Preventing Illness And Death From Severe Influenza In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,719,110.00
Summary
Influenza and its complications are a common cause of hospitalisation and death. However, influenza is a moving target, with viruses constantly mutating from season to season. My research programme will transform the prevention and treatment of influenza and its complications by developing innovative public health and treatment strategies that can be applied globally. The work will optimise vaccine and treatment strategies to reduce illness and deaths from influenza.
The mortality rate from community-acquired pneumonia has not improved over the past four decades. New pulmonary infectious diseases such as due to non tuberculous mycobacteria are causing increasing problems and bronchiectasis is responsible for an ever increasing mortality, morbidity and economic burden on our health system. This grant will support Professor Waterer in continuing to reduce the personal and society burden of pulmonary infections.
Genomic Analysis Of Host Response To Influenza A Infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$168,530.00
Summary
Influenza virus infects millions of people globally. However, it remains poorly understood why some infected individuals succumb to life threatening complications whilst others recovered relatively unaffected. This study use advance molecular technique to study influenza infection. It aims to identify the key steps in our immune systems that are progressively disrupted during influenza infection and how this process lead to a break down in our natural defence against the virus.
How The Placental Protein Syncytin Impairs Maternal Immune Responses To Influenza
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$609,862.00
Summary
Pregnant women are known to be highly susceptible to certain viral infections, especially influenza, which results in severe illness and even death. The reason for this transitory susceptibility are unknown. We have found that a protein, Syncytin, has the ability to impair maternal immune responses to influenza We now will determine how it does this and discover potential interventions to reverse these effects.
Bacterial And Host Drivers Of Fulminant Community-acquired Acinetobacter Baumannii Infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$729,315.00
Summary
This proposal aims to understand how a bacterial pathogen causes severe, life-threatening infections in people from the community in northern Australia. This severe infection particularly impacts people who drink excess alcohol or have diabetes mellitus, and importantly impacts Indigenous Australians the greatest. This work will provide, for the first time, important insights into new prevention and treatment strategies for a serious infection impacting Australians and those in our region.
Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of The 13-valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine On Pneumococcal Serotypes Causing Pneumonia In Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,137,532.00
Summary
Streptococcus pneumonia (Pneumococcus) is a bug that is a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality world-wide. Vaccinations have been recently brought onto the national immunisation program to try and combat this. This study aims to assess the new 13 valent Pneumococcal vaccine by studying its effectiveness in preventing childhood pneumonia in Australia by analysing the strains of Pneumococus in the blood and the fluid surrounding the lining the lung in complicated pneumonia using sens ....Streptococcus pneumonia (Pneumococcus) is a bug that is a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality world-wide. Vaccinations have been recently brought onto the national immunisation program to try and combat this. This study aims to assess the new 13 valent Pneumococcal vaccine by studying its effectiveness in preventing childhood pneumonia in Australia by analysing the strains of Pneumococus in the blood and the fluid surrounding the lining the lung in complicated pneumonia using sensitive molecular techniques.Read moreRead less
Assessment Of Interventions For Controlling Pandemic Influenza And Determining Data Needs To Inform These Assessments
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$183,040.00
Summary
The aim of this study is to help us prepare for a pandemic of influenza by comparing how effective the various available control strategies are at reducing transmission of the disease. The available control interventions include: reducing the number of close contacts we make with others, isolating cases after they are diagnosed, closing schools, quarantining households, quarantining individuals who are known to have been exposed to a case, and using antiviral drugs treat and protect people at ri ....The aim of this study is to help us prepare for a pandemic of influenza by comparing how effective the various available control strategies are at reducing transmission of the disease. The available control interventions include: reducing the number of close contacts we make with others, isolating cases after they are diagnosed, closing schools, quarantining households, quarantining individuals who are known to have been exposed to a case, and using antiviral drugs treat and protect people at risk of being infected. We will compare these control measures by taking due account of the ability and resources available for these interventions, and with regard to the need to maintain essential services. The comparisons will be made using mathematical models that describe the transmission of the infection. All available data and advice from experts will be used to ensure that realistic models are used for the comparisons. We will also use the models to determine the best use of the limited antiviral drugs available, until a vaccine becomes available. We will consider how the control strategy should be changed if a strain develops that is resistant to the antiviral drugs. In addition, we will determine what data need to be collected during the early stages of a pandemic to help us to determine the best use of the antiviral drugs, the best use of a new vaccine and to check on the development of resistance to the antiviral drugs.Read moreRead less
The Immunogenicity Of 7-valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine In Sick Elderly People For Whom Vaccine Is Not Registered
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$443,800.00
Summary
The bacteria pneumococcus (also known as streptococcus pneumoniae) is the most common cause of pneumonia in the community, and a major cause of illness and death in the elderly. Rates of antibiotic resistance are also increasing. The pneumococcus is a complex bacteria, with over 80 known serotypes. Most human disease in Australia is caused by 23 of these serotypes. Australia has an ageing population. The health and wellbeing of the elderly has been identified as a national priority. Vaccination ....The bacteria pneumococcus (also known as streptococcus pneumoniae) is the most common cause of pneumonia in the community, and a major cause of illness and death in the elderly. Rates of antibiotic resistance are also increasing. The pneumococcus is a complex bacteria, with over 80 known serotypes. Most human disease in Australia is caused by 23 of these serotypes. Australia has an ageing population. The health and wellbeing of the elderly has been identified as a national priority. Vaccination and prevention of serious infections, a common cause of illness in the elderly, is an achievable public health goal. The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia recommends that adults aged 65 years and over should be immunised with 23-valent polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine (PPV). PPV has been available long term in Australia, but the dilemma associated with its use is that it is least effective in those at greatest risk of pneumococcal disease and its complications, the sick elderly population. A new 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-7) has been available since the end of 2000, but is currently indicated only for children, because it has never been tested in adults. This vaccine uses different technology, and is conjugated to a protein to make it more effective. Clinicals trials of PCV7 have largely been limited to children aged 0-4 years, and have shown it protects 93.9% of children under 2 years of age against invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). Our study aims to look at the efficacy of this new vaccine, currently only registered for children, in the sub-group of the population who are at highest risk for pneumococcal disease - hospitalised elderly. We will vaccinate hospitalised elderly people with PCV or PPV and compare their immune response to the two different vaccines. If PCV is more effective than PPV, this has implications for the development and use of conjuagated pneumococcal vaccines for adults.Read moreRead less