A Randomised Controlled Trial Of Daily Antibacterial Mouthwash To Reduce Pharyngeal Gonorrhoea Among Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$376,730.00
Summary
Gonorrhoea is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI) among gay men, and the throat is the commonest site of infection. There is early data to suggest Listerine mouthwash can be used to prevent gonorrhoea. Our study will examine whether men use Listerine every day will reduce the risk of gonorrhoea in the throat compared those who use another mouthwash product which does not have an effect on gonorrhoea.
Modelling The Impact Of Strategies To Control Gonorrhoea And Minimise The Threat Of Antimicrobial Resistance In Remote Indigenous And Other High Risk Populations
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$467,079.00
Summary
Gonorrhoea is a serious public health issue in Australia. Notification rates are disproportionately high among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and men who have sex with men, and there is evidence of an emerging epidemic in the general heterosexual population. Additionally, available treatments are under threat from resistant strains. We will use mathematical modelling to evaluate strategies for controlling gonorrhoea and for minimising the threat of antimicrobial resistance.
Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Antmicrobial Resistance: Detection And Propagation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$435,129.00
Summary
Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the pathogen that causes gonorrhoea, has developed resistance to multiple classes of antibiotics. The last remaining class of antibiotics that can successfully be used for general treatment of gonorrhoea is extended spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs). However, we are now starting to see Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates with early signs of ESC resistance. This research will use molecular technology and mathematical modelling to investigate Neisseria gonorrhoeae antimicrobial resi ....Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the pathogen that causes gonorrhoea, has developed resistance to multiple classes of antibiotics. The last remaining class of antibiotics that can successfully be used for general treatment of gonorrhoea is extended spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs). However, we are now starting to see Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates with early signs of ESC resistance. This research will use molecular technology and mathematical modelling to investigate Neisseria gonorrhoeae antimicrobial resistance in Australia.Read moreRead less
The Role Of Lipooligosaccharide Phosphoethanolamine Transferases In The Pathogenesis Of Neisseria Meningitidis And N. Gonorrhoeae
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$574,890.00
Summary
Neisseria meningitidis is the causative agent of meningococcal disease, a rapidly transmissible form of fatal sepsis. The related pathogen, N. gonorrhoeae, causes the sexually transmitted gonorrhoeae and is implicated in the loss of fertility in 10% of patients. This project will analyse the function of a protein necessary for the ability of the both pathogens to cause disease. We will further characterize the function of this protein and determine whether it is a viable candidate for the develo ....Neisseria meningitidis is the causative agent of meningococcal disease, a rapidly transmissible form of fatal sepsis. The related pathogen, N. gonorrhoeae, causes the sexually transmitted gonorrhoeae and is implicated in the loss of fertility in 10% of patients. This project will analyse the function of a protein necessary for the ability of the both pathogens to cause disease. We will further characterize the function of this protein and determine whether it is a viable candidate for the development of drug therapy.Read moreRead less
Regulatory Networks Controlling Virulence In Neisseria Gonorrhoeae And Neisseria Meningitidis.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$300,773.00
Summary
Bacteria that cause disease produce substances called virulence determinants, often on their cell surface. These virulence determinants are either directly involved in allowing infection to take place, or cause the damage that we recognize as an infectious disease. Some virulence determinants are produced all the time, while others are only made in particular conditions - their expression is regulated. To target efforts in the development of new vaccines and treatments, it is important to identi ....Bacteria that cause disease produce substances called virulence determinants, often on their cell surface. These virulence determinants are either directly involved in allowing infection to take place, or cause the damage that we recognize as an infectious disease. Some virulence determinants are produced all the time, while others are only made in particular conditions - their expression is regulated. To target efforts in the development of new vaccines and treatments, it is important to identify all the virulence determinants produced by a particular bacterial species, but also to know which are regulated, and the environmental signals that determine their expression. It can be just as important to know whether a virulence determinant is constantly expressed, and therefore represents an invariant target. Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis are two important disease-causing bacteria that exclusively infect humans and cause gonorrhoea, and meningitis. The complete DNA sequence of both of these bacteria is currently being determined. From computer analysis of these data, it appears that these bacteria have few of the specific regulatory systems that are present in other bacteria. The availability of DNA sequencing data enables an alternative and much more systematic approach to the identification and study of the regulation of virulence determinants. Because of the limited repertoire of regulatory systems still present in N. gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis, it is feasible to mutate each and determine which are involved in regulation of virulence determinants. We will also be able to identify genes regulated by each system, determine how regulation is achieved, and use this information to identify any presently unknown virulence genes controlled by the same system. Such an analysis has never been previously achieved for any bacterial species, because of the number and complexity of the regulatory systems usually present.Read moreRead less
Gonorrhoea: Detection, Antimicrobial Resistance And Treatment.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$463,652.00
Summary
Rates of gonorrhoea are extremely high in Indigenous populations of Australia, and the gonorrhoea bug has now developed resistance to almost all antibiotics that have been used to treat it. In this study, we will investigate a new means of diagnosing the infection, as well as better ways to detect gonorrhoea drug resistance. By doing so, we will ensure that gonorrhoea infections are better managed, particularly in our Indigenous populations.