Project: Evolution of streptococcal pathovars
Davies Group
Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis is a human pathogen, mirroring the disease profile and colonising the same ecological niche as the well-documented human pathogen, Streptococcus pyogenes. The overlap in both pathogen lifestyle and disease repertoire along with evidence of gene transfer between these pathogens suggests that they may share common genetic mechanisms for causing disease. The primary aim of this project is to apply various bioinformatics approaches within global genome databases to identify candidate genes that drive streptococcal invasive disease and other pathogenic processes. This will also inform vaccine approaches to combat streptococcal disease.
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Davies Group
3 vacancies
The Davies group aims to apply genome sequencing methodologies and bioinformatics approaches to understand the evolution and transmission of bacterial pathogens. This knowledge can help facilitate a global understanding of pathogen evolution, in addition to informing public health intervention to reduce the disease burden associated with bacterial pathogens. Current projects address key research questions such as: is there a genetic difference between strains causing different disease manifestations? What is driving the emergence and dissemination of bacterial pathogens? Do host immune factors govern disease severity? Our research closely aligns with key international collaborators including the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the United Kingdom.
Davies Group Current Projects
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Integrative infectious disease phylodynamics
PhD/MPhil
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The space of evolutionary trees in infectious disease epidemiology
Master of Biomedical Science, Honours
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Population genomics of endemic Streptococcus pyogenes
PhD/MPhil, Master of Biomedical Science, Honours
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Application of systems genomics to analysing the dynamics of Streptococcus pyogenes infection
PhD/MPhil, Honours
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Evolution of streptococcal pathovars
PhD/MPhil, Honours
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Unravelling the drivers of scarlet fever pandemics
PhD/MPhil, Honours
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Using genomics to investigate the transmission of skin pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in a ‘One Health’ setting
PhD/MPhil, Master of Biomedical Science, Honours
Research degrees at the Doherty Institute are administered by the University of Melbourne.