Group A Streptococcus skin infections, antibiotic resistance and acute rheumatic fever

Indigenous Australian children suffer the highest rates of impetigo (skin sores) in the world, which can result in serious invasive diseases and immune complications of the kidneys and possibly the heart. This fellowship proposal will develop laboratory methods to monitor skin sore pathogens and their resistance to antibiotics. I will then begin to apply these methods to a comprehensive skin disease control program in Aboriginal communities in the WA Kimberley region. This will help to monitor antibiotic susceptibility of skin pathogens in Northern Australia during routine therapy and during a clinical trial.

I will also develop laboratory methods to investigate the link between Group A Streptococcus (GAS) skin disease and Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF), the precursor of Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD). In particular, I will investigate the role of a particular variant of a GAS surface protein for its ability to mediate adhesion to skin cells, and to trigger an ARF-specific immune response. If this holds true, it will provide a molecular link between skin infections and ARF, and identify an attractive target for the design of diagnostics and therapeutics for this disease.

This position is also critical to the broader objectives of the Kimberley-Pilbara component of HOT NORTH, by acting as a key scientific liaison with the HOT NORTH Kimberley Coordinator to ensure broad Kimberley engagement in HOT NORTH, and in particular support and mentor younger HOT NORTH researchers working on Kimberley projects.