Professor of Clinical Microbiology Tom Rogers Delivers Inaugural Lecture

Posted on: 12 May 2011

Professor of Clinical Microbiology at Trinity College Dublin and Consultant Microbiologist at St James’s Hospital, Dublin, Tom Rogers gave his inaugural lecture titled, ‘Of moulds and men, and other microbes along the way’, on Wednesday May 11th last. 

In his lecture, Professor Rogers highlighted how medical advances have dramatically improved survival from previously lethal diseases. Examples included acute leukaemias that are treated by chemotherapy or haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and liver, heart-lung or kidney failure treated by solid organ transplantation.  These treatments cause suppression of patients’ ability to fight infection not just during the most intensive stages in hospital but often for months or years thereafter.

TCD’s Head of the School of Medicine and Vice Provost of Medical Affairs, Professor Dermot Kelleher, Professor of Clinical Microbiology, Tom Rogers and Dean of Health Sciences, Professor Colm Ó ‘Moráin.

To a significant extent bacterial and viral infections have been addressed by improved diagnostics and better antimicrobial therapy.  However a major challenge remains due to the emergence of invasive fungal infections, in particular due to the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus.

Aspergillus fumigatu is a ubiquitous mould which we all breathe in with, in most cases, no harmful effects.  By contrast, in the immunologically compromised patient, a lethal lung infection can result. Furthermore this fungus has come to prominence as a pathogen in cystic fibrosis, chronic lung diseases, and in patients taking Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF) inhibitors.  An additional pathogenic role is in allergic lung diseases.

Professor Rogers lecture focused on understanding the mechanisms  that explain why Aspergilllus is a pathogen, why patients are susceptible, and highlighted efforts to diagnose the infection early enough to improve survival.  The nosocomial pathogen Clostridium difficile was also reviewed which has possibly caused more deaths in hospitalised patients over the past decade than MRSA.

About Professor Rogers:

Tom Rogers is Professor of Clinical Microbiology in TCD and Consultant Microbiologist St James’s Hospital Dublin.  He is Clinical Director of the Irish Mycobacteria Reference Laboratory.  His research interest is infection in immunologically compromised patients particularly focused on fungal infections that occur during leukaemia therapy and transplantation.  He is also undertaking clinical research on hospital infections and antibiotic resistance.  He is currently President of the Healthcare Infection Society.