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Mechanisms Of Interaction And Therapeutic Strategies For Polymicrobial Biofilms
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$607,231.00
Summary
A public health crisis is brewing with regard to hospital-acquired infections. The ability of bacterial and fungal organisms to attach and bind tightly to the surface of invasive medical devices is the root-cause of the majority of hospital-acquired infections. This research will study how bacteria and fungi interact in communities attached to medical devices, and devise strategies for their combined treatment.
Characterisation Of Porphyromonas Gingivalis And Treponema Denticola Interactions In The Development Of A Pathogenic Biofilm
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$566,200.00
Summary
Gum disease (periodontitis) is an inflammatory disease caused by bacterial pathogens that is the major cause of tooth loss in adults. It is also associated with systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease. In this study we will determine the mechanisms by which two bacterial species work together to produce the pathogenic dental plaque that causes disease.
Metabolism-driven Interactions Of Non-typeable Haemophilus Influenzae And Its Host: A Critical Factor In Infection?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$474,932.00
Summary
Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is the underlying cause of many severe acute and chronic respiratory infections, which represent a significant burden to the healthcare system. As NTHi is unable to survive outside the human host, it is is highly adapted to survival in the body niches it colonizes. We are investigating how NTHI is able to survive in the presence of tissue inflammation, and whether it contributes to the inflammatory process through some of its metabolic products.
The Role Of Porphyromonas Gingivalis Outer Membrane Vesicle Biogenesis In Virulence And Immunomodulation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$734,288.00
Summary
Porphyromonas gingivalis is a keystone pathogen in chronic periodontitis. This bacterium exists as part of a biofilm on the surface of the tooth and selectively packages enzymes, toxins and antigens on to vesicles that penetrate host tissue and cause the inflammatory response that is associated with disease progression. In this study we will determine the host response to vesicles and determine the role of a specific protein in vesicle biogenesis.
Role Of Autotransporter Proteins In Uropathogenic E. Coli Infections
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$611,149.00
Summary
Urinary tract infections (UTI) are among the most common infectious diseases of humans. Uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), the primary cause of UTI, utilize a range of adherence mechanisms to colonize the urinary tract. In this project we will characterise the function and mode of secretion for one important class of UPEC adherence factors – autotransporter proteins. This work may inform new approaches to prevent UTI, an urgent need given the rapid increase in resistance to antibiotics among UPEC.
Antibiotic Treatment Of Male Partners To Reduce Recurrence Of Bacterial Vaginosis In Women: A Randomised Double-blind Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$636,674.00
Summary
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal infection in women. Healthy bacteria are lost and replaced by bacteria that cause unpleasant discharge and odour. BV puts women at increased risk of sexually transmitted infections, HIV, miscarriage and preterm delivery. Over 50% of women given antibiotics get BV back again. Studies suggest these bacteria are being sexually transmitted. We are conducting a trial of antibiotic treatment of women and their male partners to improve BV cure.
Strengthening Frontline Clinicians’ Infection Control: A Multi-method Study To Reduce MRSA Infection And Transmission
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$800,339.00
Summary
Despite handwashing initiatives and the introduction of alcohol gels, cross-infection in hospitals remains a terrible risk for patients and creates a huge cost for health care funders. This study deploys a video-based technique called video reflexivity to alert frontline clinicians to the infection risks that are inherent in their every practice, educating them to become smarter about such risk.
The Role Of Perivascular Macrophages In The Regulation Of Skin Inflammation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$616,518.00
Summary
Neutrophils are key defenders against bacterial infections. In this application we will test the hypothesis that perivascular macrophages play a critical role in the recruitment of neutrophils to site of cutaneous infection, and that these cells are targeted and destroyed by bacterial virulence factors. Our studies will gain novel insight into the leukocyte homing paradigm and shed new light on the mechanisms of microbial immuno-evasion.
Star Polymers As Novel Antimicrobial And Immunomodulatory Agents
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$945,908.00
Summary
The rise in antibiotic resistance in bacteria is considered as a major public health threat that is not being met by antibiotic research. This project will modify a novel star polymer that we have shown kills antibiotic resistant bacteria but does not induce resistance. The project will make and characterise new versions of the star polymer to produce antimicrobial materials that target and kill the multi-drug resistant bacteria that are a major cause of bacterial infections and death.
Legionella bacteria are the major cause of Legionnaire’s Disease, a common form of acute pneumonia. Here we will study how the bacteria avoid killing in human cells by establishing an intracellular niche that is sequestered from the normal host cell defence pathways. In particular we hope to understand how the bacteria regulate a major protein modification pathway called ubiquitination.