A major breakthrough* by Melbourne scientists has revealed how the common bug* golden staph* turns deadly and has the potential to save millions of lives globally.
The team, led by the University of Melbourne’s Abdou Hachani, a senior researcher* at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute), has published its groundbreaking discovery in the online medical journal eLife.
For the first time, the Doherty Institute team reports how golden staph can hide inside human cells to avoid detection by the immune system*. It is a stunning discovery set to pave the way for better treatment for patients at risk before they develop serious infections.
Australia has around 4000 golden staph cases of infections a year, with about 20 per cent of patients dying.
Dr Hachani said one in three people unknowingly carry Golden staph in their nose or on their skin and for most this “colonisation*” is harmless.
For some, however, golden staph can lead to serious infection or death if it enters the bloodstream.
In a world first, the research team developed a new method to study golden staph behaviour inside human cells on a large scale.
Dr Hachani said the method was key to understanding how the bacterium* behaved and provided valuable knowledge about its ability to survive and thrive in humans. Until now, Dr Hachani said, scientists had thought golden staph was a pathogen* that only thrived outside cells.
The University of Melbourne’s Tim Stinear, a molecular microbiologist* at the Doherty Institute, was part of the team and said the method would help inform predictive medicine* to treat complicated infections based on the genetic make-up* of golden staph.
“This new knowledge will guide research to find new ways to combat these infections.”
Samples from 400 people with golden staph infections across Australia and New Zealand provided the Doherty Institute team with a unique treasure trove* of data.
“We were lucky to have a very large collection of clinical isolates or golden staph isolated from blood infections,” Dr Hachani said. “These were a key part to verify our hypotheses*. And having isolates* coming from real patients, causing real damage gave us the fuel for big data analysis*.
He said the team discovered golden staph was a perfect and patient “Trojan horse*”; a bug that can mislead its true intent.
Dr Hachani said the discovery would be life-changing and lifesaving. It is also timely.
By 2050 the United Nations estimates that up to 10 million deaths annually could be caused by superbugs* and associated forms of antimicrobial* resistance, with fears it could become a global pandemic more deadly than Covid.
“This discovery means that we will be able to design ‘a la carte*’ treatments for patients with golden staph before we reach the doom date* of 2050,” Dr Hachani said.
GLOSSARY
- breakthrough: a big discovery or achievement
- bug: a small germ
- Golden staph: a type of germ that can cause infections
- researchers: scientists who study and make discoveries
- immune system: the body’s defence system that protects against germs and diseases
- infection: When germs enter the body and make you sick
- colonisation: when something lives in or on your body without causing harm
- pathogen: a germ that can cause disease
- bacterium: a type of microorganism
- genetic make-up: the unique characteristics determined by genes
- microbiologist: a scientist who studies microorganisms like bacteria
- predictive medicine: where medical treatments are tailored based on individual characteristics, genetic information, and risk factors
- treasure trove: a collection of valuable or important things
- hypotheses: ideas or guesses that need to be tested
- isolates: samples of germs taken from infected people
- big data analysis: studying a large amount of information to find patterns or insights
- Trojan horse: something that appears harmless but is actually dangerous
- superbug: type of bacteria or germ that has developed resistance to multiple antibiotics, making it difficult to treat
- antimicrobial resistance: when germs become resistant to medicine that is used to kill them
- a la carte: a restaurant term to describe a menu or dining style where each food item is priced and ordered separately
- doom date: a specific point in time or a deadline that is associated with negative or concerning consequences
EXTRA READING
Cells get ‘seek and destroy’ signal
Kids join hunt for sore throat vaccine
Why kids are better at fighting Covid
QUICK QUIZ
- What did the Melbourne scientists discover about golden staph?
- How does golden staph hide from the immune system?
- Why is this discovery important for treating patients with golden staph?
- How many cases of blood infection from golden staph occur in Australia each year?
- What could happen if superbugs and antimicrobial resistance are not addressed by 2050?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Evolving knowledge
This news story gives us a glimpse into the way that scientific knowledge is continually built upon and evolving. Read it carefully to identify and summarise:
What was known/believed about Golden staph prior to this study?
What new knowledge has been gained?
What will researchers aim to find out next?
Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Science
2. Extension
Do you know the origins of the term “Trojan horse,” used in this news story? If you do, explain why the term has been used here. If you do not, research to find out what this term means.
Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; History
VCOP ACTIVITY
Punctuation thief
Pick a paragraph from the article, or about 3 sentences together if that’s easier, and rewrite it without the punctuation. At the bottom of the page write a list of all the punctuation you stole and in the order you stole it. For example; C , . C .
Then swap your book with another person and see if they can work out where the punctuation needs to go back to.
Make it easier:
Underline where you stole the punctuation from but don’t put the list at the bottom in order
Make it harder:
Don’t put the punctuation in order at the bottom.
Underline where you took the punctuation from, but don’t tell them what pieces you took.
Just tell them how many pieces you took, but not what they are.
Don’t give them any clues!