Lecturer in Molecular Microbiology
Deputy Head, Molecular Bacteriology & Immunology Group
Contact details
Address:
Molecular Bacteriology
and Immunology Group
Institute of Infection, Immunity
and Inflammation
Centre for Biomolecular Sciences
University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham NG7 2RD
United Kingdom
Tel: (44)
115 823 0743
Fax: (44) 115 823 0759
email: karl.wooldridge@nottingham.ac.uk
Research interests
Karl Wooldridge obtained his BSc (First Class) in Biological & Biochemical
Sciences from the University of Salford (1987) and his PhD in Molecular Microbiology
from the Department of Genetics, University of Leicester (1991). After postdoctoral
work in Leicester he took up a post-doctoral fellowship in the Molecular
Bacteriology & Immunology
Group (MBIG), University of Nottingham. After moving to the BBSRC Institute
of Food Research he returned to Nottingham in 2001 as a University Research
Fellow within the MBIG and was appointed as a Lecturer in Bacteriology in 2003.
His research interests include molecular pathogenesis host cell interactions
of bacterial pathogens. He has carried out extensive studies on the interactions
of the enteric pathogen Campylobacter jejuni with model host cells in vitro
and on iron-responsive gene regulation in this organism. His current research
focuses on the molecular pathogenesis of, and host response to, Neisseria meningitidis
and C. jejuni and the role of bacterial secreted proteins in pathogenesis and
their potential as vaccine candidates. His interests also include the development
of rapid diagnostic tests for MRSA. Karl is a member of the Institute
of Infections, Immunity and Inflammation and the Centre for Healthcare Associated Infections.
Oldfield NJ, Worrall KE, Rycroft AN, Ali T, Wooldridge and Ala'Aldeen DAA (2009) AasP autotransporter protein of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae does not protect pigs against homologous challenge. Vaccine. in press.
Orihuela C, Mahdavi J, Thornton J, Mann B, Wooldridge KG, Abouseada
N, Oldfield NJ, Self T, Ala'Aldeen DAA, Tuomanen EI. (2009) Laminin receptor
initiates contact of bacterial with the blood brain barrier in experimental
meningitis models. J Clin Invest. 2009 119:1638-1646. Paper highlighted in Nature
[Bacterial break-in. (2009) Nature. 459: p487: 28 May 2009]
Li Y, Wooldridge KG, Javed MA, Tang C and Ala'Aldeen DAA (2009) Secreted proteins of Neisseria meningitidis protect mice against infection. Vaccine. 27:2320-5
Spence PR, Wright V, Ala’Aldeen DAA, Turner DPJ, Wooldridge KG Wooldridge and James R (2008) Validation of a Virulence and Epidemiology (VirEp) DNA microarray for Staphylococcus aureus. J Clin Microbiol. In press.
Ali T, Oldfield NJ, Wooldridge KG, Turner DPJ, and Ala'Aldeen
DAA (2008) Functional characterization of AasP, a maturation protease autotransporter
protein of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. Infect. Immun. 76, 5608-5614.
Oldfield NJ, Donovan EA†, Worrall KE, Wooldridge KG, Langford PR, Rycroft
AN & Ala'Aldeen DAA (2008). Identification and characterization of novel
antigenic vaccine candidates of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. Vaccine 26,
1942-1954.
Ashgar SSA, Oldfield NJ, Wooldridge KG, Jones MA, Irving GJ,
Turner DPJ and Ala’Aldeen DAA (2007). CapA, an Autotransporter Protein
of Campylobacter jejuni, Mediates Association with Human Epithelial Cells
and Colonization of the Chicken Gut. J. Bacteriol. 189: 1856-1865.
Oldfield NJ, Bland SJ, Taraktsoglou M, Dos-Ramos F, Robinson K, Wooldridge KG
and Ala’Aldeen DAA (2007) T-cell stimulating protein a (TspA) of Neisseria
meningitidis is required for optimal adhesion to human cells. Cellular Microbiol.
9, 463–478.
Turner DPJ, Marietou AG. Johnston L, Ho KKL, Rogers AJ, Wooldridge KG Ala’Aldeen DAA (2006). Characterisation of MspA - an immunogenic autotransporter protein mediating adhesion to epithelial and endothelial cells in Neisseria meningitides. Infect Immun, 74 ,2957–2964
Wooldridge KG, Kizil M , Wells DB & Ala'Aldeen DAA (2005) Unusual Genetic Organization of a Functional Type I Protein Secretion System in Neisseria meningitidis. Infect Immun. 73, 5554-5567
Robinson K, Wooldridge KG, Wells D, Dos Ramos F, Hasan A, Todd I, Robins A, James R, Ala'Aldeen DAA (2005). T-Cell-Stimulating Protein A Elicits Immune Responses during Meningococcal Carriage and Human Disease. Infect Immun. 73, 4684-4693
Robinson K, Taraktsoglou K, Rowe K, Wooldridge KG, Ala'Aldeen DAA (2004). Secreted proteins from Neisseria meningitidis mediate differential human gene expression and immune activation. Cellular Microbiology 6: 927-938.
Turner DPJ, Wooldridge KG, Ala'Aldeen DAA. (2002) Autotransported serine protease A(AspA) of Neisseria meningitidis: an immunogenic, surface-exposed outer-membrane and secreted protein. Infect Immun, 70, 4447-4461.
Wells D, Teigh P, Wooldridge KG, Robinson K, Ala'Aldeen DAA (2001). Differential gene expression during meningeal-meningococcal interaction: evaluation for self-defence and early release of cytokines and chemokines. Infect Immun, 69; 2718-2722.
Abdel Hadi H, Wooldridge KG, Robinson K, Ala'Aldeen DAA. (2001) Identification and Characterisation of App: an Immunogenic Autotransporter Protein of Neisseria meningitidis. Mol Microbiol. 41; 611-624.
Ait-Tahar K, Wooldridge KG, Turner D, Atta M, Todd I, Ala'Aldeen DAA (2000) Auto-transporter A (AutA) protein of Neisseria meningitidis: a potent CD4+ T-cell and B-cell stimulating antigen detected by expression cloning. Mol Microbiol; 37, 1094-1105.
vanVliet, A. H. M., Wooldridge, K. G. & Ketley, J. M. (1998). Iron-responsive
gene regulation in a Campylobacter jejuni fur mutant. Journal of Bacteriology
180, 5291-5298.
Wooldridge, K. G. & Ketley, J. M. (1997). Campylobacter
host cell interactions. Trends in Microbiology 5, 96-102.
Wooldridge, K.
G., Williams, P. H. & Ketley, J. M. (1996). Host signal transduction and endocytosis
of Campylobacter jejuni. Microbial Pathogenesis 21, 299-305.
Wooldridge,
K. G., Williams, P. H. & Ketley, J. M. (1994). Iron-Responsive Genetic-Regulation
in Campylobacter jejuni: Cloning and Characterization of a fur
Homolog. Journal of Bacteriology 176, 5852-5856.
Teaching
Module convienor of the new MSc Course in Clinical Microbiology. In addition I contribute lectures and tutorials to the MSc Course in Medical Molecular Microbiology.
Links
Molecular
Bacteriology & Immunology Group
Division
of Microbiology & Infectious Diseases
University
of Nottingham