C. jejuni is a bacterium that colonizes food-producing animals, including poultry, and causes food poisoning in humans.
Contaminated water can also be a factor in transmitting the bacteria.
Especially at risk are the elderly and those with weakened immune systems. C. jejuni is also associated with a neurological disease in humans called Guillain-Barr syndrome, which is often fatal. At VIDO, we are trying to understand C. jejuni and develop a vaccine to halt or greatly reduce its colonization in poultry. The answer to that question may lie in the genes, says Allan. We ll investigate which genes in the bird gut are turned on and off when infected with the bacteria and how that differs from the situation in humans.