Bacterial Pathogenesis and Scabies

Group Leader  

Professor Kadaba Sriprakash

Summary

The Bacterial Pathogenesis and and Scabies Laboratory undertakes research into the two human pathogens Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp equisimilis. S. pyogenes is a leading cause of bacterial related death in humans. Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp equisimilis is a related species whose contribution to disease is only now being understood. These two bacterial species cause a number of disease that target different organs in the body. Our research is aimed at understanding the pathogenic processes associated with infection by these organisms, and developing novel strategies to prevent streptococcal disease.

Our group also has a research interest in bacterial colonisation of medical devices. The insertion of a catheter into a vein provides a portal by which bacteria can cross the skin and enter normally sterile body sites, thereby causing disease. Our group in interested in characterising the pathogenic and non-pathogenic species that colonise these devices, identifying the sources of bacterial contamination, and ultimately developing novel technologies or practices that reduce device colonisation.

• Molecular epidemiology and population genetics of β-hemolytic streptococci
• Pathogenic mechanisms of β-hemolytic streptococci
• Development of novel streptococcal vaccines

Conditions researched

• Streptococcal disease (rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart diseases, invasive diseases, glomerulonephritis)
• Scabies

Current research

Bacterial Pathogenesis

• Molecular epidemiology and population genetics of streptococci
• Pathogenesis of streptococcal infections
• Development of novel group A streptococcal vaccines
• Characterisation of bacterial colonisation of medical devices

Scabies

• Genes for SMIPP-Ss amplified in the scabies mite genome to overcome host defence strategies
• The mechanism which protects the scabies mite from complement-mediated gut damage
• Inhibition of host defences in mite burrows utilised by bacterial pathogens such as GAS

Staff

Laboratory Head: Professor Kadaba Sriprakash (Bacterial Pathogenesis and Scabies)

Senior Research Officer: Dr Katja Fischer (Scabies)

Senior Scientific Advisor: Professor David Kemp

Postdoctoral staff: Dr Simone Reynolds, Dr Pearl Swe

Research Officers: Danielle Smyth, Celia McNeilly

Research Assistants: Ainslie Cameron, Jessica Malcolm, Dean Daly, Samantha Cosh, Vanja Halilovic 

Student: Lindsay Christian

Visiting scientist: Dr Nicholas Brown, Dr David McMillan

Funding

We gratefully acknowledge support from the following organisations and funding bodies:

• National Health and Medical Research Council
• National Heart Foundation
• Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre
• Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health

Collaborators

Bacterial Pathogenesis

Dr Martina Sanderson-Smith, University of Wollongong

Professor Natkuman Ketheesan, James Cook University

Associate Professor Louise Hafner, Queensland University of Technology

Professor Claire Rickard, Griffith University

Professor Mark Walker, University of Queensland

Professor Singh Chhatwal, Gesellschaft fur Biotechnologische Forschung mbH, Braunschweig, Germany

Professor MS Shaila, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India

Professor MG Karmarkar, KEM Hospital, Mumbai

Scabies

Associate Professor Rob Pike, Monash University, Melbourne

Dr Ashley Buckle, Monash University, Melbourne

Professor Bart Currie, Dr Deborah Holt and Dr Shelley Walton, Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, NT

Professor Anna Blom, Lund University in Malmö, Sweden