Is Mycobacterium Ulcerans A Zoonotic Agent Spread By Mosquitoes?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$335,853.00
Summary
Last year record numbers of a mysterious flesh-eating bacterial disease called Buruli ulcer were reported in Australia. Wild animals such as possums and rats harbour the bacteria in their guts but we don't know how the disease is transmitted to humans. In this project we will work out how the bacteria survives in the guts of animals and how people contract Buruli ulcer. With this information we can stop the spread of this debilitating disease.
Specificity Of Chlamydia Pneumoniae For Humans : Analysis Of Previous Cross-host Transmission Events And The Role Of Tryptophan Availability In Host Specificity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$413,568.00
Summary
Chlamydia are major causes of sexually transmitted disease but they also cause respiratory disease (Chlamydia pneumoniae) which is widespread across Australia and indeed the whole world (80% of people have been infected at some time in their life). Recent results suggest that the respiratory infections in humans came from animals and in this project we aim to identify which animals might have transmitted this infection to humans and determine if there is a continuing risk. We also plan to determ ....Chlamydia are major causes of sexually transmitted disease but they also cause respiratory disease (Chlamydia pneumoniae) which is widespread across Australia and indeed the whole world (80% of people have been infected at some time in their life). Recent results suggest that the respiratory infections in humans came from animals and in this project we aim to identify which animals might have transmitted this infection to humans and determine if there is a continuing risk. We also plan to determine what defines animal versus human infections.Read moreRead less
Molecular Epidemiology Of Antibiotic Resistant Salmonella Enterica Strains Causing Human Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$493,767.00
Summary
Salmonella infections are responsible for a substantial proportion of reported food poisoning cases caused by bacteria and many of these infections are due to antibiotic resistant strains. Infections caused by antibiotic resistant organisms are hard to treat and generally more severe, of longer duration, and result in longer hospital stays. These strains are mostly acquired from foods, e.g. meats, dairy products, poultry, eggs, and other contaminated food products but can also be derived from ot ....Salmonella infections are responsible for a substantial proportion of reported food poisoning cases caused by bacteria and many of these infections are due to antibiotic resistant strains. Infections caused by antibiotic resistant organisms are hard to treat and generally more severe, of longer duration, and result in longer hospital stays. These strains are mostly acquired from foods, e.g. meats, dairy products, poultry, eggs, and other contaminated food products but can also be derived from other sources. Salmonella strains harboured by food-producing animals are the source of most of the food contamination.Tracing the source of individual resistant strains is essential for eradication and as there are many Salmonella types, some of which are found associated only with specific animals or birds, accurate identification is needed. The proposed work will make this process more accurate by using molecular techniques to unequivocally establish suspected connections and reveal further ones that are difficult to discern using current data and methods. This should decrease the number of infections due to resistant strains.Read moreRead less
Linking Genomics Of Burkholderia Pseudomallei To Melioidosis: Diversity Of Clinical Manifestations, Changing Epidemiology And Microevolution In Chronic Carriage.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$602,769.00
Summary
The Darwin Prospective Melioidosis Study has documented 761 cases since 1989, with 102 fatalities. This study has led to improved therapy and public health initiatives. New technology to sequence whole bacterial genomes provides an opportunity to determine why urban melioidosis is increasing and to analyse this unique 22+ year set of bacteria and their linked patient data to find the important bacterial virulence factors, forming a foundation for future diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines.
A remarkable feature of bacterial cells though is that they can share genes. In so doing bacteria have the ability to acquire completely new characteristics. One example of this spreading of genes is the rapid dissemination of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria and the creation of multi-resistant superbugs. This process contributes greatly to the problem of hospiatal acquired infeections and results in many patient deaths annually. The other aspect of this sharing of genes is that in a ....A remarkable feature of bacterial cells though is that they can share genes. In so doing bacteria have the ability to acquire completely new characteristics. One example of this spreading of genes is the rapid dissemination of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria and the creation of multi-resistant superbugs. This process contributes greatly to the problem of hospiatal acquired infeections and results in many patient deaths annually. The other aspect of this sharing of genes is that in a population some cells will lack genes that others have. Some of these shared genes apart from antibiotic resistance can be a concern and include traits that make some bacteria pathogenic. Thus, two cells of the same species may have very different abilities to cause disease based on what additional genes they carry. Genomics is becoming one of the great scientific revolutions of the 21st century. Over 160 microbial genomes have been sequenced to date and from these studies we have also learned many important things including how some bacteria cause disease. Mobile DNA presents unique challenges to microbial genomics however since different individuals in a species can have many different genes. Thus genomics on even many individuals of a species may miss bacterial genes important to us. Here we will be applying genomics in a way that specifically targets those genes that are shared. This will have many benefits. We will be able to greatly increase our rate of discovery of medically important and other genes in way that is targeted. This approach will allow us to discover these shared genes in a way that is much more cost effective and faster than conventional whole cell genomics. It will also allow us to gain an understanding of how benign bacteria associated with humans may act as reservoirs for passing on harmful genes to bacteria that cause hospital infections.Read moreRead less
Multi-Targeted Inhibition Of An Essential Tetrameric Enzyme From Drug -Resistant Streptococcus Pneumonie.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$534,313.00
Summary
Streptococcus pneumoniae is an significant human pathogen which causes several diseases including pneumonia and meningitis. Treatment of infection involves the use of antibiotics such as penecillin, however, resistant strains are now emerging. This project will address the real need to develop new antibiotics targeting this organism. This is essentially a drug discovery project which exploits a novel means to target Streptococcus pneumoniae.
The Pathogenesis Of Melioidosis: The Interaction Of Burkholderia Pseudomallei With Host Cells.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$344,375.00
Summary
Melioidosis is an often fatal disease of mainly tropical Australia and SE Asia caused by a bacterium which is found in soil and water. Infection occurs via wounds or by inhalation. Melioidosis has recently become endemic in south-west Western Australia and south-eastern Queensland, and could represent an emerging disease worldwide. Melioidosis disproportionately affects Aboriginal Australians. Melioidosis has many forms including septicemia with damage to most organs, particularly lung, spleen a ....Melioidosis is an often fatal disease of mainly tropical Australia and SE Asia caused by a bacterium which is found in soil and water. Infection occurs via wounds or by inhalation. Melioidosis has recently become endemic in south-west Western Australia and south-eastern Queensland, and could represent an emerging disease worldwide. Melioidosis disproportionately affects Aboriginal Australians. Melioidosis has many forms including septicemia with damage to most organs, particularly lung, spleen and liver, acute localised suppurative infection and pneumonia. Melioidosis may also become latent, and later develop into an acute and fatal infection. It is important to understand, at the molecular level, how and why the causative bacterium is able to cause disease. Only with such an understanding can measures be undertaken to prevent the disease, or novel methods developed to control the disease. Colonisation of a host is a first step in the disease process for all bacteria which cause disease. Large protein molecules located on the surface of disease-causing bacteria are usually neccessary for colonisation of the host since they allow adherence to the surface of host cells. We have previously undertaken a basic study of adherence. This study will build on this research with the aim of identifying molecules which mediate adherence to host cells, using in vivo and in vitro methods, including the techniques of molecular biology. This study will inevitably lead to the development of vaccine candidates which is important to the management of melioidosis, particularly in high risk groups. It may also allow the development of novel antimicrobial compounds.Read moreRead less
Investigation Of The Effects Of Polymicrobial Infection On The Induction Of Otitis Media
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$235,511.00
Summary
Middle ear infection is a highly prevalent paediatric disease characterised by an inflammation of the middle ear and is the most prevalent illness of childhood. It is reported that greater than 80% of children have had at least one episode of acute otitis media by 3 years of age and almost 40% of children have more than 6 episodes by age 7 years. The cause and pathogenesis of middle ear infection are multifactorial and influence of prevalence and chonicity of the infections. Prevention of bacter ....Middle ear infection is a highly prevalent paediatric disease characterised by an inflammation of the middle ear and is the most prevalent illness of childhood. It is reported that greater than 80% of children have had at least one episode of acute otitis media by 3 years of age and almost 40% of children have more than 6 episodes by age 7 years. The cause and pathogenesis of middle ear infection are multifactorial and influence of prevalence and chonicity of the infections. Prevention of bacterial middle ear infection caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis requires a much better knowledge of how these bacteria interact with each other and with the host. The poor efficacy of the current pneumococcal paediatric vaccine for preventing middle ear infections highlights this deficiency in our knowledge and will impede the development of a suitable multvalent vaccine to prevent infection by the 3 major bacterial pathogens. This study will investigate how the bacteria colonising the respiratory tract interact during infection and how they affect the host.Read moreRead less