Address: 31 Burke Road North, East Ivanhoe, Victoria 3079.

Telephone: 9499 4871 (AH), 93422669 (BH)

email address: weet@hna.ffh.vic.gov.au

Citizenship: Australian since 1982

Education:

Secondary Education

1971 HSC (now VCE). Methodist Ladies College, Elsternwick, Victoria

Tertiary Education:

1972-1976

Bachelor of Science, Melbourne University.

Majoring in Microbiology and Biochemistry.

Degree conferred 10th March, 1977

1988

Master of Science, Melbourne University.

Thesis entitled "Collected Papers of Campylobacter Infections in Humans".

Degree conferred, 10th March, 1988.

1990-1993

PhD ( Medicine. ), Monash University,

Thesis entitled " Typing of Helicobacter pylori ".

Professional Background

Dec 1976- Jul 1978 Grade I Hospital Scientist ( Blood Transfusion Serologist), St.Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, Victoria. Work involved screening red cell antibodies and cross-matching.

Jul 1978 - Oct 1984 Grade I Hospital Scientist ( Diagnostic Microbiologist), Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital, Fairfield, Victoria.

Duties included all aspects of routine diagnostic bacteriology including the examination of pus, sputum, csf., blood, urine and faeces; media preparation; identification and confirmation of referred isolates from outside hospital; drug susceptibility testing and the RCPCA quality assurance program. Experience also included 6 months rotation in Mycobacterium Reference Laboratory.

Oct 1984 - May 1988 Grade II Medical Scientist (Development and Research). Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital, Fairfield, Victoria.

Duties involved developmental and research aspects of Bacteriology. Area of interests included Legionella, Leptospira and Campylobacter.

Major interest -Campylobacter. Participated in research projects dealing with Campylobacter enteritis and Helicobacter (Campylobacter) pylori associated gastroduodenal diseases (see publications list).

May 1988 - present Grade III Medical Scientist, promoted to position as a Specialist Microbiologist (Development and Research) and Scientist-in charge of Campylobacter Reference Laboratory, Clinical Pathology, now part of the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory. In addition to the above role, I have been involved in the reseach and developmental area of the Mycobacterium Reference Laboratory.

I have regularly received a large number of "atypical Campylobacters or "suspected Campylobacter" isolates that other laboratories had found difficulty to identify using basic biochemical tests. These isolates required the use of more advanced techniques for identification. Consequently, I have developed a number of molecular techniques such as DNA-DNA hybridization, protein banding gel electrophoresis, ribotyping and 16S rRNA gene sequencing to characterize these unusual organisms. Dealing with highly complex problems of precise identification and classification of 'difficult' and unusual bacteria including Campylobacters or Helicobacters has led me to broaden my knowledge in the use of molecular biology and gain expertise in this area. I have also gained experience in molecular epidemiology such as the typing of bacteria from outbreaks of Legionella, Campylobacter, Pasteurella multocida and Mycobacterium ulcerans using various molecular typing schemes that I have developed for these organisms. In 1989, I identified the first Australian outbreak of Campylobacter in a suburban army barrack. (See publication no.16).

In 1992, I developed a molecular typing method for the investigation of Legionella cases in Victoria (typing scheme developed- ribotyping and RAPD) at the request of Dr. Sally Ng from the Health Department. Recently, I have to type outbreak strains of Mycobacterium ulcerans from Phillip Islands using Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (P.F.G.E.) and also using P.F.G.E. to type toxigenic E. coli . I have cultured and identified a new species ofDesulfovibrio from two separate patients (publications 22, 24). Subsequently, a number of unusual blood culture isolates including anaerobic spiral organisms have been referred to this laboratory for characterization which constitute part of my present work. Current research projects being undertaken include the investigation of the role of "Desulfovibrio fairfieldensis" in human diseases, and the study of the role of anti-ganglioside antibodies and Campylobacter jejuni in Guillain-Barre syndrome. The second project is part of the collaborative study with Dr. Andrew Kronberg of the Neurology Department, Royal Children Hospital. This project is funded by the Royal Childrens Hospital Research Foundation.

1992-present Hononary Consultant for Helicobacter pylori infections, AMRAD Corporation Limited, Victoria, Australia. AMRAD, in conjuction with Fairfield Hospital, developed a commercial kit called HEL-p TEST^TM , a serological ELISA test for the detection of antibodies to Helicobacter pylori.). I was one of the team including Mr J. Kaldor and Dr B. Dwyer in the initial development and field testing of this commercial kit.

Teaching experience:

1980-1984 Teaching and training of medical staff, trainee technologists, post graduate nursing staff (Infectious Disease Course ) new graduate staff and visiting Microbiologists and trainee pathologists (Solomon Islands and Fiji)

1994-1996 Supervising and teaching Scientists from China ( Drs Pan and Gao) , Ireland (Dr.Hua Xiang Xia, Department of Clinical Microbiology, St. James Hospital, Dublin, Ireland - molecular typing methods), and Queensland (Ms Janet Montgomery of Department of Microbiology, Mater Misericordiae Adult Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland - Identification, differentiation and typing of Campylobacters).

1995-1997 Invited Tutor to final year Science students at the Department of Microbiology, Melbourne University.

1996- 1997 Supervising medical registrars undertaking project requirements for FRACP

1997-1998 Co-supervising an Honours student (with Dr Peter Janssen) at the Department of Microbiology, Melbourne University and a Master of Science student (with Professor Lyn Gilbert) at the University of Technology, New South Wales.

Membership of Societies and other Professional activities:

1978-1986 Associate member of Australian Society for Microbiology.

Nov, 1985 Admitted as Member of Australian Society for Microbiology. Member No. 729.

Commmitee member of Victorian branch ASM, 1985-1989.

Served as co-ordinator of Clinical Microbiology Special Interest Group, Victorian branch, 1987-1989. Conducted a Campylobacter Workshop in conjunction with Dr Martin Skirrow ( England ) for Victorian branch ASM , 1988.

1982- present Member of American Society for Microbiology.

1993- present Nominated as a member of an international molecular typing panel for the European Helicobacter pylori Study Group

1995- present Accepted as a Member of the International Committee on Campylobacter typing. (Representing Australia)

1995- 1997 Member of Fairfield Hospital Institutional Biosafety Committee (Director's nominee ) for Genetic Manipulation Advisary Committee.

1996-present Reviewer for the international journal " Clinical Infectious Diseases", Chicago Press.

National and International Collaborations:

1986-1988 with Drs John Richens and Beryl West, Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea.

1987-1990 with Dr. David N. Taylor, United States Army Medical Component, Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand.

(See publication no. 12).

1990-1991 with Dr. John Albert, Menzies Research Institute, Darwin and Amanda Leach, Alice Spring Hospital, Alice Spring. (See publication no. 15).

1992-1992 with Professor Roger Feldman, Department of Epidemiology & Medical Statistics, The London Hospital Medical College, London. This project involved participation of 26 laboratories world wide in the evaluation and standardisation of all commercial serological kits for H. pylori . I was nominated and accepted to be the Australian Co-ordinator (3 Australian Laboratories involved) for this project.

1992-1994 with Dr Hilpi Rautelin and Professor Timo U. Kosunen. Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, University of Helsinki, Finland (See publication no. 17)

1995- 1996 with Professor Diane E. Taylor, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.

1996- with Drs Andrew Kronberg, Brian Speed and Mr Jakov Kaldor, Department of Neurology, University of Melbourne (Royal Children Hospital), and Department of infectious Diseases, Austin Medical Centre, Victoria.

1996- with Drs Michael Dyall-Smith and Peter Janssen, Department of Microbiology, University of Melbourne, Parkville. (See publication No. 22).

Papers presented at conferences.

National Level: Presented papers and posters at the Australian Society for Microbiology Annual Conference in 1985 (1 paper), 1986 (2 papers),1988 (1 paper),1989 (2 papers), 1990 (1 papers),1991 (1 paper), 1992 (2 papers), 1994 (3 papers)

1995 (1 paper) and 1996 (1 paper).

Presented 2 papers at the Annual Scientific Meeting of Australian Society of Infectious Diseases Conference, 1996.

International Level:

1987 IVth International Workshop on Campylobacter infections. Gotenberg, Sweden. (3 papers presented).

1989 Vth International Workshop on Campylobacter Infections. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. (3 papers presented )

1990 VIth International Workshop on Campylobacter, Helicobacter and related organisms. Sydney, Australia.( 2 papers presented )

World Congress of Gastroenterology. Sydney, Australia.( 1 paper presented)

1991 IVth Workshop on Gastroduodenal Pathology and Helicobacter pylori- an annual meeting of the European Helicobacter pylori Study Group in Europe. Bologna, Italy.(1 paper presented)

1993 Digestive Disease Week (Annual Meeting of American Gastroenterology ) Boston, MA, U. S. A. ( 1 paper presented)

1993 Combined meeting of VIIth International Workshop on Campylobacter, Helicobacter and related organisms and VIth Workshop on Gastroduodenal Pathology and Helicobacter pylori. Brussels, Belgium.(3 papers presented)

1995 VIIth Workshop on Gastroduodenal Pathology and Helicobacter pylori. Edinborough, Scotland

VIIIth International Workshop on Campylobacter, Helicobacter and related organisms, Wincester, England. ( 1 paper presented).

1997 VIIIth International Workshop on Campylobacter, Helicobacter and related organisms. Cape Town, South Africa. Invited to co-chair a session on emerging pathogens and new infections in this conference. Also presented two oral papers.

Invited Lectures:

1995, 1996, 1997 Lecture entitled " The application of molecular epidemiology" given to final year

Science students, Microbiology Department, University of Melbourne.

1995 Infectious Diseases Grand round, Austin Hospital. "Helicobacter pylori infections"

1996 Fairfield Hospital's Grand round. " Campylobacter infections- two decades on"

Publications: See attached list.

Interests: Aerobics, reading, dining, basketball and cricket.

Referees:

1. Dr Brian Dwyer, formerly Director of Pathology, Fairfield Hospital, currently Clinical Microbiologist,, Royal Darwin Hospital, P.O Box 41326, Casuarina, Northern Territoty 5792.

2 Dr David E. Leslie, formerly Clinical Microbiologist, Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Fairfield Hospital, Currently in New South Wales. ( Phone: 02-44486023)

3. Dr Michael Dyall-Smith, Senior Lecturer, Microbiology Department, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3052.

4. Associate Professor John Lambert, formerly Director, Department of Medicine (Mornington Peninsular Hospital), University of Monash, Frankston. Currently in United Kingdom. (Fax: 44-122-3352298)

5. Dr. Martin Blaser, Head of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and VA Medical Centre, Nashville, Tennessee, U. S. A.

M. Dyall-Smith, 2000