Lauren Hookham

PhD title: Characterising colonisation and  transmission of Multi-Drug Resistant Gram-negative organisms in maternal care in Uganda - GRam negative Resistance In Pregnancy (GRIP).  (BSMS, November 2024 onw)

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Infection is a common cause of maternal and neonatal death in Africa, and both mother and child are at increased risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAI).  Multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) have acquired non-susceptibility to at least one agent in three or more antimicrobial categories, severely limiting treatment options. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a threat to the health of pregnant women and infants. Colonisation with MDR-GNB bacteria may precede infection.

The hospital environment can serve as reservoir for MDR-GNB, with a clean healthcare environment preventing colonisation and infection.  The frequency of pregnant and postpartum women’s colonization with MDR-GNB during healthcare encounters and the hospital environment’s role in transmission pathways is poorly understood.  Understanding the extent of MDR-GNB contamination in hospital environments can set benchmarks for monitoring and evidence-based cleaning standards, averting outbreaks and HAI.

I aim to characterise the prevalence of colonisation with MDR-GNB in a cohort of pregnant women and neonates  in Uganda and investigate the role of the hospital environment in acquisition of MDR-GNB around the time of delivery.