Grant: Doctoral: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

Naegleria fowleri is a single-celled organism that causes a type of meningitis, but unfortunately, we know very little about the genes that allow it to cause disease or make it different from other Naegleria species. N. fowleri invades the brain via water in the nose (e.g. when swimming) and kills 98% of those infected in as few as three days. It is found worldwide in tropical regions, but also in parts of the United States, raising the possibility of it living in Canadian freshwater. Although infection is rare, the disease progresses quickly and it is often diagnosed only after the patient has died. Diagnosis is done by a lumbar puncture, but there is a great need to develop an easier, more routine diagnostic method that could be performed in areas with only basic health care. This project adds to the current state of knowledge by sequencing the N. fowleri genome and exploring its capacity to cause disease using two comparative approaches: 1. Naegleria gruberi is a related organism that is harmless, unlike N. fowleri. Recently, our lab has worked with another group to sequence its genome. By studying its genome it in relation to N. gruberi, as well as studying gene expression during infection, I aim to discover why N. fowleri is able to infect and kill humans. 2. Other single-celled pathogens use their internal transport system to cause disease. By comparing genes in this system in N. fowleri to those in N. gruberi, I will endeavour to identify differences that might explain N. fowleri's unusual and harmful biology. This project will produce (i) a comparison of N. fowleri and N. gruberi genomes to find genes possibly involved in disease and (ii) a list of genes whose roles in disease can be experimentally explored by other scientists and may lead to improved diagnostic methods. This will advance the scientific community's understanding of this globally important, deadly pathogen and lead us to better detect N. fowleri infection while the patient is still alive.