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SUMMARY:Photorhabdus asymbiotica: the bioluminescent bacteria with a dark 
 secret - Dr Nick Waterfield\, University of Bath\, Department of Biology a
 nd Biochemistry
DTSTART:20101013T153000Z
DTEND:20101013T163000Z
UID:TALK26453@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Suzy Blows
DESCRIPTION:The genus Photorhabdus can be split into 3 species based on mu
 lti-locus sequence typing. Two of these species are associated with an ins
 ect pathogenic nematode worm in a “symbiosis” of pathogens. Nematode-b
 acterial complexes containing these Photorhabdus strains have been routine
 ly used as crop-protection agents for some time now. The third species\, P
 . asymbiotica\, has however only been isolated as the causal agent of clin
 ical infections and may be considered an “emerging” human pathogen. It
  is suspected that the micro-organisms that cause “emerging diseases” 
 are already present in the environment\, often on other animal hosts\, whi
 ch somehow acquire pathogenesis to humans. When we consider the numbers of
  invertebrate animals in the environment and the frequency and intimacy by
  which they come into contact with humans\, it may be unwise to underestim
 ate their role in the evolution of mammalian disease. The similarities bet
 ween the “innate” immunity of insects and man mean that it is likely t
 hat bacterial pathogens evolved to overcome insect immunity can be pre-ada
 pted for mammalian hosts.\nI will discuss the molecular adaptations that h
 ave allowed an emerging bacterial pathogen\, P. asymbiotica\, to infect hu
 mans\, and describe our recent findings from both comparative genomic work
  and clinical data.\n
LOCATION:Lecture Theatre 1\, Department of Veterinary Medicine
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