Dr. David McCleery, Head of the Bacteriology Department at the Agri-food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) on the work of his organisation which includes creating vaccines which are used globally in ghting endemic animal diseases.
As Head of the Bacteriology Department, Dr. David McCleery leads a team of 67, providing research, analytical services and specialist advice on the control of the major bacterial pathogens of animal and public health significance.
David is passionate about his work and about AFBI’s multi-disciplinary approach. “Working alongside other disciplines and conducting innovative research and development, AFBI seeks to create novel solutions to problems and realise clear outcomes for customers,” he says.
“We have conducted lots of research projects for safefood over the years,” says David. “For example, we are currently conducting a project risk-pro ling Listeria in food production environments and recently completed a project characterising ESBL E.coli in raw meat”
“The skill base within the Bacteriology Department includes traditional and specialist bacteriology methods in addition to advanced molecular diagnostics, test development, immunology, genetics, experimental design, wildlife ecology and veterinary epidemiology. We have an international standing in bovine TB and Campylobacter research,” he says.
“We have extensive collaborations and linkages with other research organisations within Europe, North America and elsewhere in the world.”
The Salmonella Unit within the Branch is the EU recognised National Reference Laboratory for NI and conducts conformation and serotyping of Salmonella from animals and related sources in NI, and statutory and surveillance work in relation to antimicrobial resistance in food-borne pathogens.
“In the area of food safety, the specialist expertise we offer includes the detection, characterisation and control of food-borne pathogens in the food chain, food hygiene and food preservation,” explains David.
“The research undertaken aims to protect public health, add value to food products and improve industry competitiveness,” he adds.
The Bacteriology Department also participates in an Animal Health Research Club and works with the University of Edinburgh (Roslin Institute) and the Scottish Rural University College to fine map genetic variants associated with TB resistance in cattle and to investigate the feasibility of genomic prediction for TB resistance.
“We are constantly looking for innovative ways of working. For example, in collaboration with the Statistics Department at Queen’s University Belfast, we have a PhD student who has just started on a project to develop a mathematical model to assess spread and control of bovine TB integrating both domestic and wild host dynamics,” says David.
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