A research group in Galway is studying how climate change might affect the way we respond to dangerous bacteria, writes Danielle Barron.
Climate change may be causing temperatures and tides to rise, but it is also having an effect on the bacteria within our bodies.
Researchers at NUI Galway are combining their knowledge about bacteria, humans and the environment in an attempt to learn more about some common human infections. They are attempting to understand the complex interactions between certain bacteria and our body's cells, while also investigating how the environment can affect human disease.
This collaboration between the Human Pathogen Cluster in the department of microbiology at NUI Galway and the Environmental Change Institute is the first of its kind, and aims to change the way we look at common infections. "We've brought together people from different disciplines that are interested in particular microorganisms," explains Prof Anthony Moran, principal investigator of the research project.
The €1.2 million project, called Gamidi, is funded by a Transfer-of-Knowledge grant from the EU's Marie Curie programme. It involves the use of the newest techniques for studying infectious diseases, says Moran. This includes gene sequencing and protein analysis.
"Using the latest techniques in genomics and proteomics, we are delving in at the molecular level. We are looking at how molecules go into cells and react with cells," he explains.
Bioinformatics experts will also carry out mathematical modelling to predict future disease mechanisms. This approach allows the rapid analysis of thousands of genes and proteins, explains Moran. "Before this the techniques used were like taking a small pistol and firing it at an advancing army. We are using a machine gun approach," he says.
The various teams at Gamidi are looking at bacteria our bodies encounter everyday, says Moran. "The bugs that we deal with are bugs that would cause gastrointestinal infections and food poisoning."
Moran's particular research involves working with H pylori, a gastric bacterium that Moran says is found in the stomachs of more than 50 per cent of the world's population. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for its discovery last year.
If levels of the bacteria rise, it can cause peptic ulcers, but long-term consequences may be even more serious, says Moran. "H pylori is classified by the Word Health Organisation as a Class 1 carcinogen. This means that long term, it may act as a trigger for the development of gastric cancer."
His group is attempting to understand the basis of the bacteria's survival in the highly acidic gastric environment. "Our stomach's acid has a pH of between 1 and 3, it would burn through a piece of wood," says Moran. "This bacteria is capable of surviving under these conditions for decades."
Other bacteria being investigated by Gamidi include Salmonella, Listeria and Campylobacter, all causes of food poisoning.