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All Outputs (12)

Tuberculosis in badgers where the bovine tuberculosis epidemic is expanding in cattle in England (2021)
Journal Article
Swift, B. M. C., Sandoval Barron, E., Christley, R., Corbetta, D., Grau-Roma, L., Jewell, C., O'cathail, C., Mitchell, A., Phoenix, J., Prosser, A., Rees, C., Sorley, M., Verin, R., & Bennett, M. (2021). Tuberculosis in badgers where the bovine tuberculosis epidemic is expanding in cattle in England. Scientific Reports, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-00473-6

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is an important animal health and economic problem for the cattle industry and a potential zoonotic threat. Wild badgers (Meles meles) play a role on its epidemiology in some areas of high prevalence in cattle, particularly... Read More about Tuberculosis in badgers where the bovine tuberculosis epidemic is expanding in cattle in England.

The development and use of Actiphage® to detect viable mycobacteria from bovine tuberculosis and Johne’s disease-infected animals (2019)
Journal Article
Swift, B. M. C., Meade, N., Barron, E. S., Bennett, M., Perehenic, T., Hughes, V., Stevenson, K., & Rees, C. E. D. (2019). The development and use of Actiphage® to detect viable mycobacteria from bovine tuberculosis and Johne’s disease-infected animals. Microbial Biotechnology, 13(3), 738-746. https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.13518

Here, we describe the development of a method that exploits bacteriophage D29 as a lysis agent for efficient DNA extraction from low numbers of mycobacterial cells. This method (Actiphage®) used in combination with PCR achieved rapid and sensitive (L... Read More about The development and use of Actiphage® to detect viable mycobacteria from bovine tuberculosis and Johne’s disease-infected animals.

The specificity of phage testing for MAP — where might it fit into the diagnostic armoury? (2019)
Journal Article
Swift, B. M. C., & Rees, C. E. D. (2019). The specificity of phage testing for MAP — where might it fit into the diagnostic armoury?. Livestock, 24(4), https://doi.org/10.12968/live.2019.24.4.176

The current individual tools available for the diagnosis of Johne's disease are far from suitable to tackle this endemic disease. Culture, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests, when used together can be... Read More about The specificity of phage testing for MAP — where might it fit into the diagnostic armoury?.

A novel, high-sensitivity, bacteriophage-based assay identifies low level Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteraemia in immunocompetent patients with active and incipient tuberculosis (2019)
Journal Article
Verma, R., Swift, B. M. C., Handley-Hartill, W., Lee, J. K., Woltmann, G., Rees, C. E. D., & Haldar, P. (2019). A novel, high-sensitivity, bacteriophage-based assay identifies low level Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteraemia in immunocompetent patients with active and incipient tuberculosis. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 70(5), 933-936. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciz548

Haematogenous dissemination of M. tuberculosis (Mtb) is critical to pathogenesis of progressive tuberculous infection in animal models. Using a novel phage-based blood assay, we report the first concordant evidence in well-characterised immunocompete... Read More about A novel, high-sensitivity, bacteriophage-based assay identifies low level Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteraemia in immunocompetent patients with active and incipient tuberculosis.

A study of tuberculosis in road traffic-killed badgers on the edge of the British bovine TB epidemic area (2018)
Journal Article
Sandoval Barron, E., Swift, B. M. C., Chantrey, J., Christley, R., Gardner, R., Jewell, C., McGrath, I., Mitchell, A., O'Cathail, C., Prosser, A., Ridout, S., Sanchez-Cabezudo, G., Smith, N., Timofte, D., Williams, N., & Bennett, M. (2018). A study of tuberculosis in road traffic-killed badgers on the edge of the British bovine TB epidemic area. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-35652-5

The role of badgers in the geographic expansion of the bovine tuberculosis (bTB) epidemic in England is unknown: indeed there have been few published studies of bTB in badgers outside of the Southwest of England where the infection is now endemic in... Read More about A study of tuberculosis in road traffic-killed badgers on the edge of the British bovine TB epidemic area.

Anthropogenic environmental drivers of antimicrobial resistance in wildlife (2018)
Journal Article
Swift, B. M. C., Bennett, M., Waller, K., Dodd, C., Murray, A., Gomes, R. L., Humphreys, B., Hobman, J. L., Jones, M. A., Whitlock, S. E., Mitchell, L. J., Lennon, R. J., & Arnold, K. E. (2018). Anthropogenic environmental drivers of antimicrobial resistance in wildlife. Science of the Total Environment, 649, 12-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.180

The isolation of antimicrobial resistant bacteria (ARB) from wildlife living adjacent to humans has led to the suggestion that such antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is anthropogenically driven by exposure to antimicrobials and ARB. However, ARB have al... Read More about Anthropogenic environmental drivers of antimicrobial resistance in wildlife.

Survival of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in retail pasteurised milk (2018)
Journal Article
Gerrard, Z. E., Swift, B. M. C., Botsaris, G., Davidson, R. S., Hutchings, M. R., Huxley, J. N., & Rees, C. E. D. (2018). Survival of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in retail pasteurised milk. Food Microbiology, 74, 57-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2018.03.004

A survey of retail purchased semi-skimmed pasteurised milk (n = 368) for Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) was conducted between May 2014 and June 2015 across the midlands of England using the Phage-PCR assay. Overall, 10.3% of th... Read More about Survival of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in retail pasteurised milk.

Evaluation of the limitations and methods to improve rapid phage-based detection of viable Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in the blood of experimentally infected cattle (2016)
Journal Article
Swift, B. M. C., Huxley, J. N., Plain, K. M., Begg, D. J., De Silva, K., Purdie, A. C., Whittington, R. J., & Rees, C. E. (2016). Evaluation of the limitations and methods to improve rapid phage-based detection of viable Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in the blood of experimentally infected cattle. BMC Veterinary Research, 12(1), 115. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-016-0728-2

Disseminated infection and bacteraemia is an underreported and under-researched aspect of Johne’s disease. This is mainly due to the time it takes for Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) to grow and lack of sensitivity of culture. Viabl... Read More about Evaluation of the limitations and methods to improve rapid phage-based detection of viable Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in the blood of experimentally infected cattle.

Evidence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex bacteraemia in intradermal skin test positive cattle detected using phage-RPA (2016)
Journal Article
Swift, B. M. C., Convery, T. W., & Rees, C. E. (2016). Evidence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex bacteraemia in intradermal skin test positive cattle detected using phage-RPA. Virulence, 7(7), 779-88. https://doi.org/10.1080/21505594.2016.1191729

Bovine tuberculosis is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis that affects cattle and can cause tuberculosis in a range of wildlife animals. A bacteriophage-based method combined with PCR (phage-PCR) has been recently used to det... Read More about Evidence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex bacteraemia in intradermal skin test positive cattle detected using phage-RPA.

Detection of viable Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in powdered infant formula by phage-PCR and confirmed by culture (2016)
Journal Article
Botsaris, G., Swift, B. M. C., Slana, I., Liapi, M., Christodoulou, M., Hatzitofi, M., Christodoulou, V., & Rees, C. E. (2016). Detection of viable Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in powdered infant formula by phage-PCR and confirmed by culture. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 216, 91-4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2015.09.011

Surveys from different parts of the world have reported that viable Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) can be cultured from approximately 2% of samples of retail pasteurised milk samples. Pasteurised milk is used for the production of... Read More about Detection of viable Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in powdered infant formula by phage-PCR and confirmed by culture.

Factors Affecting Phage D29 Infection: A Tool to Investigate Different Growth States of Mycobacteria (2014)
Journal Article
Swift, B. M. C., Gerrard, Z. E., Huxley, J. N., & Rees, C. E. (2014). Factors Affecting Phage D29 Infection: A Tool to Investigate Different Growth States of Mycobacteria. PLoS ONE, 9, e106690. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0106690

Bacteriophages D29 and TM4 are able to infect a wide range of mycobacteria, including pathogenic and non-pathogenic species. Successful phage infection of both fast- and slow-growing mycobacteria can be rapidly detected using the phage amplification... Read More about Factors Affecting Phage D29 Infection: A Tool to Investigate Different Growth States of Mycobacteria.

CONSERVATION CHALLENGES: THE LIMITATIONS OF ANTEMORTEM TUBERCULOSIS TESTING IN CAPTIVE ASIATIC LIONS (PANTHERA LEO PERSICA)
Journal Article
LIONS (PANTHERA LEO PERSICA). Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, 51(2), 426-432. https://doi.org/10.1638/2019-0084

Genetic diversity of captive wild animals can be enhanced by moving those individuals with valuable genes between collections and through introduction of a new pair from a range country. This requires movement of animals, which is inherent with disea... Read More about CONSERVATION CHALLENGES: THE LIMITATIONS OF ANTEMORTEM TUBERCULOSIS TESTING IN CAPTIVE ASIATIC LIONS (PANTHERA LEO PERSICA).