Dr Glenn Rhodes

Dr Glenn Rhodes

Molecular Microbial Ecologist, Lake Ecosystem Group

Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Lancaster Environment Centre
Library Avenue
Bailrigg
Lancaster
LA1 4AP
T: +44 (0)1524 595800
F: +44 (0)1524 61536
E-mail: Dr Glenn Rhodes
 

Education and research experience

  • 2001- present: Molecular Ecologist (Band 6), Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
  • 2000-2003: NERC/MRC Research Fellow "Environmental studies on waterborne transmission of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis from animals to humans in South Wales".
  • 1997-2000: European Union Research Fellow "Risk assessment of antimicrobial agent use in aquaculture (EU-FAIR/CT96-1703)".
  • 1993-1997: PhD, University of Liverpool. Title: "Insertion Sequence 1 (IS1) in freshwater and associated sediments".
  • 1989-1993: BSc (Hons) (Class I) in Applied Microbiology, Liverpool John Moores University.

Research interests

  • Assessing the distribution and persistence of bacterial pathogens, in particular Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in the natural environment.
  • Detection of mycobacteria using molecular techniques such as quantitative real-time PCR
  • Assessing the structure and environmental distribution/significance of bacterial mobile genetic elements such as plasmids and transposable genetic elements.
  • Bacterial starvation-survival strategies and the non-culturable-but-viable condition (with specific reference to the fish pathogen Aeromonas salmonicida).
  • Understanding plasmid-encoded antibiotic resistance carried by incompatability group U (IncU) plasmids.

More about Glenn's work on plasmids

 

Selected publications

See also the NERC Open Research Archive.

Pickup, R. W., Rhodes, G., Arnott, S., Sidi-Boumedine, K., Bull, T. J., Weightman, A., Hurley, M., and Hermon-Taylor, J. Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in lake catchments, in river water sourced for domestic supply and in effluent from domestic sewage treatment works: diverse opportunities for environmental cycling and human exposure. Submitted for publication in Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

Mura, M., Bull, T. J., Evans, H., Sidi-Boumedine, K., McMinn, E. J., Rhodes, G., Pickup, R. W. and Hermon-Taylor, J. (2006). Replication and long term persistence of bovine and human strains of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis within Acanthamoeba polyphaga. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 72: In Press

Pickup, R. W., Rhodes, G., Arnott, S., Sidi-Boumedine, K., Bull, T. J., Weightman, A., Hurley, M., and Hermon-Taylor, J. (2005). Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in the Catchment Area and Water of the River Taff in South Wales, United Kingdom, and Its Potential Relationship to Clustering of Crohn's Disease Cases in the City of Cardiff. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 71: 2130-2139.

Rhodes, G., Parkhill, J., Bird, C., Ambrose, K., Jones, M., Huys, G., Swings, J., and Pickup RW. (2004). Complete Nucleotide Sequence of the Conjugative Tetracycline Resistance Plasmid pFBAOT6, a Member of a Group of IncU Plasmids with Global Ubiquity. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 70, 7497-7510.

T. J. Bull, E. J. McMinn, K. Sidi-Boumedine, A. Skull, D. Durkin, P. Nield, G. Rhodes, R. W. Pickup & J. Hermon-Taylor. 2003. Detection and verification of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in fresh ileocolonic mucosal biopsies from people with and without Crohn’s disease. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 41: 2915-2923.

R. W. Pickup, G. Rhodes and J. Hermon-Taylor. 2003. Monitoring bacterial pathogens in the environment: a multilayered approach. Current Opinions in Biotechnology 14: 319-325.

R. W. Pickup, H. E. H Mallinson, G. Rhodes, M. L. Alamillo, S. F. Thornton, D. N. Lerner. 2002. A phenol-contaminated groundwater site: a microbiological perspective. IAHS PUBLICATION, ISS. 275: 251-256.

R. W. Pickup, G. Rhodes, M. L. Alamillo, H. E. H. Mallinson, S. F. Thornton & D. N. Lerner. 2001. Microbiological analysis of multi-level borehole samples from a contaminated groundwater system. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 53: 269-284.

G. Huys, D. Gevers, R. Temmerman, M. Cnockaert, R. Denys, G. Rhodes, R. Pickup, P. McGann, M. Hiney, P. Smith & J. Swings. 2001. Comparison of the antimicrobial tolerance of oxytetracycline-resistant heterotrophic bacteria isolated from hospital sewage and freshwater fish farm water in Belgium. Systematic and Applied Microbiology 24: 122-130.

G. Huys, G. Rhodes, P. McGann, R. Denys, R. Pickup, M. Hiney, P. Smith, J. Swings. 2000. Characterization of oxytetracycline-resistant heterotrophic bacteria originating from hospital and freshwater fish farm environments in England and Ireland. Systematic and Applied Microbiology 23: 599-606.

G. Rhodes, J. R. Saunders & R. W. Pickup. 2000. Detection and distribution of Insertion Sequence 1 (IS1)-containing bacteria in the freshwater environment. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 34: 81-90.

G. Rhodes, G. Huys, J. Swings, P. McGann, M. Hiney, P. Smith & R. W. Pickup. 2000. Distribution of oxytetracycline-resistance plasmids between aeromonads in the hospital and aquaculture environments: implication of Tn1721 in the dissemination of the Tet A determinant. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 66: 3883-3890

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