Speaker Details

Biography

Name: Martha Rebecca Jane Clokie Date of Birth: 14th June 1973 Nationality: British Position: Reader (Associate Professor) Positions Held April 2011 – present Reader (Associate Professor) in Microbiology at the University of Leicester Sept 2006 – March 2011 New Blood Lecturer at the University of Leicester June – Aug 2006 Visiting Scholar at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego, USA Jan 2004 – May 2006 Post-doctoral Researcher at the University of Warwick. Title: Virus-mediated photosynthesis in the oceanic cyanobacterial picoplankton Jan 2001 – Dec 2003 Post-doctoral Researcher at the University of Warwick. Title: Bacteriophage biodiversity and horizontal gene transfer in the marine environment Academic Education 1997 – 2000 University of Leicester, PhD Molecular Ecology 1996 – 1997 University of Edinburgh, MSc Plant biodiversity and taxonomy 1992 – 1996 University of Dundee BSc (Hons) Biology 1st class Research Interests: The ecology and molecular biology of bacteriophages and their relationships with bacterial hosts. The exploitation of phages for improved therapeutics and diagnostics. Determining the molecular basis of successful interactions between phages and their hosts. National and international science advisory and policy: Organising committee for SGM Session on Bacteriophages in the Environment (September 2013), Organising committee for Environmental Phage Workshop Arizona (Jan 2013), Organising committee for Viruses of Microbes Society (Last meeting in Brussels 2012), Organising committee for Evergreen International Phage meetings (2013, 2011, 2007), Joint chair of the UK, Viral Ecology Group, Member of bacteriophage classification study group for the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, Executive member of the British Phycological Society (2006-2010), Member of the advisory council of the PhageBiotics Foundation (USA). Editorial work: Member of the editorial Board for journal ‘Bacteriophages’ launched in January 2010 and for PloSONE. Edited and wrote chapters in Bacteriophages: Methods and Protocols. Published by Springer in 2009. Regularly review manuscripts for Nature Reviews Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology, Journal of Applied Microbiology, Letters in Applied Microbiology, Journal of Phycology, Journal of Medical Microbiology, Virology Journal, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, FEMS Microbial Lett., Proteomics. Regular grant reviewer for MRC, BBSRC, NERC, Wellcome Trust, NSF. Invited presentations at international meetings (selection): Aquatic Viral Workshop, St Petersburg USA, November 2013; 1st International Phage Biotechnology course, Braga, Portugal. July 2013. EU/NSF Microbial Community dynamics, St Louis, USA November 2012; Europhages; Oxford, September 2012; Viruses of Microbes. Brussels. June 2012; Euroscicon meeting on The Bacteriophage in Biology, Biotechnology and Medicine, London, UK. January 2012; SGM, Horizontal Gene Transfer, University of York. September 2011; 19th Evergreen International Phage Meeting, Olympia, USA. August 2011; SGM Irish Division. Queens University, Belfast. April 2011; Viruses of Microbes. Pasteur Institute, Paris; February 2011. Research colloquia and seminars (selection): London School of Medicine and Tropical Hygiene (2013). University of Liverpool (2013). University of Nottingham (2012), University of Warwick (2012), University of Mahidol Bangkok (2012), Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam (2012), University of Bergen, March 2010, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda USA. January 2009, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA. August 2007, Stanford University, USA. August 2006, San Diego State University, USA. August 2006.

Abstract

The diversity and infection dynamics of C. difficile bacteriophages

The diversity and infection dynamics of C. difficile bacteriophages Clostridium difficile is the major cause of infectious diarrhoea in hospitals and results in death in around 10% of cases. It is difficult to diagnose and to treat and a promising source of novel diagnostic agents and anti-microbials may come from bacteriophages. We have isolated ~40 bacteriophages which infect C. difficile. We have shown that they have therapeutic/diagnostic potential as they are effective against the major ribotypes of C. difficile that cause disease. We have characterised their morphology, infection parameters, and host ranges. We have also generated whole genome sequences which have revealed that they encode a mosaic of expected and unexpected genes. In order to develop the phages further as a therapeutic research is in progress to determine how effective they are in more complex models. Data will be presented to illustrate the potential of bacteriophages to be used to treat this important pathogen.