Mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and virulence in Brachyspira hyodysenteriae

I am interested in mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and virulence displayed by the fastidious anaerobe Brachyspira hyodysenteriae, the etiological agent of swine dysentery (SD). At the moment, treatment and control of SD is a challenge due to the emergence of multi-drug resistant strains. After having investigated the genetic diversity of B. hyodysenteria population in Switzerland, now, I am focused on cloning a gene suggested to play an important role to pleuromutilins, one of the last choice of antibiotics. Further, whole genome comparative analysis will be perfomed in order to find new genes conferring antibiotic resistance and/or virulence in B. hyodysenteriae.