I have been the Head of Bacteriology at the AHT for 16 years. During this time my group have analysed the genomes of Streptococcus equi and Streptococcus zooepidemicus to shed light on the evolution of these pathogens. We used the information generated to develop and commercialise highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tests for S. equi, which are now used around the World and to develop a multicomponent subunit vaccine that is planned to be launched in Europe during 2020.