Research

Research1: Research on infectious diarrhea

In India, diarrhea caused by various pathogens (such as Vibrio cholerae, Shigella spp., pathogenic Escherichia coli, and Campylobacter spp., rotavirus and norovirus) are widespread. In Japan, where the infrastructure for daily life is well developed, the term "infectious diarrhea" may not be familiar to many. However, there is an increasing need to study these pathogens as causative microorganisms of travelers' diarrhea, as well as from the perspective of food hygiene management, such as contamination of imported foods. Our unit is approaching to clarify the actual situation of infectious diarrhea in developing countries, including India, by making full use of a variety of methods, including epidemiological surveys of diarrhea, genomic and metagenomic analysis of pathogens, and meta-analysis of pathogens and diarrhea using literature information. In particular, we are actively conducting research on asymptomatic carriers of V. cholerae (people carrying the pathogen but having no symptoms) and are accumulating interesting new knowledge.

Research2: Research on mutation and drug resistance of Vibrio cholerae

Kolkata city of our unit's research site is one of the epicenters of global cholera epidemic that continues to this day. Taking advantage of the fact that V. cholerae are readily available in this area, we systematically collect a large number of cholera bacteria from hospitalized patients for use in our research. Current research focuses on the analysis of antibiotic resistance and genetic changes over time in V. cholerae, as well as elucidating the toxins and factors involved in the toxicity and pathogenicity of epidemic strains at the genetic level. In parallel, we are also conducting research to clarify the mechanism of genome evolution of V. cholerae through analysis using next-generation sequencers. Through such research, we hope to develop efficient methods of controlling and preventing cholera.