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<OL> <LI> Isolate and determine the efficacy of bacteriophage to reduce food borne human pathogens and prevent poultry diseases; <LI>Determine the effects of stress on the immune system resulting in susceptibility to bacterial infections of food safety importance; <LI>Develop appropriate interventions to decrease pathogen load and susceptibility to disease in stressed turkeys; <LI>Determine the genetic components that influence the stress response and its interaction with immunity; <LI>Study the influence of the host environment during chronic infection and/or stress on bacteria that enable them to cause disease.
APPROACH: Bacteriophage will be isolated from environmental sources targeted for the bacteria E. coli, Salmonella sp., Campylobacter jejuni, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Bordetella avium. The ability of these bacteriophage to prevent and treat infection with these organisms will be studied as well as the ability of these bacteriophage to decrease the load of these food borne pathogens on poultry products. The effects of stress on the immune system of turkeys will be determined using a dexamethasone immunosuppression model, the genetic basis of the turkey stress response will be explored using this model and natural stressor models, and appropriate interventions to decrease pathogen load and susceptibility to disease in stressed turkeys will be developed.