Scientific area
1.6 Biological sciences (Medical sciences go to scientific area 3.n; Agricultural sciences go to scientific area 4.n)
Discipline(s)
Cell biology, Microbiology
Project title
Microarray-based detection of antibiotic resistance and virulence factors genes of Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. isolated from food-producing animals and processed food
Scientific Coordinator's name:
Nuno Mendonça
Scientific Coordinator's e-mail:
nrmendonca@gmail.com
Principal R&D Unit:
Center for Pharmaceutical Studies
Other R&D Units involved in the project:
ControlVet, SA, Tondela Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratory Agency, United Kingdom
Project keyword(s)
Microarrays, Antibiotic resistance, Virulence factors, Food safety
Short abstract and comments
Antimicrobial resistant bacteria are an increasing threat to animal and human health. Resistance mechanisms to circumvent the toxic action of antimicrobials have been identified and described for all known antimicrobials currently available for clinical use in veterinary medicine. The spread of mobile genetic elements such as plasmids, transposons and integrons has greatly contributed to the rapid dissemination of antimicrobial resistance among several bacterial genera from the environment to animals and human. Associated with antimicrobial resistance determinants, virulence factors encoding genes can also be disseminated either by genetic mobile elements or by bacterial clones. The identification and characterization of reservoirs of virulence factor encoding genes among processed food and food-producing animals, is of crucial importance to understand the impact on public health. Thus, the aim of this project is to adapt and use the microarray technology for the search of antimicrobial resistance determinants and virulence factors among bacteria isolates from processed food and food producing animals, increasing the level of food safety control. Furthermore, this project will permit to visualise the flow of antimicrobial resistance genes as well as virulence factors both for E. coli and for Salmonella spp. strains. For that, development of a microarray-based assay regarding the virulence factors of Salmonella spp., will improve our knowledge
Potential uses/indications
The ongoing research project is expected to give new insights on the risk assessment for public health of bacteria detected in processed food and in food-producing animals, as these bacteria could present virulence factors responsible for the colonization and proliferation as well as resistance determinants responsible for therapeutic failure. The development of microarrays that permit the detection of both bacteria characteristics, applicable bacteria isolated from different environments (clinical, veterinary, environment), will allow the evaluation the potential risk for public and animal health
Status
Ongoing
Partner Status: Seeking Partners?
No
Project weblink
Grant number (QREN, FP7, Eureka, etc)
FCT PTDC/AGR-ALI/119353/2009
Last edited on
2012-05-11 12:18:12