In collaboration with Duncan Maskell and Andrew Preston of the Centre for Veterinary Science, University of Cambridge, the main sequencing project is working on B. pertussis, which causes most cases of whooping cough. The B. pertussis sequence will be compared to that of B. bronchiseptica, which causes respiratory disease in a wide range of mammals, and B. parapertussis, which also causes whooping cough.
Symptoms vary from localized abscesses to pneumonia and septicaemia.
The sequencing will be carried out in collaboration with Dr Rick Titball of the Defence Evaluation Research Agency, Porton Down, and Dr Ty Pitt of the Central Public Health Laboratory. St Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry and Dr Julian Ketley of the Department of Genetics, University of Leicester. The sequencing project is working in collaboration with Brendan Wren of the Department of Medical Microbiology, St Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Neil Fairweather and Gordon Dougan of the Department of Biochemistry, Imperial College, London and Peter Mullany of the Eastman Dental Institute, London. The sequencing project is being carried out in collaboration with Stewart Cole at the Unit de Genetique Moleculaire Bacterienne, Institut Pasteur, Paris. Along with Haemophilus influenzae, N. meningitidis is a leading cause of meningitis.