WHERE WERE YOU BEFORE RECEIVING THIS AWARD?
Just starting academic career, suffering from temporary contract cycle and being unable to lead large grant application. Time and being ineligible for many opportunities limited my research scope before this project. The Wellcome Trust Clinical Primer Scheme has provided means and opportunity to kickstart a research career. The clinical buyout has been invaluable in developing research skills and allowing time to develop research ideas. In addition, the networks forged during this project which will hopefully springboard future research opportunities.
YOUR RESEARCH PROJECT IN LAY TERMS
This project has enabled me to address multiple research questions about an important pathogen of cattle; Mycoplasma bovis. The first part of the work undertaken has allowed me to investigate the prevalence of the pathogen in Ireland and undertake a risk factor study. The second part has allowed me to use Bayesian statistical methodology to evaluate the performance of herd level tests that are used to diagnose Mycoplasma bovis in dairy herds. This work has not been done before and provides a valuable opportunity to advance the knowledge of this high impact pathogen in the dairy industry. I have been able to secure samples of Mycoplasma bovis through this project that are strain typed, work which has never before been done in Ireland. It is important to understand what strains are present in Ireland in addition to understanding the antimicrobial resistance profiles of those strains to avoid inappropriate use of antimicrobials in food producing animals. Finally, the last part of the project is to use the final outputs to compare the features of Mycoplasma bovis antimicrobial resistance profiles and virulence genes with that of the important human pathogen Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
HOW HAS ISSF HELPED YOUR RESEARCH CAREER?
The ISSF CPS has been invaluable in providing an opportunity to do research for a clinician. The funding for the project as well as the clinical buyout time have really given me the chance to forge a research career, through having a research focus as well as developing many new skills and networks. Without the clinical buyout there would not be time or opportunity to devote to the development of specific research portfolio’s such as this Mycoplasma project.
TANGIBLE OUTPUTS AS A RESULT OF RECEIVING THE AWARD
- Seroprevalence of Mycoplasma bovis in bulk milk samples in Irish dairy herds and risk factors associated with herd seropositive status, Journal of dairy science – in review
- Bayesian latent class analysis of ID-vet ELISA and standard PCR for detecting herd level infection with Mycoplasma bovis – in progress, should be submitted March 2022 Journal of dairy science
- Profile the strain types of Mycoplasma bovis associated with Mycoplasma bovis associated disease in Irish dairy herds – in progress
- Publish a one health collaborative study on the antimicrobial resistance profiles of Mycoplasma bovis in cattle and
- Mycoplasma pneumoniae in humans – in progress
- Keynote speaker in respiratory disease stream at National conference for veterinary practitioners in Ireland October 2021
WHAT DID THE AWARD MEAN TO YOU PERSONALLY?
The ISSF CPS has been an invaluable opportunity for me to develop a research career, it has opened many doors and opportunities. I feel it has given me the opportunity to develop professionally and exposed me to many new skills and colleagues that I hope to work with again in the future. It has sparked an appetite for research and served as a springboard for research and I am very grateful for this very valuable opportunity.