Reader in Gastroenterology

 

 

Contact details:

Tel:	+44 20 7882 7202
Fax:	+44 20 7882 2178
Email:	v.mcdonald@qmul.ac.uk
Address:	Centre for Digestive Diseases, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, 4 Newark Street, London E1 2AT, United Kingdom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biography

1973-1977: Research assistant and postgraduate student, University of Glasgow , Zoology Dept.

1978-1980: Postdoctoral researcher, University of California, Riverside, Dept. of Life Sciences.

1980-1987: Senior Scientific Officer, Institute of Animal Health, Huntingdon.

1988-1996: Research Fellow (Senior Research Fellow since 1992), London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Dept. of Clinical Sciences.

1997-1998: Editor with FSG Communications/MediMedia, Cambridge .

1998-Present: Senior Lecturer (Reader since 2004), Centre for Digestive Diseases, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry.

 

Research Activity

Studies of intestinal parasites, mainly Cryptosporidium and Microsporidia, that are important causes of diarrhoea, and interactions between these parasites and the host. Much of the current work focuses on host immune responses that control infection and parasite manipulation of the intestinal environment

 

Key Publications

•  McDonald, V . & Sherman, I.W. (1980). Plasmodium chabaudi : humor­al and cell-mediated responses of immunized mice. Exp. Parasi­tol. 49: 442-54

•  McDonald, V ., Rose, M.E. & Jeffers, T.K. (1986). Eimeria tenella : immunogenicity of the first generation of schizogony. Para­sitology 93: 1-8

•  McDonald, V ., Stables, R., Warhurst , D.C. , Barer, M.R., Blewett, D.A. et al . (1990). In vitro cultivation of Cryptosporidium parvum and screening for anticryptosporidial drugs. Antimi­crob. Ag. Chemother. 34: 1498-1500.

•  McDonald, V ., Deer, R.M.A., Uni, S., Iseki, M. & Bancroft, G.J. (1992). Investigation of immune responses to Cryptosporidium muris and C. parvum in adult immunocompetent or immunocompromised (scid and nude) mice. Infect. Immun. 60:3325-3331.

•  McDonald, V ., Robinson, H.A., Kelly, J.P. & Bancroft, G.J. (1994) Cryptosporidium muris in adult mice: adoptive transfer of immunity and the protective roles of CD4 versus CD8 cells. Infect. Immun. 62: 2289-2294.

•  McDonald V . (1999) Gut intraepithelial lymphocytes and immunity to Coccidia. Trends in Parasitology 15: 483-487.

•  McDonald V ., Smith R., Robinson H. & Bancroft G.J. (2000) Host immune responses against Cryptosporidium . Contributions to Microbiology 6: 75-91.

•  Pollok R.C.G., Farthing M.G.F., Bajaj-Elliott M., Sanderson I.R. & McDonald V . (2001) Interferon- g induces enterocyte resistance against infection by the intracellular pathogen Cryptosporidium parvum. Gastroenterology 120: 99-107.

•  Lean I.-S., McDonald S.A., Bajaj-Elliott M., Pollok R.C.G., Farthing, M.J.G., & McDonald V . (2003). Interleukin-4 and Transforming Growth Factor beta have opposing regulatory effects on gamma interferon-mediated inhibition of Cryptosporidium parvum reproduction. Infect. Immun. 71: 4580-4585.

•  McDonald S.A.C, O'Grady J.E., Bajaj-Elliott M., Notley C.A., Alexander J., Brombacher F. & McDonald V . (2004). IL-4 confers protection against the early acute phase of Cryptosporidium parvum infection by promoting Th1 cytokine expression. J Inf. Dis. 190: 1019-1025.

>> Publications since 2001

 

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