Geraldine Duffy

Research Officer

Research Interests

My research focuses on understanding the transmission and behaviour of microbial pathogens, in particular verocytotoxigenic E. coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter along the farm to fork chain. This research is exploited to develop food safety management systems including quantitative risk assessment models and novel interventions for control of known and emergent food borne pathogens. Under the EU Framework Research Programme I have co-ordinated and participated in multi-national programmes on E. coli O157:H7, Cryptosporidium parvum and emergentCampylobacter. I currently co-ordinate a 41 partner multi-national EU Framework VI integrated research project on beef safety and quality (Prosafebeef) and am a partner in an EU Framework 7 project on improved sampling for risk assessment (Baseline). I am a member of the microbiological sub-committee of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and have served as a food safety expert for the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), W.H.O and ILSI.

Education

BSc. University College Dublin, Ireland, 1989
Graduate Diploma in Food Science and Technology, Institute of Food Science and Technology (U.K.) 1990
PhD. University of Ulster Jordanstown, N.I., 1994

Publications

Burns AM, Duffy G, Walsh D., Tiwari, B, Grant, J.,Lawlor, P.G., and Gardiner GE, (2016). Survival characteristics of monophasic Salmonella typhimurium 4,[5],12:i:- strains derived from pig feed ingredients and compound feed. Food Control 64,105–114.

Lawal, D., Burgess, C., McCabe, E., Whyte, P. and Duffy, G. (2015). Development of a quantitative real time PCR assay to detect and enumerate Escherichia coli O157 and O26 serogroups in bovine recto-anal swabs J. Micro methods 114:9–15.

O’Leary, D., McCabe, E.M., McCusker, M.P., Martins, M., Fanning, S. and Duffy, G. (2015). Acid environments affect biofilm formation and gene expression in isolates of Salmonella enterica Typhimurium DT104. Int J Food Microbiol. 3; 206:7–16

Thomas, K.M., McCann, M., Collery, M.M, Logan, A., Whyte, P., McDowell, D.A. and Duffy, G, (2013). Transfer of Verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli 0157,
O26, O111, O103 and O145 from Fleece to Carcass during Sheep Slaughter in an Irish export abattoir. Food Micro. 34 (1) 38–45.

Thomas, K.M., McCann, M., Collery, M.M, Logan, A., Whyte, P., McDowell, D.A. and Duffy, G, (2012). Tracking Verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli O157,
O26, O111, O103 and O145 in Irish Cattle at slaughter. Int J. Food Micro 153(3):288–96