Provost’s Project Award 2018-19 to Dr. Anna Shore, Division of Oral Biosciences Microbiology Research Unit
Dr. Anna Shore (Ussher Assistant Professor in Applied and Translational Microbiology) has been granted a Provost’s Project Award 2018-19 to investigate a global pandemic MRSA clone in Irish hospitals using whole-genome sequencing (WGS). The bacterium methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been a major cause of infections among hospitalised patients globally for decades. MRSA infections are difficult to treat due to its resistance to many commonly used antibiotics.
One global strain called ST22-MRSA-IV has predominated in Irish hospitals since 2002. This project will examine the entire genetic content of ST22-MRSA-IV isolates from Irish hospitals using WGS to provide insights into its geographic origins, and to determine how far different variants have spread within and between Irish hospitals and internationally. By identifying the key genetic characteristics of this common type of MRSA, this project aims to generate findings that can be translated to prevent and control its spread in hospitals. This project will be undertaken in collaboration with the Irish National MRSA Reference laboratory at St. James’s Hospital.