Genomic Approaches To Understand And Control The Emergence Of Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus Faecium (VREfm) In Australia.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$756,163.00
Summary
VRE is a serious hospital superbug that has been increasing in many major hospitals around Australia, while at the same time MRSA (Golden Staph) infections have been decreasing. This project will find out why VRE is increasing by examining what happens to patients at a major Australian hospital from their time of admission to the onset of infection with VRE. At the end of the project we will have the first real understanding of how VRE is transmitted so we can develop effective infection control ....VRE is a serious hospital superbug that has been increasing in many major hospitals around Australia, while at the same time MRSA (Golden Staph) infections have been decreasing. This project will find out why VRE is increasing by examining what happens to patients at a major Australian hospital from their time of admission to the onset of infection with VRE. At the end of the project we will have the first real understanding of how VRE is transmitted so we can develop effective infection control measures.Read moreRead less
Molecular Basis For The Emergence Of Community Acquired Staphylococcus Aureus
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$427,518.00
Summary
Golden Staph is a major problem in our hospitals but serious Golden Staph infections are increasingly common in the community, among otherwise healthy people who have had no contact with hospitals. This project will find out how Golden Staph is evolving to become more likely to cause disease in the community. This knowledge can then be used to design new strategies for early detection, prevention and treatment.
The biology, structure and function of bacterial virulence effectors. This project is closely aligned with the National Research Priority of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and will establish a research framework to investigate novel virulence processes that allow bacterial pathogens to infect humans and cause disease. This fresh approach to the study of bacterial pathogenesis will sit outside classic genetic methods to investigate infection and immunity which rely heavily on genetic manip ....The biology, structure and function of bacterial virulence effectors. This project is closely aligned with the National Research Priority of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and will establish a research framework to investigate novel virulence processes that allow bacterial pathogens to infect humans and cause disease. This fresh approach to the study of bacterial pathogenesis will sit outside classic genetic methods to investigate infection and immunity which rely heavily on genetic manipulation of the pathogen. Other than providing fundamental information on host-pathogen interactions, this work may lead to novel disease interventions by inhibition of bacterial virulence factor activity and/or enhancement of host inflammatory and immune responses.Read moreRead less
Molecular characterisation of hypervirulence and the infectious cycle in Clostridium difficile. Gut diseases caused by the bacterium Clostridium difficile are a significant animal and public health problem in Australia and many other countries. This project will allow us to understand how this bacterium causes disease, leading to the development of much needed preventative and treatment strategies for animals and human patients.