single experiment--4290 genes in the case of E. coli. Scientists are also developing techniques to use DNA microarrays to perform extremely accurate genotyping of bacteria. Work is focusing on Campylobacter, Salmonella and E. coli, which are responsible for the majority of foodborne bacterial infections in the United Kingdom. Further information. Bruce Pearson, Bacterial Infection and Immunity Infection and Immunity is an academic journal published by the American Society for Microbiology. The title is commonly abbreviated IAI and the ISSN is 0019-9567 for the print version, and 1098-5522 for the electronic version. Group, Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, Colney, Norwich NR4 7UA, England, U.K.; phone: +44 1603 255 196; fax: +44 1603 507 723; email: bruce.pearson@bbsrc.ac.uk. |
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