News

Funded by the Victorian Government and Melbourne Genomics Health Alliance.

A $35 million investment has been made by the Victorian Government for Melbourne Genomics Health Alliance projects, including the Controlling Superbugs project - the first project worldwide to incorporate multiple sites and multiple organisms in investigating the prospective role of genomic testing in detection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The Melbourne Genomics Controlling Superbugs project, led by University of Melbourne Professor Benjamin Howden, Director of the Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory (MDU PHL) at the Doherty Institute, Professor Lindsay Grayson, Director, Department of Infectious Diseases & Microbiology, Austin Health and Dr Norelle Sherry, Austin Health infectious diseases physician and clinical researcher, MDU PHL at the Doherty Institute, has shown genomic sequencing can track the transmission of superbugs (antibiotic-resistant bacteria) in real-time across multiple hospitals, improving control of superbugs and preventing further spread.

Potential superbug outbreaks were identified by the project before they become a threat and therefore prevented infections – enhancing protection for the most vulnerable hospital patients.

Genomic testing detected more than 600 of superbug transmissions in hospitals that would not have been identified by usual testing alone. The new funding will enable the project to rapidly share results with hospitals for better integration with patient data, and more readily track where superbug spread might have been occurring.

Most surveillance systems for superbugs only detect outbreaks once a number of patients have been infected. By performing genomic sequencing prospectively, scientists and doctors can get ahead of outbreaks and keep people safe, reducing hospital-acquired infections by instituting proactive preventative measures.

“Through this project, doctors and scientists will use genomics to track superbugs, meaning early identification of outbreaks, taking rapid actions to prevent further spread, and keeping patients safe by preventing serious superbug infections,” explained Dr Norelle Sherry, co-lead clinician on the project.

“Whilst our current laboratory tools can identify superbugs quite readily, what we can't tell is which ones are very similar to each other on a DNA level. Using genomics, we can get a DNA fingerprint of every superbug, and compare them to work out where the superbugs are spreading, allowing hospitals to institute targeted interventions to prevent outbreaks and serious infections.”

Findings of the project have identified additional superbugs which are now included for surveillance on the state-wide list of notifiable diseases in Victoria. In addition to this, infection prevention and control measures have been improved, with the project prompting changes in cleaning practices at hospitals.

“This project is about taking the next step to translate research about genomics into practice at the coalface; getting genomic results about superbugs back to hospitals in real-time, so they can intervene to improve patient safety by preventing further superbug infections,” Dr Sherry said.

The Controlling Superbugs project is developing a new library of genomic data on superbugs in Victorian hospitals to inform healthcare services and government. This data bank will continue to serve as a valuable resource and research tool, and will be used to identify where to target superbug interventions .