Event Description

An PhD Exit Seminar presenting findings on risk factors and genomics of Campylobacter infections in Australia and the region.

Abstract

Campylobacter infections are a significant contributor to the global burden of gastroenteritis. The impact of the pathogen varies between high and low resource settings. In high-resources settings, the greatest burden is frequently felt through lost workforce productivity due to illness or caring responsibilities, while in low-income settings endemic enteric infections can lead to long-term malnutrition.

This exit seminar explores how risk factors for campylobacteriosis differ by species, the relative importance of Campylobacter as a gastrointestinal pathogen across different resource settings, and how genomics informs our understanding of the severity and spread of infections. This thesis utilised multiple research methods and data including  case-control study outcomes, longitudinal cohort data from a pilot study, genome profiles of Campylobacter isolates, and applied disease proportions to cost assumptions.

Eating raw or undercooked chicken remains a prominent risk factor for Campylobacter infection. However, certain risk factors, such as contact with young animals, proton-pump inhibitor use, and consumption of chicken or delicatessen meat products have species-specific associations. In Timor-Leste, signs of malnutrition and the presence of enteric pathogen are observed from as young as a few months old. In the Australian region and neighbouring New Zealand, Campylobacter spp. exhibit diversity, although the role of individual genes in disease presentation remains unclear.

This thesis underscores the advantages of incorporating whole genome sequencing into public health surveillance. By integrating risk factors, epidemiological patterns, genomics, and economics, this research contributes to a comprehensive understanding of Campylobacter in the Australian region.

Speaker Biography

Dani is a PhD Candidate and Research Officer working in foodborne disease epidemiology and genomic surveillance at NCEPH. She is currently a member of the AusPathoGen Program in a team evaluating the utility and cost-effectiveness of pathogen sequencing in public health surveillance. For her PhD project, she is applying genomic data for Campylobacter to risk factors, epidemiological trends, and cost data to understand the underlying mechanisms of infection and the relative burden of the pathogen. She is supervised by Martyn Kirk, Katie Glass, Angus McLure and Rhiannon Wallace.