Research

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis is the causative organism of Johne′s disease (or paratuberculosis), a debilitating chronic gastroenteritis in ruminants. Animals typically become infected by the fecal-oral route in the first few months of life. The chronic wasting and profuse diarrhea that characterize clinical paratuberculosis are not usually observed until three or more years following infection. Paratuberculosis is prevalent in domestic animals worldwide and has a significant impact on the global economy, including the Canadian economy.

Check out our 2017 review paper on Johne's disease knowledge gaps

Digital dermatitis (DD), the leading cause of infectious lameness in Alberta dairy cattle, is present in 15% of cows and 94% of herds. The painful, ulcerative or proliferative lesions that characterize DD compromise animal welfare and lead to significant economic losses. Multiple species of Treponema, a pathogenic anaerobic bacterium, are consistently found in DD lesions and rarely isolated from healthy hooves. We believe there is a relationship between Treponema species present and lesion severity facilitated by synergistic interactions among Treponema species that contribute to pathogenicity.

Check out our 2017 review paper on missing pieces of the puzzle in DD control.

Non-aureus staphylococci (NAS), also called Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), have become the predominant pathogens causing intramammary infections (IMI) in dairy cattle in many countries. Moreover, CNS are the most frequently isolated pathogens from udder quarters; approximately 20% of milk samples collected on the farms enrolled in the Canadian Bovine Mastitis Research Network (CBMRN) was CNS-positive (Reyher et al., 2011). Little is known about the impact as well as control of CNS as compared to the common mastitis pathogens. To date, approximately 50 species and subspecies of CNS have been identified and all of them can potentially cause mastitis. Therefore, the correct species identification is a very important step on the development of preventive practices for IMI. However, the lack of a standard technique that can be applied to all species represents a major challenge to the understanding of the epidemiology of CNS IMI.

We have identified 6000 NAS/CNS isolates by rpoB sequencing, resolving the epidemiology in bovine mastitis in Canada. From this we selected >400 isolates for whole genome sequencing (WGS). These WGS have allowed us to study the phylogeny of these bovine NAS, their virulence gene and antimicrobial resistance gene profiles and their phenotypic and genotypic capacity to produce bacteriocins.

Our lab is on a mission to invent and develop point-of-care tests and devices that will revolutionize the veterinary and medical diagnostic industries.

We are creating novel test platforms for detecting antibodies and bacterial pathogens directly and instantly in biological samples that are the first of their kind.

A spin-off company, "Creative Protein Solutions Inc." was created to commercialize this platform technology.