Dr. A. Shore
Staff Profile: Anna Shore
Title: Lecturer in Applied and Translational Microbiology
Qualifications: B.Sc. (Hons.), Ph.D.
Contact details:
Tel: +353 (01) 6127350
Email: anna.shore@dental.tcd.ie
Teaching:
- Microbiology and infection control and prevention
- Postgraduate (Ph.D.) research student supervision
Research Interests:
Molecular characterisation and epidemiological typing of staphylococci, including methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA), methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS).
My main research interest involves the molecular characterisation of MRSA, MSSA and CoNS from hospitals, communities and animals in Ireland. Since the 1970s MRSA has been a major cause of hospital-acquired infections worldwide and it contributes significantly to patient morbidity and mortality and to healthcare costs. The emergence of community-acquired MRSA, the zoonotic spread of MRSA and the ongoing burden of MSSA infections further complicate this problem. My work in this area focuses on the development and application of alternative molecular typing methods to improve differentiation and tracking of S. aureus clones in Ireland and the use of high-throughput technologies for screening of S. aureus populations. This has already resulted in the identification of emerging sub-populations of MRSA in Irish hospitals and in circulating community clones with enhanced virulence and/or antibiotic resistance. Coagulase-negative staphylococci are frequently associated with opportunistic human and veterinary infections and can co-colonise mucosal surfaces along with S. aureus. I am currently researching the role that CoNS play in enhancing the antibiotic resistance and virulence potential of S. aureus.
Controlling and preventing the spread of microorganisms in healthcare facilities.
Another research interest is the development of approaches that will help to prevent and control the spread of microorganisms in Irish hospitals. This research includes using novel decontamination strategies, improved screening and hand hygiene and the deployment of rapid detection methods. This has involved the successful development of novel, intelligent and fully automated cleaning systems for managing and controlling biofilms in dental chair unit and associated waterlines and water distribution networks. This technology is currently being investigated for its potential use for environmental decontamination in the hospital environment in collaboration with a major Dublin hospital.
Representative recent publications:
1. Shore AC, Rossney AS, Deasy EC, Brennan OM, Humphries H, Goering RV, Ehricht R, Monecke S, Coleman DC. Identification and molecular characterisation of ACME among ST22-methcillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-IV. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 2011, 55: in press (epub ahead of print doi:10.1128/AAC.01756-10)
2. Shore AC, Brennan OM, Ehricht R, Monecke S, Schwarz S, Slickers P, Coleman DC. Identification and characterisation of the multidrug resistance gene cfr in a Panton-Valentine leukocidin-positive ST8-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-IVa (USA300) isolates. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 2010, 54(12):4978-84.
3. Shore AC, Rossney AS, Kinnevey PM, Brennan OM, Creamer E, Sherlock O, Dolan A, Cunney R, Sullivan DJ, Goering RV, Humphreys H, Coleman DC. Enhanced discrimination of highly clonal ST22-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus IV isolates achieved by combining spa, dru, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis typing data. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 2010,48(5):1839-1852.
4. Creamer E, Dolan A, Sherlock O, Thomas T, Walsh J, Moore J, Smyth E, O’Neill E, Shore AC, Sullivan D, Rossney AS, Cunney R, Coleman D, Humphreys H. The effect of rapid screening for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) on the identification and earlier isolation of MRSA-positive patients. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology2010, 31(4):374-381. PMID: 20184438.
5. Coleman DC, O’Donnell MJ, Shore AC, Russell RJ. Biofilm problems in dental unit water systems and its practical control.Journal of Applied Microbiology 2009, 106(5):1424-1437.
6. Shore AC, Rossney AS, O’Connell B, Herra CM, Sullivan DJ, Humphreys H, Coleman DC. Detection of staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec-associated DNA segments in multiresistant methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus(MSSA) and identification of Staphylococcus epidermidis ccrAB4 in both methicillin-resistant S. aureus and MSSA. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 2008, 52(12):4407-4419.
7. Rossney AS, Shore AC, Morgan PM, Fitzgibbon MM, O’Connell B, Coleman DC. The emergence and importation of diverse genotypes of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) harbouring the Panton-Valentine leukocidin gene (pvl) reveal that pvl is a poor marker for community-acquired MRSA strains in Ireland. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 2007, 45(8):2554-2563.