Editor Name: Robin Nicholas

Designation: Professor

University: Surrey University

Country: UK

Biography: Robin Nicholas had a long and varied career at the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (now Animal and Plant Health Agency, Weybridge) leaving at the end of 2014.  He led the Mycoplasma Group in the Department of Bacterial Diseases for 20 years which he expanded to a group of 12 researchers working on research and surveillance of mycoplasma diseases of livestock.  The Group became an OIE reference centre for small ruminant mycoplasmas and UK reference laboratory for mycoplasmas.  As the major mycoplasma diseases such as contagious bovine and caprine pleuropneumonia and contagious agalactia are exotic to the UK, he travelled widely including many trips to Mediterranean countries, in particular Turkey, Portugal and Italy where he has close links with institutes in Sicily, Padua, Teramo and Rome.  He also conducted technical missions to Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and Asia and was a member of the FAO and EU groups of experts on contagious bovine pleuropneumonia.