Molecular Typing Of Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhimurium
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$272,545.00
Summary
Salmonella mainly causes food poisoning and is a significant human health problem. Different Samonella forms are identified by serotyping and many serovars have been given a name . There are more than 2000 serovars. The best known serovar is Typhimurium which is the cause of 40% of salmonella infections. Typhimurium is so frequently involved in infections it is necessary to further divide it for outbreak investigations and long term monitoring of the organism. The only widely used method to subd ....Salmonella mainly causes food poisoning and is a significant human health problem. Different Samonella forms are identified by serotyping and many serovars have been given a name . There are more than 2000 serovars. The best known serovar is Typhimurium which is the cause of 40% of salmonella infections. Typhimurium is so frequently involved in infections it is necessary to further divide it for outbreak investigations and long term monitoring of the organism. The only widely used method to subdivide Typhimurium is phage typing, which is done only in major laboratories (2 in Australia). Phage typing is based on lysis patterns of a test isolate to a set of 34 phages. Phage typing has played a crucial role in tracking the organism, for example the emergence of a multidrug resistance new type (DT204c) in UK and US. The technique is simple but the problem is that reactions vary with slight change in conditions and scoring the reaction results is very subjective. We propose to replace the typing system with one based on the DNA method PCR, so it will be simple, fast and accurate. We will use a DNA fingerprinting technique called AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism) to find markers (DNA segments) that are specific to phage types and design PCR assays based on the markers we find. Such a typing system will retain the essence of phage typing by providing continuity of the valuable epidemiological database on phage types. Further the typing system could easily be expanded to accommodate any new types by finding more markers while the current phage typing system is very difficult to expand (last done in 1977 and is behind in our needs). This project will establish a general approach for designing typing systems based on molecular biology for other pathogens and could have a major impact on the surveillance of bacterial infections in the 21st century.Read moreRead less
Structural Studies Of Bacterial Pore-forming Protein Toxins
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$509,017.00
Summary
In this project the three-dimensional structures of proteins that form pores in membrane cell walls will be determined. These proteins are bacterial toxins and knowledge of their structure may prove useful in the design of new antibiotics. This project will focus on a class of toxins called the cholesterol-dependent cytolysins which are released by Gram positive bacteria such as Clostridia and Streptococcus and which cause a variety of nasty infectious diseases such as gas gangrene, pneumonia an ....In this project the three-dimensional structures of proteins that form pores in membrane cell walls will be determined. These proteins are bacterial toxins and knowledge of their structure may prove useful in the design of new antibiotics. This project will focus on a class of toxins called the cholesterol-dependent cytolysins which are released by Gram positive bacteria such as Clostridia and Streptococcus and which cause a variety of nasty infectious diseases such as gas gangrene, pneumonia and meningitis. The three-dimensional structures will be elucidated using X-ray crystallography. Protein crystallography is the study of three-dimensional shapes of proteins at near atomic resolution. In this method proteins are made to form crystals. X-ray beams are then shone on the crystals causing the X-rays to scatter in a pattern which is characteristic of the protein's three-dimensional shape. Knowledge of the structure of proteins is necessary for the complete understanding of their biological activity and is also very useful for the rational design of new drugs that may alter their activity.Read moreRead less
Structural Studies Of Bacterial Pore-forming Protein Toxins
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$267,750.00
Summary
The general aim of this work is to investigate the three-dimensional structures of important target proteins using X-ray crystallography. Protein crystallography is the study of the three-dimensional shapes of proteins at near atomic resolution. In this method proteins are made to form crystals. X-ray beams are then shone on the crystals causing the X-rays to scatter in a pattern which is characteristic of the protein's three-dimensional shape. Knowledge of the structure of proteins is necessary ....The general aim of this work is to investigate the three-dimensional structures of important target proteins using X-ray crystallography. Protein crystallography is the study of the three-dimensional shapes of proteins at near atomic resolution. In this method proteins are made to form crystals. X-ray beams are then shone on the crystals causing the X-rays to scatter in a pattern which is characteristic of the protein's three-dimensional shape. Knowledge of the structure of proteins is necessary for the complete understanding of their biological activity and is also very useful for the rational design of new drugs that may alter their activity. Approximately, one third of the body's proteins are attached to membranes. However, relatively little is known about the three-dimensional structures of this important class of proteins. In this project the structures of proteins that form pores in membrane cell walls are being determined. Thses proteins are bacterial toxins and knowledge of their structure may prove useful in the design of new antibiotics.Read moreRead less
Comparing The Role Of Takeaways In Methadone Maintenance Treatment In NSW And Victoria
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$291,000.00
Summary
This project will make a direct and major contribution to improving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) provision in Australia. The recent announcement of the continuation of funding for the Federal Government's Illicit Drug Diversion Initiative demonstrates an ongoing commitment to make drug treatment programs more accessible. MMT is currently the primary treatment for opioid addiction in Australia. However, concerns about the potential negative effects of aspects of the programs, in particul ....This project will make a direct and major contribution to improving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) provision in Australia. The recent announcement of the continuation of funding for the Federal Government's Illicit Drug Diversion Initiative demonstrates an ongoing commitment to make drug treatment programs more accessible. MMT is currently the primary treatment for opioid addiction in Australia. However, concerns about the potential negative effects of aspects of the programs, in particular, takeaway dosing and diversion of methadone to street sale (which has been linked to accidental fatal overdose (Lintzeris, et al., 1999)), remain unresolved. This study will map clients', healthcare workers' and policy makers' attitudes towards takeaways in NSW and Victoria, and investigate the dynamics of methadone diversion in relation to the different takeaway policies in the two states. In doing so, the project will consider how the two different state policies on takeaways stack up. It will contribute essential and detailed data on takeaways and diversion, from which effective, safe and socially responsible methadone maintenance treatment policy can be developed.Read moreRead less
Bacterial Mechanosensitive Channels As Novel Targets For Antibacterial Agents
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$424,500.00
Summary
The focus of this research is the development of new antibiotics to combat bacterial antibiotic resistance. Since their discovery antibiotics have had a profound effect on the health and well being of mankind, providing ready effective treatment for otherwise intractable infections. Although pencillin was initially effective against a large range of infections by the 1950s it was apparent that some bacterial strains had become resistant to this antibiotic. Partially in response to this resistanc ....The focus of this research is the development of new antibiotics to combat bacterial antibiotic resistance. Since their discovery antibiotics have had a profound effect on the health and well being of mankind, providing ready effective treatment for otherwise intractable infections. Although pencillin was initially effective against a large range of infections by the 1950s it was apparent that some bacterial strains had become resistant to this antibiotic. Partially in response to this resistance new antibiotics such as streptomycin, chloramphenicol and tetracycline were developed. These new drugs were potent against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. However, there were early signs that resistance to these drugs was also emerging. For example, in 1953, during a Shigella outbreak in Japan, a strain of the dysentery bacillus was isolated which was multi-drug resistant, exhibiting resistance to chloramphenicol, tetracycline, streptomycin and the sulfanilamides. Multidrug-resistance in pathogenic strains of bacteria has in the last decade presented an increasing problem in treatment of bacterial infections and diseases. In 1994 a Melbourne public hospital reported a new antibiotic resistant strain of bacteria. This bacterium was resistant to vancomycin (the antibiotic used when all others have failed) and is known as VRE or vancomycin resistant enterococcus. Now strains of golden staph resistant to all antibiotics have appeared. The re-emergence of tuberculosis (TB), which kills more than 3 million people annually and which is spreading rapidly throughout the world, is also a serious threat, particularly as many strains are now multi-drug resistant. New antibiotics are needed that overcome bacterial drug resistance. It is anticipated that this research will lead to new antibiotics by exploiting molecular components of bacteria that have only recently been identified.Read moreRead less
Clinical Pharmacology Of Methadone During Induction Onto Maintenance Treatment.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$422,310.00
Summary
Heroin addiction can be very successfully treated by substituting heroin with methadone. The transition of stopping heroin and starting methadone is risky and can be associated with death. This application seeks to explore the mechanisms of the increased risk during this transition period so that appropriate management strategies might be instituted.
A Cluster RCT Of Educational Interventions To Improve The Treatment Of Acute Poisoning In Rural Asian Hospitals
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$757,717.00
Summary
This project aims to identify simple, cheap and effective training methods that can be delivered to doctors and health care workers practicing in remote areas or in situations of professional isolation. It particularly targets poisoning as this is a common cause of death in rural Asia and consumes a large amount of health resources. The potential benefits will be a reduction in deaths and health care costs and an identification of training methods that can be used for other health problems.
Population Prevalence And Environmental-genetic Predictors Of Food Allergy In An Infant Cohort
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$551,642.00
Summary
This study will measure which children are at greatest risk of food allergy. We plan to recruit 5000 children to test for food allergies, as well as asking a range of questions on different lifestyle factors such as diet and history of allergies . If positive, participants will be invited to a hospital clinic for tests and treatment. This will allow us to describe the epidemiology of food allergy, and assist the development of better services for those with food allergy in the community.
�Percent Daily Intake� Versus �Equivalent Walking Time�: Making Sense Of The Kilojoules On Food And Drink Labels
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$108,350.00
Summary
We have already established through a series of eight qualitative focus groups plus a pilot survey using a convenience sample that the Equivalent Walking Time (EWT) food label is considered more informative, useful, and difficult to ignore than other labelling systems. As such we now seek to test the EWT against other labelling systems in a more objective and robust fashion, using a much larger, representative sample.