Investigating the mechanisms underlying the relationship between severe anaemia and bacterial infections

Bacteria require iron to grow and multiply. The human immune system protects against bacterial infections by restricting access to iron, a process termed ?nutritional immunity?. I previously found that hospitalised children with severe anaemia were more likely to have invasive bacterial infections with specific bacteria. This could be due to disruption of their immune responses and/or disturbances of their iron control systems. I propose to investigate how severe anaemia affects immune responses to bacterial infections and to vaccines against bacteria. I will further explore the effects of severe anaemia on iron control systems during bacterial infections. I will analyse data and samples from bacterial vaccine trials and hospitalised children spanning over a period of 21 years. I anticipate that the findings from this project will influence the treatment and management options of children with severe anaemia in sub-Saharan Africa.