Gastrointestinal Bacteria Reference Unit (GBRU) United Kingdom Health Security Agency
Sequenced >65,000 bacterial genomes since 2023 (Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter sp, Listeria monocytogenes) in support of the UKHSA National GI surveillance activities and outbreak investigations.
All genomes from human clinical cases in England are routinely made publicly available via the Short Read Archive (SRA).
Since 2023 we are regularly using long read nanopore (ONT) sequencing to better understand the microevolutaionary events of the accessory genomes of our GI bacterial pathogens (>1,300 isolates sequenced).
Assaf Rokney
Head of National Reference Laboratories
Ministry of Health.
Public Health Scotland (PHS) commissions and oversees a network of Scottish national microbiology reference and specialist laboratories to support public health, clinical diagnosis, and research. These include the Scottish E. coli O157/STEC Refence Laboratory (SERL), based in Edinburgh, and the Scottish Salmonella, Shigella and Clostridioides difficile Reference Laboratory (SSSCDRL), based in Glasgow. Each Reference Laboratory conducts Illumina sequencing and analysis to support national surveillance and outbreak detection.
For further information, please contact:
Lesley Allison (lesley.allison@nhs.scot)
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