Campylobacter jejuni is a spiral rod-shaped bacterium, and a leading cause of diarrheal and extraintestinal infectious mortality in children, making it a global health priority. Especially since there is no vaccine or effective medication against C. jejuni.
A key step towards the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Campylobacter infection
- The study identifies the QcrC molecule in several strains of C. jejuni, this molecule, a multiprotein complex being essential for the energy production of C. jejuni, the growth of the bacteria and its pathogenicity;
- found in many strains, this complex seems extremely stable for identifying and targeting the bacterial species;
- from QcrC the team is developing a monoclonal antibody capable of both identifying C. jejuni and inhibiting the growth of the bacteria;
- the monoclonal antibody reacts to the QcrC multiprotein complex and therefore blocks the pathogenicity of the bacteria.
These initial results represent a strong advance toward preventive approaches to detect C. jejuni and prevent Campylobacter infections from getting worse.
“It is the development of a simple detection system”, adds one of the lead authors, Professor Yamasaki, microbiologist, “which will notably allow the rapid identification of contaminated food, the control of C. jejuni infections and food poisoning and the development of vaccines”.
Health
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