Mark P Stevens
Mark Stevens is Chair of Microbial Pathogenesis at the Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh. His laboratory studies Salmonella, E. coli and Campylobacter infections in food-producing animals, with emphasis on the role of bacterial and host factors in persistence, pathogenesis and protection. In recent years, he has applied high-density mutagenesis strategies to assign roles to Salmonella and E. coli genes in intestinal colonisation, as well as novel surgical models to understand how some serovars and pathotypes migrate from mucosal surfaces to produce systemic disease. These approaches have provided rich annotation of the function of bacterial genes in relevant hosts and informed the rational design and evaluation of control strategies. He has also sought to unravel the basis of heritable resistance of poultry to Salmonella and Campylobacter infections, including by analysis of the role of SAL1-encoded genes in avian resistance to fowl typhoid and via genome-wide association studies to map quantitative trait loci for resistance to C. jejuni in inbred and commercial bird populations. Such research aims to enhance both food safety and animal welfare.
Abstracts this author is presenting: