Dr Chinyere Okoro

Lecturer in Bacteriology

PhD (Cantab), MSc, BSc

+44 (0)1483 684487

co0013@surrey.ac.uk

9:00am - 5:00pm. By appointment

Academic and research departments

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, School of Biosciences.

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Biography

Chinyere graduated with a degree in industrial microbiology in Nigeria, followed by an MSc in industrial and commercial biotechnology from Newcastle University, UK in 2007, where her research project focussed on using a range of genotypic and phenotypic approaches to characterise novel actinomycetes whilst highlighting potential bioactivity in recovered isolates.

In 2012, she obtained a PhD in molecular biology from Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge, enabled by a four-year Wellcome Trust PhD studentship and was based at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK. During her PhD research, she used a combination of genomic and phenotyping methods to investigate the genotype to phenotype links in human-invasive variants of Salmonella Typhimurium.

She was awarded a Society-in Science, Branco Weiss Fellowship in 2013. Chinyere extended her previous research and developed her current research firstly, as a postdoctoral fellow at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (2012-2014) and then as a Research Associate at the Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge (2015-2017).

Chinyere joined the �鶹��Ƶ as an Academic Fellow in February 2017.

Areas of specialism

One Health; Bacteriology; Genomics; Bacterial phenotyping; Public Engagement

University roles and responsibilities

Module Lead BMS1035 PRACTICAL AND BIOMEDICAL BACTERIOLOGY

Academic Integrity Officer (FHMS)

Affiliations and memberships

Research

Research interests

Our lab research broadly aims to use best-fit methods to study the epidemiology of and identify variation in important enteric pathogen populations in order understand the contributory role of the identified variation in disease transmission. Specifically, My research broadly focuses on understanding how bacterial pathogens emerge and spread. So far, I have used methods that are based on whole genome sequencing and analyses and combined results from these analyses with corresponding epidemiological and clinical information to understand how enteric pathogens spread over time and space.

My previous research focused on using whole genome sequencing and phylogenetic methods to determine the population structure and transmission dynamics of human-invasive variants of Salmonella Typhimurium from several countries in sub-Saharan Africa. We also used various in-vitro and ex-vivo assays to characterise identified phylogenetic lineages and ascertain distinguishing phenotypes.

My current research includes investigating the prevalence and transmission dynamics of clinically-important drug resistant enteric bacteria, including Klebsiella, E. coli and other enteric bacteria in community settings using a One Health approach. I explore the complex interplay between humans, animals and their environments and the transmission dynamics of important virulence determinants and antibiotics resistance between these.

I am also interested in investigating environmental reservoirs of AMR and evaluating soil as a conduit for the transmission of AMR

For the above, we use genome-based analyses and various phenotyping assays to study variation, such as antimicrobial resistance, within and between identified bacterial pathogen populations.

Research collaborations

Prof Iruka Okeke - University of Ibadan, Nigeria & Haverford College, US

Prof Oladipo Aboderin - Obafemi Awolowo University Ife, Nigeria

Supervision

Postgraduate research supervision

Teaching

UNDEGRADUATE

BMS1035 - PRACTICAL AND BIOMEDICAL BACTERIOLOGY

POSTGRADUATE

MMIM021 - BACTERIAL, PROTOZOAL AND FUNGAL PATHOGENS

MMIM018 - MICROBIAL GENETICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Publications

Chattaway MA, Aboderin AO, Fashae K, Okoro CK, Opintan JA, Okeke IN. (2016)

Kariuki S, Okoro C, Kiiru J, Njoroge S, Omuse G, Langridge G, Kingsley RA, Dougan G, Revathi G. (2015)

Onsare RS, Micoli F, Lanzilao L, Alfini R, Okoro CK, Muigai AW, Revathi G, Saul A, Kariuki S, MacLennan CA, Rondini S (2015)

Okoro CK, Kingsley RA, Quail MA, Kankwatira AM, Feasey NA, Parkhill J, Dougan G, Gordon MA. (2012)

Okoro CK, Barquist L, Connor TR, Harris SR, Clare S, Stevens MP, Arends MJ, Hale C, Kane L, Pickard DJ, Hill J, Harcourt K, Parkhill J, Dougan G, Kingsley RA. (2015)

Carden S, Okoro C, Dougan G, Monack D. (2015)

Seth-Smith HM, Fookes MC, Okoro CK, Baker S, Harris SR, Scott P, Pickard D, Quail MA, Churcher C, Sanders M, Harmse J, Dougan G, Parkhill J, Thomson NR. (2012)

Okoro CK, Kingsley RA, Connor TR, Harris SR, Parry CM, Al-Mashhadani MN, Kariuki S, Msefula CL, Gordon MA, de Pinna E, Wain J, Heyderman RS, Obaro S, Alonso PL, Mandomando I, MacLennan CA, Tapia MD, Levine MM, Tennant SM, Parkhill J, Dougan G. (2012)

Okoro CK, Brown R, Jones AL, Andrews BA, Asenjo JA, Goodfellow M, Bull AT. (2009)

Santhanam R, Okoro CK, Rong X, Huang Y, Bull AT, Weon HY, Andrews BA, Asenjo JA, Goodfellow M. (2012)

Okoro CK, Bull AT, Mutreja A, Rong X, Huang Y, Goodfellow M. (2010)

Santhanam R, Okoro CK, Rong X, Huang Y, Bull AT, Andrews BA, Asenjo JA, Weon HY, Goodfellow M. (2012)

Rateb ME, Houssen WE, Arnold M, Abdelrahman MH, Deng H, Harrison WT, Okoro CK, Asenjo JA, Andrews BA, Ferguson G, Bull AT, Goodfellow M, Ebel R, Jaspars M. (2011)

Rateb ME, Houssen WE, Harrison WT, Deng H, Okoro CK, Asenjo JA, Andrews BA, Bull AT, Goodfellow M, Ebel R, Jaspars M. (2011)

International Glossina Genome Initiative (2014)

Fuzi M and Ip M (eds) (2017)

Harris SR & Okoro CK in Goodfellow M, Sutcliffe I, Chun J (eds) (2014)

https://www.sciencedirect.com/bookseries/methods-in-microbiology/vol/41

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