A project has been awarded funding to investigate a strain of Salmonella often found in cattle.

The grant will fund research to explore the genetic and phenotypic variations within Salmonella Dublin. The aim is to understand more about how the bacteria moves from cattle to humans and what that means for food safety and public health.

The study will be led by Dr. Prerna Vohra from the school of biological sciences at the University of Edinburgh, and Dr. Gemma Langridge from the Quadram Institute.

Scientists will use genome sequencing and phenotyping techniques to investigate the genetic factors that contribute to the invasive nature of Salmonella Dublin in both cattle and humans.

Salmonella Dublin poses a significant threat to animal and human health due to its high invasiveness and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Researchers aim to provide insights that will aid the development of effective surveillance, control programs, and potential vaccines.

Dr. Prerna Vohra, from the University of Edinburgh, said: “This grant will be instrumental in improving global One Health by enhancing our understanding of the virulence mechanisms of Salmonella Dublin. This will ultimately contribute to better surveillance, control measures and the development of innovative interventions to protect both animal and human health.”

The project is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and it runs from February 2025 to Jan, 31, 2028. The total grant awarded was more than £1.1 million ($1.3 million).

Work will include analysis on more than 80 bacterial strains from cows and humans. They were isolated in England, Scotland, Germany and the United States, plus there is scope to add to them during the project.

Dr. Gemma Langridge, from the Quadram Institute, said Salmonella Dublin is a growing public health concern and it is difficult to eliminate from cattle herds.

“There are an increasing number of incidents related to human consumption of raw milk in the UK. Outbreaks due to raw milk and cheese have been reported in Europe and AMR is increasingly being reported in cattle and humans, and there are currently no effective vaccines against Salmonella Dublin.”