Leah Mount

Student

University of Oxford, United Kingdom (UK)

Email: Spet5685@ox.ac.uk

VALIDATE Role:

Network Affiliate

Research Keywords:

Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria, Climate Change

Biography:

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are environmental microorganisms found in soil and water, many of which can cause lung and extrapulmonary infections. As global temperatures rise and the tropics expand with climate change, it is critical to consider the effects that increasing temperatures can have on mycobacterial reservoirs and their capacity to cause disease. The overall aim of this project is to investigate how temperature changes influence the growth, genome sequence, and drug resistance of common NTM. Slow- and fast-growing NTM will be cultured in the laboratory under different temperatures, with colony morphologies and growth kinetics determined. The genomes of these strains will be sequenced and compared. Functional assays will be performed to determine the effect of temperature changes on antibiotic resistance and host response to infection, relating these to genetic variation observed. This project could have significant implications for public health, aiding in the design of control strategies and interventions.