The pathogenesis of melioidosis: The interaction of Burkholderia pseudomallei with host cells.

Funding Activity

Website
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/326208

Funding Status
Closed

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Funded Activity 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 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.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2005

End Date: 01-01-2007

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $344,375.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Medical Bacteriology

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

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Other Keywords

Aboriginal health | Adhesin | Bacterial molecular genetics | Bacterial pathogenesis | Emerging infectious disease | Fatal community-acquired pneumonia | Melioidosis | Virulence factors

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