I am a microbiologist with training in veterinary medicine, microbiology, and pathology. My research focuses on the control and prevention of infectious diseases of farm animals, particularly mastitis, antimicrobial resistance, and food safety. Current mastitis control programs are not fully effective, and antibiotics are not sustainable because of limited success and the emergence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria. Some zoonotic foodborne pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella species, Campylobacter species, and Listeria species can infect humans directly through contact with carrier dairy animals or indirectly through the food chain. Antimicrobial resistant bacteria and their resistance genes may transfer directly to humans through contact with the carrier animals or indirectly through the food chain.

Sustainable dairy farming requires healthy and productive dairy animals in the continuously changing dynamics of host-pathogen-environment interactions. So, there is no one perfect sustainable solution to keep dairy animals healthy and productive but an integrated multidisciplinary approach addressing health and welfare, nutrition, and management is required to ensure the continuity of sustainable, productive, and profitable dairy farming. Developing sustainable control tools that are easily adoptable by producers, such as effective vaccines is critically important. Effective vaccines reduce mastitis incidence and increase dairy productivity and profitability. Effective vaccines also reduce antibiotics usage in dairy farms, which in turn reduces the development of antimicrobial resistant bacteria. Currently, ongoing research projects in my lab include 1) developing effective vaccines for Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus uberis, and Escherichia coli mastitis, 2) understanding molecular, genetic, and managemental factors responsible for the increased prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in dairy farms and developing alternatives to antibiotics for disease control and prevention, 3) monitoring prevalence of foodborne pathogens in dairy cattle farms and improving quick diagnostic tests and 4) understanding molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis of Mycoplasma bovis mastitis and identification of critical virulence factors

Recent news highlights:

Vaccine for mastitis: https://utrf.tennessee.edu/utrf-inventor-spotlight-dr-oudessa-kerro-dego

Mastitis in Dairy Cattle, Sheep and Goats: http://www.intechopen.com/books/mastitis-in-dairy-cattle-sheep-and-goats

2022- Guest Editor of Special Issue "Mastitis in Farm Animals: Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, Control, and Prevention".                                     https://www.mdpi.com/journal/animals/special_issues/HW9076M470