Microbial ecology and evolution

Research Theme Leader: 
Associate Professor Diane McDougald

Current projects: 
Metagenomics-based diagnostics for control urinary tract infections

Recent news:
The secret of cholera’s sneaky virulence
Double for UTS at Eureka science awards

Investigating the evolutionary drivers and consequences of bacterial adaptation to stresses can contribute to our understanding of how new pathogens emerge and how existing pathogens adapt and persist, which is important for developing interventions and public policy.

Focusing on bacterial adaptation to stress; for example, from temperature, predation and antimicrobials, AIMI’s Microbial ecology and evolution research arm aims to define the mechanisms of survival and persistence of pathogens in the environment and what impact these mechanisms have on virulence and pathogenicity in infected hosts.

The team is further investigating the molecular mechanisms of the host responses, cell-to-cell communication, biofilm formation and bacteria / eukaryotes interactions. We’re investigating the impact of the environment on key opportunistic pathogens (Vibrio cholerae, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and how those affect interactions with human and animal hosts, with a specific focus on understanding how opportunistic pathogens and heterotrophic protists co-adapt.

We are also investigating mixed species biofilm communities and looking for novel treatments for control.