Research
Our veterinary laboratory is at the forefront of research, focusing on antimicrobial resistance surveillance in companion animals, infection control, environmental hospital surveillance, and the study of hospital-acquired infections in veterinary settings.
We are pleased to offer MALDI-TOF MS and IR Biotyper services, not only for diagnostic purposes but also for research. If you have a veterinary or One Health project that would benefit from performance of these tests, please contact our laboratory to discuss how we can support your research needs.
Current projects
VetCLIN AMR: Surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in clinical infections
This Veterinary Medicine Directorate (VMD)/Private Laboratories Initiative (PLI) funded project (2024-2028) partners with veterinary microbiology labs to integrate diagnostic data into AMR surveillance and to develop a harmonisation roadmap that supports better antimicrobial stewardship.
Tracking transmission of ESKAPE organisms within veterinary settings
We research on the ESKAPE pathogens in veterinary clinical infections, with a strong emphasis on infection prevention and control. Through integrated clinical and environmental surveillance, we investigate the occurrence, transmission dynamics and intra-hospital dissemination of organisms such as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae across animal patients, veterinary staff, and hospital environments to inform evidence-based control strategies.
Genomic epidemiology of AMR in companion animals in the UK
Our research explores the genomic epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in companion animal infections by characterising the molecular basis of resistance in clinical isolates and comparing them with human strains from UK hospital and community settings. Through a One Health genomic surveillance approach, we investigate shared lineages and transmission links between pets and people to better understand how AMR emerges and spreads across species.
Publications
Explore a selection of our research outputs.
- Effectiveness of steam cleaning technology on reducing the occurrence of ESKAPE organisms and Escherichia coli in the stables of an equine referral hospital. Journal of equine veterinary science, 151, 105636
- PRO: Environmental microbiological surveillance does support infection control in veterinary hospitals. JAC-antimicrobial resistance, 6(4), dlae113
- Rapid Classification and Differentiation of Sepsis-Related Pathogens Using FT-IR Spectroscopy. Microorganisms, 12(7), 1415
- Bacteriological investigation of bile samples from companion animals – comparison of methods and results from three microbiology laboratories. Poster in BSAVA Congress Proceedings 2024. British Small Animal Veterinary Association
- Comparison of ATP bioluminescence and conventional microbiology for monitoring of MDR bacteria in a veterinary hospital. Poster in BSAVA Congress Proceedings 2024. British Small Animal Veterinary Association
- What can your laboratory do to help your drug stewardship? Lecture in BSAVA Congress Proceedings 2024. British Small Animal Veterinary Association
- A multinational survey of companion animal veterinary clinicians: How can antimicrobial stewardship guidelines be optimised for the target stakeholder? Veterinary journal, 303, 106045
- ENOVAT: the European Network for Optimization of Veterinary Antimicrobial Treatment. Open research Europe, 4, 170
- Rapid typing of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by Fourier-transform Infrared spectroscopy informs infection control in veterinary settings. Frontiers in microbiology, 15, 1334268
- Towards harmonized laboratory methodologies in veterinary clinical bacteriology: outcomes of a European survey. Frontiers in Microbiology, 15
- MALDI‐TOF MS Analysis for Identification of Veterinary Pathogens from Companion Animals and Livestock Species. In Microbiological Identification using MALDI‐TOF and Tandem Mass Spectrometry: Industrial and Environmental Applications Book (pp. 303-331)
- Resistome-based surveillance identifies ESKAPE pathogens as the predominant gram-negative organisms circulating in veterinary hospitals. Frontiers in Microbiology, 14
- Driving laboratory standardisation of bacterial culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing in veterinary clinical microbiology in Europe and beyond. Journal of Clinical Microbiology.