Molecular Microbiology
Improving reproductive health through infectious diseases research.
Our group focuses on understanding infectious diseases and how they impact on reproductive health, women’s health, and the health of infants.
We work with a wide range of local, Australian, and international collaborators to investigate bacterial infections and antibiotic resistance, viral infections, and the human microbiota.
Our aim is to improve diagnostics and treatment, disease prevention and vaccinology, and public health.
Group Leaders
Our projects
The National Human Papillomavirus Monitoring Program (IMPACT)
Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes several types of cancer, including cervical cancer. Australia has a school-based vaccination program for children aged 12-13 years. This project is analysing levels of HPV infection in Australia to understand how routine adolescent vaccination is protecting against infection. The study has identified dramatic decreases in the level of vaccine-targeted HPV, demonstrating real-world effectiveness of the HPV vaccine.
Investigation of the human microbiota in health and disease
Recent advances have found that the microbiota (the normal, resident bacteria) can have profound impacts on human health and disease. The laboratory was part of the multicentre study of probiotics for protecting very low birthweight infants against adverse outcomes (necrotising enterocolitis). Ongoing work is analysing the outcomes of this trial and how the microbiota of infants relates to other disease and developmental outcomes. The laboratory is also part of collaborations researching how breast milk microbiota can contribute to breast inflammation, and how vaginal microbiota can impact upon reproductive health.
Understanding mechanisms of antibiotic resistance
Antibiotic resistance continues to be a major threat to public health. The laboratory is conducting research into antibiotic resistance with a focus on Mycoplasma genitalium. Approaches include culturing bacteria in the laboratory to understand the basis of resistance, studying bacteria that fail antibiotic treatment, collaborating with clinics investigating novel therapeutic approaches, and establishing a pilot surveillance system to monitor Mycoplasma genitalium resistance in Australia.
Analysis of markers of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection associated with cancer
In most cases, HPV infections resolve with no long-term effects. However, in a small percentage of cases, HPV infection can lead to cancer. This project is investigating molecular markers that will identify if an infection is progressing to cancer. These markers include things such as DNA methylation, and small RNA molecules. A better understanding of this process can lead to improved diagnostic methods tests for cervical cancer screening.
Young Female Health Initiative (YFHI)
Using Facebook to recruit females aged 16-25 years into the Young Female Health Initiative (YFHI) and Safe-D studies, the goal is to investigate inter-linkages between five health domains: health behaviours, sexual and reproductive health, metabolic and cardiovascular health, bone and joint health, mental health and reproductive health data.
The impact of COVID-19 on the World Health Organisation (WHO) strategy of elimination of cervical cancer in the Asia Pacific
This project will review the impact of COVID-19 on the tools for the WHO strategy for cervical cancer elimination as a public health matter, within the Asia-Pacific region. Focus groups of stakeholders will also be conducted. Informed by the findings, we will develop a detailed questionnaire to establish the baseline data for each country, a questionnaire to examine acceptability of the WHO approach, and to use validated questions where already published.
Funding
- National Health and Medical Research Council
- Australian Research Council
- Commonwealth Department of Health
- Medical Research Council (UK)
Collaborations
- The Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne
- Melbourne Sexual Health Centre Alfred Health
- The Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales
- School of Population and Global Health at The University of Melbourne
- VCS Foundation, Victorian Cytology Service
- Cancer Research Division and C4 CRE at Cancer Council New South Wales
- Menzies School of Health Research
- Family Planning Victoria and New South Wales
- The University of Sydney Department of Paediatrics and Child Health
- Asia Pacific HPV coalition
Featured publications
- Impact of extreme prematurity or extreme low birth weight on young adult health and well-being: the Victorian Infant Collaborative Study (VICS) 1991-1992 Longitudinal Cohort study protocol. 2019
- A Prospective Study of the Incidence of Juvenile-Onset Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis After Implementation of a National HPV Vaccination Program. 2018
- Evaluation of self-collected vaginal specimens for the detection of high-risk HPV infection and the prediction of high-grade cervical intraepithelial lesions in a high-burden, low-resource setting. 2018
- Gut microbiota of preterm infants supplemented with probiotics: sub-study of the ProPrems trial. 2018
- Prevalence of mutations associated with resistance to macrolides and fluoroquinolones in Mycoplasma genitalium: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Machalek DA, Tao Y, Shilling H, Jensen JS, Unemo M, Murray G, Chow EPF, Low N, Garland SM, Vodstrcil LA, Fairley CK, Hocking JS, Zhang L, Bradshaw CS. Lancet Infect Dis. 2020 Nov;20(11):1302-1314. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30154-7. Epub 2020 Jul 2. PMID: 32622378 - Routine cervical screening by primary HPV testing: early findings in the renewed National Cervical Screening Program.
Machalek DA, Roberts JM, Garland SM, Thurloe J, Richards A, Chambers I, Sivertsen T, Farnsworth A. Med J Aust. 2019 Aug;211(3):113-119. doi: 10.5694/mja2.50223. Epub 2019 Jun 5. PMID: 31168828