Japanese Encephalitis Virus In Australasia: Molecular Studies Of Isolates And Consequences Of Immunisation.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$212,036.00
Summary
Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus is a mosquito-transmitted virus of Asia. Infection causes clinical disease in about 1 in 50 people infected, and of these, about 25% will die from a fatal encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), and a further 50% will have lifelong severe disabilities. There are over 50,000 cases annually in Asia, with about 12,000 fatalities.The virus normally circulates between mosquitoes and water birds and between mosquitoes and pigs. The World Health Organization has recog ....Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus is a mosquito-transmitted virus of Asia. Infection causes clinical disease in about 1 in 50 people infected, and of these, about 25% will die from a fatal encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), and a further 50% will have lifelong severe disabilities. There are over 50,000 cases annually in Asia, with about 12,000 fatalities.The virus normally circulates between mosquitoes and water birds and between mosquitoes and pigs. The World Health Organization has recognised JE as one of the most important mosquito-borne viruses because of its propensity to spread and to colonise new areas. The virus first appeared in northern Australia in the Torres Strait in 1995, causing three clinical cases of whom 2 died, and returned again in 1998, with a further case in the Torres Strait and the first case to occur on mainland Australia in Cape York. Both of these patients recovered. The virus returned again to the Torres Strait in 2000, but so far without causing human disease. We have shown that the virus is established in Papua New Guinea (PNG), where it is spreading rapidly, and our results suggest that PNG was the source of the virus causing the outbreaks in 1995 and 1998. It is believed that JE virus will almost certainly become established in Australia within the next few years. The aims of this project are to explore the consequences of JE becoming established and specifically: (a) the use of inactivated JE vaccine to protect at-risk populations and whether the vaccine will provide sufficient protection or whether it will lead to enhanced infection with indigenous flaviviruses such as Murray Valley encephalitis virus; and (b) the possibility of emergence of genetic variants with increased transmissibility, virulence, and altered neutralisation epitopes.Read moreRead less
Japanese Encephalitis Virus In Northern Australia And Papua New Guinea:its Ecology And Risk To Australia.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$292,045.00
Summary
Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus is a mosquito-transmitted virus of Asia. Infection causes clinical disease in about 1 in 50 people infected, and of these, about 25% will die from a fatal encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), and a further 50% will have lifelong severe disabilities. There are over 50,000 cases annually in Asia, with about 12,000 fatalities. However, many more cases may go unrecognised. The virus normally circulates between mosquitoes and water birds and between mosquitoes an ....Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus is a mosquito-transmitted virus of Asia. Infection causes clinical disease in about 1 in 50 people infected, and of these, about 25% will die from a fatal encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), and a further 50% will have lifelong severe disabilities. There are over 50,000 cases annually in Asia, with about 12,000 fatalities. However, many more cases may go unrecognised. The virus normally circulates between mosquitoes and water birds and between mosquitoes and pigs. The World Health Organization has recognised JE as one of the most important mosquito-borne viruses because of its propensity to spread and to colonise new areas. The virus first appeared in the Torres Strait of northern Australia in 1995, causing three clinical cases of whom 2 died. This was unexpected as the nearest known focus of virus activity was in Bali, over 3000km away. The virus returned again in 1998, with a further case in the Torres Strait and the first case to occur on mainland Australia in Cape York. Both of these patients recovered. We have shown that the virus is established in Papua New Guinea (PNG), where it is spreading rapidly, and our results suggest that PNG was the source of the virus causing the outbreaks in 1995 and 1998. This project is aimed at finding out more about JE virus in PNG, particularly as it relates to spread into northern Australia. The project also seeks to investigate the potential mosquito and animal hosts in Australia that might be involved if the virus becomes established in our wildlife in Cape York. Australia is already known to have suitable mosquito vector species and suitable animal hosts in water birds and feral pigs, but the ecology is not yet understood. Thus the overall aim is to provide information on which a sound risk assessment can be based.Read moreRead less
NOD1 Sensing Of H. Pylori Peptidoglycan Promotes Cell Survival And Bacterial Persistence
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$792,492.00
Summary
The bacterium H. pylori lives in the stomach of half the world’s population and is a major cause of human disease, including peptic ulcers and stomach cancer. This project will investigate how H. pylori is able to manipulate the host immune system by modifying the composition of its outside layer (the cell wall). In so doing, H. pylori causes changes in cells of the stomach lining that allow the bacterium to persist, but that also may predispose the host to cancer.
Genomic diversity, tolerance and ecology of wildlife disease. This project aims to understand the regulation of viral disease by vertebrate hosts. Viruses are rapidly evolving threats to humans, agriculture and wildlife and understanding of these threats can be transformed by combining the latest genomic, ecological and immune-pathological approaches. This project expects to reveal how hosts manage the bad effects of viruses in natural populations and fill gaps in fundamental knowledge of virus- ....Genomic diversity, tolerance and ecology of wildlife disease. This project aims to understand the regulation of viral disease by vertebrate hosts. Viruses are rapidly evolving threats to humans, agriculture and wildlife and understanding of these threats can be transformed by combining the latest genomic, ecological and immune-pathological approaches. This project expects to reveal how hosts manage the bad effects of viruses in natural populations and fill gaps in fundamental knowledge of virus-host evolution. Anticipated benefits include improved management, risk assessment and decision-making for animal disease and biosecurity in Australia and globally.Read moreRead less
Scaling of structure, function and energetics of the vertebrate cardiovascular system. The hearts of mammals, reptiles and fish do different amounts of work, depending on the animal’s metabolic rate and body size. This project attempts to understand why hearts are the size and thickness that they are, and whether this results in minimising the work necessary to satisfy the requirements of the animal.
We seek to gain a detailed understanding of how interactions between the West Nile virus proteins and host factors involved in the IFN response determine the outcome of virus infection. Better understanding of the mechanisms employed by this highly pathogenic virus to disable the mammalian host's IFN response will have wider implications for our understanding of other human diseases such as cancer, autoimmunity and provide new avenues for design of efficient antiviral and anticancer therapies.
Toxoplasma Gondii Infection Of Human Retinal Pigment Epithelium
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$460,668.00
Summary
Ocular toxoplasmosis is a vision-threatening parasitic eye infection that is common in Australia and worldwide. No treatment cures the disease. This work will characterize cellular and molecular events occuring in the eye during an infection, which is an important first step toward the development of more effective treatments for patients with the condition.