Acinetobacter & ESBLs

Research Strategy Workshop

• The IDRN held a research strategy workshop concerning Acinetobacter and infection due to ESBLs on 02 December 2005.
• Two protocol development groups on the carriage of multiply-resistant ESBL-producing organisms has subsequently been held, with the intention of submitting a grant application in mid 2007.

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 Antimicrobial resistance and healthcare-associated infection

Research Strategy Workshops

• Antibiotic Resistance and Public Health
• Antimicrobial Resistance – Food and Resistance, Prescribing Policy, Risk Assessment

Protocol Development Groups (see the PDG page for further general information about the groups)

• Epidemiology and natural history of acquisition of multi-resistant bacteria in London hospitals
• Risk factors for the acquisition of antibiotic-resistant Enterobacteriaceae by pre-term infants, and abundance, and persistence following discharge to the community.
• Evaluation of the effect of antibiotic policy on the incidence of acquisition of MRSA and other resistant organisms   
• Effect of surgical prophylactic strategies on the incidence of acquisition of resistant organisms.
• Modelling the level of resistance in hospitals. 
• Responsive meeting to discuss HTA call for research proposals in molecular techniques for identification of infection and antimicrobial resistance resulting in 4 applications being submitted (none funded).

Responsive support to collaborative research groups (see the 'Research' page for more information)

• Support to group developing a research bid for the National Patient Safety Agency Call to evaluate the effectiveness of the Clean Your Hands Campaign.  Support has included development of study design, support in preparing funding submission, support in MREC applications.
• Methodological support to collaborative group preparing an application for the DH call for research into the cost-effectiveness of interventions for the control of healthcare associated infections.

"Fighting resistance to antibiotics with new technologies", 21-22 September 2006

• The IDRN provided funding for the above strategic workshop to take place. The event was co-ordinated by the Antimicrobial Research Centre at the University of Leeds, with the aim of identifying research themes to seek funding from European Framework VII and other sources.

Challenge workshop, 02 May 2007

• This event was a joint initiative between the IDRN, UK Clinical Research Collaboration, Medical Research Council, and the Department of Health. Attendance at the workshop was by invite only. The theme of the day was to discuss research priorities in HAI and AMR. Click here for more information about the remit of the workshop.

• The IDRN organised the workshop, designed the event website and online registration procedures, and provided other administrative and academic support in planning the workshop content.
  

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Bacteriology

Grant-writing workshop

• This grant-writing workshop was targeted at newly-established group leaders working in bacteriology, and was co-organised with the MRC. There were a total of 52 applicants for 24 places, and feedback following the event was very good. A similar event shall be held in late 2007 or early 2008.

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Behavioural sciences

The IDRN and HPA collaborated on this workshop - 'Why don’t they do as we tell them? Improving health protection through behavioural research in the HPA'. Click here for the event webpage. The workshop took place in February 2008.

• The IDRN has also been supporting the workshop follow-up. This has included advising the HPA on the use of small networking models that could be employed in behavioural sciences. In collaboration with the HPA, the IDRN has also created an online survey for the behavioural sciences community to indicate their perceived priority research themes, and enthusiasm and suggestions for a possible research network in this area.

Bioterrorism

Research Strategy Workshops

• Early Detection and Response

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Food-borne infection

Research Strategy Workshops

• Food Safety Research Strategy Workshop

The IDRN subsequently organised a protocol development group concerning the research question "What is the long term morbidity and mortality associated with IID?"

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Health Protection

Research strategy workshop

• Developing cluster randomised controlled trials in the area of infectious disease & health protection – a research strategy workshop

Following on from this workshop (held in October 2007), the IDRN is working with researchers from both the HPA and academia in order to provide momentum for the research strands and ideas that emerged from the discussions.

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Health Survey for England

Protocol Development Groups (see the PDG page for further general information about the groups)

• Infectious disease research using the Health Survey for England.  In response to a request from an IDRN member a PDG was established to consider the possibility of using the Health Survey for England for Infectious Disease Research.  A collaborative application for funding is in preparation.

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Hepatitis

Research Strategy Workshops

• Hepatitis B and C and HCV/HIV Co-infection.

Protocol Development Groups (see the PDG page for further general information about the groups)

• Setting up a pan-London hepatitis C cohort.  An important achievement has been supporting the main hepatology services around London in collaborative discussions about setting up a pan London cohort to study the natural history of disease, response to treatment and to act as a sampling frame for recruitment into clinical trials.  The group has defined the main data fields that should be collected.  The group met to consider whether the recent call for bids on hepatitis C research from the Department of Health would be suitable but determined that the cohort did not fulfil the research brief and that a bid focussing on hepatitis C in prisoners would have a better chance of success (see Hepatitis C in Prisoners below).  The IDRN will explore the potential for developing a national hepatitis C cohort as part of it’s future development.
• Risk factors for acute HCV in male HIV populations. 

Responsive support to collaborative research groups  (see the 'Research' page for more information)

• Hepatitis B - The IDRN was approached at the request of a funding organisation to provide epidemiological advice for a study of the clinical burden of hepatitis B infection involving multicentre collaboration between liver units, GUM clinics and other settings.

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Infection Control

• The authors of the ORION statement are utilising IDRN webspace. The statement was produced to attempt to raise the standards of research and publication. It consists of a 22 item checklist, and a summary table. The emphasis is on transparency to improve the quality of reporting and on the use of appropriate statistical techniques. ORION considers itself a work in progress, which requires ongoing dialogue for successful promotion and dissemination.
  Click here for more information on the ORION statement
• The IDRN has co-ordinated a grant application to investigate rapid decontamination of hospital areas, particularly communal areas and around bedsides. An outline submission has been made to the Health Technology Assessment clinical trials programme.

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Infectious disease in prisoners

Research Strategy Workshops

• Health research needs of prisoners, both in and outside prisons

Responsive support to collaborative research groups (see the 'Research' page for more information)

• Hepatitis C in Prisoners.  The IDRN was approached by an infectious disease clinician who spoke at the research strategy workshop about Hepatitis C in prisoners to help develop a bid for the recent Department of Health call for research into Hepatitis C.   The IDRN provided methodological advice, support with development of the protocol and hosted a meeting with another group who planned to submit a related bid.  A joint bid was submitted.

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Measles, Mumps & Rubella

The below paper has now been published in the Journal of the Royal Institute of Public Health.Tthe IDRN supported the quantitative work through providing contacts at the Health Protection Agency and provided forums for early presentation of the work which informed analysis

• Cassell JA, Leach M, Poltorak MS, Mercer CH, Iversen A, Fairhead JR. Is the cultural context of MMR rejection a key to an effective public health discourse? Public Health. 2006 Sep;120(9):783-94

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Molecular Microbiology

Training events

• For the past thee years, the IDRN has supported the running of a three part training event in 'Methods in Molecular Microbiology, which attracts a multi-disciplinary group and covers basic and more advanced laboratory techniques, and reinforces the skills learnt with a one day seminar series. Support has included academic input into the programme, financial support, and administrative and technical support for the registrations procedure, using the IDRN webspace.

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Probiotics

Protocol Development Groups (see the PDG page for further general information about the groups)

• Use of probiotics to prevent diarrhoea following antibiotic administration – Response to HTA call for bids.  The meeting was hosted by the MRC Clinical Trials Unit.  A bid was submitted and this proposal has been short-listed.

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Sexual Health

Research Strategy Workshop

• The IDRN held a research strategy workshop concerning sexual health and infection on 31 October 2005. A report will be published on this site in due course. Please see the 'Events' page for a programme and brief information about this workshop.

The IDRN has organised a protocol development group concerning the research question "What is the natural history of M. genitalium in women? ie. the risk of developing complications - PID, infertility and ectopic pregnancy - in infected women compared to uninfected women?"

This group has met twice and a collaborative grant application is due to be submitted in early 2007.

• Cost-effectiveness of STI services for differing populations in the UK

As a result of the IDRN disseminating information on the MRC 2006 call for proposals for projects relating to sexual health, a bid has been submitted from the UCL Centre for Sexual Heath & HIV Research.
This bid was successful. The aim of the project is to build a Decision Analytic Model as a tool for the evidence based planning of cost-effective of STI services for differing populations in the UK.

• Care Pathways for STIs in Primary Care (CaPSTI)

The IDRN was approached to design two webpages as part of an intervention study, and also to act as an information resource. The pages contain patient information leaflets on sexually transmitted infections, as well as the opening times and locations of local sexual health services.
See http://www.idrn.org/capsti.php

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Staphylococcal infections

Significant consultative advice and assistance, both academic and administrative, towards a successful application for an MRC research fellowship

• Dr Laura Shallcross, Staphylococcal infections in the community

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Tuberculosis

Research Strategy Workshops

• Tuberculosis – Epidemiological and Programmatic Research.
• Tuberculosis – new vaccines and childhood tuberculosis, latent infection diagnosis, rapid diagnostic tests and the challenges of TB/HIV co-infection.

Protocol Development Groups (see the PDG page for further general information about the groups)

Responsive support to Collaborative Research Groups (see the 'Research' page for more information)

Significant consultative advice and assistance towards a successful application for a British Infection Society fellowship

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