**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** CAMPYLOBACTER JEJUNI IS A LEADING CAUSE OF FOODBORNE GASTROENTERITIS IN HUMANS. CONTAMINATED POULTRY PRODUCTS ARE A SIGNIFICANT SOURCE OF C. JEJUNI. IT IS WELL-ESTABLISHED THAT C. JEJUNI CAN CON­TAMINATE A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF POULTRY CARCASSES AT THE END OF PROCESSING.THE LATTER CAN BE DUE TO SEVERAL REASONS; INCLUDING THE POTENTIAL EXISTENCE OF CERTAIN C. JEJUNI STRAINS THAT CAN TOLERATE COMMONLY USED ANTIMICROBIALS. HERE, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT CERTAIN C. JEJUNI STRAINS ARE TOLERANT TO COMMONLY USED PROCESSING ANTIMICROBIALS AND THAT THESE STRAINS, DUBBED PROCESS TOLERANT C. JEJUNI, MIGHT BE RELATED TO HUMAN DISEASE. THEREFORE, THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT ISTO IDENTIFY C. JEJUNI THAT ARE TOLERANT TO ANTIMICROBIALS COMMONLY USED DURING POULTRY PROCESSING AND TO INVESTIGATE AN APPROACH TO CONTROL THESE PROBLEMATIC STRAINS. CONTROLLING C. JEJUNI IS CRITICAL TO IMPROVE THE SAFETY OF POULTRY PRODUCTS AND REDUCE ADVERSE ECONOMIC AND PUBLIC HEALTH CONSEQUENCES. THIS PROJECT SERVES THE PURPOSE OF: 1) REDUCING PROBLEMATIC C. JEJUNI STRAINS THAT THREATEN THE PUBLIC, AND 2) PROVIDING THE POULTRY INDUSTRY WITH ENHANCED CONTROLS FOR SAFER PRODUCTS.

University Of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc.

Investigators