Project: Applications of phylodynamics to multidrug resistant enteric pathogens
Howden Group
Enteric bacterial pathogens, including pathotypes of Escherichia coli, Shigella species and serovars of Salmonella enterica, cause significant morbidity and mortality globally. The public health threat presented by these pathogens has increased in recent years due to the emergence of widespread multidrug resistance to standard antimicrobial therapy and changing outbreak dynamics.
This project will take advantage of routinely generated whole genome sequencing data of these pathogens to investigate the changing evolutionary and population dynamics. This project will combine large bacterial datasets with epidemiological data and infectious disease modelling to develop novel approaches to better understand the drivers of these bacterial pathogens.
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Howden Group
3 vacancies
Research Projects 2019 | 19 The Howden group is embedded in the state public health laboratory - the Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory (MDU PHL) - with expertise in pathogen genomics and antimicrobial resistance, including functional genomics technologies and models of disease. We complement these molecular biology studies with epidemiological and clinical studies to address a broad range of issues related to invasive bacterial diseases in humans, especially those caused by staphylococci, enterococci and other antimicrobial-resistant species (CPE). Working closely with scientists in the MDU PHL, we investigate the epidemiology, evolution and spread of bacterial pathogens of public health significance such as Neisseria gonorrhoea, Listeria monocytogenes, Legionella spp. and Salmonella spp.
Howden Group Current Projects
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Development of new antibiotics to treat multidrug resistant superbugs
Master of Biomedical Science, Honours
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Precision genomics for antimicrobial-resistant bacterial pathogens
Master of Biomedical Science, Honours
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Applications of phylodynamics to multidrug resistant enteric pathogens
PhD/MPhil, Master of Biomedical Science, Honours
Research degrees at the Doherty Institute are administered by the University of Melbourne.