BIOSCAMP Analysis of genetic variations in Campylobacter jejuni in relation to its survival during poultry processing

Context:

Campylobacter remains the leading cause of bacterial enteritis worldwide and has been the leading cause of zoonosis in the European Union for more than 15 years. Several attempts to implement control measures have been evaluated in order to reduce the risk of campylobacteriosis, including the challenge of identifying stress biomarkers to predict the behavior of the pathogen when exposed to stress during the food processing process. The objective of this thesis is to continue the research carried out by the SECALIM joint research unit on Campylobacter and its response to stress, and the search for biomarkers. 

Aims:

This thesis aims to identify genomic biomarkers associated with Campylobacter's response to various stresses encountered in production environments in order to predict the behavior of the bacterium. To do this, we'll use the GWAS (Genome-Wide Association Studies) approach. This will involve characterizing the phenotypic response of several strains of Campylobacter jejuni from different sources (isolated from slaughterhouse environments, chicken carcasses, and clinical samples) to stresses relevant to the process, then identifying the genetic variants associated with these traits. In a second phase, we will supplement this analysis by exploring the metabolic modeling of C. jejuni through an in silico study.

Start date: November 2024

Duration: 3 years

Partners: European Reference Laboratory for Campylobacter at the National Veterinary Institute in Sweden, the Digital Sciences Laboratory at Nantes University (UMR CNRS/IMT LS2N), UMR MaiAGE

Coordination: Nabila Haddad, Professor at SECALIM

Funding: INRAE MICA thesis grant - Pays de la Loire Regi