Childhood diarrhoea and bacterial bloodstream infections account for a considerable proportion of illnesses and deaths among children under five years of age worldwide.The under-five mortality produced by these infections is disproportionately high in parts of Africa. The Centre for Global Health Research with its partner the Sanger Institute aims to inform bacterial lineages that account for a significant proportion of childhood diarrhoeas and invasive infections among children.
DNA sequencing allows us to compare and determine inter-relationships among different genetic lineages of bacteria isolated. These analyses will reveal how disease-causing lineages change over time and are transmitted locally and globally.The Centre for Global Health Research aims to help determine which subgroups of specific pathogens are more likely to cause disease and whether there are subtypes that are associated with life-threatening disease.
Such analysis can inform the design of diagnostics for better detection and surveillance of life threatening pathogens and inform vaccine development and vaccine use policy because the most harmful subtypes can be targeted. Research can also determine whether healthy individuals carry these organisms, and if so, to what extent. Understanding healthy carriage is key to determining how these organisms are maintained and transmitted in communities.