How vancomycin-resistant bacteria change during blood infections
Adaptation of vancomycin-resistant enterococci during bloodstream infection
This project looks at how dangerous vancomycin-resistant bacteria, called VRE, adapt in the blood to better fight off antibiotics and our body's defenses.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11093538 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are tough bacteria that usually live in the gut but can cause serious bloodstream infections. These infections are often hard to treat and can be very dangerous, leading to high mortality rates. We want to understand how VRE change their genes to survive in the blood, where they face strong antibiotics and our immune system. By comparing VRE from patients' guts and blood, we hope to find out what makes them so resilient and identify specific genetic adaptations.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Patients who have experienced or are currently experiencing vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) bloodstream infections would be relevant to this research.
Not a fit: Patients without VRE bloodstream infections or those with other types of bacterial infections would not directly benefit from this specific research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new strategies for treating severe VRE bloodstream infections and improve patient outcomes by targeting these bacterial adaptations.
How similar studies have performed: While the general mechanisms of bacterial adaptation are known, this specific focus on population-level evolutionary dynamics of VRE during bloodstream infection using matched patient samples represents a novel approach.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Van Tyne, Daria N — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Van Tyne, Daria N
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.