US-Ireland Alliance highlights research being conducted by Veterinary microbiologist Jarlath Nally at UCD.
Jarlath Nally is a Lecturer in the School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Sciences Centre at UCD. His research focuses on understanding pathogenic mechanisms of the zoonotic disease Leptospirosis (Weil's disease) during acute and chronic infection and in particular, the severe pulmonary form of leptospirosis.
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“This neglected disease is a significant public health problem,” Nally says. “It’s increasingly being recognized in developing countries and tropical regions, but even the WHO says the disease is significantly overlooked.”
That’s because it’s hard to diagnose. It looks like so many other neglected, bacterial diseases that are hard to label before the victim dies. The major outbreaks occur en masse, with leptospirosis becoming increasingly common after severe flooding or rain in countries where slums have produced ripe conditions for epidemic spread. It’s a rat-borne disease, common in tropical slums where sewage and water supply are synonymous.
Research in the laboratory is focused on understanding pathogenic mechanisms of infection in order to develop and apply effective diagnostics, treatments and vaccinogens, and is funded by Science Foundation Ireland and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food.