Digital opening of the lecture series “Global Health and One Health” by Professor Tim Stinear, PhD (Doherty Institute, Melbourne, Australia)
For decades, there has been a low level of endemicity of Buruli ulcer (BU)—an infection of the subcutaneous tissue caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans— in some rural regions of Australia. However, in the 1990s, the epidemiology of BU changed, and case numbers began to rise and occur around the major metropolitan city of Melbourne and the regional center of Geelong in the state of Victoria, in southeastern Australia. BU has been a notifiable disease in Victoria since 2004, and there have been an average of 350 confirmed BU cases per year since 2017. Our research consortium has been working to address the key question of how BU spreads from the environment to humans. We have made some important discoveries that identify native possums as major wildlife reservoirs of the pathogen and mosquitoes as vectors. These findings have led to the first evidence-based opportunities to intervene in the transmission of BU.
Professor Tim Stinear is an NHMRC Leadership Fellow (L3) and Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne, where he serves as Deputy Head of Department and Co-Lead of the Center for Pathogen Genomics. He is an internationally recognized leader in pathogen genomics, with over 315 publications. His research has transformed our understanding and control of infectious diseases, including elucidating the transmission of Buruli ulcer, developing WHO-endorsed diagnostic and treatment frameworks, and advancing genomic surveillance of antimicrobial resistance. He has secured more than $30 million in competitive funding, leads major interdisciplinary and translational programs, and contributes to global health policy through roles including Director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Mycobacterium ulcerans.
Moderator: Professor Dr. Sascha Knauf
