The role of oral streptococci in systemic bacterial infection
Facts
- Contact person:
- Oonagh Shannon
- Financer:
-
- KK Stiftelsen
- Responsible at MaU:
- Oonagh Shannon
- Project members at MaU:
- External project members:
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- Johan Malmström - Lund University
- Magnus Rasmussen - Skånes University Hospital Lund
- Time frame:
- 01 August 2025 - 30 June 2030
- Faculty/department:
- Research environment :
- Research subject:
-
- Dentistry
- microbiology
- immunology
Project description
Streptococcus spp. exist in polymicrobial biofilms within the oral microbiome. These bacteria are beneficial for oral health but decrease in abundance during oral disease and can act as opportunistic pathogens that can disseminate to the blood to cause bacteraemia/sepsis. Oral streptococci are a leading cause of severe heart valve infection, Infective Endocarditis (IE), in susceptible individuals.
The ability of bacteria to adapt their phenotype and transition between these three distinct niches (oral health, oral disease, systemic disease) is a critical determinant for disease susceptibility which will be elucidated in our project.
We will determine multifactorial cellular and molecular mechanisms within the microbiome and with the host response that contribute to this phenotypic transition and disease pathogenesis. The phenotypic changes in oral streptococci will be determined using global proteomics and the host response will be investigated using multiparameter immunophenotyping of innate immune cell effector functions.