Research Programme B14: List of Projects
Details of Agency-funded projects under the Foodborne Disease research programme (B14).
B01007: Development and study of tests to differentiate between tolerant and sensitive isolates of Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157
This research project aims to identify simple, reproducible methods to distinguish between strains of Salmonella and E.coli O157 on the basis of their tolerance to environmental stress.
Results available.
B01008: Post stress detection of cold and hypochlorite stress proteins in Salmonella typhimurium.
This project aims to explore the responses of the foodborne bacterium Salmonella typhimurium to stress encountered during commercial food processing or storage
Results available.
B01009: An assessment of population changes in Salmonella enteritidis, and the emergence of strains with altered properties during food processing
This research project aims to establish whether exposure of S. enterica serovar Enteritidis to stresses such as heat or acid treatment gives rise to more resistant types.
Results available.
B01010/11: Evaluation of the risk of induction and selection of more virulent salmonellas by exposure to food production related stress
This project aims to determine if Salmonellas with increased stress tolerance and virulence may emerge more frequently when exposed to stress encountered by bacteria from farm to fork.
Results available.
B01013: Genotypic subtyping of multiresistant Salmonella typhimurium DT 104 from food animals and humans
This research project aims to compare techniques to identify strains of salmonella, this is will help in tracing human infections back to their source.
Results available.
B03013: Comparison of clinical Campylobacter jejuni in North West England and Northern Ireland
This research project will compare the strains of campylobacter occurring in human infections in North West England and Northern Ireland, the results may enable the identification of different risk factors in these two regions.
B03014: Whole genome analysis fluorescent AFLP: identification of post-specificity genes of campylobacter and their values as epidemiological markers
This research project developed a tool for identifying strains of campylobacter, this was used to help understand the sources of campylobacter food poisoning and how it is spread.
Results available.
B08006: Ascertainment and enhancement of gastrointestinal infection surveillance and statistics (AEGISS)
This research project aims to develop a food poisoning surveillance system with enhanced sensitivity and speed to provide more opportunities for intervention and prevention in the local population.
Results available.
B10003: Establishment of a national facility for antibiotic resistant bacteria from foods; development of a national archiving facility for such organisms
This research project aims at providing a reference service for 1) determination of antimicrobial susceptibility patterns in microorganisms from foods collected in the course of microbiological food surveillance studies and 2) providing a depository and archiving service for them.
B14001: Food poisoning and foreign travel - a study of population health burden and risk factors for antibiotic resistance
This research project aims to collect information on the contribution of foreign travel to food poisoning.
B14002: Methods for the detection of Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli
This research project aims to develop a detection method for Enteroaggregative E. coli that can be used to screen clinical, food and environmental samples without the need to refer them to a specialist laboratory.
Results available.
B14003: Development and validation of diagnostic tests for Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli
This research project aims to develop tests for Enteroaggregative E. coli in stool specimens and food in order to be able to distinguish these from other E. coli infections.
B14004: Generation of an archive of extracted nucleic acid for the IID archived faecal specimens
This research project, in combination with project B14005, aims to use archived faecal samples to facilitate further work on identifying the causes and burden of infectious intestinal disease.
B14005: Apply molecular techniques to the nucleic acid archive generated from stool samples archived from the Infectious Intestinal Disease Study
This research project, in combination with project B14004, aims to use archived faecal samples to facilitate further work on identifying the causes and burden of infectious intestinal disease.
B14006: Assessment of the ability of Clostridium perfringens strains to produce enterotoxin after exposure to defined environmental conditions
This research project aims to obtain data on the behaviour of a range of strains of Clostridium perfringens in terms of their ability to produce toxin and subsequently cause food poisoning.
Results available.
B14007: Food safety implications of potentially pathogenic clostridia
This research project aims to collect data on species of clostridia that may contaminate foods.
Results available.
B14008: Development and validation of a versatile model for predicting growth of Clostridium perfringens during cooling of meat
This research project aims to develop and validate a computer programme to predict growth of C. perfringens in meat during cooling using a range of cooking and cooling conditions.
Results available.
B14009: Improved control of Clostridium perfringens
This research project aims to develop a user friendly software tool to describe the behaviour of C. perfringens during heating/cooling of meats.
Results available.
B14011: Case control study of risk factors for Campylobacter jejuni infectious intestinal disease in England and Wales
This research project aims to determine the relative contribution of different risk factors, both food and non-food related, to the burden of C. jejuni infection in humans.
B14012: Environmental and water-borne sources of campylobacter in the north-west of England and their influence on seasonal human infection
This research project aims to identify and investigate clusters of human campylobacter cases in north-west of England and assess the contribution of environmental exposures.
B18021: The second study of infectious intestinal disease in the community - determining disease burden and calibrating national surveillance data in the United Kingdom
This research project aims to estimate the burden and causes of infectious intestinal disease (IID) in the UK population.