About this Research Topic
The genus Campylobacter contains a number of important pathogens, both of humans and of livestock. C. jejuni and C. coli are responsible for the vast majority of human disease, causing hundreds of millions of infections worldwide each year. However, more recently, the roles of other Campylobacter species are increasingly becoming recognized as pathogens in their own right. Campylobacter-related infections are zoonoses, and are most commonly associated with consumption of contaminated poultry. However, as Campylobacter is carried asymptomatically in most avian species, acquisition of these bacteria from contaminated environmental sources may also play a significant role in infection. As with many bacteria, antibiotic resistance is widespread and increasing, leading to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to declare Campylobacter as a serious antibiotic resistance threat.
Despite decades of research, the mechanisms by which Campylobacter causes disease are incompletely described. Campylobacter lacks many classical virulence determinants found in other enteric pathogens and there does not exist convenient animal models which have complicated its study. No effective Campylobacter-specific vaccine currently exists. Significant effort has been made to understand the genetics and pathogenicity of Campylobacter, most notably its flagellar motility, gene regulation, metabolism, interactions with host cells, and transmission between hosts. However, to date none of these have yet been able to identify robust intervention points for preventing or treating campylobacteriosis.
In this Research Topic, we aim to highlight recent developments in Campylobacter research, and we welcome Original Research articles, Technology Reports, Reviews, Brief Research Reports, and Mini Reviews that particularly cover, but are not limited to, the following areas:
1. Bacterial virulence characteristics
2. Gene regulation
3. Interactions with host cells
4. Induction of host inflammation
5. Biofilms and environmental survival
Despite decades of research, the mechanisms by which Campylobacter causes disease are incompletely described. Campylobacter lacks many classical virulence determinants found in other enteric pathogens and there does not exist convenient animal models which have complicated its study. No effective Campylobacter-specific vaccine currently exists. Significant effort has been made to understand the genetics and pathogenicity of Campylobacter, most notably its flagellar motility, gene regulation, metabolism, interactions with host cells, and transmission between hosts. However, to date none of these have yet been able to identify robust intervention points for preventing or treating campylobacteriosis.
In this Research Topic, we aim to highlight recent developments in Campylobacter research, and we welcome Original Research articles, Technology Reports, Reviews, Brief Research Reports, and Mini Reviews that particularly cover, but are not limited to, the following areas:
1. Bacterial virulence characteristics
2. Gene regulation
3. Interactions with host cells
4. Induction of host inflammation
5. Biofilms and environmental survival
Keywords: Campylobacter, Pathogenesis, Infection, Gastroenteritis, Gene regulation, Inflammation, Biofilm, Food Chain
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
