Thijs Manders

Thijs Manders is an Assistant Professor at Utrecht University within the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, specifically the Department of Population Health Sciences in the Farm Animal Health division. He focuses on Enterococcus pathogenesis in poultry and avian disease research, with particular emphasis on bacterial virulence mechanisms and infection modeling.

• Specializes in Enterococcus cecorum and Enterococcus hirae pathogenicity
• Develops chicken embryo lethality assays for bacterial virulotyping
• Investigates avian influenza risk factors related to wildlife interactions

His research includes studying albumen tolerance and lysozyme resistance in bacterial strains, intestinal cell invasion mechanisms, and co-infection dynamics in poultry. His work contributes to veterinary microbiology, infectious disease modeling, and agricultural biosecurity.

Publications demonstrate expertise in avian pathology, poultry disease management, and experimental infection models. Key journals include Avian Pathology, Avian Diseases, and Transboundary and Emerging Diseases.