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Characterization and Genetic Relationship Between Campylobacter Strains from American and Brazilian Isolates

Research Scholar

Andréia Vielmo, Veterinary Preventive Medicine (Brazil)
Bayleyegn Molla, Co-Researcher
Guilherme Santana de Moura, Co-Researcher
Wondwossen A. Gebreyes, Faculty Mentor


Andréia Vielmo is a Brazilian student in her third year of studying veterinary medicine at the Federal University of Santa Maria. She has experience in the area of veterinary medicine, with emphasis on infectious diseases of animals, bacteriology and general microbiology. She is a visiting scholar at The Ohio State University, sponsored by the National Council for Research and Development's Science without Borders sandwich degree program.

What is the issue or problem addressed in your research?

Foodborne diseases are of concern to public health officials worldwide. Animal foods are the main source of transmission of bacteria responsible for many pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract. Among these we may mention the Campylobacter bacteria. Campylobacteriosis is the leading foodborne bacterial zoonotic disease of worldwide distribution that can be transmitted to humans through food of animal origin. Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are the two main species responsible to cause diarrhea in humans. Studies show that Campylobacter can be more aggressive than the Salmonella, but is still an understudied pathogen compared to Salmonella and other foodborne pathogens of concern.

What methodology did you use in your research?

Therefore this study aims to characterize phenotypic and genotypically by performing PCR searching and genotyping of different isolates of U.S. and Brazilian origin with the goal of determining the molecular epidemiology and genotypic relationship between strains. This enables understanding the epidemiology of this disease between these two countries. PCR will be performed on the purified DNA of the isolates for all the following seven housekeeping genes: aspA (aspatase), glnA (glutamine synthetase), gltA (citrate synthase), glyA (serine hydroxy methyl transferase), pgm (phospho glucomutase), tkt (transketolase), uncA (ATP synthase alpha subunit) . The degree of clonality will be determined using the MLST based index of association and phylogenetic analysis as shown previously recommended.

What are the purpose/rationale and implications of your research?

Understanding the epidemiology of the disease is one of the most effective ways to control it, so it's important to determine the distribution of this pathogen and how it behaves in different locations.