Research groups
Colleges
Angela Brueggemann
Associate Professor
The main research focus of the Brueggemann group is Streptococcus pneumoniae (the ‘pneumococcus’), a bacterium that is a major cause of diseases such as pneumonia and meningitis worldwide. Current research involves using high-throughput genotyping and whole genome sequencing techniques and unique collections of isolates to understand pneumococcal evolution, especially evolutionary changes related to antimicrobial and vaccine selective pressures. Molecular epidemiology and population biology provide the foundation for all aspects of the group’s research.
Our work has particular relevance to: i) understanding how antimicrobial resistance determinants evolve and spread; ii) long-term effectiveness of the existing pneumococcal conjugate vaccines; iii) the design of future vaccines; and iv) the development of novel antimicrobials.
Recent publications
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Nasopharyngeal competition dynamics are likely to be altered following vaccine introduction: bacteriocin prevalence and diversity among Icelandic and Kenyan pneumococci
Preprint
Butler MEB. et al, (2022)
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Sustained reductions in life-threatening invasive bacterial diseases during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic: analyses of prospective surveillance data from 30 countries participating in the IRIS Consortium
Preprint
Shaw D. et al, (2022)
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Changes in the incidence of invasive disease due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis during the COVID-19 pandemic in 26 countries and territories in the Invasive Respiratory Infection Surveillance Initiative: a prospective analysis of surveillance data.
Journal article
Brueggemann AB. et al, (2021), The Lancet. Digital health, 3, e360 - e370
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Molecular diagnostic assays for the detection of common bacterial meningitis pathogens: A narrative review.
Journal article
Diallo K. et al, (2021), EBioMedicine, 65
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The global meningitis genome partnership.
Journal article
Rodgers E. et al, (2020), The Journal of infection