Haemophilus influenzae is present as a commensal organism in the nasopharynx of most healthy adults from where it can spread to cause both systemic and respiratory tract infection. This bacterium is divided into typeable forms (such as type b) or nontypeable forms based on the presence or absence of a tough polysaccharide capsule. Respiratory disease is predominantly caused by the nontypeable f...

The epidemiology of non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) remains poorly understood. We therefore sought to determine the genetic relationship of 25 NTHi isolated from various states in Malaysia using multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The majority of isolates were obtained from sputum. There were 24 novel sequence types (STs). Eight isolates were single-locus variants, the remainder being...

BACKGROUND To determine the prevalence of carriage of respiratory bacterial pathogens, and the risk factors for and serotype distribution of pneumococcal carriage in an Australian Aboriginal population. METHODS Surveys of nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae, non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis were conducted among adults (≥16 years) and children (2 t...

This is an author produced version of a paper published in Trends in Microbiology. This paper has been peer-reviewed but does not include the final publisher proof-corrections or journal pagination. "Haemophilus influenzae and the complement system." Access to the published version may require journal subscription. Abstract The respiratory tract pathogen Haemophilus influenzae is responsible fo...

Haemophili are pathogenic or opportunistic bacteria often colonizing the upper respiratory tract mucosa. The prevalence of Haemophilus influenzae (with serotypes distribution), and H. parainfluenzae in the nasopharynx and/or the adenoid core in children with recurrent pharyngotonsillitis undergoing adenoidectomy was assessed. Haemophili isolates were investigated for their ability to biofilm pr...

Identification and prioritisation of candidate antigens on which novel vaccines can be based, or the efficacy of existing vaccines improved, are critically dependent on characterising the strategies utilised by microbial pathogens to evade host defences, and, in particular, the key virulence factors involved. In this review, we have focused on the immune evasion strategies utilised by two impor...