Dr Darren Trott

A new UQ study aims to improve understanding of a remarkable organism that is an important cause of diarrhoea in animals and humans.

Dr Darren Trott, a lecturer in UQ’s School of Veterinary Science has received a $55,000 UQ Foundation Research Excellence Award to study the intestinal spirochaete Brachyspira pilosicoli.

"This organism has consistently been identified as one of the major disease-causing agents (pathogens) leading to colitis in pigs and poultry," Dr Trott said.

"In the past, antibiotics were used to control these pathogens. However, the use of these agents is being phased out in many countries due to concerns over the transfer of antibiotic resistance to human pathogens.

"Alternative strategies to antibiotics must be investigated, and I hope that this research project may lead to new methods of control.

"For example, vaccines based on novel surface proteins found in the organisms could be an applied outcome of this research."

He said if scientists could understand the way the organism attached itself to the surface of the intestine and how its proteins were involved in this process, it might be possible to control it.

Dr Trott said B. pilosicoli also was common in developing countries and among immuno-suppressed humans. Its significance for causing disease in human patients was receiving further recognition.

It led to failure to gain weight in grower pigs, while in poultry, birds had sub-optimal feed conversion rates, increased numbers of weak chicks and laid fewer eggs.

• Dr Dr Darren Trott www.uq.edu.au/uqresearchers/researcher/trottdj.html

On this site

Go to top