Date of Award
Spring 5-2026
Language
English
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Department
Biology
Advisor/Committee Chair
Douglas S. Conklin
Abstract
Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of foodborne illness and a major trigger of Guillain–Barré Syndrome (GBS), an autoimmune neuropathy caused by molecular mimicry between bacterial lipooligosaccharides (LOS) and host nerve gangliosides. While prior genomic studies have focused primarily on human clinical isolates, the prevalence and distribution of GBS-associated genes in non-human reservoirs remain poorly characterized. This study used genomic datasets derived from analyses of human and non-human C. jejuni isolates to assess the distribution of GBS-associated genes, with a focus on the neuABC sialylation pathway. Results demonstrate that these genes are present in both host types, across multiple geographic regions, and within diverse sequence types (STs) identified through multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Notably, shared STs containing GBS-associated genes were identified in both human and non-human datasets, providing strong evidence for zoonotic exchange. These findings demonstrate that non-human reservoirs play a critical role in maintaining C. jejuni strains and highlight the need for expanded genomic surveillance using a One Health framework.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Doughty, Emma, "Genomic Surveillance of Guillain–Barré Syndrome-Associated Genes in Campylobacter jejuni Across Human and Non-Human Reservoirs" (2026). Biological Sciences. 113.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/honorscollege_biology/113