Megan Jacob, MS, PhD
Assistant Professor
Clinical Microbiology
Director, Clinical Microbiology Laboratory
Department of Population Health and Pathobiology
College of Veterinary Medicine
North Carolina State University
Phone: (919) 513-6236
Fax: (919) 513-6464
E-mail: megan_jacob@ncsu.edu
Clinical Microbiology Laboratory: http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/vth/clin_path_lab.html
EDUCATION:
2010: Ph.D. in Veterinary Pathobiology
College of Veterinary Medicine
Kansas State University
2007: M.S. in Veterinary Pathobiology
College of Veterinary Medicine
Kansas State University
2005: B.S. in Microbiology
College of Agriculture
University of Wyoming
RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Food safety remains an important national priority; understanding risk factors associated with increased pathogen shedding in food animals and other processes that affect the transmission and spread of these pathogens throughout the food production chain are my primary research interests. In addition, in collaboration with the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, we are involved with research of interest to clinicians and others in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital as well as studying emerging bacterial diseases, antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of hospital patients, and new diagnostic assays.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
Jacob, M. E., *X. Shi, B. An, T. G. Nagaraja, and J. Bai^* . 2012. Evaluation of a multiplex real-time PCR for the quantification of /Escherichia coli /O157 in cattle feces. Foodborne Pathog. Dis. 9:79-85.//
Jacob, M. E. *, K. M. Almes, X. Shi, J. M. Sargeant, and T. G. Nagaraja. 2011. Escherichia coli O157:H7 genetic diversity in bovine fecal samples. J. Food Prot. Accepted.
Dodd, C. C., M. W. Sanderson*, M. E. Jacob, and D. G. Renter. 2011. Modeling preharvest and harvest interventions for Escherichia coli O157 contamination of beef cattle carcasses. J. Food Prot. Accepted.
Jacob, M. E., D. G. Renter, Z. D. Paddock, K. F. Lechtenberg, and T. G. Nagaraja*. 2010. Feeding dried or wet distiller’s grains at various inclusion levels to feedlot cattle affects the fecal prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 76:7238-7242.
R. G. Amachawadi., N. W. Shelton, M. E. Jacob, X. Shi, S. K. Narayanan, L. Zurek, S. S. Dritz, J. L. Nelssen, M. D. Tokach, and T. G. Nagaraja. 2010. Occurrence of tcrB, a transferable copper resistance gene, in fecal enterococci of swine. Foodborne Pathog Dis. In press.
Jacob, M.E., D. G. Renter, and T. G. Nagaraja. 2010. Animal- and truckload-level associations among E. coli O157:H7 in feces and hides at harvest and contamination of pre-intervention beef carcasses. J. Food Prot. 73:1030-1037.
Jacob, M. E., J. T. Fox, T. G. Nagaraja, J. S. Drouillard, R. Amachawadi, and S. K. Narayanan. 2010. Effects of feeding elevated concentrations of copper and zinc on the antimicrobial susceptibilities of fecal bacteria in feedlot cattle. Foodborne Pathog. Dis. 6:643:648.
Jacob, M. E., J. T. Fox, J. S. Drouillard, D. G. Renter, and T. G. Nagaraja. 2009. Evaluation of feeding dried distiller’s grains with solubles and dry-rolled corn on the fecal prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. in cattle. Foodborne Pathog Dis. 2:145-153.
Jacob, M. E., T. R. Callaway, and T. G. Nagaraja. 2009. Dietary interactions and interventions affecting Escherichia coli O157 colonization and shedding in cattle. Foodborne Pathog Dis. 6:785-792.
Jacob, M. E., J. T. Fox, J. S. Drouillard, D. G. Renter, and T. G. Nagaraja. 2008. Effects of dried distillers’ grain on fecal prevalence and growth of Escherichia coli O157 in batch culture fermentations from cattle. Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 74(1):38-43.
Jacob, M. E., G. L. Parsons, M. K. Shelor, J. T. Fox, J. S. Drouillard, D. U. Thomson, D. G. Renter, and T. G. Nagaraja. 2008. Feeding supplemental dried distiller’s grains increases fecal shedding of Escherichia coli O157 in experimentally inoculated calves. Zoonoses Publ. Hlth. 55(3):125-132.
Jacob, M. E., J. T. Fox, S. K. Narayanan, J. S. Drouillard, D. G. Renter and T. G. Nagaraja. 2008. Effects of feeding wet corn distiller’s grains with solubles with or without monensin and tylosin on the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibilities of fecal food-borne pathogenic and commensal bacteria in feedlot cattle. J. Anim. Sci. 86(5):1182-1190.
Fox, J. T., S. Reinstein, M. E. Jacob, and T. G. Nagaraja. 2008. Niche marketing production practices for beef cattle in the United States and prevalence of foodborne pathogens. Foodborne Pathog Dis. 5:559-569.
Jacob, M. E., J. T. Fox, S. L. Reinstein, and T. G. Nagaraja. 2008. Antimicrobial susceptibility of foodborne pathogens in organic or natural production systems: an overview. Foodborne Pathog Dis. 5:721-730.