Project Details
Description
Background: The global burden of melioidosis has been predicted to be 68,000-412,000 cases and 36,000-227,000 deaths annually.
Increased melioidosis cases in endemic areas but also in non-tropical regions have been linked to climate change and environmental
disturbance. Severe weather events are associated with both increased cases and more severe disease. The global incidence of
melioidosis is expected to increase further, driven by severe weather events due to climate change, a higher prevalence of risk factors
caused by an aging population, and ongoing environmental disturbance. In the Top End of the Northern Territory, the population
incidence of melioidosis has increased by approximately 40% during the past 15 years. The rapid expansion of a recently emerged B.
pseudomallei multilocus sequence type (ST553), which has been most evident in areas in which urban construction has been occurring,
may have contributed to this increase.
Methods: The first aim is to describe the global distribution of Burkholderia pseudomallei multilocus sequence types (MLST) submitted to
the PubMLST database for molecular typing, and assess the extent to which MLST sequence types can be used to attribute B.
pseudomallei geographic origin at the continental level. The second aim is to assess whether there are any associations between MLST
sequence types and clinical presentations of melioidosis. The third aim is to perform a targeted phylogenetic analysis of ST553. The final
aim is to quantify the relationships between melioidosis incidence and weather events and environmental disturbances in the Top End of
the Northern Territory.
Significance: Key expected outcomes from this research include the identification MLST sequence types that may enable more targeted
WGS analyses of B. pseudomallei strains for differential virulence; and quantification of the impact of weather events and environmental
disturbance on the incidence of melioidosis, which could enhance targeted prevention strategies and strengthen public health measures.
Increased melioidosis cases in endemic areas but also in non-tropical regions have been linked to climate change and environmental
disturbance. Severe weather events are associated with both increased cases and more severe disease. The global incidence of
melioidosis is expected to increase further, driven by severe weather events due to climate change, a higher prevalence of risk factors
caused by an aging population, and ongoing environmental disturbance. In the Top End of the Northern Territory, the population
incidence of melioidosis has increased by approximately 40% during the past 15 years. The rapid expansion of a recently emerged B.
pseudomallei multilocus sequence type (ST553), which has been most evident in areas in which urban construction has been occurring,
may have contributed to this increase.
Methods: The first aim is to describe the global distribution of Burkholderia pseudomallei multilocus sequence types (MLST) submitted to
the PubMLST database for molecular typing, and assess the extent to which MLST sequence types can be used to attribute B.
pseudomallei geographic origin at the continental level. The second aim is to assess whether there are any associations between MLST
sequence types and clinical presentations of melioidosis. The third aim is to perform a targeted phylogenetic analysis of ST553. The final
aim is to quantify the relationships between melioidosis incidence and weather events and environmental disturbances in the Top End of
the Northern Territory.
Significance: Key expected outcomes from this research include the identification MLST sequence types that may enable more targeted
WGS analyses of B. pseudomallei strains for differential virulence; and quantification of the impact of weather events and environmental
disturbance on the incidence of melioidosis, which could enhance targeted prevention strategies and strengthen public health measures.
| Status | Not started |
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