Tegan Harris Email & Phone Number

Darwin, Australia

Haemophilus influenzae (Hi, predominantly nontypeable, NTHi) is an important cause of lower respiratory infection and is one of the most commonly detected bacteria in lower airways of children with protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB) and bronchiectasis (BE). NTHi is also one of the major pathogens in otitis media, another serious health problem that disproportionately affects Indigenous children. Despite the importance of NTHi in chronic lung disease, few studies have characterised lower… Show more Haemophilus influenzae (Hi, predominantly nontypeable, NTHi) is an important cause of lower respiratory infection and is one of the most commonly detected bacteria in lower airways of children with protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB) and bronchiectasis (BE). NTHi is also one of the major pathogens in otitis media, another serious health problem that disproportionately affects Indigenous children. Despite the importance of NTHi in chronic lung disease, few studies have characterised lower airway bacterial populations in children.The NTHi population is highly genetically diverse, and animal models have demonstrated variable pathogenic potential between different strains. Further, several studies have reported specific NTHi genes that are associated with disease. Characterising NTHi genotypes is critical to understand the role of this pathogen in PBB and BE. Acquired antimicrobial resistance is also an understudied yet growing public health concern in paediatric respiratory disease. High-resolution tools such as whole genome sequencing (WGS) are needed to address these fundamental knowledge gaps. Show less

Rdh Campus

The STARRS project aimed to identify reservoirs for serious Staphylococcus aureus infections in Top End renal dialysis clients. In my role as project manager, I oversaw the day-to-day running of the project, which included both field and laboratory aspects. In this role I was responsible for the development and maintenance of: standard operating procedures, the process of consent (and associated documentation), data collection forms, the data collection instrument (database), data… Show more The STARRS project aimed to identify reservoirs for serious Staphylococcus aureus infections in Top End renal dialysis clients. In my role as project manager, I oversaw the day-to-day running of the project, which included both field and laboratory aspects. In this role I was responsible for the development and maintenance of: standard operating procedures, the process of consent (and associated documentation), data collection forms, the data collection instrument (database), data summation and reporting. I also got my hands dirty. I conducted field work which included participant recruitment and swab collection at renal dialysis clinics in the urban Darwin region and at a remote Indigenous community. I conducted lab work, which included swab culture, bacterial organism identification and genotyping. I had a primary role in the selection of Staphylococcus aureus isolates for whole genome sequencing, and the subsequent analysis of the next-generation sequencing data. I performed short-read data mapping and assembly, draft genome annotation, and antimicrobial resistance and virulence gene detection. In this role I supervised students and colleagues in both fieldwork and the laboratory. Show less

Rdh Campus

Data Manager within the Data Management team at Menzies School of Health Research. This job entailed the creation of databases, data entry GUIs and data reporting for research projects at Menzies. Databases were tailor-made for each specific research project, with the data housed in relational MySQL databases. GUIs and reports were developed in Microsoft Access, with project-specific data entry functionality hard-coded using Visual Basic.Additionally, I managed two data linkage… Show more Data Manager within the Data Management team at Menzies School of Health Research. This job entailed the creation of databases, data entry GUIs and data reporting for research projects at Menzies. Databases were tailor-made for each specific research project, with the data housed in relational MySQL databases. GUIs and reports were developed in Microsoft Access, with project-specific data entry functionality hard-coded using Visual Basic.Additionally, I managed two data linkage projects. For one, I managed most aspects of the data, including acquisition, linkage, database design and creation, and data management. This linkage project was small scale, yet did require SQL scripts for the linking data from multiple public health data sources. The other data linkage project was of a national scale, where the data provided to me was already de-identified and had already been linked across the multiple data providers within each state/territory. For this project, I designed and created the database, managed data upload and storage, managed the coding/recoding of data and checked data linkage report statistics against received data. Millions of records were received from each state/territory, and SQL coding was relied upon heavily for accurate recoding and uploading of the data. I was also the designated data management team training officer, providing data management-related seminars and training at Menzies throughout the year. Show less

Rdh Campus

Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic drug generally prescribed for the treatment of strongyloidiasis. In the Pacific Islands, Ivermectin has been used to successfully treat scabies for quite a number of years. The Ivermectin Mass Drug Administration (MDA) project aimed to administer Ivermectin to the Elcho Island community as a whole, in the hopes of eradicating both the Scabies mite and Strongyloides worm from the community.My role in this project was to culture parasites harboured in… Show more Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic drug generally prescribed for the treatment of strongyloidiasis. In the Pacific Islands, Ivermectin has been used to successfully treat scabies for quite a number of years. The Ivermectin Mass Drug Administration (MDA) project aimed to administer Ivermectin to the Elcho Island community as a whole, in the hopes of eradicating both the Scabies mite and Strongyloides worm from the community.My role in this project was to culture parasites harboured in faecal specimens from participants in the study, and perform microscopy on formalin-treated faecal specimens culture plates. The presence/absence of the Strongyloides worm and other parasites were documented, photographs were taken, and these results were then compared with direct faecal smear microscopy results on site to determine the efficacy of both on-site and post-culture microscopy results. Show less

Brisbane; Darwin

β-lactamase-mediated resistance to antimicrobials: the relationship between genotype and phenotypeExtended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-mediated antibiotic resistance in Gram negative pathogens is a global problem. ESBLs confer resistance to third-generation cephalosporins and monobactams. It is common for ESBLs to be derived from broad-spectrum precursors by point mutation, and typically this occurs in a clinical situation where third-generation cephalosporins are in common use… Show more β-lactamase-mediated resistance to antimicrobials: the relationship between genotype and phenotypeExtended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-mediated antibiotic resistance in Gram negative pathogens is a global problem. ESBLs confer resistance to third-generation cephalosporins and monobactams. It is common for ESBLs to be derived from broad-spectrum precursors by point mutation, and typically this occurs in a clinical situation where third-generation cephalosporins are in common use. Typically, ESBL-encoding genes are plasmid-borne, and rapidly disseminated. The overall aim of this project was to determine, at a molecular level, what genetic events take place when resistance to third generation cephalosporins is selected for in Klebsiella pneumoniae. The focus was on β-lactamases of the SHV and TEM families. Show less

Rdh Campus

Leishmania is a genus of parasitic protozoa responsible for the disease Leishmaniasis. Leishmaniasis is primarily seen in developing countries, but outbreaks in developed countries do occur. Leishmania not only infects humans, but animals as well. Australia was thought to be free of Leishmania, however a new species was discovered, infecting Kangaroos and other macropods. The Leishmania project aimed to identify the vector of Leishmaniasis in Australia.My role in this project was… Show more Leishmania is a genus of parasitic protozoa responsible for the disease Leishmaniasis. Leishmaniasis is primarily seen in developing countries, but outbreaks in developed countries do occur. Leishmania not only infects humans, but animals as well. Australia was thought to be free of Leishmania, however a new species was discovered, infecting Kangaroos and other macropods. The Leishmania project aimed to identify the vector of Leishmaniasis in Australia.My role in this project was to:- insect trapping to catch day-feeding insects in macropod enclosures at the Territory Wildlife Park- assist in the speciation of sandflies, and night- and day-feeding midges (as vector candidates)- perform DNA extraction from batched insect samples- real-time PCR to identify the presence/absence of Leishmania from DNA extractions Show less

Rdh Campus

Casual data entry, sample storage, shipment of samples interstate

Gardens Point Campus

- Oversight of students’ practical activities in the laboratory- Knowledge of practical laboratory methodology and scientific theory- Assessment of students’ laboratory skills and written work- Explanation and demonstration of laboratory techniques- Ensuring workplace health and safety guidelines are met by students

Doctor Of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Molecular Microbiology

β-lactamase-mediated resistance to antimicrobials: the relationship between genotype and phenotype Extended-spectrum β-lactamase.

Bachelor Of Applied Science (Honours), Molecular Microbiology

Bachelor Of Applied Science (Basc), Microbiology, General