Leagan Gaeilge   Text Version   Display: Zoom (-) (+)   View ( Normal High contrast ) Printer Friendly  A to Z  Sitemap

NEWS: Click here. (Top story: Galway team: Disinfectants 'train' superbugs...Intern'l coverage)

---

microbiology --> people --> academic staff

Dr Gerard TA FLEMI NG

Lecturer

• Co-Director & Course Co-ordinator, Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Science (Microbiology)
  
• Director, Microbial Oceanography Research Unit ( MORU)

Contact Information

• Email:  ger.flemingnuigalway.ie
  
• Telephone:  + 353 (0) 91 493562 (ext. 3562)
  
• DDI:  + 353 (0) 91 512394

  ---

Academic Qualifications

Ph.D. (University College, Galway)
B.Sc. (University College, Galway)
National Diploma in Analytical Chemistry (Regional Technical College, Carlow)
National Certificate in Applied Biology (Regional Technical College, Carlow)
City and Guilds Certificate in Quality Control (London Institute)

Research Interests

The Marine Oceanography Research Unit ( MORU) currently hosts the following research personnel:

• Dr. David McCarthy:  Post Doctoral Researcher (Deep Ocean Microbiology)
• Ms. Aileen Gill:  Post Doctoral Researcher (Deep Ocean Microbiology)
• Ms. Olivia Duignan: Post Doctoral Researcher (Disinfectant/Antibiotic Resistance:  Co-supervised with Dr. Cyril Carroll)
• Ms. Geraldine McNulty:  M.Sc. Researcher (Clean Room Bioburdening:  Co-supervised with Dr. Cyril Carroll)
• Mr. Maurice Martyn:  M.Sc. Researcher (Deep Ocean Microbiology)

  ---

The research focus in the MORU can be broadly divided into three themes:

Theme 1:  Deep Ocean Microbiology

• Characterizataion of the distribution of the domain bacteria using T-RFLP/DGGE on samples taken from Deep Ocean Sites in the Atlantic, Southern Ocean and Mediterranean.
• Development of a Sampling, Pressure Retaining and Transfer System (SPRATS) which facilitates the growth of obligate piezophiles taken from the deep ocean in the laboratory.
• Biodiscovery of novel antimicrobials/enzymes/products from deep ocean bacterial communities.

Theme 2:  Studies with Chemostat Cultures

• Resistance to Disinfectants and antibiotics in Microbial Pathogens.
• Competitiveness of human pathogens (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Campylobacter jejuni) grown in chemostat culture.
• Development of microorganisms with unique traits for industry.

Theme 3:  Research Support of Regulatory Bodies and Indigenous Industry

• Bioburden analysis within clean rooms.
• Assessment of exposure to health hazards of workers in the agricultural animal sector.
• The laboratory also undertakes short-term projects with SMEs relating to microbial assessment of facilities, disinfection efficacy assessment and product development.

Publications

Book Chapters

Fleming, G.T.A. & J.W. Patching 2008.  The Fermenter in Research and Development In:  Practical Fermentation Technology.  Edited by Brian McNeil and Linda Harvey.  John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  Chichester, UK. Chapter 12:  pp. 347-376.

Patching, J.W. & Fleming G.T.A. (2003).  Industrial biofilms:  formation, problems and control.  In:  Biofilms in Medicine, Industry and Environmental Biotechnology:  characteristics, analysis and control pp. 568-590.  Edited by Piet Lens, Anthony P. Moran, Therese Mahony, P. Stoodley and Vincent O’Flaherty.  IWA Publishing, London, UK.

Morgan, E., Fleming, G.T.A, Patching, J.W. & Colleran E. (1988).  Comparison of solid state and conventional alcoholic fermentation of sugar crops in an integrated biomass refinery process.  In:  Euroforum:  New Energies pp. 526-528. Bedford, UK.:  H.S. Stevens Associates.

Peer-Reviewed Papers

Marie A. Coggins; Victoria J. Hogan; Martina Kelly; Gerald T. Fleming; Nigel Roberts; Therese Tynan; Peter S Thorne (2012). Workplace Exposure to Bioaerosols in Podiatry Clinics. Annals of Occupational Hygiene 2012 pp.1-8; doi: 10.1093/annhyg/mer124.
 
Egan, Simon T., McCarthy, David  M., Patching John W. and Fleming Gerard T.A. (2012). An investigation of the physiology and potential role of components of the deep ocean bacterial community (of the NE Atlantic) by enrichments carried out under minimal environmental change. Deep Sea Research (Part 1) 61. March 2012. 11-20.
 
Ryan, P; Forbes, C; McHugh, D; O’Reilly, C; Fleming, GTA; and Colleran E (2010).  Enrichment of Acetogenic bacteria in high rate anaerobic reactors under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. Water Research 44, 4261-4269.

Paul H. McCay, Alain A. Ocampo-Sosa & Gerard T.A. Fleming (2010).  The effect of sub-inhibitory concentrations of Benzalkonium chloride on the competitiveness of Pseudomonas aeruginosa grown in continuous culture.  Microbiology, 156:  30-38.

Mc Donnell, P, Coggins, M., Victoria Hogan, V. & Fleming, G.T.A. (2008).  Exposure Assessment to airborne contaminants in the indoor environment of Irish Swine Farms.  Ann Agric Environ Med, 15, 323-326.

Smith, P., Fleming, G.T.A. & Carroll, C. (2008).  Reducing inter-operator variation in disc diffusion assays by the inclusion of internal controls in a standard susceptibility test protocol.  Aquaculture 285, 273-276.

Douglas, I., Ruane, N.M., Geary, M., Carroll, C., Fleming, G.T. A., McMurray, J. & Smith, P. (2007).  The advantages of the use of discs containing single agents in disc diffusion testing of the susceptibility of Aeromonas salmonicida to potentiated sulphonamides.  Aquaculture 272, 118-125.

Duignan, O., Fleming, G.T.A. & Carroll, C.V. (2007).  A Study of the Adaptation of Campylobacter jejuni to Antibiotic Selection Pressures in Chemostat Culture.  Zoonoses Public Health, 54 (Suppl. 1): P.74, 39.

Ruane, N.M., Douglas, I., Geary, M., Carroll, C., Fleming, G.T.A. & Smith, P. (2007).  Application of normalised resisstance interpretation to disc diffusion data on the susceptibility of Aeromasas salmonicida to three quinolone agents,  Aquaculture 272, 156-167.

Smith, P., Ruane, N.M., Douglas, I., Carroll, C., Kronvall, G & Fleming, G.T.A. (2007)  Impact of inter-lab variation on the estimation of epidemiological cut-off values for disc diffusion susceptibility test data for Aeromonas salmonicida.  Aquaculture 272, 168-179.

Douglas, I., Smith, P. & Fleming, G.T.A. (2006).  The effect of NaCl on measures of the antimicrobial agent susceptibility of Aeromonas salmonicida in standard disc diffusion assays.  Bull Eur Assoc Fish Pathol 26, 232-235.

McCay, P.H., & Fleming, G.T.A. (2006).  The influence of environmental conditions on promoting disinfectant-mediated resistance to antibiotics in Psuedomanas aeruginosa.  Proceedings of ESAI ENVIRON 2005, P.71 – 73. ISBN 1-874653-909.

Curtin, J., Cormican, M., Fleming, G.T.A., Keelehan, J. & Colleran, E. (2003).  Linezolid compared with eperezolid, vancomycin, and gentamicin in an in vitro model of antimicrobial lock therapy for Staphylococcus epidermidis central venous catheter-related biofilm infections.  Antimicrob Agents Chemother 47, 3145-3148.

Fleming, G.T.A., McCarthy, D.M., Colombet, N. & Patching, J.W. (2002).  The effect of levofloxacin concentration on the development and maintenance of antibiotic-resistant clones of Escherichia coli in chemostat culture.  Journal of Industrial Microbial Biotechnol 29, 155-162.

Fleming, G.T.A., & Patching, J.W. (1994).  Plasmid Instability in an Industrial Strain of Bacillus-Subtilis Grown in Chemostat Culture.  Journal of Industrial Microbial 13, 106-111.

Morgan, E., Fleming, G.T.A., Patching, J.W. & Colleran, E. (1989).  Solid-State Fermentation of Sugar-Beet for the Purpose of Fuel-Alcohol Production.  Biochemistry Soc Trans 17, 424-424.

Fleming, G.T.A., Dawson, M.T. & Patching, J.W. (1988).  The Isolation of Strains of Bacillus subtilis Showing Improved Plasmid Stability Characteristics by Means of Slective Chemostat Culture.  Journal of General Microbiology 134, 2095-2101.

Published Conference Abstracts

Paul H McCay and Gerard T.A. Fleming (2006).  Cross Resistance to Antibviotics in Disinfectant Resistant Strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.  In:  BioNet 2006.  Conference Theme – ’The Biotechnology Showcase.  Institute of Technology, Dublin. 18th-19th January, 2006.  Abstract 3.

K. O’Donoghue, G.T.A. Fleming, G. Jennings, A.P. Moran & C.V. Carroll (2003).  Protein expression in Escherichia coli biofilms generated from bioaerosols.  In:  Proceedings of the Society for General Microbiology, Irish Branch Symposium on Microbial Diseases in the Immunocompromised patient.  National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Ireland, April P. 40.

J. Curtin, M. Cormican, J. Keelehan and G.T.A. Fleming (2003).  In vitro study of “antimicrobial lock therapy for Staphylococcus epidermidis central venous cathether related infections.  In:  proceedings of the Society for General Microbiology, Irish Branch symposium on Microbial diseases in the immuno-compromised patient, Maynooth.  April 2003. P. 14.

S. Broaders, G.T.A. Fleming, and A.P. Moran (2002).  Comparative analysis of Gram-positive and Gram-negative Planktonic and Biofilm Bacteria.  Proceedings of the Irish Branch Meeting Irish on ’Metals, Microbes and the Environment’, Institute of Technology, Carlow.  March 26th-27th.

 

• Disclaimer
• Privacy
• Copyright
• Accessibility