Genetics of microbial virulence

Pathogenic microorganisms are an important cause of human, animal and plant diseases. Bacterial antibiotics resistance is constantly increasing and is already leading to serious challenges in human and veterinary medicine. For this reason, the development of new techniques to control these pathogens, based on a detailed knowledge of the interaction with their hosts, is of high priority. This is facilitated by the recent sequencing of the genome of several bacterial pathogens and the development of tools for high throughput analysis and manipulation of bacterial genomes.

The Viral Genetics laboratory is focusing on pathogenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica. The main research topics are:

• Investigation of the presence of genes coding for different bacterial adhesins and their role in pathogenicity by mutational inactivation and gene transfer. Binding of the pathogens to host cells, mediated by such adhesins, is an essential first step for the pathogenicity.
• Development of attenuated vaccine strains and methods for the controlled expression of foreign vaccine antigens in these strains.
• Identification of virulence factors of Escherichia coli and evaluation of their use as vaccine antigens.
• Use of bacteriophages for the identification and typing of bacteria and for the prevention and control of bacterial diseases.