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Brighton & Sussex Medical School

latest news: Antibiotic resistance


Antimicrobial news

Antimicrobial resistance research within the Wellcome Trust Brighton and Sussex Centre for Global Health Research is rapidly expanding, investigating different issues relating to AMR, but focusing primarily on bacterial infections.

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September 2017

Prioritising Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): Establishing an Interdisciplinary International Research Partnership to Tackle an Evolving Global Health Threat

The AMR-IRPN network is a research partnership between six institutions that provides a cross-disciplinary approach to one of the most pressing global health threats of our time. 

Established in 2016, IRPN works across several countries, and fosters a number of external connections that will allow the team to develop a global surveillance network to better understand and respond to the emergence of AMR. 
The expertise within the network includes molecular microbiology, clinical microbiology and infectious diseases, as well as international relations, policy, anthropology and development studies. 

Following the initial network meeting in October 2016 at BSMS, a second meeting took place in in Cairo, Egypt on 25 & 26 July 2017 with the aim of reviewing the joint research goals, foster South-South collaboration and share knowledge and expertise in tackling AMR regionally. Dr. Leena Al- Hassan, one of the architects of the network, and Professor Melanie Newport from the Global Health and Infection department at BSMS were both present at the meeting. In addition to capacity building, the network will now focus on carrying out 6-month pilot projects that will fall into two broad categories:

  1. The first will look at the molecular epidemiology of gram-negative (GN) resistance in Cairo and Sudan and the role of MRSA in the intensive care unit.
  2. The second category of work will focus on developing antibiotic stewardship and infection prevention control strategies in two North African countries including evaluating the need for increased educational resources.

The implementation of the projects will be discussed at the follow up IRPN meeting in January 2018, and the results of the pilot studies will be discussed at an IRPN meeting in Summer 2018, followed by consolidation of data and finalisation of larger funding application to develop this work further, which may include expansion to the community.

Workshop on Horizontal Gene Transfer and Mobile Genetic Elements as Vehicles for Transmission of Antibiotic Resistance in Gram-negative bacteria 

Leena additionally held a workshop at the NCI in Cairo on mobile genetic elements and their role in horizontal gene transfer of resistance in Gram-negative bacteria as part of the capacity building initiative of the network. The workshop was attended by 25 participants from different universities around Egypt. 

BSUH clinical microbiology team to provide training in Cairo University

A new sequencer (MiSeq) will be installed in Cairo University, and the microbiology team there require training on using the machine, reagents, and interpretation of the results, which will be provided by the clinical microbiology team at BSUH (Kevin Cole and Dr James Price). Training exchange visits will take place between researchers at Cairo University and BSUH from October 2017.

Further capacity building initiatives for the AMR- IPRN include:

  • Training on MiSeq set up (first exchange visit to be held in BSUH in October 2017), to be followed by a trip to Cairo in December 2017
  • Sequencing workshop at the NCI in November 2017 by Dr Paul Higgins 
  • Training of laboratory staff on manual microbiology laboratory methodology in Sudan
  • Workshop on AMR for junior/early career doctors and healthcare workers in Egypt. 

July 2017

'Complete the course' message for antibiotics should be dropped

Advice that patients should complete a course of antibiotics is not supported by evidence and should be dropped, according to researchers at BSMS and colleagues. The authors of the paper in the BMJ call for a change of message regarding antibiotic use, arguing that patients are actually being put at unnecessary risk from antibiotic resistance when treatment is given for longer than necessary, rather than when it is stopped early, as commonly believed. Lead author Martin J Llewelyn, Professor of Infectious Diseases at BSMS, said: “While the ‘complete the course’ message is one we all know, we have found that it is time for this message to change. The belief that stopping antibiotic treatment increases the risk of antibiotic resistance is not supported by evidence. In fact, this risk is actually increased by taking antibiotics for longer than is necessary.”

Read more >

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April 2017

BSMS present at the 27th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID)

Dr Leena Al-Hassan, postdoctoral research fellow in the department of Global Health and Infection, and Dr James Price, NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, attended the 27th ECCMID in Vienna held on 22-25 April 2017. 

ECCMID is one of the biggest annual meetings where world leading experts come together to discuss the latest developments in infectious diseases, infection control and clinical microbiology. ECCMID offers a wide range of sessions including: keynotes, symposia, poster sessions, educational workshops, and meet-the-expert sessions. 

During the congress, Leena presented a poster entitled: "A. baumannii OXA-378 multidrug-resistant clone emerges in the clinical setting." The congress also allowed some partners from BSMS, University of Cologne and University of Barcelona in the Antimicrobial Resistance - International Research Partnerships and Networks (AMR-IRPN) group to meet and discuss future research projects. 

James said: "As a clinical post-doc developing an intermediate fellowship proposal I was keen to strengthen and develop collaborations. I attended a clinical academic trainee workshop where I had the opportunity to discuss career options with peers and explore observerships and mentoring schemes. As well as a Q&A session with a choice of 20 academics holding exemplary international reputations covering a wide academic spectrum. My chosen mentor (Prof Evelina Tacconelli from Tübingen, Germany) was inspiring and gave me some great tips on careers and research development – that might lead to international collaboration." 

ECCMID_conference

November 2016

Pioneering Study of Potentially Deadly Hospital Germ 

A new study by Prof Martin Llewelyn and Dr James Price has been published in Lancet Infectious Diseases this month. The study has been looking at patients who pick up Staphylococcus aureus, known as Staph aureus, in hospital to identify where it comes from. Staph aureus is a bacterium which lives harmlessly all over the body and which despite not causing problems for most, can cause serious infections among people in hospital. Hospital staff work hard to stop patients catching Staph aureus infections, particularly those caused by strains that have become resistant to commonly used antibiotics (such as methicillin resistant Staph aureus or MRSA). Despite these efforts hospital patients are still catching the infection.

Using ‘whole-genome sequencing’ (WGS) the research team compared genetic codes from germs for similarities and to determine if one person picked up Staph aureus from another or not - one theory being that staff brought the bacteria into the hospital and spread it to patients. The results were surprising as it was not possible to identify where most patients picked up Staph aureus. This changes our understanding of how infections are spread in hospitals.  

This project is part of a wider collection of work being undertaken by Prof Martin Llewelyn’s and BSUH Consultant Dr John Paul’s research group in which WGS is revealing new insights into other medically important organisms including gonorrhoea. 

October 2016

Global health scientists meet at BSMS to tackle antimicrobial resistance

In October, BSMS held the first meeting for the International Network to Tackle Antibiotic Resistance, which is a project funded by Sussex International Research Partnerships and Network fund. The project, coordinated by the Wellcome Trust Centre of Global Health, also involves The Centre of Global Health Policy at the University of Sussex, the Barcelona Institute for Global Health and the Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene at the University of Cologne.   

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has already warned that antibiotic resistance “threatens the achievements of modern medicine” and has developed a Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) with strategic objectives. The project seeks to strengthen AMR research that crosses biomedical and social science as well as geographic barriers. It will bring together researchers in genetics and microbial epidemiology, as well as scientists from the social areas, to develop common research questions, integrate research institutions from LMICs into the network, build capacities, and generate grant proposals for international funding. It will place a special focus on the effect of immigration on AMR epidemiology globally.

AMR News - Global health scientists meet at BSMS

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July 2016

Network to tackle global threat of antimicrobial resistance 

Prof Melanie Newport has been awarded a £30,000 grant to support an international research partnership, tackling the rising global threat of antimicrobial resistance.

The award from the University of Sussex's International Research Partnerships and Network Fund will enable medical, biomedical and social scientists to share their expertise through an interdisciplinary network.

The increasing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics is a significant challenge and by 2050 could be responsible for more deaths than cancer. The World Health Organization has warned that the severity of the problem "threatens the achievements of modern medicine."

The Wellcome Trust Brighton and Sussex Centre for Global Health Research, together with its partner institutions in African countries, will link up with scientists at the Centre for Global Health Policy (University of Sussex), the Institute of Global Health (University of Barcelona), and the Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene (University of Cologne).

Researchers will develop a comprehensive strategy to investigate the drivers of antimicrobial resistance, ranging from bacterial genetics through to social factors such as migration and the globalisation of travel and trade.

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May 2016

9th Scientific Meeting of the African Society of Human Genetics 

The Wellcome Trust Brighton and Sussex Centre for Global Health Research was well represented at the recent ninth Scientific Meeting of the African Society of Human Genetics. Prof Melanie Newport, Director of the Centre and President of the Society, chaired a session at the meeting, which was held in Dakar, Senegal.

Three members of the Centre's collaborating centres also presented at the meeting.

Tewodros Gebresilase, a PhD student from the Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Ethiopia, won second prize for best oral presentation by a young investigator; he spoke about research that highlighted the importance of exploring community concerns around ethical issues when genetic research is undertaken in low-income settings.

Jonas Arnaud Kengne Ouafo, a PhD Student at the University of Buea, Cameroon, presented a poster on his research on the genetics of podoconiosis; and Ashraf Osman Mohamed, a Research Assistant from the Institute of Endemic Diseases, University of Khartoum, gave an oral presentation on his research investigating the genetics of epilepsy in Sudan.

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April 2015

Resistance and Epidemiology of Klebsiella pneumonia

Dr Leena Al-Hassan recently spent time in Sudan, visiting with collaborators and her PhD student, Einas Awad, at the Institute of Endemic Diseases (IEND), University of Khartoum. Leena is currently supervising Einas' PhD work on the Genetics of Resistance and Epidemiology of Klebsiella pneumoniae in Khartoum State. This is an extensively resistant, hospital-acquired pathogen of global concern. The PhD project will build on Dr Al-Hassan's Research Development Fund award from the University of Sussex, and will be supervised by herself and Prof Moawia Mohamed Mokhtar, based at the IEND in Khartoum.