Gerald W. Tannock
Education:
University of Otago
Fogarty International Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Texas and the University of Illinois
Education:
University of Otago
Fogarty International Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Texas and the University of Illinois
Research concerns the collection of microbes, mostly bacteria, that inhabits the gastrointestinal tract of mammals. This collection is referred to as the gastrointestinal, or gut, microflora. Research interests concern the analysis of bacterial populations that are members of the gut microflora of humans, and the impact of the consumption of 'probiotic' and 'prebiotic' products on the bacterial community. Analytical methods used include genetic fingerprinting of bacterial isolates, measurement of biochemical parameters, PCR combined with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) to obtain bacterial community profiles, and DNA/RNA hybridisations (dot blots) to quantify selected bacterial groups. Further major research includes analysis of the intestinal microflora of experimental animal models of inflammatory bowel disease, the impact of antimicrobial drugs on the composition and metabolic activity of bacteria resident in the gut of broiler chickens, and the microbiology of inflammatory bowel disease of humans.
Other current work involves comparisons of lactobacillus-free and lactobacillus-colonised mice with respect to immunological parameters, and the use of this animal model in investigating the expression of Lactobacillus genes in the gut and their impact on bacterial colonisation. The impact of bifidobacterial species on the activation of human dendritic cells with respect to atopic diseases is also under investigation. Epidemiological studies of Campylobacter jejuni have been carried out utilising FlaA-typing to distinguish strains of Campylobacter.
Professional experience:
| 1996 | Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand |
| 2001 | Professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada |
| Member of: | |
| 1996 - 1998 | President of the New Zealand Microbiological Society |
See: www.pubmed.com under “Tannock GW”, for publications
Related articles on this website:
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| Probiotics and Prebiotics: Scientific Aspects |