I completed my BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences at Heriot-Watt University in 2011 before commencing a BBSRC industrial CASE PhD studentship at the University of Glasgow, later that year.
My PhD research was carried out in Dr Robert Davies' laboratory. The primary focus of this research was to use comparative phenotypic, proteomic and genomic approaches to characterise the fish pathogen, Yersinia ruckeri, in support of improved vaccine development. Following this, I moved to the laboratory of Dr Donal Wall, also at the University of Glasgow, where I worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate. This BBSRC-funded post involved examining the effect of the short chain fatty acid (SCFA) preservative propionic acid, on Adherent-invasive E. coli (AIEC) - a pathogen associated with Crohn’s disease. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, we aimed to uncover any selective advantages that this common food additive may provide AIEC.
In 2020, I began working with Dr. Gill Douce. This Wellcome trust funded collaborative project (in conjunction with Dr. Robert Fagan [University of Sheffield] and Dr. Paula Salgado [Newcastle University]) involves examining the role of the S-layer in Clostridium difficile pathogenesis.
In November 2021, I moved to the University of Stirling to undertake a Postdoctoral research project with Professor Richard Quilliam. This NERC-GCRF funded SPACES project involves studying environmental microbiology and the ecology of plastic pollution.
Bacterial pathogens, human pathogens in the environment, environmental pollutants, waste management
Article
Can plastic pollution drive the emergence and dissemination of novel zoonotic diseases?
Ormsby MJ, Woodford L & Quilliam RS (2024) Can plastic pollution drive the emergence and dissemination of novel zoonotic diseases?. Environmental Research, 246, Art. No.: 118172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2024.118172
Article
Metcalf R, Messer LF, White HL, Ormsby MJ, Matallana-Surget S & Quilliam RS (2024) Evidence of interspecific plasmid uptake by pathogenic strains of Klebsiella isolated from microplastic pollution on public beaches. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 461, Art. No.: 132567. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132567
Article
Ormsby MJ, Woodford L, White HL, Fellows R, Oliver DM & Quilliam RS (2024) Toxigenic Vibrio cholerae can cycle between environmental plastic waste and floodwater: Implications for environmental management of cholera. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 461, p. 132492. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132492
Article
Ormsby MJ, White HL, Metcalf R, Oliver DM, Feasey NA & Quilliam RS (2024) Enduring pathogenicity of African strains of Salmonella on plastics and glass in simulated peri-urban environmental waste piles. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 461, p. 132439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132439
Article
Ormsby MJ, Akinbobola A & Quilliam RS (2023) Plastic pollution and fungal, protozoan, and helminth pathogens – a neglected environmental and public health issue?. Science of The Total Environment, 882, Art. No.: 163093. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163093
Article
An intact S-layer is advantageous to Clostridioides difficile within the host
Ormsby MJ, Vaz F, Kirk JA, Barwinska-Sendra A, Hallam JC, Lanzoni-Mangutchi P, Cole J, Chaudhuri RR, Salgado PS, Fagan RP & Douce GR (2023) An intact S-layer is advantageous to Clostridioides difficile within the host. McClane BA (Editor) PLOS Pathogens, 19 (6), Art. No.: e1011015. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1011015
Article
Ormsby MJ, White HL, Metcalf R, Oliver DM & Quilliam RS (2023) Clinically important E. coli strains can persist, and retain their pathogenicity, on environmental plastic and fabric waste. Environmental Pollution, 326, Art. No.: 121466. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121466
Article
White HL, Mwapasa T, Mphasa M, Kalonde PK, Feasey N, Oliver DM, Ormsby MJ, Morse T, Chidziwisano K & Quilliam RS (2023) Open defaecation by proxy: Tackling the increase of disposable diapers in waste piles in informal settlements. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 250, Art. No.: 114171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114171
Article
Metcalf R, White HL, Ormsby MJ, Oliver DM & Quilliam RS (2023) From wastewater discharge to the beach: Survival of human pathogens bound to microplastics during transfer through the freshwater-marine continuum. Environmental Pollution, 319, Art. No.: 120955. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120955
Article
Metcalf R, White HL, Moresco V, Ormsby MJ, Oliver DM & Quilliam RS (2022) Sewage-associated plastic waste washed up on beaches can act as a reservoir for faecal bacteria, potential human pathogens, and genes for antimicrobial resistance. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 180, Art. No.: 113766. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113766
Article
Monocytes mediate Salmonella Typhimurium-induced tumor growth inhibition in a mouse melanoma model
Johnson SA, Ormsby MJ, Wessel HM, Hulme HE, Bravo‐Blas A, McIntosh A, Mason S, Coffelt SB, Tait SWG, Mowat AM, Milling SWF, Blyth K & Wall DM (2021) Monocytes mediate Salmonella Typhimurium-induced tumor growth inhibition in a mouse melanoma model. European Journal of Immunology, 51 (12), pp. 3228-3238. https://doi.org/10.1002/eji.202048913
Article
Ormsby MJ & Davies RL (2021) Diversification of OmpA and OmpF of Yersinia ruckeri is independent of the underlying species phylogeny and evidence of virulence-related selection. Scientific Reports, 11 (1), Art. No.: 3493. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82925-7
Article
Microbiome-derived carnitine mimics as previously unknown mediators of gut-brain axis communication
Hulme H, Meikle LM, Strittmatter N, van der Hooft JJJ, Swales J, Bragg RA, Villar VH, Ormsby MJ, Barnes S, Brown SL, Dexter A, Kamat MT, Komen JC, Walker D & Milling S (2020) Microbiome-derived carnitine mimics as previously unknown mediators of gut-brain axis communication. Science Advances, 6 (11), Art. No.: eaax6328. https://doi.org/10.1126/SCIADV.AAX6328
Article
Ormsby MJ, Johnson SA, Carpena N, Meikle LM, Goldstone RJ, McIntosh A, Wessel HM, Hulme HE, McConnachie CC, Connolly JPR, Roe AJ, Hasson C, Boyd J, Fitzgerald E & Gerasimidis K (2020) Propionic Acid Promotes the Virulent Phenotype of Crohn’s Disease-Associated Adherent-Invasive Escherichia coli. Cell Reports, 30 (7), pp. 2297-2305.e5. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CELREP.2020.01.078
Article
Ormsby MJ, Logan M, Johnson SA, McIntosh A, Fallata G, Papadopoulou R, Papachristou E, Hold GL, Hansen R, Ijaz UZ, Russell RK, Gerasimidis K & Wall DM (2019) Inflammation associated ethanolamine facilitates infection by Crohn's disease-linked adherent-invasive Escherichia coli. EBioMedicine, 43, pp. 325-332. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.EBIOM.2019.03.071
Article
Ormsby MJ, Grahame E, Burchmore R & Davies RL (2019) Comparative bioinformatic and proteomic approaches to evaluate the outer membrane proteome of the fish pathogen Yersinia ruckeri. Journal of Proteomics, 199, pp. 135-147. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JPROT.2019.02.014
Article
Gulla S, Barnes AC, Welch TJ, Romalde JL, Ryder D, Ormsby MJ, Carson J, Lagesen K, Verner-Jeffreys DW, Davies RL & Colquhoun DJ (2018) Multilocus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Analysis of Yersinia ruckeri Confirms the Existence of Host Specificity, Geographic Endemism, and Anthropogenic Dissemination of Virulent Clones. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 84 (16), Art. No.: e00730-18. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00730-18
Article
Increasing the bactofection capacity of a mammalian expression vector by removal of the f1 ori
Johnson SA, Ormsby MJ, McIntosh A, Tait SWG, Blyth K & Wall DM (2018) Increasing the bactofection capacity of a mammalian expression vector by removal of the f1 ori. Cancer Gene Therapy, 26 (7), pp. 183-194. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41417-018-0039-9
Book Chapter
Ormsby M & Davies R (2017) Yersinia ruckeri. In: Woo PTK & Cipriano RC (eds.) Fish viruses and bacteria: pathobiology and protection. Wallingford: CABI, pp. 339-351. https://doi.org/10.1079/9781780647784.0339
Article
McIntosh A, Meikle LM, Ormsby MJ, McCormick BA, Christie JM, Brewer JM, Roberts M & Wall DM (2017) SipA activation of caspase-3 is a decisive mediator of host cell survival at early stages of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium infection. Infection and Immunity, 85 (9), Art. No.: e00393-17. https://doi.org/10.1128/IAI.00393-17
Article
Draft Genome Sequence of the Tumor-Targeting Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Strain SL7207
Johnson SA, Ormsby MJ & Wall DM (2017) Draft Genome Sequence of the Tumor-Targeting Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Strain SL7207. Genome Announcements, 5 (5), Art. No.: e01591-16. https://doi.org/10.1128/GENOMEA.01591-16
Article
Draft Genome Sequence of the Commensal Escherichia coli Strain F-18
Ormsby MJ, Johnson SA & Wall DM (2016) Draft Genome Sequence of the Commensal Escherichia coli Strain F-18. Genome Announcements, 4 (6), Art. No.: e01416-16. https://doi.org/10.1128/GENOMEA.01416-16
Article
Ormsby MJ, Caws T, Burchmore R, Wallis T, Verner-Jeffreys DW & Davies RL (2016) Yersinia ruckeri isolates recovered from diseased Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) in Scotland are more diverse than those from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and represent distinct subpopulations. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 82 (19), pp. 5785-5794. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.01173-16
