Environmental and Food Microbiology


Mission and objectives

The mission of the team is to provide high quality research and scientific services in plant bacteriology, environmental microbiology, wildlife disease diagnostics and food safety. The Microbiology Team was brought together in 2003 to integrate the microbiology skills within CSL into a single team, and has very broad microbiological expertise with an international reputation in several key areas. The main customers of the team are Defra and the Food Standards Agency (FSA), providing support on legislative, public health and other biosecurity issues.

Science themes

  • Biology, diagnosis and control of bacterial diseases of crops with particular emphasis on pathogens that are under statutory control
  • Phyllosphere and rhizosphere bacteria which may have bio-remediative and biocontrol potential
  • Development of diagnostic methods for food and water-borne pathogens including viruses, protozoa and bacteria
  • Development of diagnostic methods and provision of diagnostic service for zoonotic pathogens in wildlife
  • Evaluation of natural anti-microbials
  • Research on microbial biodiversity
  • Development of generic molecular diagnostic methods and validation of methods
  • Applications of bacteriophage-based technologies

Team members