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Campylobacter jejuni is a cause of gastroenteritis, commonly called food poisoning, in humans. Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, headache, nausea and vomiting. Life-threatening, auto immune-based neurological disorders are sometimes also associated with an infection by Campylobacter jejuni. Such infection often occurs as a result of handling raw poultry or eating contaminated undercooked poultry. Dr. Sonja Mertins is looking for a method to reduce the risk of people contracting the dangerous bacteria by reducing the amount of Campylobacter found on poultry products.

In poultry, the bacteria are harmless. It doesn’t take long, however, for an entire flock to become carriers. When transferred to people, the bacteria cause disease. This poses a significant food safety risk, locally in Saskatchewan and extending to the rest of Canada and beyond. It is a complex problem and Dr. Mertins has found that one way of reducing the risk of human infection is to vaccinate the poultry. The purpose of her research is to develop a vaccine that will decrease the number of bacteria colonizing poultry which will lead to a reduction in the exposure of humans to this pathogen on poultry products.

If successful, Dr. Mertins will have developed a vaccine that significantly reduces the risk of infection in people. As a result, food safety will be enhanced throughout Saskatchewan and Canada with the potential for substantial improvements to human health.

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