Dr Severine Tasker

Summary

My research focuses particularly on haemotropic mycoplasmas (haemoplasmas), a a newly defined group of pathogens that can induce haemolysis of red blood cells, and feline coronavirus infections, which can result in the fatal disease of feline infectious peritonitis.

Biography

I graduated as a vet from the University of Bristol in 1994 and worked for the PDSA before moving to the University of Edinburgh to complete a residency in Feline Medicine in 1999.  I then moved back to the University of Bristol where I completed a PhD investigating feline haemoplasma infections in 2002.  I am currently Senior Lecturer in Small Animal Medicine at the University of Bristol where I am involved with teaching and services associated with the Feline Centre and the Molecular Diagnostic Unit (MDU) (where I am academic lead for the Acarus Laboratory) of Langford Veterinary Services.  I have active research interests in infectious diseases, notably haemoplasma and feline coronavirus infections.  I am passionate about all things feline and I particularly enjoy teaching veterinary students, nurses and colleagues a holistic approach to feline cases to help ensure provision of the highest standards of cat care by understanding the specific needs of cats.  I have recently finished editing the BSAVA Manual of Feline Practice: a Foundation Manual.  I am a RCVS Specialist in Feline Medicine and a European Specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine.  I was awarded the BSAVA Woodrow Award in 2008, for outstanding contributions in the field of small animal veterinary medicine, and the Petplan Charitable Trust Research Award in 2013, for outstanding contributions in the field of veterinary research. 

Activities / Findings

Haemotropic mycoplasma infections

I am involved in the investigation of haemotropic mycoplasmas (haemoplasmas), which are bacterial agents that can induce haemolytic anaemia in a range of host species.  Most of our studies centre on the feline haemoplasmas but we have carried out research on a range of haemoplasma species including canine, rodent and human species. Our research has focused on: the development of novel polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays and serological tests to detect haemoplasma infection, the phylogeny of haemoplasmas, the pathogenesis of the haemoplasma-associated anaemia and induced immunity, and genomic studies that have resulted in the first complete haemoplasma genomic sequence (Mycoplasma haemofelis).  We are also developing in vitro methods of haemoplasma cultivation.

Feline coronavirus (FCoV) infections

Feline coronavirus (FCoV) infection is very common in cats and can sometimes lead to the serious disease of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), which is an important cause of death in cats.  The Bristol Feline Coronavirus (BFC) Group is actively committed to further research in this field to ultimately help the diagnosis and prevention of this distressing disease.  Current research involves the development of reliable diagnostic tests for the definitive diagnosis of FIP, deriving genome sequences of field coronavirus isolates and the development of a so-called “reverse genetic” system for feline coronaviruses. The reverse genetic systemic involves constructing a copy of the virus in a form that can be changed in a specific way. This is a complex process but it will be of immense value in our basic research and, in the longer term, can be used to produce vaccines against FIP.

Teaching

I am involved in undergraduate lecture teaching and project supervision on the Veterinary Science (BVSc) and Veterinary Nursing and Bioveterinary Science (BSc) courses.  I also teach clinical feline medicine to final year BVSc students during their feline clerking.  I am the School of Veterinary Sciences' Disability Representative.

Keywords

• Haemotropic mycoplasmas
• Haemoplasmas
• Mycoplasma haemofelis
• Feline infectious peritonitis
• Feline coronavirus infection

Skills

• Haemoplasmosis
• Feline anaemia
• Feline infectious peritonitis

Memberships

Organisations

Companion Animal Studies

Other sites

• Infection-immunity

Research areas

• Comparative and Clinical Research
• Infection and Immunity

Links

•   Acarus Laboratory
•   Langford Trust FIP

Recent publications

• Korman, RM, Hetzel, N, Knowles, TG, Harvey, AM & Tasker, S 2013, ‘A retrospective study of 180 anaemic cats: Features, aetiologies and survival data’. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.
• Barker, E, Tasker, S, Gruffydd-Jones, T, Tuplin, C, Burton, K, Porter, E, Day, M, Harley, R, Fews, D, Helps, C & Siddell, S 2013, ‘Phylogenetic Analysis of Feline Coronavirus Strains in an Epizootic Outbreak of Feline Infectious Peritonitis’. Journal of veterinary internal medicine / American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine., pp. n/a-n/a
• Korman, RM, Cerón, JJ, Knowles, TG, Barker, EN, Eckersall, PD & Tasker, S 2012, ‘Acute phase response to Mycoplasma haemofelis and 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum' infection in FIV-infected and non-FIV-infected cats’. The Veterinary Journal, vol 193., pp. 433-8
• Barker, EN, Darby, AC, Helps, CR, Peters, IR, Hughes, MA, Radford, AD, Novacco, M, Boretti, FS, Hofmann-Lehmann, R & Tasker, S 2012, ‘Genome sequence for "Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum," a low-pathogenicity hemoplasma species’. Journal of Bacteriology, vol 194., pp. 905-6
• Georges, K, Ezeokoli, C, Auguste, T, Seepersad, N, Pottinger, A, Sparagano, O & Tasker, S 2012, ‘A comparison of real-time PCR and reverse line blot hybridization in detecting feline haemoplasmas of domestic cats and an analysis of risk factors associated with haemoplasma infections’. BMC Veterinary Research, vol 8., pp. 103
• Barker, EN, Langton, DA, Helps, CR, Brown, G, Malik, R, Shaw, SE & Tasker, S 2012, ‘Haemoparasites of free-roaming dogs associated with several remote Aboriginal communities in Australia’. BMC Veterinary Research, vol 8., pp. 55
• Hetzel, NJL, Barker, EN, Helps, CR, Tasker, S, Arteaga, A, Barrs, VR & Beatty, J 2012, ‘Prevalence of canine haemotropic mycoplasma infections in Sydney, Australia’. The Veterinary Record, vol 171., pp. 126-127
• Tasker, S 2012, ‘Diagnostic approach to anaemia in cats’. In Practice, vol 34., pp. 370-381
• Barker, EN, Hicks, CA, Peters, IR, Helps, CR & Tasker, S 2012, ‘NON-RIBOSOMAL GENE PHYLOGENY OF HEMOPLASMAS AND OTHER MYCOPLASMA SPECIES’. in: NON-RIBOSOMAL GENE PHYLOGENY OF HEMOPLASMAS AND OTHER MYCOPLASMA SPECIES., pp. 791-791
• Steer, J, Tasker, S, Barker, E, Jensen, J, Mitchell, J, Stocki, T, Chalker, V & Hamon, M 2011, ‘A Novel Hemotropic Mycoplasma (Hemoplasma) in a Patient with Hemolytic Anemia and Pyrexia’. Clinical Infectious Diseases, vol 53., pp. e147 - e151

View complete publications list in the University of Bristol publications system

Networks & contacts

• Dr Chris Helps
• Professor Stuart Siddell
• Professor Tim Gruffydd-Jones
• Professor Michael Day