Synergistic and antagonistic interplay between Streptococcus pneumoniae and respiratory viruses

Summary The contribution of bacterial-viral co-infections to the onset and severity of disease is increasingly attracting interest from researchers globally. Specifically, it is well established that co-infections of Streptococcus pneumoniae with respiratory viruses (e.g. influenza or respiratory syncytial virus) impact the severity of acute respiratory infections.

Project Details

The contribution of bacterial-viral co-infections to the onset and severity ofdisease is increasingly attracting interest from researchers globally. Specifically, it is well established that co-infections of Streptococcus pneumoniae with respiratory viruses (e.g. influenza or respiratory syncytial virus) impact the severity of acute respiratory infections. This is because viral replication creates a more hospitable environmentfor pathogenic bacteria of the respiratory tract to flourish, predisposingindividuals to a bacterial superinfection. However, recent research has foundthat the interplay between pneumococci and viruses is more complex thanpreviously anticipated. We and others have shown that some aspects ofco-infection are synergistic (resulting in greater disease severity), whileothers are antagonistic, where the presence of one pathogen negatively impactsthe other. In this project, you will elucidate the underlying microbiological and/or immunological mechanisms that govern the synergistic and antagonisticaspects of the interplay between pneumococci and respiratory viruses. Keyapproaches to this project include working with in vivo models as well as microbiological and immunologicalanalysis of tissues from the respiratory tract. Your work will help usunderstand the complexities of pneumococcal-viral co-infection, including theirimplications for the effectiveness of vaccines targeting these pathogens.