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Cambridge Immunology Network

 

Research

Professor Peacock is a clinical microbiologist based within the Departments of Medicine and Pathology. She is an Honorary Consultant Microbiologist for the Health Protection Agency and the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, and holds an Honorary Faculty position at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.

Professor Peacock’s group focuses on the development, evaluation and introduction of high-throughput genome sequencing technologies into diagnostic and public health microbiology. Proof of principle will be achieved by a project to develop a system to track transmission of the nosocomial pathogen methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in real-time. This technology will subsequently be extended to track transmission of other important human pathogens, and the programme expanded to include genotypic susceptibility testing of slow growing pathogens. This work represents a close collaboration with the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the Health Protection Agency.

Publications

Key publications: 

Harris SR, Cartwright EJP, Török ME, Holden MTG, Brown NM, Ogilvy-Stuart AL, Ellington MJ, Quail MA, Bentley SD, Parkhill J, Peacock SJ. Using Whole-Genome Sequencing to Dissect the Cause and Effect of an MRSA Outbreak. Lancet Infect Dis. 2012 In press.

Köser CU, Holden MTG, Ellington MJ, Cartwright EJP, Brown NM, Ogilvy-Stuart AL, Hsu LY, Chewapreecha C, Croucher NJ, Harris SR, Sanders M, Enright MC, Dougan G, Bentley SD, Parkhill J, Fraser LJ, Betley JR, Schulz-Trieglaff OB, Smith GP, Peacock SJ. A neonatal MRSA outbreak investigation using rapid whole genome sequencing. New Engl J Med. 2012;363:2267-2275.

Wiersinga WJ, Currie BJ, Peacock SJ. Melioidosis. New Engl J Med. 2012;367:1035-44.

Köser CU, Ellington MJ, Cartwright EJP, Gillespie SH, Brown NM, Farrington M, Holden MT, Dougan G, Bentley SD, Parkhill J, Peacock SJ. Routine use of microbial whole genome sequencing in diagnostic and public health microbiology. PLoS Pathogens 2012;8:e1002824.

Chantratita N, Rholl DA, Sim B, Wuthiekanun V, Limmathurotsakul D, Amornchai P, Thanwisai A, Chua HH, Ooi WF, Holden MT, Day NP, Tan P, Schweizer HP, Peacock SJ. Antimicrobial resistance to ceftazidime involving loss of penicillin-binding protein 3 in Burkholderia pseudomallei. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2011;108:17165-70. 

GarcÍa-Álvarez L, Holden MT, Lindsay H, Webb CR,Brown DF, Curran MD, Walpole E, Brooks K, Pickard DJ, Teale C, Parkhill J, Bentley SD, Edwards GF, Girvan EK, Kearns AM, Pichon B, Hill RL, Larsen AR, Skov RL, Peacock SJ, Maskell DJ, Holmes MA. Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with a novel mecA homologue in human and bovine populations in the UK and Denmark: a descriptive study. Lancet Infect Dis. 2011; 11:595-603.

Harris SR, Feil EJ, Holden MT, Quail MA, Nickerson EK, Chantratita N, Gardete S, Tavares A, Day N, Lindsay JA, Edgeworth JD, de Lencastre H, Parkhill J, Peacock SJ, Bentley SD. Evolution of MRSA during hospital transmission and intercontinental spread. Science. 2010;327(5964):469-74.

 

Professor Sharon  Peacock
Available for consultancy

Affiliations

Classifications: 
Departments and institutes: 
Person keywords: 
genomics
staphylococcus aureus
clinical microbiology
diagnostics
melioidosis