Host-Pathogen Interactions in Melioidosis

Drs. T. Eoin West, professor, and Sina Gharib, professor (Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine), in collaboration with investigators at University of Texas Medical Branch and Mahidol University, Thailand, are leading a 5-year project on Host-Pathogen Interactions in Melioidosis. This project is part of a P01 award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bpm), the causative agent of melioidosis, is an environmental pathogen with growing importance to global and U.S. public health. An estimated 165,000 people develop melioidosis annually, resulting in approximately 89,000 deaths worldwide. 

RP2 Melioidosis, infection with Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bpm), presents as pneumonia in half of cases, with an associated case fatality rate of 35-65%. To develop novel, targeted therapeutics for this severe lung infection requires a clearer understanding of pulmonary mechanisms of host defense. 

The UW project will investigate mechanisms of pulmonary host defense in human melioidosis.