Early Diagnosis And Prognosis Of Severe Dengue In Vietnamese Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$689,323.00
Summary
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection. Tropical Australia has experienced multiple outbreaks of dengue in the last decade. This project, conducted in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, will define the accuracy of a rapid diagnostic test for the early diagnosis of severe dengue. In doing so, we will also derive an algorithm using simple laboratory and clinical findings that can help identify those patients at greatest risk of severe complications, with benefits for both patients and hospitals.
A Functional And Structural Approach To Understanding Leptospiral Host-pathogen Interactions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$504,097.00
Summary
Leptospirosis is a zoonosis of worldwide distribution caused by infection with pathogenic Leptospira. Infection occurs due to contact with water contaminated by urine of domestic animals. It occurs infrequently in Australia, but recent local surveillance data indicate hospitalisation rate of 56% with an average duration of 5.3 days. Through the combined approach of structural biology and functional microbiology we hope to understand how leptospira interacts with the human host.
Factors That Influence Disease Severity In Tuberculosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$149,076.00
Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global health problem and is one of the leading causes of death from an infectious disease worldwide. The severity of disease that occurs with TB is dependent on many complex factors including the infected person’s immune system and factors related to the TB organism itself. This research will determine the key factors that cause severe disease in TB which will translate into improved care of TB patients and enhance further research in this field.
Integrons, Mobile Gene Cassettes And Pathogencity In Vibrio Cholerae
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$550,285.00
Summary
Bacteria are remarkably adaptive and evolve in ways that plants and animals do not. One of these ways is Lateral Gene Transfer or LGT, which is a process allowing bacterial cells to share genes. Such mobile genes can greatly influence the extent to which pathogenic bacteria can cause disease. One notable example is Vibrio cholerae where many strains can be benign but some can give rise to cholera pandemics. Here, we will investigate this phenomenon in this important bacterium.
Dissecting The Role Of The Adipokine Leptin In Control Of The Inflammatory Response To Helicobacter Pylori
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$569,063.00
Summary
Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that causes chronic gastric inflammation (gastritis), which may lead to cancer. Approximately 20% of Australians are infected. As part of the search for a human vaccine, we are attempting to understand the immune response against this bacterium. This study will investigate a novel observation that adipokines-small proteins produced by fat cells can regulate the actions of immune cells in the stomach and in this way determine whether vaccination works.
Targeting The Mannose Activation Pathway In Leishmania - Novel Drug Targets And Vaccines.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$338,661.00
Summary
Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease ranging in severity from skin lesions to fatal systemic infection. It is a serious public health problem throughout many regions of the world. Co-infection with HIV has emerged as a serious problem in Africa, South America and southern Europe. Recently, leishmaniasis has been identified in East Timor and in kangaroos in Australia. Treatment of leishmaniasis is based on chemotherapy, but currently used drugs are expensive, have high toxicity and unwanted side ....Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease ranging in severity from skin lesions to fatal systemic infection. It is a serious public health problem throughout many regions of the world. Co-infection with HIV has emerged as a serious problem in Africa, South America and southern Europe. Recently, leishmaniasis has been identified in East Timor and in kangaroos in Australia. Treatment of leishmaniasis is based on chemotherapy, but currently used drugs are expensive, have high toxicity and unwanted side effects. They have also been compromised by the emergence of resistance in the parasite. Leishmania synthesises a range of surface molecules, which are needed for virulence and parasite survival in the host. The biosynthesis process of these molecules requires activated mannose. We have identified two novel parasite genes encoding for enzymes, which are essential for the biosynthesis of surface virulence factors. When either of these genes is deleted the parasite can no longer cause disease. This suggests that drugs targeting the two enzymes will be able to control the infection. We will produce crystals of these enzymes and solve their 3D structure using state of the art technology to screen libraries of synthetic chemicals to find candidate inhibitors of enzyme activity. When these compounds are identified we will use computer modelling to design compounds based on these inhibitors and crystal structure, which will lead to a new generation of anti-Leishmania drugs. We will also determine whether the avirulent parasites can be used as an attenuated vaccine. Recovery from infection leads to a solid immunity and protection from subsequent infection indicating that vaccination is feasible, but despite of a huge amount of research there is no antileishmanial vaccine currently available. This study will lead to potential novel antileishmanial drugs and vaccines. It will also provide fundametal new knowledge of the structure of enzymes critical for parasite virulence.Read moreRead less
Trafficking And Expression Of PfEMP1 On The Surface Of P.falciparum-infected Erythrocytes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$558,189.00
Summary
Malaria causes over 2 million deaths each year. The parasite infects human red blood cells and expresses a virulence protein on the erythrocyte surface allowing it to adhere to the microcapillaries preventing clearance through the spleen. We aim to understand how the parasite is able to express this virulence protein on the parasite-infected red blood cell surface. Identification of the proteins involved will provide potential drug targets to develop novel antimalarial compounds and strategies.
Continuation Of The Darwin Prospective Melioidosis Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$567,976.00
Summary
Melioidosis is an important infection in northern Australia. It is a common cause of fatal pneumonia and blood infection in the region. This project builds on the existing melioidosis collaboration between researchers in northern Australia and overseas. The aim is to use new DNA fingerprinting methods developed specifically for the melioidosis bacteria to understand better why melioidosis can be such a severe disease and how it spreads from the environment to humans and animals and also how it h ....Melioidosis is an important infection in northern Australia. It is a common cause of fatal pneumonia and blood infection in the region. This project builds on the existing melioidosis collaboration between researchers in northern Australia and overseas. The aim is to use new DNA fingerprinting methods developed specifically for the melioidosis bacteria to understand better why melioidosis can be such a severe disease and how it spreads from the environment to humans and animals and also how it has possibly spread within Australia and overseas. Our studies in the Darwin rural region have found an alarmingly high rate of contamination of bore water with the melioidosis bacteria. We need to evaluate further the magnitude and public health implications of this contamination. Better recognition and treatment of melioidosis has resulted in a halving of the death rate from this disease in northern Australia (mortality decreased from 40%-15%). This study also aims to develop and test a new DNA detection system for rapid diagnosis of melioidosis. This will enable even earlier intervention with treatment specific for melioidosis which will hopefully decrease the mortality further.Read moreRead less
Molecular Epidemiology Of Melioidosis In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$357,875.00
Summary
Melioidosis is an important infection in northern Australia. It is a common cause of fatal pneumonia and blood infection in the region. Two outbreaks of melioidosis with fatalities occurring in remote Aboriginal communities have been linked to contamination of the community water supply with the melioidosis bacteria, Burkholderia pseudomallei. In addition, a rare form of melioidosis affecting the brain and spinal cord has resulted in a number of deaths in healthy Aboriginal people and also a num ....Melioidosis is an important infection in northern Australia. It is a common cause of fatal pneumonia and blood infection in the region. Two outbreaks of melioidosis with fatalities occurring in remote Aboriginal communities have been linked to contamination of the community water supply with the melioidosis bacteria, Burkholderia pseudomallei. In addition, a rare form of melioidosis affecting the brain and spinal cord has resulted in a number of deaths in healthy Aboriginal people and also a number left living in remote communities with severe disabilities such as complete paralysis of both legs. Melioidosis has also been identified in two outbreaks occurring over many years in separate locations in southern Australia. It is thought that it may have been introduced to these regions by imported animals, eg via cattle drives, and human fatalities have occurred after local flooding in these temperate locations. This project is built on the ongoing melioidosis collaboration between researchers in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland. The aim is to use new DNA fingerprinting methods developed specifically for the melioidosis bacteria to understand better why melioidosis can be such a severe disease and how it spreads from the environment to humans and animals and also how it has possibly spread within Australia and overseas. Better recognition and treatment of melioidosis has resulted in a halving of the death rate from this disease in northern Australia (mortality decreased from 40%-18%). This study aims to give us a better understanding of how this soil and water bacteria interacts with humans to cause such severe disease and will hopefully result in new primary preventative measures to complement the improved diagnosis and treatment.Read moreRead less