Project Number
Convenors
Chaired by Dr. David Denning
(North Manchester General Hospital, UK)
Abstract
Invasive aspergillosis in an increasingly common opportunistic infection in all immunocompromised patients and carries a mortality of 50-100% despite current therapy. New diagnostic tests are available but have only been evaluated in small numbers of neutropenic and bone marrow transplant patients. Resistance to present and future antifungals has recently been documented. Aspergillus fumigatus, the commonest opportunistic mould in the world, will have its genome sequenced over the next 3-4 years and internatinal coordination of this activity is essential for smooth progress.
The proposed network will meet regularly to discuss and develop research proposals and analyse results in the areas of antifungal resistance and diagnostics (PCR, antigen, metabolites, scanning, etc.) Another subset of the network members will meet to plan and coordinate the sequencing of the A. fumigatus genome and its annotation. This group will include contributors from the US and Japan. In the last 1-2 years of the network, attempts to improve coordination between the A. nidulans and A. fumigatus scientific communities will be facilitated by the network.
Duration
June 1999 to December 2001 (extended to May 2002).
