Associate Professor Peter White combines techniques in molecular biology and bioinformatics to describe the evolution of Norovirus outbreak strains.
Modelling the Dynamics of Drug-resistant Strains of Bacteria
The evolution of antibiotic resistance poses a challenge to efforts to control bacterial infections in human and other populations. Compounding this problem is the emergence of multi-resistant strains of bacteria. For example, some strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the cause of tuberculosis, are known as extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) because they are not only resistant to the two front-line drugs, but also to a number of second-line drugs.
The epidemiological consequences of XDR-TB and other multi-drug-resistant bacteria are largely unknown. Although drug-resistant bacteria outcompete sensitive bacteria in the presence of the antibiotics in question, they are also believed to bear a fitness cost. This fitness cost may be reduced through compensatory mutations.
In this project we mathematically model the population-level outcomes of the evolution of multiple drug resistance. This will probably also involve constructing and analysing computer simulations.
Reference: Jain, A. & Mondal, R., 2008, Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis: Current challenges and threats. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol, May 8.
BABS personnel that are responsible for this project