Dr. Frances Colles

Biography

Frances Colles is a Departmental Lecturer in Microbiology at the University of Oxford, with a particular focus on Infectious Diseases. Her research primarily investigates Campylobacter as a principal organism that causes severe gastrointestinal diseases in humans, with the alarming incidence of reported cases in the UK. Colles' work emphasizes the identification of contaminated chicken meat as a major source of infection, and she seeks to develop effective 'on-farm' intervention strategies to enhance biosecurity measures. Her groundbreaking doctoral research challenged the prevailing belief that wild birds are a major source of Campylobacter contamination in broiler chicken flocks. Instead, she demonstrated that specific Campylobacter strains colonize particular bird species, suggesting a complex interaction across continents rather than merely cross-host species barriers. Furthermore, her studies on free-range broiler breeder flocks revealed a significant decline in shedding levels among mature birds, indicating different colonization attributes for Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. Currently, Colles' work employs state-of-the-art technology to formally test the relationships between chicken flock behavior, welfare, and Campylobacter prevalence, aiming to explore husbandry practices that may mitigate the colonization of chicken flocks and reduce incidence of human disease.

Research Interests