Wolfgang Köster (Koester)

Dr. Koester completed his PhD in Biology and Microbiology at University of Tübingen, Germany.  He then worked in many organizations including University of Virginia, Institut Pasteur, and Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology.  From 1999-2003 he served as Swiss Delegate and “Invited Expert” at various events related to safe drinking water of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Health Organization (WHO).  Dr. Koester joined VIDO in 2004, and is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Veterinary Microbiology at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) at the University of Saskatchewan.  His expertise includes microbiological aspects of food and water safety, transport mechanisms across bacterial membranes, understanding the virulence mechanisms of bacteria and developing vaccines against bacterial pathogens.

Research Interests:

• Developing intervention strategies against pathogenic bacteria in water, food and food producing animals (i.e. Campylobacter and Salmonella)
• Studying bacterial virulence factors involved in host-pathogen interactions

Current Projects: 

• Innate immune stimulators as alternatives to antibiotics and adjuvants for poultry vaccines
• Prevention of colonization of poultry with Campylobacter jejuni by vaccination
• Vaccines to prevent colonization and infection of poultry by Salmonella enteritidis serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium

Publications