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
Defining The Role Of Zinc At The Host-pneumococcal Interface
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$870,925.00
Summary
Streptococcus pneumoniae is the world’s foremost bacterial pathogen. In Australia, bacterial infections are responsible for more than 9000 deaths every year, and the economic burden associated with treating diseases arising from pneumococcal infections is more than $1 billion annually. This proposal aims to define the role of the transition metal zinc in innate immune resistance to bacterial infection. This knowledge will reveal new targets for next generation antimicrobial therapeutics.
Investigating The Antimicrobial Activity Of Zinc At The Host-pneumococcal Interface
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a human-only bacterium that is responsible for killing more than one million people every year. This project will analyse how the human immune system fights this bacterium, and subsequently, how the bacteria manages to subvert these attacks and survive in the human host. This will provide crucial information for developing new drugs against this pathogen, in an attempt to combat the ever-increasing problem of antibiotic resistance.
Impact Of Pneumococcal Vaccination And Environmental Factors On Pneumococcal Carriage And Disease.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$455,872.00
Summary
Pneumonia is the leading killer of children <5y of age worldwide, and the pneumococcal bacterium is a common cause. Pneumococci are carried in the noses of healthy children. In this project we will determine 1) whether carriage can be used to monitor the impact of vaccination in resource-poor settings, 2) the effect of new vaccines on ear disease and transmission using infant mouse models and 3) if exposure to smoke effects the ability of pneumococci to cause disease and altered gene expressi ....Pneumonia is the leading killer of children <5y of age worldwide, and the pneumococcal bacterium is a common cause. Pneumococci are carried in the noses of healthy children. In this project we will determine 1) whether carriage can be used to monitor the impact of vaccination in resource-poor settings, 2) the effect of new vaccines on ear disease and transmission using infant mouse models and 3) if exposure to smoke effects the ability of pneumococci to cause disease and altered gene expression.Read moreRead less
Zinc: The Molecular Basis Of It�s Toxicity To Gram-positive Pathogens And It�s Exploitation By The Innate Immune Response
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$588,398.00
Summary
Zinc in excess is toxic to bacteria, and the release of zinc is an important part of the immune response. Dietary zinc deficiency leads to increased susceptibility to pathogenic bacteria. How zinc affords protection has remained a mystery. We have identified a novel mechanism in 2 priority human pathogens by which zinc competes for the essential metal ion manganese. We will elucidate the molecular details of this mechanism and how it is harnessed by the immune system.
The pneumococcus is a major cause of bacterial pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis especially in children and the elderly. Antibiotic-resistant pneumococci are becoming more prevalent, and available vaccines have major shortcomings. We propose to identify and characterise the factors produced by this organism during infection that enable it to cause invasive disease. Such factors could be incorporated into protein-based pneumococcal vaccines currently under development.
Effects Of Antibiotics, Vaccines And Environment On The Population Biology Of Bacterial Respiratory Pathogens In Australian Indigenous Children – A Synthesis Of Studies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$316,449.00
Summary
For over 20 years researchers in the Northern Territory have studied middle ear and lower respiratory infections which severely affect Indigenous children. Projects have included antibiotic and vaccine interventions, however disease rates remain high. Much has been learned about the bacteria causing these infections and the effects of interventions. This study will synthesise these findings, and explore environmental influences, to further inform prevention and treatment strategies.
Translating Bacterial Molecular Epidemiology Into Information To Improve Infectious Disease Risk Assessment And Control
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$494,500.00
Summary
Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) and group B streptococcus (GBS) are important pathogenic bacteria, which cause septicaemia and meningitis in young infants, the elderly and people with certain chronic diseases. Both consist of a number of different types, some of which are more likely to cause disease than others. Pneumococcal vaccines that protect against the commonest pathogenic types are used in Australia in people most at risk.Antibiotic resistance is an increasing problem, which shou ....Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) and group B streptococcus (GBS) are important pathogenic bacteria, which cause septicaemia and meningitis in young infants, the elderly and people with certain chronic diseases. Both consist of a number of different types, some of which are more likely to cause disease than others. Pneumococcal vaccines that protect against the commonest pathogenic types are used in Australia in people most at risk.Antibiotic resistance is an increasing problem, which should be partly off-set by immunisation. Giving antibiotics during labour, to women colonised with GBS, can reduce infection rates in newborns, but there are many disadvantages of this approach, including the risk of increased antibiotic resistance. Vaccines against GBS are mpt yet available. We have developed methods to identify detailed fingerprints of these bacteria which allow us to identify types, antibiotic resistance and, for GBS, other characteristics which can distinguish highly pathogenic strains from the majority that are carried harmlessly and unlikely to cause disease. The methods are still quite slow and expensive and produce complex patterns,which are difficult to interpret rapidly. We plan to develop a new, rapid and relatively inexpensive, fingerprinting system for these bacteria and computer programs to analyse and interpret the results. They will allow us to check the strains of pneumococci that cause disease to make sure that new ones, not covered by the vaccine, do not become more common and reduce the effectiveness of vaccine and that antibiotic resistance does not increase further. The methods will also allow us to study differences between the small proportion of GBS strains that cause neonatal infection and the majority that are carried harmlessly by pregnant women and are of little risk to their babies. Eventually this should allow doctors to identify women whose babies are most at risk, reduce unnecessary antibiotic use.Read moreRead less