Publication co-edited by Hutton scientist tops most-read Frontiers list

“It is a growing area of research that in addition to clear implications for food safety, public health and crop production, has also illuminated fascinating aspects to the biology of pathogens

A publication co-edited by a James Hutton Institute scientist is at the top of the most-read electronic books of 2016, according to influential research network Frontiers.

The book, titled Plants as alternative hosts for human and animal pathogens, was co-edited by Dr Nicola Holden, a researcher based at the Cell and Molecular Sciences group of the James Hutton Institute in Dundee.

Originally published in Frontiers in Microbiology, the volume looks into the capacity of many devastating human and animal pathogens to adapt to a range of diverse physical, chemical and biological environments, and jump between hosts of different biological kingdoms.

Dr Holden commented: “We are delighted that this topic has been so well received. 

“It is a growing area of research that in addition to clear implications for food safety, public health and crop production, has also illuminated fascinating aspects to the biology of these pathogens.”

The publication features chapters on different aspects of how Salmonella enterica and pathogenic Eschericia coli, two of the most important threats to food safety, can appear in the form of sporadic cases or outbreaks.

The book was also co-edited by Robert W. Jackson (University of Reading) and Adam Schikora (Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany).