Research summary
The microbiome is the community of micro-organisms—including bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microbes—that live in humans and animals. Although microbiome research is still in its infancy, there is enormous potential in harnessing the power of the microbiome to prevent and treat infectious diseases. As Canada Research Chair in Agricultural Microbiology, Dr. Jennifer Ronholm is trying to understand the interactions that occur between bacterial pathogens and endogenous microbiota (the micro-organisms that naturally inhabit and coexist) in livestock.
Ronholm and her research team are identifying and isolating endogenous bacteria that can counteract the growth of disease-causing pathogens and engineering disease-resistant microbiomes in livestock. She and her team are also building microbiomes capable of resisting a wide range of pathogens in dairy cows in order to prevent bovine mastitis. In addition, they are developing bovine and avian intestinal microbiomes that can resist Salmonella enterica bacteria, a major public health threat.