The research activities in our group include 1) studies on the diagnosis, pathogenesis, and prevention of invasive bacterial diseases such as pneumococcal and Haemophilus influenzae infection; 2) studies on the epidemiology and pathogenesis of the zoonotic pathogen Streptococcus suis; 3) the development of novel vaccine antigens; 4) the development of diagnostic test kits for infectious diseases, including drug-resistant bacteria, and for clinical research using these test kits; and 5) studies on the protein secretion systems of pathogenic bacteria. Our research has been conducted with foreign collaborators to clarify the pathogenic mechanisms of infectious diseases, with the hope that the research outcomes will eventually be translated to successful clinical interventions. Our most recent achievements include the proposal of a surrogate marker for the immunogenicity of current pneumococcal vaccines and breakthrough research on the mechanism by which Streptococcus suis causes meningitis (Figure).
In addition, our research group is conducting a training course in tropical infectious diseases for young medical doctors under the Research Institute for Microbial Diseases and the Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University. This successful training course develops the skills of many young doctors working in the field of infectious diseases.
Figure. Mechanism of Streptococcus suis infection in Thailand (Emerg Infect Dis 2011, J Infect Dis 2014)