Roland Möllby Project

Project 1. Bacterial ecology and epidemiology

The project is aimed at developing methods for typing of bacteria and bacterial communities, and to use the achieved knowledge for ecological and epidemiological studies of bacteria and bacterial communities that are related to disease in humans and animals, as well as for studies on normal floras of healthy humans and animals. The project is also aimed at studying the relations between environmental bacteria and potential human and animal pathogens. Several lines of research are presently followed:

Epidemiology and ecology of enterococci

• Ecology of the normal intestinal flora in humans and animals
• Studies of the intestinal flora in relation to allergy
• Spread of resistant bacteria and resistance genes in the society
• Tracking of fecal pollution in surface water
• Studies of diarrhoeal pathogens in Nicaragua
• Epidemiology and ecology of Aeromonas in Bangladesh
• Epidemiology and ecology of fish pathogenic bacteria

Studies of bacterial responses to environmental toxicants and other chemicals

Project 2. Bacterial virulence factors and relations to the host response

The group investigates occurrence of bacterial virulence factors and relations between them and the host response. We investigate Escherichia coli urinary tract infections and their immune response with special reference to adhering properties of the bacteria and the importance thereof. We also study the phenomenon of bacterial translocation in the intestine, i.e. the ability of certain E. coli strains to translocate from the intestine into lymphatic and blood vessels during serious conditions. We further investigate the production of virulence factors of Staphylococcus aureus and the humoral response to these in deep S. aureus infections. An important outcome of such studies are the development of new immunotherapeutic agents, such as vaccines against urinary tract infections and antibodies against staphylococcal infections.

Examples of ongoing studies

• Adhesion of P- and T1-fimbriated Escherichia coli to epithelial cells in the urinary tract.
• Vaccination against T1-fimbriae of Escherichia coli in order to protect against cystitis.
• Characterisation of in a rat model translocating strains of Escherichia coli (RTEC) and protection against translocation upon starvation.
• Antibody response against fibrinogen binding proteins of Staphylococcus aureus during deep infections.
• Production of a-toxin and of protein A in clinical strains of S. aureus.
• Cross-talk between bacterial toxins and the intestinal epithelium

Publications

2018

Relationship between endotoxin core, staphylococcal and varicella antibody levels and outcome following aortic valve replacement surgery: a prospective observational study.
Smith A, Moravcova S, Treibel TA, Colque-Navarro P, Mollby R, Moon JC, et al
Perioper Med (Lond) 2018 ;7():20

2017

Persistence of Lactobacilli in Postmenopausal Women - A Double-Blind, Randomized, Pilot Study.
Kwak YK, Daroczy K, Colque P, Kühn I, Möllby R, Kopp Kallner H
Gynecol Obstet Invest 2017 ;82(2):144-150

2016

New Insights into the Enterococcus faecium and Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus Host Interaction Mechanisms.
Sánchez-Díaz AM, Romero-Hernández B, Conde-Moreno E, Kwak YK, Zamora J, Colque-Navarro P, et al
PLoS One 2016 ;11(7):e0159159

2015

Surveillance of antimicrobial resistance among Escherichia coli in wastewater in Stockholm during 1 year: does it reflect the resistance trends in the society?
Kwak YK, Colque P, Byfors S, Giske CG, Möllby R, Kühn I
Int J Antimicrob Agents 2015 Jan;45(1):25-32

2013

Increase of faecal tryptic activity relates to changes in the intestinal microbiome: analysis of Crohn's disease with a multidisciplinary platform.
Midtvedt T, Zabarovsky E, Norin E, Bark J, Gizatullin R, Kashuba V, et al
PLoS One 2013 ;8(6):e66074

2012

Antibiotic resistance patterns of Escherichia coli isolates from different aquatic environmental sources in León, Nicaragua.
Amaya E, Reyes D, Paniagua M, Calderón S, Rashid MU, Colque P, et al
Clin Microbiol Infect 2012 Sep;18(9):E347-54

The Staphylococcus aureus alpha-toxin perturbs the barrier function in Caco-2 epithelial cell monolayers by altering junctional integrity.
Kwak YK, Vikström E, Magnusson KE, Vécsey-Semjén B, Colque-Navarro P, Möllby R
Infect Immun 2012 May;80(5):1670-80

2010-2011

Antibiotic resistance patterns of intestinal Escherichia coli isolates from Nicaraguan children.
Amaya E, Reyes D, Vilchez S, Paniagua M, Möllby R, Nord CE, et al
J Med Microbiol 2011 Feb;60(Pt 2):216-222

Asymptomatic norovirus infections in Nicaraguan children and its association with viral properties and histo-blood group antigens.
Bucardo F, Nordgren J, Carlsson B, Kindberg E, Paniagua M, Möllby R, et al
Pediatr Infect Dis J 2010 Oct;29(10):934-9

Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli markers and phenotypes among fecal E. coli isolates collected from Nicaraguan infants.
Reyes D, Vilchez S, Paniagua M, Colque-Navarro P, Weintraub A, Möllby R, et al
J Clin Microbiol 2010 Sep;48(9):3395-6

Levels of antibody against 11 Staphylococcus aureus antigens in a healthy population.
Colque-Navarro P, Jacobsson G, Andersson R, Flock JI, Möllby R
Clin Vaccine Immunol 2010 Jul;17(7):1117-23

Antibody responses in patients with invasive Staphylococcus aureus infections.
Jacobsson G, Colque-Navarro P, Gustafsson E, Andersson R, Möllby R
Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2010 Jun;29(6):715-25

Biological relevance of natural alpha-toxin fragments from Staphylococcus aureus.
Kwak YK, Högbom M, Colque-Navarro P, Möllby R, Vécsey-Semjén B
J Membr Biol 2010 Feb;233(1-3):93-103

Publications 1998-2009

Publications 2004-2009 (pdf)

Publications 1998-2002 (Pdf file, 78 Kb)

Project Members