About
128
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Introduction
I have worked on various clinical biofilm related projects, including microbiome of biofilms in medical implants and devices: breast implants, dental implants, orthopaedic implants and endoscope tubes; microbiome of biofilms in the healthcare environment, chronic wounds and cystic fibrosis lung.
Additional affiliations
March 2011 - present
Position
- Research Fellow
Description
- Translational clinical research in the following area: • Surgical infection prevention and infection control • Bacterial biofilms and microbiome in medical implants and medical devices • Breast implant associated Anaplastic large-cell lymphoma • Dry surface biofilms characterisation and removal • Molecular insight of diabetic foot infections • Microbiome, probiotics and cancer • Host pathogen interactions
January 2010 - December 2010
Position
- Reseach Associate
Description
- • Establishment and validation of tumour testing methods for somatic gene mutations for personalised targeted drug therapy using high resolution melting analysis, DNA sequencing and pyrosequencing • Patient mutation testing of two breast cancer susceptibility genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2) using DNA sequencing and MLPA (Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification)
July 2006 - December 2009
Position
- Researcher
Description
- • Molecular characterisation of a transmissible Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients • Determinants of acquisition, virulence and persistence of P. aeruginosa lung infection in CF patients • Prevalence study of P. aeruginosa clonal strains in Australian CF clinics • Comparison of the microbiomes of CF and bronchiectasis lung infections • Antimicrobial and anti-biofilm effect of hypertonic saline on P. aeruginosa clinical isolates
Education
March 2000 - March 2005
Publications
Publications (128)
Objectives
Biofilm is the major challenge in chronic wound management. Instilling a wound cleansing solution aids in wound bed cleaning and infectious pathogen elimination. Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) improves the wound-healing process. This study investigated the efficacy of two antimicrobials (Vashe Wound Cleanser and Prontosan Wound I...
Capsular contracture (CC) is one of the most common postoperative complications associated with breast implant-associated infections. The mechanisms that lead to CC remain poorly understood. Plasma is an ideal biospecimen for early proteomics biomarker discovery. However, as high-abundance proteins mask signals from low-abundance proteins, identify...
Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci account for about 80% of infections associated with medical devices and are associated with increased virulence due to their ability to form biofilm. In this study, we aimed to construct a comprehensive reference map followed by significant pathway analysis in the proteome of S. aureus biof...
Background
A delayed seroma around breast implants is the most common clinical presentation of breast implant–associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL). Interleukin-9 (IL-9), IL-10, and IL-13 concentrations are significantly higher in BIA-ALCL than in benign seromas, offering a means to distinguish between these conditions.
Objectives
T...
Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci account for about 80% of infections associated with medical devices and are associated with increased virulence due to their ability to form biofilm. In this study, we aimed to construct a comprehensive reference map followed by significant pathway analysis in the proteome of S. aureus biof...
Microbial biofilms are the most important drivers of chronic and recurrent infections [...]
Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci account for about 80% of infections associated with medical devices and are associated with an increased virulence due to their ability to form biofilm. In this study, we aimed to construct a comprehensive reference map followed by significant pathway analysis in the proteome of S. aureus b...
Because the liver is an important metabolic center in the human body, the reliability and timeliness of chronic liver disease diagnosis are particularly important. Alanine aminotransferase and aspartate transaminase are the two most important liver function indicators, and their test results are crucial in the diagnosis of liver diseases. However,...
Simple Summary
A rare complication of breast implants is late development of a lymphoma in fluid accumulating around the implant commonly presenting as unexplained swelling of the breast. This lymphoma is usually curable by removal of the implant and surrounding capsule, but if not detected early can spread to adjacent tissues and lymph nodes requi...
This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current literature regarding gut microbiota composition in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) compared to healthy controls. To identify the relevant studies, a thorough search of PubMed, Medline, and Embase was conducted following the PRISMA...
The tumour-cell based initiation of immune evasion project evaluated the role of Gipie in adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) and mucoepidermoid carcinoma (A-253), from ninety-six 3D-ACC and A-253-immune co-culture models using natural killer cells (NK), and Jurkat cells (JK). Abnormal ACC morphology was observed in 3D-ACC immune co-culture models. Gipi...
More than 1300 women with breast implants have developed an anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) in fluid (seroma) around their implant. More often, seromas are due to benign causes, for example, capsule contracture, leakage, or trauma. Our report in American Journal of Hematology identified several cytokines (IL‐9, IL‐10, IL‐13) as significantly...
The treatment of full-thickness skin wounds represents a major clinical challenge, and hydrogel is regarded as a promising class of biomaterials for wound repair. Here, we present a protocol for preparing a photo-triggering double cross-linked, adhesive, antibacterial, and biocompatible hydrogel. We describe the steps to prepare the hydrogel and ev...
Staphylococcus aureus biofilms are resistant to both antibiotics and disinfectants. As Staphylococci cell walls are an important defence mechanism, we sought to examine changes to the bacterial cell wall under different growth conditions. Cell walls of S. aureus grown as 3-day hydrated biofilm, 12-day hydrated biofilm, and 12-day dry surface biofil...
The development and health of infants are intertwined with the protective and regulatory functions of different microorganisms in the gut known as the gut microbiota. Preterm infants born with an imbalanced gut microbiota are at substantial risk of several diseases including inflammatory intestinal diseases, necrotizing enterocolitis, late-onset se...
Intra-radicular infection theory assumes that when an infected tooth is extracted, the main source of infection is removed and any residual contaminating bacteria are killed by the immune response, then normal healing ensues. This study investigated whether bacteria and bacterial biofilms persisted in deep bone space following tooth extraction. The...
Staphylococcus aureus biofilms are tolerant to antibiotics and disinfectants. Staphylococci cell walls, principally composed of peptidoglycan, are a key target for antimicrobial agents. S. aureus proteomics and cell walls, grown as planktonic organisms, 3-day hydrated biofilm, 12-day hydrated biofilm and 12-day dry surface biofilm (DSB) were analys...
Background:
Immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE) is important for diagnosis of plasma cell disorders (PCDs). Manual analysis of IFE images is time-consuming and potentially subjective. An artificial intelligence (AI) system for automatic and accurate IFE image recognition is desirable.
Methods:
In total, 12 703 expert-annotated IFE images (9182...
The Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus is responsible for serious acute and chronic infections worldwide and is well-known for its biofilm formation ability. Recent findings of biofilms on dry hospital surfaces emphasise the failures in current cleaning practices and disinfection and the difficulty in removing these dry surface biofilms...
Current protocols using liquid disinfectants to disinfect heat-sensitive hospital items frequently fail, as evidenced by the continued isolation of bacteria following decontamination. The contamination is, in part, due to biofilm formation. We hypothesize that mild positive pressure (PP) will disrupt this biofilm structure and improve liquid disinf...
We are hosting a new special issue "Molecular mechanism of biofilm infections and combat strategies" in International Journal of Molecular Sciences https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijms/special_issues/biofilm
You are welcome to submit relevant manuscripts to this special issue. Thanks for your support!
Full-thickness wounds, lacking the epidermis and entire dermis and extending into subcutaneous fat, represent a common treatment challenge. Due to the loss of adnexal structures as a source of keratinocytes, full-thickness wounds healing can only be achieved by re-epithelialization from the wound edge and contraction. Here, we developed a hydrogel...
Staphylococcus aureus is a notorious biofilm-producing pathogen that is frequently isolated from implantable medical device infections. As biofilm ages, it becomes more tolerant to antimicrobial treatment leading to treatment failure and necessitating the costly removal of infected devices. In this study, we performed in-solution digestion followed...
Staphylococcus aureus is a notorious biofilm-producing pathogen that is frequently isolated from implantable medical device infections. As biofilm ages, it becomes more tolerant to antimicrobial treatment leading to treatment failure and necessitating the costly removal of infected devices. In this study, we performed in-solution digestion followed...
e18053
Background: Biofilm formation is a continuous process in oral cancer patients, despite proper extirpation/elimination of a bacterial plaque via a surgical procedure or antibiotic treatment. Also, elimination of a bacterial plaque does not necessarily remove extant bacterial antigen-stimulated oral cancer cells. Therefore, combination drug tr...
Background
The complex and specific surgical instruments (SI) acquired from loaner companies are provided non-sterile and must be reprocessed before each use. We evaluated the management practices of SI in loaner companies in a high (Australia) and a middle-income (Brazil) country.
Methods
Seven company managers in Australia and eight in Brazil re...
Topical antiseptics are often used to treat chronic wounds with biofilm infections and during salvage of biofilm contaminated implants, but their antibacterial efficacy is frequently only tested against non-aggregated planktonic or free-swimming organisms. This study evaluated the antibacterial and antibiofilm efficacy of four commercial surgical w...
Background: Aberrant proliferation is a hallmark of cancer. Cellular proliferation mechanisms and various cytokines contribute to the progression of cancer. The tumor suppressor protein Suppressor of Cytokine Signalling 3 (SOCS3), which acts via the JAK/STAT pathway, have a role in the progression of cancer. Aim: To explore the role of SOCS3 in all...
The efficacy of double manual cleaning (DMC) with enzymatic detergent followed by alkaline detergent on biofilm removal on hinged surgical instruments was compared to automated cleaning. Biofilm covered haemostatic forceps were divided into four groups: positive control (soaked in sterile water); DMC; DMC plus extra brushing of the inner hinge; and...
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate the link between bacterial biofilms and negative outcomes of hernia repair surgery. As biofilms are known to play a role in mesh-related infections, we investigated the presence of biofilms on hernia meshes, which had to be explanted due to mesh failure without showing signs of bacterial infectio...
Orthopedic implants, such as screws, are provided in a non-sterile state and must be reprocessed before each use, therefore they may be subjected to multiple reprocessing cycles until they are implanted in the patient. The effect of these various reprocessing cycles on the quality and safety of these implants has been a subject of concern and discu...
Frequent recurrent lung infections result in irreversible lung damage in children with cystic fibrosis (CF). This study aimed to determine if toothbrushes contain biofilms of pathogens, and act as potential reservoirs for lung re-infection following antibiotic treatment of acute exacerbations. Toothbrushes were collected from children with CF of lu...
“To implement time‐domain multiplexing in fluorescence/luminescence detection, various lifetime‐tunable nanoparticles have been developed by us and others. But for biological applications, molecular probes are generally considered more advantageous in terms of interaction with and specific labelling of the samples. We therefore wanted to explore li...
The Cover shows photoluminescent sensing based on europium complexes emitting the same (red) colour but distinguishable lifetime (afterglow), which is attributed to the different coordination environment around the europium(3+) ion. These complexes were functionalised as nucleic acid sensors for in situ hybridisation, facilitating specific detectio...
Long‐lived luminescence probes with engineered lifetimes offer great potential for multiplexed biodetection and imaging at high sensitivity and contrast. The overwhelming majority of lifetime‐multiplexing probes are based on luminescent nanoparticles; however, these typically suffer practical limitations compared to molecular probes when applied to...
Introduction
Transient receptors are related to oral cancer pain. Previously capsaicin (TRPV1 agonist) was shown to induce cell death in oral cancer cells. We hypothesised that these receptors are present in oral cancer.
Method
We examined the presence of cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) and targets (TRPV1, TRPA1, Ca V 3.1, Ca V 3.2, Ca V 3.3)...
The bacterial antigen, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and disruptions in calcium channels are independently known to influence oral cancer progression. Previously, we found that bacterial antigens, LPS and lipoteichoic acid (LTA) act as confounders during the action of capsaicin on Cal 27 oral cancer proliferation. As calcium channel drugs may affect ora...
Breast implant-associated anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) is a distinct malignancy associated with textured breast implants. We investigated whether bacteria could trigger the activation and multiplication of BIA-ALCL cells in vitro. BIA-ALCL patient-derived BIA-ALCL tumor cells, BIA-ALCL cell lines, cutaneous ALCL cell lines, an immortal...
Background
Acquisition of surgical instruments (SI) and implants by loaner system is a worldwide practice. Although quality of device reprocessing has been reported to be lower in low and middle-income countries compared with higher income countries, few investigations have been conducted on the management and reprocessing of loaned devices. Thus,...
Oral cancer is a major global health problem with high incidence and low survival rates. The oral cavity contains biofilms as dental plaques that harbour both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial antigens, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and lipoteichoic acid (LTA), respectively. LPS and LTA are known to stimulate cancer cell growth, and the bioactiv...
Diabetic foot infections (DFIs) are a major cause of hospitalization and can lead to lower extremity amputation. In this pilot study, we used a multiomics approach to explore the host–microbe complex within DFIs. We observed minimal differences in the overall microbial composition between PEDIS infection severities, however Staphylococcus aureus an...
Keywords: Bacterial antigen LPS LTA biofilm oral cancer cell proliferation phosphokinase A B S T R A C T Oral biofilms harbour gram-negative bacterial antigen lipopolysaccharide (LPS) involved in oral cancer progression and gram-positive bacterial surface-associated adhesive, lipoteichoic acid (LTA). Thus, we hypothesised that LPS and LTA together...
The normal continuity of skin tissue can be affected by invading pathogens and lead to a series of complicated physiological events. Using an RNA sequencing-based approach, we have captured a metatranscriptomic landscape from diabetic foot infections (DFIs). The hierarchical clustering of the top 2,000 genes showed the expression of four main clust...
Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of double manual cleaning (DMC) with enzymatic followed by alkaline detergent for removing biofilm on hinged surgical instruments compared to automated cleaning by the washer-disinfector. Methods: Biofilm of Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) was formed in vitro on hemostatic forceps (Fig. 1). Biofilm-covered fo...
Despite the extended view of the composition of diabetic foot infections (DFIs), little is known about which transcriptionally active bacterial communities are pertinent to infection, and if any differences are associated with increased infection severity. We applied a RNA sequencing approach to analyze the composition, function, and pathogenicity...
Background:
Health-care professionals need to collect wound samples to identify potential pathogens that contribute to wound infection. Obtaining appropriate samples from diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) where there is a suspicion of infection is of high importance. Paired swabs and tissue biopsies were collected from DFUs and both sampling techniques...
Biofilm formation was shown to be associated with damaged areas of endoscope channels. We hypothesis that the passage of instruments and brushes through endoscope channels during procedures and cleaning contribute to the channel damage, bacterial attachment and biofilm formation.
In this study, we compared the roughness and bacterial attachment in...
Shotgun metagenomic sequencing or metagenomic whole genome sequencing is a genome-wide sequencing approach to explore bacterial communities directly from their habitat or sites of infection. However, host DNA contamination in metagenomic sequencing overwhelm low biomass of microbial signals and decrease sensitivity for microbial detection. In this...
We develop europium complexes with distinguishable luminescence lifetimes in the microsecond-to-millisecond region as new multiplexing probes for luminescence in situ hybridisation, and apply them to multiplexed detection and lifetime imaging of bacterial species.
Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) and diabetic foot infections (DFIs) are associated with reduced patient quality of life, lower-extremity amputation, hospitalization, and high morbidity and mortality. Diverse bacterial communities have been identified in DFUs/DFIs, playing a significant role in infection prognosis. However, due to the high heterogeneity...
Due to their unique optical properties upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) provide exceptionally high contrast for imaging of true nanoparticle distribution in excised human skin. It makes possible to show penetration of solid nanoparticles in skin treated with chemical enhancers. We demonstrated tracing upconversion nanoparticles in excised human s...
Cleaning is fundamental to infection control. This report demonstrates that a Staphylococcus aureus biofilm is significantly more difficult to remove than dried planktonic bacteria. A single wiping action removed >99.9% (>3 log10) of dried planktonic bacteria, whereas only 1.4 log10 of biofilm (96.66%) was removed by 50 wiping actions with a standa...
The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiology (location, microbial load, microbiome, presence/absence of biofilm, and pathogens, including ESKAPE ‐ Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter species, and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles) of the...
Breast implantation either for cosmetic or reconstructive e purposes is one of the most common procedures performed in plastic surgery. Biofilm infection is hypothesised to be involved in the development of both capsular contracture and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). Capsular contracture is one of the principal reasons for breast revision s...
Background
Pathogens can survive for extended periods when incorporated into biofilm on dry hospital surfaces (ie, dry-surface biofilm, DSB). Bacteria within biofilm are protected from desiccation and have increased tolerance to cleaning agents and disinfectants.
Objective
We hypothesized that gloved hands of healthcare personnel (HCP) become cont...
Background:
Inadequately reprocessed reusable surgical instruments (RSIs) may harbour infectious agents which may then be transferred to a suitable site for replication.
Aim:
To determine the cumulative effect of 20 cycles of contamination, cleaning (manual or manual followed by automated) and steam sterilization on high-complex-design RSIs used...
Background:
The introduction of texture to the outer shell of breast implants was aimed at increasing tissue incorporation and reducing capsular contracture. It has also been shown that textured surfaces promote a higher growth of bacteria and are linked to the development of breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma.
Methods:
The...
Background:
Biofilms that develop on dry surfaces in the healthcare environment have increased tolerance to disinfectants. This study compared the activity of formulated oxidizing disinfectants with products containing active ingredients against Staphylococcus aureus dry-surface biofilm (DSB) alone.
Methods:
DSB was grown in the CDC bioreactor w...
Background:
The acquisition of reusable surgical instruments (RSIs) through loaner system is a worldwide phenomenon, particularly in orthopaedic surgeries. Loaner sets contain high-complex design RSIs, which are very difficult to clean, and also include single use implants, such as screws, that remain in the surgical tray and are subjected to mult...
Background
Outbreaks of endoscopy-related Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae has highlighted failures in endoscope decontamination resulting in biofilm formation. Biofilms are tolerant to detergents and disinfectants. We evaluated decontaminated endoscope channels for residual bacterial contamination and biofilm presence.
Methods
63 channels...
Background:
Dry surface biofilms (DSB) persist for extended period in hospital, may play significant role in healthcare-associated infections transmission. This study aims to determine if DSB can be transferred from hospital surfaces to healthcare worker's hands.
Method:
12-day Staphylococcus aureus DSB was grown on polycarbonate and glass coupo...
Background: To investigate the effect of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) with and without instillation (NPWTi) on in vitro mature biofilm. Methods: Mature biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus were grown under shear (130 rpm) on polycarbonate coupons in a CDC biofilm reactor for 3 days. Coupons containing biofilms were...
Objectives:
Rigorous visual evidence on whether or not biofilms are involved in diabetic foot osteomyelitis (DFO) is lacking. We employed a suite of molecular and microscopic approaches to investigate the microbiome, and phenotypic state of microorganisms involved in DFO.
Methods:
In 20 consecutive subjects with suspected DFO, we collected intra...