Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine

1. Establishment of measures to reduce contamination of poultry flocks and chicken meat by foodborne pathogens
The number of foodborne illnesses caused by contaminated chicken meat continues to increase. The main causative bacteria are Salmonella and Campylobacter. In order to establish measures to reduce the contamination of poultry flocks with food poisoning bacteria at the consumption stage, the poultry processing stage, and even at the production stage on farms, we have been investigating the contamination of poultry flocks and poultry meat at farms and poultry processing plants. The future challenge is to elucidate the contamination pathways.

2. Pathogenic mechanism and host specificity of fowl typhoid
Most of the pathogenic Salmonella serotypes cause diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms in various animals (food poisoning in humans), while only a few serotypes (less than 10) cause sepsis and death in specific animal hosts. However, the mechanism of this strong host-specific virulence has not yet been clarified so far. We identified 50 antigens expressed by Salmonella enterica serotype Gallinarum in infected chickens and narrowed down the genes that are thought to be important for the pathogenesis of fowl typhoid and the virulence of the organism, based on the phenotype (decreased virulence) in chickens of mutant strains. We are trying to clarify how these genes are involved in the development of fowl typhoid and how they are involved in the mechanism that makes the bacteria highly pathogenic and lethal only to birds.

Through these two themes, we aim to contribute to ensuring food safety and a stable supply of food.

Establishment of measures to reduce contamination of poultry flocks and poultry meat with foodborne pathogens
Elucidation of the pathogenic mechanism of fowl typhoid
Elucidation of the vertical infection mechanism of pullorum disease