Cyril Carroll
Work on enteric pathogens but primarily on Campylobacter & Arcobacter spp
Detection and Epidemiology:
Design and development of novel targets for use in nucleic acid based. Diagnostics assays for the detection of bacterial food
pathogens.
Use of molecular methods (culture and DNA - based): for detection identificatiuon and epidemiological studies of bacterial
food pathogens. Methods include: PCR, PFGE, RAPD, RFLP, Ribotyping, DNA sequencing.
Adaptive Tolerance Response in Campylobacter spp.: Physiological stress response in bacteria and the effect of
processing treatments of bacterial survival, virulence and gene expression. In particular the Adaptive Tolerance Response in
Campylobacter spp. Methods include the use of proteomics and microarrays.
Study of selective antibiotic resistance mechanisms: Evaluation of the effect of sub-inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics
on the selection of single and multiple drug resistance in bacterial pathogens.
Biofilms: Biofilm formation and generation of Bioaerosols
Bioactive Ingredients from Algal Sources: Assessment of the effects of the alginate and laminaran extracts on intestinal
flora. Novel Antimicrobial tools to limit Campylobacter infection of poultry
Cyril Carroll
The Team
Dr.Aoifa O’Leary
(FSPB)
Arcobacter
Isolation & identification
Iain Douglas
(FIRM)
E.coli, Pseudomonas, S.aureus
Listeria, Bacillus, LAB, Bifidobacter
Effect of Sea weed extracts on survival
Fiona Carr
(FIRM)
Campylobacter
Effect of Sea weed extracts on survival
Olivia Duignan
(Dr. Ger Fleming)
(EMBARK)
Dr. Kavah Mashayekhi
(GAMIDI)
(Prof Anthony Moran, Dr. Ger Fleming)
Campylobacter
'Adaptive responses of Campylobacter jejuni to antibiotic and
biocide selection pressures in chemostat culture’
Campylobacter
Analysis of Microarray data (Murphy study)
Cyril Carroll
GAMIDI project:
Characterisation of the adaptive acid tolerance response of Campylobacter jejuni.
Continuation of Ph.D by Caroline Murphy (2004) on: ‘A study of acid stress resistance mechanisms
in Campylobacter jejuni '
Murphy, C., Carroll, C., and Jordan, K. N. (2003). Induction of an adaptive tolerance response in the foodborne pathogen, Campylobacter jejuni. FEMS Microbiology Letters, 223 (1): 89-93
Murphy, C., Carroll, C and Jordan, K.N. (2003) Identification of a novel stress resistance mechanism in Campylobacter jejuni. Journal of Applied Microbiology 95 (4): 704-708.
Murphy, C., Carroll, C and Jordan, K.N. (2005). The effect of different media on the survival and induction of stress responses by Campylobacter jejuni. Journal of Microbiological Methods, 62 (2):
161-166
Campylobacter lack most of the stress response factors necessary for survival of other organisms in an adverse
environment such as the global stationary phase stress response factor RpoS, the oxidative stress response factor
SoxRS and other stress response factors such as RpoH
Stationary phase cells adapted at pH 5.5 induced an ATR that enabled a 100-fold greater survival
compared to an uninduced culture. Aerobic adaptation also protected the cells against acid challenge. The
cross protection provided a 500-fold increase in survival when compared to unadapted cells.
Spent medium offered cross protection
Looked at proteome and Microarray (at AFR).
Protein identification using MALDI-TOF mass
spectrometry
84
Trigger factor
Trigger factor
66
Heat shock proteins
Trigger factor
EF-TU
55
Succinyl-coA synthetase
45
Oxidoreductase
36
Mw (Kd)
NeuB3
RecA protein
Acetyl-coenzyme A
Dihydrodipicolinate synthase
Methyltransferase
24
20
Acceptor oxidoreductase
Alkyl hydroperoxide reductase
Chemotaxis protein, Chew
14
4
5
pH
6
7
Cyril Carroll
GAMIDI project:
Characterisation of the adaptive acid tolerance response of Campylobacter jejuni.
Continuation of Ph.D by Caroline Murphy (2004) on: ‘A study of acid stress resistance
mechanisms in Campylobacter jejuni '
To characterise the response of C. jejuni to low pH and other stresses (nutrient limitation,
disinfectant, heat, osmolarity and cold) by identifying differences that arise in the proteome
in response to acidic conditions.
Also look at Adaptive Tolerance Response (ATR) of Campylobacter jejuni by identifying
differences that arise in the proteome.
Protein analysis methodologies -proteomics : 2D-SDS-PAGE, MALDI-TOF mass
spectrometry; proteomic / microarray assays and data analysis)