Project 459520
Metabolic Adaptations Contributing to Antimicrobial Resistance in Neisseria Gonorrhoeae
Metabolic Adaptations Contributing to Antimicrobial Resistance in Neisseria Gonorrhoeae
Project Information
| Study Type: | Unclear |
| Research Theme: | Biomedical |
Institution & Funding
| Principal Investigator(s): | Bishop, Stephanie L |
| Supervisor(s): | Lewis, Ian A |
| Institution: | University of Calgary |
| CIHR Institute: | Infection and Immunity |
| Program: | |
| Peer Review Committee: | Fellowships - Post-PhD |
| Competition Year: | 2021 |
| Term: | 3 yrs 0 mth |
Abstract Summary
Rates of the globally signification infection gonorrhea have more than doubled in the last 5 years in Canada. Gonorrhea is caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and multi-drug resistant infections are spreading across the globe. Recently, resistance to ceftriaxone has emerged, one of our last remaining drugs. Historically, bacteria with this resistance trait were not able to spread because resistance caused some unknown, but serious growth problems with the bacteria. However, recent changes in NG have allowed them to fix this problem by changing their metabolism. Why metabolism would be linked to resistance is a mystery. My goal is to unravel this mystery using mass spectrometry to find the underlying biochemical alterations in metabolism that allow some ceftriaxone-resistant NG bacteria to grow and spread easily. Through understanding the specific changes in metabolism that contribute to increased growth levels in resistant bacteria, we can establish a link between metabolism and drug resistance. Gonorrhea multidrug resistance is a major worldwide health concern and if successful, this study will be the first example of how changes in metabolism are contributing to the global spread of antimicrobial resistant gonorrhea infections.
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