# Investigating the relationship between antibiotics and nosocomial pneumonia.

> **NIH NIH R21** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2020 · $254,250

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Pneumonia accounts for more deaths than any other infectious disease worldwide. Methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most common causes of hospital-acquired pneumonia. The
prevalence of MRSA is increasing worldwide. To confront the growing problem of MRSA, we require a greater
understanding of the host-pathogen interactions during infection. This remains poorly understood partly due to
the lack of in vivo models relevant to infections occurring in healthcare settings. Most research to date has
focused on highly virulent and cytotoxic MRSA strains, despite the fact that many nosocomial infections are
caused by MRSA isolates that exhibit low virulence in ex vivo models and in normal mice. This proposal aims to
functionally dissect host- and bacterial-directed mechanisms that lead to mortality in nosocomial settings. The
work proposed in this exploratory R21 is novel as it utilizes a new nosocomial murine model of antibiotic
conditioning, which we found lowers the barrier to infection, mimicking hospitalized patients. Using this model,
we will investigate how low cytotoxic strains, which are avirulent in healthy mice, are capable of inducing
pneumonia. This study is also technically innovative, as Dual RNA-seq will be utilized for the first time in MRSA
infected lungs to identify pathogen and host gene-networks important during nosocomial infections. Altogether,
the proposed work can greatly impact the development of new treatment strategies against MRSA by discovering
novel bacterial factors which may be exploited for therapeutic benefit, as well as host pathways that could be
targeted by future immunotherapies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9879846
- **Project number:** 1R21AI149350-01
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Victor J. Torres
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $254,250
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-01-01 → 2021-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9879846

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9879846, Investigating the relationship between antibiotics and nosocomial pneumonia. (1R21AI149350-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9879846. Licensed CC0.

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