The Department of Pathology and Microbiology will be interviewing 4 candidates for the tenure track faculty position in Veterinary Bacteriology.  

Our second candidate, Dr. Lisanework Ayalew, is a board-certified microbiologist by the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists in Bacteriology & Mycology and Virology specialities.  He obtained a DVM degree from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia and in 2014 completed his PhD in veterinary microbiology at the University of Saskatchewan.  After completing his PhD program, he joined the Department of Veterinary Pathology, WCVM as a postdoctoral fellow and worked on developing vaccines and understanding the pathogenesis of various avian bacterial and viral diseases.  He is currently working as a professional research associate at the WCVM and is involved in different research projects which mainly focus on emerging and re-emerging avian bacterial and viral diseases. 

SEMINAR:

Teaching Seminar:  “Bacillus anthracis” 

Bacillus anthracis is a gram-positive spore forming bacilli responsible for causing the disease anthrax. The pathogen is a considerable global health threat affecting livestock, humans, and wildlife. In this mini lecture, the characteristics of the bacteria, the nature of the disease it causes, including diagnostic, control and prevention methods will be discussed.

Research Seminar:  Molecular evolution of pathogens: a challenge to disease prevention and control.  

Molecular evolution is the driver of change in the gene frequencies in the genome of organisms and plays an important role in the dynamics of several infectious diseases. Evolution pushes a shift in important processes in pathogens including change in virulence. Although vaccines have contributed significantly to the control and prevention of several infectious diseases of veterinary and public health importance, high mutation rates and/or genetic instability in certain pathogens produce extensive genetic and antigenic variability and the new variants can successfully break vaccine induced protective immunity and cause disease. In this research seminar, the molecular evolution of arthrotropic avian orthoreoviruses (ARVs) will be presented as an example of a challenge to disease prevention and control. Overall, genetic and antigenic features, the dynamics of molecular evolution as well as mechanism of pathogenesis of emerging variant ARVs will be discussed.

Monday, May 10, 2021 @ 10:00 am

Join Zoom Meeting
https://upei.zoom.us/j/62087450929?pwd=eHBqeFZKa2xBZWJuYXFkdXY0cGdIUT09

Meeting ID: 620 8745 0929
Passcode: 504619