Professor Fiona Tomley

BSc PhD
Chair of Experimental Parasitology

Department: Pathobiology & Population Sciences

Campus: Hawkshead

Research Groups: Pathogen Flow in Ecosystems, Sustainable Food Systems, Host-Pathogen Interactions and Vaccinology, IRLFS (Research Programme)

Fiona joined the RVC in October 2010.  Currently she is Director of the UKRI GCRF One Health Poultry Hub and Professor of Experimental Parasitology

Fiona studied Bacteriology and Virology at Manchester University where, in 1980, she completed her PhD. After working as a virology post-doc at Cambridge University Fiona joined Houghton Poultry Research Station in 1984 as an AFRC New investigator Fellow.  In this she contributed to decoding the first coronavirus genome (avian infectious bronchitis) and pioneered the uptake of poxvirus vector technologies for veterinary use.  This institute later became part of the BBSRC Institute for Animal Health in Compton, Berkshire, from where Fiona retired as Director of Science in 2010 and joined the RVC.

Since the late 1980's Fiona has worked primarily on protozoan parasites of chickens (Eimeria species) but also retained her broader interest in  avian microbiology, parasitology and virology. Since 2019 she has been Director of the UKRI-funded GCRF One Health Poultry Hub, an interdisciplinary research network that studies zoonotic disease and AMR transmission linked to intensification of chicken production and marketing in South and South East Asia.

Outside of her own research, Fiona serves/has served on numerous grant, fellowship and evaluation panels for UK and overseas funders, as well as many strategy and network boards including current membership of the DHSC UK Vaccine Network,  the International Veterinary Vacciology Network Management Board, and the VetMedUni Science Advisory Board.  Since 2022 she has been the Chair of Trustees for The Houghton Trust, a UK registered charity and limited company that promotes and funds avian disease research.  She is an Honorary Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (University of Bern, 2017) and until 2010 held visiting Professorships at University of Bristol and the Guanzhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China.   In 2021 she was made CBE in the Queen's birthday honours for services to Animal Health, and in 2024 was awarded the Plowright Prize by RCVS Knowledge in recognition of her contribution to understanding and control of infectious diseases in poultry. 

 

Fiona's major personal research contribution has been to generate knowledge on protozoan parasites of the genus Eimeria which cause coccidiosis, a severe enteritis that affects many livestock species and is most serious in poultry.  These parasites are transmitted by the faecal-oral route and they rapidly invade epithelial cells of the gut, causing damage and leading to the build-up of heavy parasite loads in the environment.  In the absence of measures to control Eimeria parasites, outbreaks of coccidiosis are inevitable, with occasional high morbidity and mortality, and continual impacts on animal health, welfare and production efficiency.   She initially led an industry-sponsorted antigen discovery and vaccinology programme and whilst much of this remained confidential it allowed her to combine a quest for better control with basic science studies.  Hence, much of her research has focused on parasite invasion and characterisation of classes of proteins, derived from different parasite subcellular compartments (parasite surface and secretory organelles), involved in the process.  Several of these are potent immunogens and have been incorporated into experimental vaccines.  In collaboration with biologicsts working on otherapicomplexan protozoan parasites, including Plasmodium, Cryptosporidium and Toxoplasma, most recently with experts in electron tomography and high-resolution scanning EM, Fiona has helped to reveal fundamental mechanisms of invasion relevant to all apicomplexans. Together with Dr  Damer Blake at the RVC, she is integrating studies on Eimeria population diversity to predict the likely responses of parasites in the field to the introduction of subunit or vectored-vaccines, and developing the use of Eimeria parasites as novel vaccine vectors . More recently the group has begun to work on broader aspects of gut health, microbiomes and parasite-microbe interactions in the chicken intestines, and also on the poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae, an emerging ectoparasitic disease that is causing severe welfare problems in laying hens.

 

 

  1. Pinotti F, Lourenço J, Gupta S, Das Gupta S, Henning J, Blake D, Tomley F, Barnett T, Pfeiffer D, Hoque MA, Fournié G. EPINEST, an agent-based model to simulate epidemic dynamics in large-scale poultry production and distribution networks. PLoS Comput Biol. 2024 Feb 21;20(2):e1011375. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011375. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38381804.
  2. Hedges S, Pelligand L, Chen L. Seow K,Hoang TT, Luu HQ, Dang STT, Pham NT, Pham HTT, Cheah YC, Want Y, Hurtaud-Pessel D, Conan A, Fournié G, Blake D, Tomley F, Conway PL. Antimicrobial residues in meat from chickens in Northeast Vietnam: analytical validation and pilot study for sampling optimisation. J Consum Prot Food Saf (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00003-024-01478-9
  3. Hay MC, Hinsu AT, Koringa PG, Pandit RJ, Liu P-Y, Parekh MJ, Jakhesara SJ, Dai X, Crotta M, Fosso B, Limon G, Guitian J, Tomley FM, Xia D, Psifidi A, Joshi CG, Blake DP. Chicken caecal enterotypes in indigenous Kadaknath and commercial Cobb chicken lines are associated with Campylobacter abundance and influenced by farming practices. Front. Microbiomes 2:1301609. doi:10.3389/frmbi.2023.1301609
  4. Burrell A, Marugan-Hernandez V, Graefin Von Der Recke K, Aguiar-Martins K, Gabriel HB, Tomley FM, Vaughan S. Refractile bodies of Eimeria tenella are proteinaceous membrane-less organelles that undergo dynamic changes during infection. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2023 Mar 9;13:1082622. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1082622. PMID: 37033474; PMCID: PMC10081493.
  5. Tripathi A, Kumar D, Chavda P, Rathore DS, Pandit R, Blake D, Tomley F, Joshi M, Joshi CG, Dubey SK. Resistome profiling reveals transmission dynamics of antimicrobial resistance genes from poultry litter to soil and plant. Environ Pollut. 2023 Jun 15;327:121517. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121517. PMID: 36990341.
  6. Chowdhury S, Fournié G, Blake D, Henning J, Conway P, Hoque MA, Ghosh S, Parveen S, Biswas PK, Akhtar Z, Islam K, Islam MA, Rashid MM, Pelligand L, Khan ZH, Rahman M, Tomley F, Debnath N, Chowdhury F. Antibiotic usage practices and its drivers in commercial chicken production in Bangladesh. PLoS One. 2022 Oct 17;17(10):e0276158. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276158. PMID: 36251714; PMCID: PMC9576089.
  7. Al Sattar A, Irin N, Belgrad JP, Haider N, Chisty NN, Mohsin MAS, Foysal M, Das T, Uddin MH, Hasan RB, Ferdous J, Hasan M, Mahmud R, Samad MA, Giasuddin M, Biswas PK, Pfeiffer DU, Debnath NC, Fournié G, Tomley FM, Hoque MA. Measures, Gaps, and Mitigation Strategies in Bangladesh's COVID-19 Response. Ecohealth. 2022 Sep;19(3):378-389. doi: 10.1007/s10393-022-01607-6. Epub 2022 Aug 10. PMID: 35948736; PMCID: PMC9365222.
  8. Burrell A, Marugan-Hernandez V, Wheeler R, Moreira-Leite F, Ferguson DJP, Tomley FM, Vaughan S. Cellular electron tomography of the apical complex in the apicomplexan parasite Eimeria tenella shows a highly organised gateway for regulated secretion. PLoS Pathog. 2022 Jul 11;18(7):e1010666. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010666. PMID: 35816515; PMCID: PMC9302750.
  9. Alders R, Tomley F. Animal Board Invited Opinion Paper: Planet, people and poultry - more and better data needed to get the balance right. Animal. 2022 Jul;16(7):100560. doi: 10.1016/j.animal.2022.100560. Epub 2022 Jun 15. PMID: 35716415.
  10. Soutter F, Werling D, Nolan M, Küster T, Attree E, Marugán-Hernández V, Kim S, Tomley FM, Blake DP. A Novel Whole Yeast-Based Subunit Oral Vaccine Against Eimeria tenella in Chickens. Front Immunol. 2022 Feb 2;13:809711. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.809711. PMID: 35185896; PMCID: PMC8848252.
  11. Mitchell J, Cooke P, Ahorlu C, Arjyal A, Baral S, Carter L, Dasgupta R, Fieroze F, Fonseca-Braga M, Huque R, Lewycka S, Kalpana P, Saxena D, Tomley F, Tsekleves E, Vu Thi Quynh G, King R. Community engagement: The key to tackling Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) across a One Health context? Glob Public Health. 2021 Dec 9:1-18. doi: 10.1080/17441692.2021.2003839. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34882505.
  12. Attree E, Sanchez-Arsuaga G, Jones M, Xia D, Marugan-Hernandez V, Blake D, Tomley F. Controlling the causative agents of coccidiosis in domestic chickens; an eye on the past and considerations for the future. CABI Agric Biosci. 2021;2(1):37. doi: 10.1186/s43170-021-00056-5. Epub 2021 Sep 27. PMID: 34604790; PMCID: PMC8475900.
  13. Marugan-Hernandez V, Sanchez-Arsuaga G, Vaughan S, Burrell A, Tomley FM. Do All Coccidia Follow the Same Trafficking Rules? Life (Basel). 2021 Aug 31;11(9):909. doi: 10.3390/life11090909. PMID: 34575057; PMCID: PMC8465013.
  14. Dasgupta R, Tomley F, Alders R, Barbuddhe SB, Kotwani A. Adopting an intersectoral One Health approach in India: Time for One Health Committees. Indian J Med Res. 2021 Mar;153(3):281-286. doi: 10.4103/ijmr.IJMR_537_21. PMID: 33906990; PMCID: PMC8204840.
  15. Bremner A, Kim S, Morris KM, Nolan MJ, Borowska D, Wu Z, Tomley F, Blake DP, Hawken R, Kaiser P, Vervelde L. Kinetics of the Cellular and Transcriptomic Response to Eimeria maxima in Relatively Resistant and Susceptible Chicken Lines. Front Immunol. 2021 Mar 25;12:653085. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.653085. PMID: 33841436; PMCID: PMC8027475.
  16. Blake DP, Marugan-Hernandez V, Tomley FM. Spotlight on avian pathology: Eimeria and the disease coccidiosis. Avian Pathol. 2021 Apr 20:1-5. doi: 10.1080/03079457.2021.1912288. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33823695.
  17. Ramly NZ, Dix SR, Ruzheinikov SN, Sedelnikova SE, Baker PJ, Chow YP, Tomley FM, Blake DP, Wan KL, Nathan S, Rice DW. The structure of a major surface antigen SAG19 from Eimeria tenella unifies the Eimeria SAG family. Commun Biol. 2021 Mar 19;4(1):376. doi: 10.1038/s42003-021-01904-w. PMID: 33742128; PMCID: PMC7979774..
  18. Blake DP, Vrba V, Xia D, Jatau ID, Spiro S, Nolan MJ, Underwood G, Tomley FM. Genetic and biological characterisation of three cryptic Eimeria operational taxonomic units that infect chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus). Int J Parasitol. 2021 Jul;51(8):621-634. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2020.12.004. Epub 2021 Mar 11. PMID: 33713650; PMCID: PMC8186487..
  19. Soutter F, Werling D, Kim S, Pastor-Fernández I, Marugán-Hernández V, Tomley FM, Blake DP. Impact of Eimeria tenella Oocyst Dose on Parasite Replication, Lesion Score and Cytokine Transcription in the Caeca in Three Breeds of Commercial Layer Chickens. Front Vet Sci. 2021 Feb 22;8:640041. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2021.640041. PMID: 33693044; PMCID: PMC7937735.
  20. Gilbert W, Bellet C, Blake DP, Tomley FM, Rushton J. Revisiting the Economic Impacts of Eimeria and Its Control in European Intensive Broiler Systems with a Recursive Modeling Approach. Front Vet Sci. 2020 Nov 5;7:558182. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.558182. PMID: 33251254; PMCID: PMC7674784.
  21. Marugan-Hernandez V, Jeremiah G, Aguiar-Martins K, Burrell A, Vaughan S, Xia D, Randle N, Tomley F. The Growth of Eimeria tenella: Characterization and Application of Quantitative Methods to Assess Sporozoite Invasion and Endogenous Development in Cell Culture. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2020 Oct 8;10:579833. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.579833. PMID: 33154954; PMCID: PMC7590826.
  22. Karp-Tatham E, Küster T, Angelou A, Papadopoulos E, Nisbet AJ, Xia D, Tomley FM, Blake DP. Phylogenetic Inference Using Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunit I (COI) in the Poultry Red Mite, Dermanyssus gallinae in the United Kingdom Relative to a European Framework. Front Vet Sci. 2020 Aug 21;7:553. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00553. PMID: 32974406; PMCID: PMC7472527.
  23. Blake DP, Knox J, Dehaeck B, Huntington B, Rathinam T, Ravipati V, Ayoade S, Gilbert W, Adebambo AO, Jatau ID, Raman M, Parker D, Rushton J, Tomley FM. Re-calculating the cost of coccidiosis in chickens. Vet Res. 2020 Sep 14;51(1):115. doi: 10.1186/s13567-020-00837-2. PMID: 32928271; PMCID: PMC7488756.
  24. Pastor-Fernández I, Kim S, Marugán-Hernández V, Soutter F, Tomley FM, Blake DP. Vaccination with transgenic Eimeria tenella expressing Eimeria maxima AMA1 and IMP1 confers partial protection against high-level E. maxima challenge in a broiler model of coccidiosis. Parasit Vectors. 2020 Jul 10;13(1):343. doi: 10.1186/s13071-020-04210-2. PMID: 32650837; PMCID: PMC7350274.
  25. Soutter F, Werling D, Tomley FM, Blake DP. Poultry Coccidiosis: Design and Interpretation of Vaccine Studies. Front Vet Sci. 2020 Feb 26;7:101. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00101. PMID: 32175341; PMCID: PMC7054285.
  26. Burrell A, Tomley FM, Vaughan S, Marugan-Hernandez V. Life cycle stages, specific organelles and invasion mechanisms of Eimeria species. Parasitology. Parasitology. 2020 Mar;147(3):263-278. doi: 10.1017/S0031182019001562. Epub 2019 Nov 18. PMID: 31727204
  27. Sparagano OAE, Tomley FM The impact of the COREMI Cost Action Network on the progress towards the control of the poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae. Avian Pathol. 2019 Sep;48(sup1):S1. doi: 10.1080/03079457.2019.1662175.PMID: 31517537
  28. Price DRG, Küster T, Øines Ø, Margaret Oliver E, Bartley K, Nunn F, Barbero JFL, Pritchard J, Karp-Tatham E, Hauge H, Blake DP, Tomley FM, Nisbet AJ. Evaluation of vaccine delivery systems for inducing long-lived antibody responses to Dermanyssus gallinae antigen in laying hens. Avian Pathol. 2019 Apr 29:1-44. doi: 10.1080/03079457.2019.1612514 Epub 2019 Jul 2.PMID: 31032631
  29. Pastor-Fernández I, Pegg E, Macdonald SE, Tomley FM, Blake DP, Marugán-Hernández V. Laboratory Growth and Genetic Manipulation of Eimeria tenella. Curr Protoc Microbiol. 2019 Feb 27:e81. doi: 10.1002/cpmc.81. Epub 2019 Feb 27.PMID: 30811108
  30. Boulton K, Nolan MJ, Wu Z, Riggio V, Matika O, Harman K, Hocking PM, Bumstead N, Hesketh P, Archer A, Bishop SC, Kaiser P, Tomley FM, Hume DA, Smith AL, Blake DP, Psifidi A. Dissecting the Genomic Architecture of Resistance to Eimeria maxima Parasitism in the Chicken. Front Genet. 9:528. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2018.00528. eCollection 2018. PMID: 30534137
  31. Burgess STG, Bartley K, Nunn F, Wright HW, Hughes M, Gemmell M, Haldenby S, Paterson S, Rombauts S, Tomley FM, Blake DP, Pritchard J, Schicht S, Strube C, Øines Ø, Van Leeuwen T, Van de Peer Y, Nisbet AJ. Draft Genome Assembly of the Poultry Red Mite, Dermanyssus gallinae. Microbiol Resour Announc. 2018 Nov 8;7(18):e01221-18. doi: 10.1128/MRA.01221-18. PMID: 30533782; PMCID: PMC6256547.
  32. Macdonald SE, van Diemen PM, Martineau H, Stevens MP, Tomley FM, Stabler RA, Blake DP Impact of Eimeria tenella Coinfection on Campylobacter jejuni Colonization of the Chicken. Infect Immun. 87(2). pii: e00772-18. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00772-18. Print 2019 Feb.PMID: 30510107 
  33. Boulton K, Nolan MJ, Wu Z, Psifidi A, Riggio V, Harman K, Bishop SC, Kaiser P, Abrahamsen MS, Hawken R, Watson KA, Tomley FM, Blake DP, Hume DA. Phenotypic and genetic variation in the response of chickens to Eimeria tenella induced coccidiosis. Genet Sel Evol. 2018 Nov 21;50(1):63. doi: 10.1186/s12711-018-0433-7. PMID: 30463512; PMCID: PMC6249784.
  34. Hinsu AT, Thakkar JR, Koringa PG, Vrba V, Jakhesara S J, Psifidi A, Guitian J, Tomley FM, Rank DN, Raman M, Joshi CG, Blake DP. Illumina Next Generation Sequencing for the Analysis of Eimeria Populations in Commercial Broilers and Indigenous Chickens. Front Vet Sci. 2018 Jul 30;5:176. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2018.00176. eCollection 2018. PMID: 30105228
  35. Tomley FM, Sparagano O. Spotlight on avian pathology: red mite, a serious emergent problem in layer hens. Avian Pathol. 2018 Dec;47(6):533-535. doi: 10.1080/03079457.2018.1490493. Epub 2018 Jul 18. PMID: 29954185.
  36. Pandit RJ, Hinsu AT, Patel NV, Koringa PG, Jakhesara SJ, Thakkar JR, Shah TM, Limon G, Psifidi A, Guitian J, Hume DA, Tomley FM, Rank DN, Raman M, Tirumurugaan KG, Blake DP, Joshi CG Microbial diversity and community composition of caecal microbiota in commercial and indigenous Indian chickens determine using 16s rDNA amplicon sequencing.  Microbiome doi: 10.1186/s40168-018-0501-9. PMID: 29935540
  37. Pastor-Fernandez I, Kim S, Billington K, Bumstead J, Marugan-Hernandez V, Kuster T, Ferguson DJP, Vervelde L, Blake DP, Tomley FM (2018) Development of cross-protective Eimeria-vectored vaccines based on apical membrane antigens.  Int J Parasitol doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2018.01.033 Epub 2018 Mar 7. PMID: 29524526
  38. Hinsu AT, Pandit RJ, Patel SH, Psifidi A, Tomley FM, Das SK, Blake DP, Joshi CG. Genome reconstruction of a novel carbohydrate digesting bacterium from the chicken caecal microflora.  Meta Gene doi:10.1016/j.mgene.2019.01.002
  39. Marugan-Hernandez V, Fiddy R, Nurse-Francis J, Smith O, Pritchard L, Tomley FM (2017) Characterization of novel microneme adhesive repeats (MAR) in Eimeria tenella. Parasit Vectors. 2017 Oct 17;10(1):491. doi: 10.1186/s13071-017-2454-4. PMID: 29041988
  40. Blake DP, Pastor-Fernández I, Nolan MJ, Tomley FM (2017) Recombinant anticoccidial vaccines – a cup half full?  Infect Genet Evol. 2017 Oct 7;55:358-365. doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2017.10.009 Epub 2017 Oct 7. PMID: 29017798
  41. Macdonald SE, Nolan MJ, Harman K, Boulton K, Hume DA, Tomley FM, Stabler RA, Blake DP. (2017) Effects of Eimeria tenella infection on chicken caecal microbiome diversity: exploring variation associated with severity of pathology.  PLoS One. 2017 Sep 21;12(9):e0184890. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184890 eCollection 2017.PMID: 28934262
  42. Kundu K, Garg R, Kumar S, Mandal M, Tomley FM, Blake DP, Banerjee PS (2017) Humoral and cytokine response elicited during immunisation with recombinant immune mapped protein-1 (EtIMP-1) and oocysts of Eimeria tenella. Vet Parasitol 244:44-53 doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2017.07.025 Epub 2017 Jul 24.PMID: 28917316
  43. Marugan-Hernandez V, Long E, Blake D, Crouch C, Tomley F (2017) Eimeria tenella protein trafficking: differential regulation of secretion versus surface tethering during the life cycle.  Sci Rep. 2017 Jul 4;7(1):4557. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-04049-1 PMID: 28676667
  44. Palmieri N, Shrestha A, Ruttkowski B, Beck T, Vogl C, Tomley F, Blake DP, Joachim A (2017) The genome of the protozoan parasite Cystoisospora suis and a reverse vaccinology approach to identify vaccine candidates. Int J Parasitol doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2016.11.007 Epub 2017 Feb 2.PMID: 28161402 
  45. Prakashbabu CB, Thenmozhi V, Limon G, Kundu K, Kumar S, Garg R, Clark EL, Srinivasa Rao AS, Raj DG, Raman M,Banerje PS, Tomley FM, Guitian J, Blake DP (2017)  Eimeria species occurrence varies between geographic regions and poultry production systems and may influence parasite genetic diversity. Vet Parasitol 233:62-72 doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2016.12.003 Epub 2016 Dec 6.PMID: 28043390 
  46. Pegg E, Doyle K, Clark EL, Jatau I, Tomley FM, Blake DP (2016) Application of a new PCR-RFLP panel suggests a restricted population structure for Eimeria tenella in UK and Irish chickens. Vet Parasitol 229:60-67 doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2016.09.018 Epub 2016 Sep 26.PMID: 27809980
  47. Morrison WI, Tomley FM (2016) Development of vaccines for parasitic diseases of animals: challenges and opportunities.  Parasite Immunol 38:707-708 doi: 10.1111/pim.12398. PMID: 27801988 
  48. Clark EL, Tomley FM, Blake DP (2017) Are Eimeria genetically diverse and does it matter?  Trends Parasitol. Trends Parasitol. 2017 Mar;33(3):231-241. doi: 10.1016/j.pt.2016.08.007. Epub 2016 Sep 1. PMID: 27593338 
  49. Marugan-Hernandez V, Cockle C, Macdonald S, Pegg E, Crouch C, Blake DP, Tomley FM (2016) Viral proteins expressed in the protozoan parasite Eimeria tenella are detected by the chicken immune system. Parasit Vectors. 2016 Aug 23;9:463. doi: 10.1186/s13071-016-1756-2
  50. Pritchard J, Kuester T, George D, Sparagano O, Tomley F (2016) Impeding movement of the poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae.  Vet Parasitol Jul 30;225:104-7. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2016.06.006
  51. Clark EL, Macdonald SE, Thenmozhi V, Kundu K, Garg R, Kumar S, Ayoade S, Fornace KM, Jatau ID, Moftah A, Nolan MJ, Sudhakar NR, Adebambo AO, Lawal IA, Zapata RA, Awuni JA, Chapman HD, Karimuribo E, Mugasa CM, Namangala B, Rushton J, Suo X, Thangaraj K, Rao ASRS, Tewari AK, Banerjee PS, Raj GD, Raman M, Tomley FM, Blake DP (2016) Cryptic Eimeria genotypes are common across the southern but not northern hemisphere. Int J Parasitol. 2016 Aug;46(9):537-44. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2016.05.006.
  52. Jatau ID, Lawal IA, Kwaga JK, Tomley FM, Blake DP, Nok AJ (2016) Three operational taxonomic units of Eimeria are common in Nigerian chickens and may undermine effective molecular diagnosis of coccidiosis. BMC Vet Res. 2016 Jun 4;12:86. doi: 10.1186/s12917-016-0713-9.
  53. Wu Z, Hu T, Rothwell L, Vervelde L, Kaiser P, Boulton K, Nolan MJ, Tomley FM, Blake DP, Hume DA (2016) Analysis of the function of IL-10 in chickens using specific neutralising antibodies and a sensitive capture ELISA. Dev Comp Immunol. 2016 Oct;63:206-12. doi: 10.1016/j.dci.2016.04.016
  54. Blake DP, Clark EL, Macdonald SE, Thenmozhi V, Kundu K, Garg R, Jatau ID, Ayoade S, Kawahara F, Moftah A, Reid AJ, Adebambo AO, Alvarez Zapata R, Srinivasa Rao AS, Thangaraj K, Banerjee PS, Dhinakar-Raj G, Raman M, Tomley FM (2015) Population, genetic and antigenic diversity of the apicomplexan Eimeria tenella and their relevance to vaccine development.  Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Sep 22;112(38):E5343-50. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1506468112.
  55. Kundu K, Banerjee PS, Garg R, Kumar S, Mandal M, Maurya PS, Tomley F, Blake D (2015) Cloning and sequencing of beta-tubulin and internal transcribed spacer-2 (ITS-2) of Eimeria tenella isolate from India.  J Parasit Dis. 2015 Sep;39(3):539-44. doi: 10.1007/s12639-013-0392-4.
  56. Nolan MJ, Tomley FM, Kaiser P and Blake DP (2015) Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) for Eimeria tenella replication – implications for experimental refinement and animal welfare. Parasitol Int. 2015 Oct;64(5):464-70. doi: 10.1016/j.parint.2015.06.010.
  57. Pritchard J, Kuester T, Sparagano O, Tomley F (2015) Understanding the biology and control of the poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae.  Avian Pathol. 2015;44(3):143-53. doi: 10.1080/03079457.2015.1030589.
  58. Reid AJ, Blake DP, Ansari HR, Billington K, Browne HP, Bryant JM, Dunn M, Hung SS, Kawahara F, Miranda-Saavedra D, Malas T, Mourier T, Naghra H, Nair M, Otto TD, Rawlings ND, Rivailler P, Sanchez-Flores A, Sanders M, Subramaniam C, Tay YL, Woo Y, Wu X, Barrell B, Dear PH, Doerig C, Gruber A, Ivens AC, Parkinson J, Rajandream MA, Shirley MW, Wan KL, Berriman M, Tomley FM, Pain A (2014) Genomic analysis of the causative agents of coccidiosis in domestic chickens. Genome Res. 2014 Oct;24(10):1676-85. doi: 10.1101/gr.168955.113
  59. Rao ASRS, Tomley FM, Blake DP (2014) Understanding chicken walks on n x n grid: Hamiltonian paths, discrete dynamics and rectifiable paths.  Mathematical Methods in the applied Sciences 38 doi: 10.1002/mma.3301
  60. Blake DP, Tomley FM (2014) Securing poultry production from the ever-present Eimeria challenge. Trends Parasitol. 2014 Jan;30(1):12-9. doi: 10.1016/j.pt.2013.10.003.
  61. Kumar S, Garg R, Moftah A, Clark EL, Macdonald SE, Chaudhry AS, Sparagano O, Banerjee PS, Kundu K, Tomley FM, Blake DP (2014) An optimised protocol for molecular identification of Eimeria from chickens. Vet Parasitol. 2014 Jan 17;199(1-2):24-31 doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2013.09.026.
  62. Chapman HD, Barta JR, Blake D, Gruber A, Jenkins M, Smith NC, Suo X, Tomley FM (2013) A selective review of advances in coccidiosis research. Adv Parasitol. 2013;83:93-171. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-407705-8.00002-1.
  63. Raj GD, Aarthi S, Selvabharathi R, Raman M, Blake DP, Tomley FM (2013) Real-time PCR-based quantification of Eimeria genomes: a method to outweigh underestimation of genome numbers due to PCR inhibition Avian Pathol. 2013 Aug;42(4):304-8. doi: 10.1080/03079457.2013.790531.
  64. Oakes RD, Kurian D, Bromley E, Ward C, Lal K, Blake DP, Reid AJ, Pain A, Sinden RE, Wastling JM, Tomley FM (2013) The rhoptry proteome of Eimeria tenella sporozoites. Int J Parasitol. 2013 Feb;43(2):181-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2012.10.024.
  65. Katrib M, Ikin RJ, Brossier F, Robinson M, Slapetova I, Sharman PA, Walker RA, Belli SI, Tomley FM, Smith NC (2012). Stage-specific expression of protease genes in the apicomplexan parasite, Eimeria tenella. BMC Genomics. 2012 Dec 7;13:685. doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-13-685
  66. Cowper B, Matthews S, Tomley F (2012). The molecular basis for the distinct host and tissue tropisms of coccidian parasites.  Mol Biochem Parasitol. 2012 Nov;186(1):1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2012.08.007
  67. Su H, Liu X, Yan W, Shi T, Zhao X, Blake DP, Tomley FM, Suo X (2012).  piggyBac transposon-mediated transgenesis in the apicomplexan parasite Eimeria tenella.  PLoS One. 2012;7(6):e40075. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0040075
  68. Blake DP, Alias H, Billington KJ, Clark EL, Mat-Isa MN, Mohamad AF, Mohd-Amin MR, Tay YL, Smith AL, Tomley FM, Wan KL (2012) EmaxDB: Availability of a first draft genome sequence for the apicomplexan Eimeria maxima. Mol Biochem Parasitol. 2012 Jul;184(1):48-51. doi: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2012.03.004.
  69. Clark JD, Oakes RD, Redhead K, Crouch CF, Tomley FM, Blake DB (2012) Eimeria species parasites as novel vaccine delivery vectors: anti-Campylobacter jejuni protective immunity induced by Eimeria tenella – delivered CjaA. Vaccine. 2012 Mar 30;30(16):2683-8. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2012.02.002
  70. Wass MN, Stanway R, Blagborough AM, Lal K, Prieto JH, Raine D, Sternberg KN, Talman AM, Tomley F, Yates J 3rd, Sinden RE (2012) Proteomic analysis of Plasmodium in the mosquito: progress and pitfalls. Parasitology. 2012 Aug;139(9):1131-45. doi: 10.1017/S0031182012000133.
  71. Amirruddin N, Lee XW, Blake DP, Suzuki Y, Tay YL, Lim LS, Tomley FM, Watanabe J, Sugimoto C, Wan KL (2012). Characterisation of full-length cDNA sequences provides insights into the Eimeria tenella transcriptome.  BMC Genomics 2012 Jan 13;13-21. doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-13-21.
  72. Lai L, Bumstead J, Liu Y, Garnett J, Campanero-Rhodes MA, Blake DP, Palma AS, Chai W, Ferguson DJP, Simpson P, Feizi T, Tomley FM, Matthews S (2011) The role of sialyl glycan recognition in host tissue tropism of the avian parasite Eimeria tenella   PLoS Pathog. 2011 Oct;7(10):e1002296. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002296.
  73. Chow YP, Wan KL, Blake D, Tomley F, Nathan S (2011) Immunogenic Eimeria tenella glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored surface antigens (SAGs) induce inflammatory responses in avian macrophages.  PLoS One 2011;6(9):e25233. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0025233.
  74. Marugan-Hernandez V, Alvarez-Garcia G, Tomley F, Hemphill A, Regidor-Cerrillo J, Ortega-Mora LM (2011) Identification of novel rhoptry proteins in Neospora caninum by LC-MS-MS analysis of subcellular fractions J Proteomics. 2011 May 1;74(5):629-42. doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2011.02.004
  75. Aarthi S, Raj GD, Raman M, Blake D, Subramaniam C, Tomley F (2011) Expressed sequence tags from Eimeria brunetti – preliminary analysis and functional annotation. Parasitol Res. 2011 Apr;108(4):1059-62. doi: 10.1007/s00436-010-2182-6
  76. Su H, Liu X, Yan W, Soon PE, Shi T, Blake DP, Tomley FM, Suo X (2010) Examination of the applicability of piggyBac transposon in the protozoan parasite Eimeria tenella Transgenic Research 19: 150-153

  • Development of a poultry vaccine platform based on transgenic coccidia parasites and evaluation of immunoprotection against necrotic enteritis

    The sustainability of poultry meat and egg global production, paramount to respond the worldwide demand for food, is challenged by poultry enteric diseases such as coccidiosis and necrotic enteritis.

    his project aimed to develop a vaccine platform based on Eimeria parasites to protect chickens against pathogens of different origin. The first use to generate a prototype and evaluate a specific product against the re-emerging disease necrotic enteritis is expected to have future applications that could have a direct impact in human health by the targeting of zoonotic organisms that transfer disease from chickens to human, and which have importance in both high income and low-and-middle income countries (e.g. Campylobacter, Salmonella).

  • SweetAnimals

    The SweetAnimal project studies the presence of sugar-binding receptors in the genomes of a variety of farmed animals, how these differ between species, what ligands expressed on pathogens they bind, and how this information can be used to develop carbohydrate-based vaccines.

  • UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) One Health Poultry Hub

    With integrated streams of social, economic, biological, mathematical and policy-led research, we are co-producing detailed knowledge on the biological, structural and socio-economic factors that shape networks of chicken production and distribution. The RVC-led UKRI GCRF One Health Poultry Hub brings together leading laboratory, clinical, veterinary and social scientists, as well as skilled communications experts, programme support staff and external stakeholders.  

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