2021-095: Investigation of AMR transmission via horizontal gene transfer in Mycoplasma bovis

Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) is the most significant feedlot cattle disease, responsible for approximately 60-70% of cattle morbidities in Canada. Mycoplasma bovis, or M. bovis, is a major component of this disease complex, though there is no effective vaccine for it. An even greater concern is that the antimicrobials used to treat M. bovis have become more susceptible to resistance.
Dr. Murray Jelinski and his team at the University of Saskatchewan's Western College of Veterinary Medicine will research how this antimicrobial resistance occurs by understanding how these traits jump from cell to cell, including how biofilms, which can be up to 5000 times more tolerant to antimicrobials than other bacteria, can assist in this transfer.