29: Extended Spectrum B Lactamase in Haemophilus

Extended Spectrum B Lactamase in Haemophilus ($4,207)

A grant was awarded to Steven Tristram to study the emergence of bacterial pathogens that are resistant to multiple antibiotics, as they are posing a number of challenges in the ongoing battle to control infectious disease.

As micro-organisms develop new mechanisms of antibiotic resistance, the range of antibiotics that can be used to treat a particular infection diminishes and in a few instances micro-organisms have become resistant to all antibiotics. The challenge in this context is to develop a new understanding of how resistance develops and how to respond to emerging resistance.

“Created” organisms can be used as models on which to design and test new laboratory methods that will detect new resistant organisms when they inevitably emerge naturally. An essential safeguard for this type of work is that the genetic modifications are made under controlled conditions and that the organisms are contained within the research laboratory. As an additional precaution, the genetic modifications are made in special “disabled” organisms that cannot cause disease in humans and survive poorly outside of the laboratory.