Protein-protein interactions is a component of the rapid development of bioinfomatics within BABS which is being fostered, with others, by Professor Marc Wilkins.
Investigation of How Diarrhoea Affects the Natural Colonisation Niche of Enterohepatic Helicobacter and Campylobacter Species
We have recently detected a significantly higher presence of non-jejuni Campylobacter by PCR in children with Crohn's Disease as compared with controls. Despite our detection of a high prevalence of non-jejuni Campylobacter species in biopsy samples of children with CD by PCR, we have only managed to isolate non-jejuni Campylobacter species from four biopsies.
We have hypothesised that the pre-colonoscopy preparation procedure (induced diarrhoea) may wash the majority of enterohepatic Helicobacter species and non-jejuni Campylobacter species from their natural colonisation niche (intestinal mucus layer and crypts) into the faecal stream. We will test our hypothesis by inoculating mice with enterohepatic Helicobacter species and non-jejuni Campylobacter species respectively. Following colonisation of enterohepatic Helicobacter/ non-jejuni Campylobacter species in mice, diarrhoea will be induced in these animals using MgCl2 and the presence of enterohepatic Helicobacter/ non-jejuni Campylobacter species in stool and intestinal tissues will be examined at different time points.
Techniques to be used in this project will include small animal handling, oral gavage, bacterial culture, PCR and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) /confocal microscopy.
BABS personnel that are responsible for this project