Professor Brad Spiller

(he/him)

Publication

• Date
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Research

Investigation of neonatal sepsis in Low-to-Middle income countries (LMIC)

The Spiller laboratory is the hub for characterising Gram-positive pathogens that are isolated from the blood stream of neonates in the first 30 days of life. Antimicrobial susceptibility, whole genome sequence analysis, virulence and transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes from one bacteria to another are characterised for isolates from Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Rwanda, Ethiopia, South Africa (BARNARDS phase I) which have now expanded to larger scale investigations at multiple sites in the first 3 countries for BARNARDS phase II), Niger (Combacte-Care), and Uganda (PROGRESS). Active collaborations for these studies include University of Oxford, Médecins Sans Frontières and St. George's, University of London. These studies currently extend to improving microbiological diagnostic tools better suited to low resource settings to enable faster and more informed treatment of invasive Gram-positive infections in LMICs.

Revolutionary New Legionella media patented.

In collaboration with the UK Health Security Agency, the Spiller laboratory has patented a new solid Legionella medium (Legionella Antimicrobial Susceptibility And Resistance Universal Screening medium: LASARUS) that replaces activated charcoal-containing medium. The new medium is transparent and does not absorb antimicrobials like all traditional solid agar - and is currently being modified to include Legionella spp. specific chromogens. This will enable automation for Legionella screening - a key development to respond to the increased testing required by the EU Drinking Water Directive legislation. The Spiller lab is also currently leading the international standardisation of antimicrobial susceptibility testing for Legionella pneumonia and other clinical Legionella species in Legionella reference laboratories across Europe and at the CDC. This latter project is currently being supported through funding by the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID).

Group B Strep (Streptococcus agalactiae) research

The laboratory has a particular interest in characterising the mobility of Integral Conjugative Elements carrying accumulations of antibiotic resistance genes in GBS. Beyond work examining neonatal sepsis in LMICs, the laboratory also has active collaborations with the UK Health Security Agency, Sanger Sequencing Institute Cambridge and St. George’s University London to characterise increases in antimicrobial resistance in invasive GBS in all age groups.

Sexual Health Patient Research

The Spiller laboratory has been the UK reference laboratory for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Ureaplasmas and Mycoplasmas for the UK Health Security Agency for the past decade. This arises from an internationally recognised expertise for these sexually transmitted infections. There have been 3 previously funded studentships that have now come to a conclusion examining the epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance prevalence and pathogenicity in Welsh Sexual Health patients in collaboration with our clinical lead Dr. Lucy Jones. These studies include: (1) the MYCO WELL D-ONE study (2016-2017; IRAS ) examining 1000 Welsh patients attending walk-in Sexual Health NHS clinics in Rhondda Cynon Taf for infection by Ureaplasma parvum, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Mycoplasma hominis and Mycoplasma genitalium. (2) The UROGEN study (2017-2018; IRAS ), which included the first validation of the Mycoplasma IST3 assay ( BioMerieiux, France) on 500 symptomatic sexual health patients attending walk-in sexual health clinics at Keir Hardie Health park and St David's Hospital. This project expanded to include chromogenic culture diagnostic assays for Neisseria spp., E. coli, Group B Streptococcus, Candida, Trichomonas vaginalis, Gardnerella vaginalis, Staphylococcus and Enterococcus spp. and (3) The Antibiotic Guardian Study (2019-2022), in collaboration with Public Health Wales and Cwm Taf University Health Trust, that examined the feasibility of directing rapid targeted therapeutic intervention using commercial SpeeDx assays for detecting resistant infections of Mycoplasma and Neisseria gonorrhoea.

Currently our laboratory is collaborating with Public Health Wales to reevaluate culture based antimicrobial susceptibility testing for Neisseria gonorrhoea as well (Master’s student Leanne Davies).

Biography

Originally a Canadian Microbiologist from Vancouver, I initially came to the U.K. to examine innate immune evasion of microbes. From 2000 to 2005 I established an independent research group through the Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellowship Program, before joining the Department of Child Health at University Hosptial of Wales in 2005 to develop a new research theme examining antimicrobial resistance in bacterial infections of premature neonates.  This led to my establishing the leading U.K. reference laboratory for investigations of Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma infections. These cell wall-less bacteria are inherently resistant to most antimicrobials and are the leading cause of preterm birth and are emerging as respiratory pathogens.  I recently completed my third elected term as the Secretary-General of the International Organisation of Mycoplasmology.

In 2012, I began a Royal Society funded collaboration with the University of Western Australia to investigate intrauterine microbial pathology and develop new antibiotics that were safe and effective for use in pregnant women.  These collaborations resulted in my being awarded an adjunct Assistant Professorship at the University of Western Australia's School of Women's and Infant's Health, Perth, Australia in 2014. The success of the Cardiff-Australia collaborations led to a promotion to Associate Professor in 2021.

Also in 2015, I joined the All Wales Antimicrobial Resistance Research unit, headed by Prof. Timothy Walsh, and have been expanding my research of antimicrobial resistance to other bacteria.  As a result in 2017, I have new research projects characterising Group B Streptococcus strains isolated from U.K. sepsis patients and characterisation of Legionella pnuemophilia isolates from U.K. outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease, also known as legionellosis.  

In 2020, I was appointed as Head of Medical Microbiology where I continue to support and expand our team of researchers including early career researchers and academic clinicians.  Currently I lead the characterisation of Gram-positive blood stream isolates in neonates across Africa and South East Asia in collaboration with the Ineos Oxford Institute (24 sites across 8 countries: BARNARDS phase 2), as well as leading the international standardisation to unify the Antimicrobial Resistance Testing for Legionella across Europe. 

Education and qualifications:

1995: PhD (Pathology), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. Canada

Honours and awards

• 2000 Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellowship
• 2015 Awarded Honorary Adjunct Assistant Professorship at the University of Western Australia
• 2020 Awarded the Derrick Edward Award for contribution to the field of Mycoplasmology by the International Organisation of Mycoplasmology
• 2020 Awarded Honorary contract for Consulting Microbiologist with Public Health England
• 2021 Promoted to Honorary Adjunct Associate Professorship at the Universtiy of Western Australia

Supervisions

Current supervision

Ian Boostrom

Lab Manager, Medical Microbiology Research

Jawaria Aziz

Jordan Mathias

Leanne Davies

Caitlin Farley

PhD Student/Research Assistant

Maxi Sewell Sewell

Cameron Phillips

Past projects

July. 2023-July. 2027   Caitlin Farley  (primary supervisor for Ph.D. in Med Micro)  “Comparison Of Enterococci Antimicrobial Resistance And Virulence For Sepsis Isolates From LMIC And UK.”

Apr. 2023-Apr. 2024   Leanne Davies  (primary supervisor for M.Phil in Med Micro)  “Evaluation of media for the susceptibility testing of N. gonorrhoeae.”

Jan. 2023-Jan. 2027   Jawaria Aziz (primary supervisor for Ph.D. in Med Micro)  “The burden of Coagulase-negative Staphylococci antimicrobial resistance in neonatal sepsis in the LMIC”

Jan. 2023-Jan. 2027   Jordan Mathias (primary supervisor for Ph.D. in Med Micro)  “The burden of Staphylococcus aureus antimicrobial resistance in neonatal sepsis in the LMIC”

Jul. 2021-Jul. 2025     Ian Boostrom (primary supervisor for Ph.D. in Med Micro)  “Improving detection of Legionella species from environmental and clinical sources)”

Sep. 2019-Sep. 2023   Martin Sharratt (primary supervisor for Ph.D. in Med Micro)  “The Antibiotic Guardian Study (targeted therapeutics based on rapid diagnostics)”

Sep. 2018-Sep. 2021   Mei Li (replacement supervisor for Ph.D. in Med Micro)  “Assessment of global impact of mcr-1/mcr-3 mediated colistin resistance” Successfully defended

Jan. 2018-Jan. 2021   Katy Thomson (replacement supervisor for Ph.D. in Med Micro)  “Assessment of antibiotic resistance in pathogens causing neonatal sepsis, associated mortality and recommended treatment options in low- and middle- income countries” Successfully defended 16/12/2022

Sep. 2017-Sep. 2021   Dr. Edward Portal  (primary supervisor for Ph.D. in Med Micro)  “Phylogenetics, sequence-type characterisation and persistence of Legionella pneumophila in patients and the environment” Successfully defended 23/02/2022

Sep. 2017-Sep. 2021   Dr. Uzma Basit Khan  (primary supervisor for Ph.D. in Med Micro)  “Detailed genomic and antimicrobial resistance comparison of UK Streptococcus agalactiae isolates from adults to those of diverse global origins” Successfully defended 22/02/2021

Sep. 2014-Sep. 2018   Dr. Qui Yang  (co-supervisor for Ph.D. in Med Micro)  “Multifaceted aspects of MCR-mediated colistin resistance: Fitness, virulence, environmental reservoirs and genomic insights” Successfully defended 02/10/201513/08/2018

Oct. 2017-Sep. 2019   Mr. Daniel Morris  (primary supervisor for MPhil. in Med Micro)  “MYCO WELL D-ONE: Can a new rapid diagnostic test for Ureaplasma and Mycoplasma detect infections” Successfully defended 19/07/2019

Sep. 2012-Sep. 2015   Dr. Shatha Ahmed  (primary supervisor for Ph.D. in Child Health)  “Antigenic Ureaplasma variation and adaptation to in vivo and in vitro immune pressure” Successfully defended 02/10/2015

Oct. 2012-Oct. 2015   Miss. Rebecca Brown  (primary supervisor for Ph.D. in Child Health)  “Determining Mycoplasma susceptibility to and evasion from the innate immune system” Successfully defended 16/06/2016.

Jan. 2011-Jan. 2015   Mrs. Amina Bshina  (primary supervisor for Ph.D. in Child Health)  “Intracellular and cell-surface Neutrophil proteinase levels and distribution: changes following extravasation and microbial infection” Successfully defended 05/02/2015

Jan. 2010-Jan. 2014   Mr. Ali Aboklaish (primary supervisor for Ph.D. in Child Health)  “Determining the Immunodominant antigens from Ureaplasma parvum and their stability under immunological pressure” Successfully defended 01/12/2014.

Oct. 2009-Oct. 2010   Dr. Salima Abdulla (primary supervisor for M.D. in Child Health)  “Developmental Innate Immunodeficiency: Comparison of Term Neonatal Neutrophil Proteinase and Complement component levels relative to Adults” Successfully defended 07/12/2012

Oct. 2006-Oct. 2009   Mr. Michael Beeton (primary supervisor for Ph.D. in Child Health)  “Mechanism of Macrolide (antibiotic) resistance of Ureaplasma isolated from Newborn Preterm Infants.” Successfully defended 31/03/2010.

Mar. 2006-Mar. 2007 Dr. Phil Davies (co-supervisor for M.D. in Child Health)  “Presence and pharmaceutical administration of alpha-1-anti-trypsin in paediatric lung disease and cystic fibrosis.”  Successfully defended 25 June 2008.