Molecular Mechanisms Of Persistence Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$398,142.00
Summary
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB. It infects about third of all people in the world and kills several million people each year. People with active TB spread the mycobacteria in aerosols from their breath. When another person inhales an infected aerosol the mycobacteria enter their lungs and establish a new infection. During the course of infection M. tuberculosis is exposed to a variety of harsh environments inside the lungs which normally kill other bacte ....Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB. It infects about third of all people in the world and kills several million people each year. People with active TB spread the mycobacteria in aerosols from their breath. When another person inhales an infected aerosol the mycobacteria enter their lungs and establish a new infection. During the course of infection M. tuberculosis is exposed to a variety of harsh environments inside the lungs which normally kill other bacteria. M. tuberculosis is able to survive and adapt to those harsh environments. M. tuberculosis has an especially thick and tough cell wall which protects it. M. tuberculosis can adapt to the environments it encounters in a patient by changing their cell walls. The wall also protects mycobacteria from chemicals so it is resistant to many common antibiotics. There are some drugs to treat TB however M. tuberculosis is building up resistance to those drugs so we need to find new ones We will determine how mycobacteria synthesize their special cell wall and how they adapt during an infection. If we know how the details of how M. tuberculosis protects itself then we can find potential weakness which could be targets for the development of new drugs to treat TB.Read moreRead less
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.
Comparative And Functional Genomics Of Human Bacterial Pathogens
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$601,484.00
Summary
Bacteria have evolved different ways of causing disease in humans. Some bacteria produce toxins that attack the host or they have developed ways to persist in the host by evading immune responses and resisting antibiotics. This project is concerned with understanding how these processes occur and developing preventative strategies for two important groups of bacteria that cause disease in humans, including the bacteria that cause TB and the devastating skin disease Buruli ulcer, and the hospital ....Bacteria have evolved different ways of causing disease in humans. Some bacteria produce toxins that attack the host or they have developed ways to persist in the host by evading immune responses and resisting antibiotics. This project is concerned with understanding how these processes occur and developing preventative strategies for two important groups of bacteria that cause disease in humans, including the bacteria that cause TB and the devastating skin disease Buruli ulcer, and the hospital superbug "Golden Staph".Read moreRead less
Protein Glycan Interactions In Infectious Diseases.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$9,182,220.00
Summary
Infectious diseases remain a serious threat to human health, accounting for over 10 million deaths each year. This is a broad-based collaborative proposal, building on our previous achievements. Its aim is to better understand the dynamic interactions between major disease-causing microbes and their human hosts, and to directly apply this new knowledge to the development of improved vaccines and novel treatment strategies. These are urgently needed to combat infectious diseases in the 21st centu ....Infectious diseases remain a serious threat to human health, accounting for over 10 million deaths each year. This is a broad-based collaborative proposal, building on our previous achievements. Its aim is to better understand the dynamic interactions between major disease-causing microbes and their human hosts, and to directly apply this new knowledge to the development of improved vaccines and novel treatment strategies. These are urgently needed to combat infectious diseases in the 21st century.Read moreRead less
The Role Of Clostridium Difficile Spore Interactions With The Host In Gastrointestinal Infection And Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$511,467.00
Summary
Hospital-acquired infections with the bacterium Clostridium difficile are a major global public health concern with highly virulent isolates emerging overseas in 2002 and in Australia in 2010. These have spread through our hospitals and are also found in the community. This project will increase our understanding of how these strains cause severe gut disease, which is critical for the development of improved strategies for preventing and treating these infections and reducing antibiotic use.
The Impact Of Clostridium Difficile Infection And The Host Immune Response On Colonic Homeostasis And Regeneration.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$932,212.00
Summary
Hospital-acquired infections with the bacterium Clostridium difficile are a major global public health concern with highly virulent isolates emerging overseas in 2002 and in Australia in 2010. These have spread through our hospitals and are also found in the community. This project will increase our understanding of how these strains cause severe gut disease, which is critical for the development of improved strategies for preventing and treating these infections and reducing antibiotic use.
Structure And Functional Characterisation Of AB5 Toxins
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$574,890.00
Summary
The proposed research program, using a combination of structure and biochemical analyses, will provide insight into two novel AB5 toxins that represent a medically important family of proteins. This study will not only improve our fundamental understanding of AB5 toxins action but could lead to rational design of antimicrobials.
Halting The Spread Multidrug Resistant Uropathogenic E. Coli
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$687,975.00
Summary
Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is a major cause of urinary tract infection (UTI) and increasingly associated with resistance to multiple antibiotics. This project will study the virulence of multidrug resistant UPEC and use this knowledge to develop new approaches to treat and prevent UTI. The outcomes will be applicable to one of the most common infectious diseases of humans and have broad-reaching impact on our understanding of other infections caused by Gram-negative pathogens.
Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are a major cause of urinary tract infections (UTI) and sepsis. Recently, a highly virulent clone of UPEC (E. coli ST131) that is resistant to multiple types of antibiotics has emerged worldwide. This project addresses the mechanisms by which E. coli ST131 can colonise the urinary tract and cause disease. The outcomes of this project will be a better understanding of how E. coli ST131 causes disease, and potentially new treatment regimes for UTI.
Understanding Uropathogenic E. Coli-mediated Subversion Of Innate Immunity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$932,536.00
Summary
Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) are one of the most common bacterial infections. Uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) are the primary cause of UTI and increasingly associated with antibiotic resistance. UPEC use an array of strategies to overcome the innate immune system, which provides the first line of defence against infectious diseases. This project aims to understand how UPEC overcomes innate immunity, with the ultimate goal of devising new approaches for the treatment and prevention of UTI.