Bordetella avium causes respiratory disease (bordetellosis) in commercially grown turkeys, but is also found in a variety of healthy wild and domesticated birds. It is closely related to Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of human whooping cough, and Bordetella bronchiseptica, the causative agent of kennel cough in dogs. Since no vaccines or effective antibiotic treatments exist to treat or prevent bordetellosis, studies to determine disease-causing factors in B. avium are important to worldwide agricultural interests.

Areas of Interest:

Pathogenesis- study of disease causation and vaccine development

Bacteriophage discovery and biology