Antimicrobial Resistance

Improving the monitoring and analysis of antimicrobial resistant pneumococci in Nigerian children

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a bacterium which is spread from person to person by droplets produced from the mouth and nose, for example during breathing, coughing and sneezing. It is a leading cause of serious conditions including pneumonia and meningitis, particularly in children under the age of five. Many childhood deaths which could otherwise be prevented by vaccination are caused by S. pneumoniae.

Adding further pressure to this problem is the growing emergence of antimicrobial resistance in S.pneumoniae. This means it is becoming a superbug, resistant to antibiotics that would usually kill the bacteria and therefore be used to treat infections. This is making it increasingly difficult to control the spread of infection.

Nigeria experiences a disproportionate number of S.pneumoniae infections, with an estimated 49,000 child deaths annually. This is why Dr Emelda Chukwu from the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research will use her Foundation funding to carry out a research placement with the aim of improving the ability to monitor antimicrobial resistance in these bacteria across Nigeria.

She will be conducting this research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, in close collaboration with Professor Kate Gallagher. Key activities will include identifying best practices for antimicrobial resistance analysis, analysing existing datasets of S.pneumoniae infections in children under five, and conducting sequencing of the bacterial genome at the Wellcome Sanger Institute. She will also undertake training in Advanced Epidemiological Analysis.

The team hopes that this project will strengthen their analytical and bioinformatic skills, improve their use of existing datasets to inform national monitoring of S.pneumoniae and its superbug status, as well as allowing them to develop new collaborative grant proposals.