Understanding Virulence In Staphylococcus Aureus And Impacts On Host Response
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$574,890.00
Summary
Golden Staph remains an important cause of serious infections in Australian patients. New strategies to combat this disease require a better understanding of how Golden Staph causes disease and escapes the natural human response to infection. This study will provide new insights into how Golden Staph causes disease, and provide a platform for developing new strategies to prevent and treat Golden Staph infections.
Understanding The Complex Relationship Between Host, Pathogen And Antibiotic Factors On Treatment Outcome In Serious Bacterial Infections
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$380,945.00
Summary
Millions of people still die every year from bacterial infections despite the availability of antibiotics. The same bacterial infection in one person can behave very differently in another person, so infections can range from trivial to life-threatening or fatal. Understanding the relationship between the patient, the infecting bacteria and the antibiotic treatment given will ultimately help to predict and improve outcomes for patients with serious bacterial infections.
Molecular Epidemiology Of Antibiotic Resistant Salmonella Enterica Strains Causing Human Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$493,767.00
Summary
Salmonella infections are responsible for a substantial proportion of reported food poisoning cases caused by bacteria and many of these infections are due to antibiotic resistant strains. Infections caused by antibiotic resistant organisms are hard to treat and generally more severe, of longer duration, and result in longer hospital stays. These strains are mostly acquired from foods, e.g. meats, dairy products, poultry, eggs, and other contaminated food products but can also be derived from ot ....Salmonella infections are responsible for a substantial proportion of reported food poisoning cases caused by bacteria and many of these infections are due to antibiotic resistant strains. Infections caused by antibiotic resistant organisms are hard to treat and generally more severe, of longer duration, and result in longer hospital stays. These strains are mostly acquired from foods, e.g. meats, dairy products, poultry, eggs, and other contaminated food products but can also be derived from other sources. Salmonella strains harboured by food-producing animals are the source of most of the food contamination.Tracing the source of individual resistant strains is essential for eradication and as there are many Salmonella types, some of which are found associated only with specific animals or birds, accurate identification is needed. The proposed work will make this process more accurate by using molecular techniques to unequivocally establish suspected connections and reveal further ones that are difficult to discern using current data and methods. This should decrease the number of infections due to resistant strains.Read moreRead less
A New Mechanism For Transposition Of Antibiotic Resistance Genes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$501,839.00
Summary
Understanding how antibiotic resistance genes are acquired by bacteria is important if we are to understand how bacteria become resistant in so many antibiotics, limiting treatment options. This project will investigate the way a family of insertion sequences captures and then moves resistance genes. This mechanism contributes to resistance in many bacterial pathogens including ones that are resistant to many different antibiotics.
Pathways To Extensive And Pan Antibiotic Resistance In The Globally Disseminated Acinetobacter Baumannii GC2 Clone
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$865,004.00
Summary
The project will study the evolution of a Acinetobacter baumannii clone that is found all around the world, and has become resistant to most or all of the currently available antibiotics. Resistance has been acquired in a series of steps, and the resistance genes present and the events involved will be used to understand the globalization process. The increased understanding of resistance development should assist in controlling untreatable infections and in preserving antibiotics.
Host-pathogen Interactions In Clostridial Myonecrosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$577,573.00
Summary
We will analyse the interaction between the bacteria that cause gas gangrene, and the infected host, from both a host and pathogen perspective. We will examine how the host’s response to infection can be modulated to decrease the severity of disease and we will identify the biochemical processes that are essential for bacterial growth in the host, a necessary prerequisite for disease. Outcomes will be a better understanding of the mechanisms of disease causation and improved disease control.
An Ace Up Their Sleeve: Characterisation Of A Novel Family Of Drug Efflux Systems Represented By The Acinetobacter AceI Exporter
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,286.00
Summary
Chlorhexidine is widely used as an antiseptic in products such as skin washes, soaps, mouthwashes, disinfectants and preservatives. We have recently discovered a novel bacterial protein which pumps chlorhexidine out of bacterial cells to make them resistant to this antiseptic agent. This proposal aims to understand this resistance mechanism and to find inhibitors which could be applied in clinical settings to augment the activity of chlorhexidine.
Inhibition Of Haemostasis As A Novel Host-directed Therapy For Tuberculosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$528,471.00
Summary
Mycobacterium tuberculosis-induced vasculopathy is an important cause of stroke worldwide, and stroke is a common (~20%) complication of tuberculous meningitis, the most dangerous presentation of tuberculosis. Blood clotting may also speed the growth tuberculosis in the body further worsening the situation. We will use zebrafish find out if clotting can be targeted to slow the growth of mycobacteria and then translate our findings to a mouse model of pulmonary tuberculosis.
Genes Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Essential For Latent Tuberculosis Infection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$590,103.00
Summary
One third of the worlds population is latently infected with M. tuberculosis, the bacteria which causes TB. We have identified key genes in M. tuberculosis that enable the bacterium to shut-down and become latent. This project will investigate these genes, identify their role and yield vital information for a new paradigm of drug and vaccine development. Improved vaccines and drugs which can target and inhibit latency would be of enormous benefit to the global community.
Understanding The Role Of O-linked Glycosylation In Burkholderia Cenocepica For Host Survival Using Proteomic Approaches
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$222,004.00
Summary
The bacteria Burkholderia cenocepecia (Bc) is a common infection of Cystic Fibrosis suffers in Australia. ~20% CF patients infected with Bc will die due to lung failure. Due to this high death rate there is an urgent need to understand how Bc survives and causes disease in the host. This grant aims to understand how the attachment of sugars, a process known as glycosylation, affects the ability of Bc to survive in mammalian cells.