Organisms of the gut-invasive genus Helicobacter, such as H. felis shown, have long been a hallmark of BABS research and are the present focus of Professor Hazel Mitchell.
Investigation of the Immune Responses to Non-jejuni Campylobacter Species in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Controls
The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has significantly increased worldwide in recent decades. Evidence from both animal and human studies has shown that intestinal microflora plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of IBD, however the exact causative agent remains unknown.
Very recently, we have detected significantly higher presence of non-jejuni Campylobacter species in children with Crohn’s disease (CD), one type of IBD, as compared with controls. Furthermore, we have isolated four non-jejuni Campylobacter species from colonic biopsy samples of children with CD. This project will further investigate the possible role of non-jejuni Campylobacter species in the pathogenesis of IBD by examining the immune responses to these organisms, including both antibodies and cytokines, in patients with IBD and controls.
Techniques to be used in this project will include ELISA, mammalian cell culture, bacterial culture and Western-blotting.
BABS personnel that are responsible for this project