Professor
of Clinical Microbiology
Head,
Molecular Bacteriology and Immunology
Group
I have had a long-standing interest in the study of Neisseria meningitidis infections and vaccine development. My main focus is on the molecular pathogenesis of, and human genetic response to, N. meningitidis and Campylobacter jejuni. My research group and I are interested in defining the role of bacterial virulence factors in host-pathogen interaction and identifying their host receptors. We have also studied the population genetics of N. meningitidis and made significant contributions to this field. More recently, we have developed interest in studying the dynamics and genome evolution of N. meningitidis, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Clinical
duties
My clinical committments consist of the management of patients with infectious
diseases, control of hospital infection, and participating in the professional
aspects of the diagnostic laboratory at Nottingham Unverisity Hospitals NHS
Trust.
Teaching
commitments.
In addition to giving lectures, I have had the
following organisational roles:
- Founder/Director of the MSc
course in Clinical Microbiology (2004-2007)
- Convener of the Advnaced Clinical Microbiology module of the above MSc course
(2004-).
- Organisor and coordinator (1998-2005) of the "Medical
Microbiology" course in our B.Med.Sci
(Faculty of Medicine)
- Convener of the "Bacterial pathogenesis and
infection" module of our M.Sc. course in Molecular
Medical
Microbiology (1999-2006)
National boards and professional organisations
Current:
Director of Research, Royla
College of Pathologists (2009-)
Chariman, Infection Research Subcommittee-Microbiology, Royal College of Physicians
and Royal College of Pathologists (2007-)
Member, MRC-IIB; Medical Research Council's
Infections
and Immunity Board (2006-)
Member, College of Experts, Medical
Research Council's Infections and Immunity Board (2005-)
Member, Specialty Advisory
Committee, Royal College of Pathologists,
UK (2006-)
Research Lead for Medical Microbiology (SAC), Royal
College of Pathologists UK (2006-)
Senior Examiner in MRCPath Microbiology, Royal
College of Pathologists, UK (2005-)
Member, Health Protection
Agency (& formerly PHLS) Meningococcus Forum, UK (1998- )
Editorial Board member, BMC
Microbiology (2005-)
Previous
Deputy Director of Centre
for Infection (Specialist and Reference Microbiology), Health Protection Agency
(Secondment 2007-2009)
Chairman, Federation of Infection
Societies (FIS) Scientific Committee (2007)
Chairman, Clinical
Microbiology Group of the Society
for General Microbiology, UK (2004 -2009 )
Board Member, Blueskies
Medical Microbiology Project, Royal College
of Pathologists, UK (2005-8)
Trent Regional Committee, Royal College of Pathologists,
(2001-4)
Editorial Board member,
Journal of Medical Microbiology (2002-2009)
Editorial Board member, Journal
of Infection, (2001-4)
Oldfield NJ, Worrall KE, Rycroft AN, Ali T, Wooldridge and Ala'Aldeen DAA (2009) AasP autotransporter protein of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae does not protect pigs against homologous challenge. Vaccine. in press.
Orihuela C, Mahdavi J, Thornton J, Mann B, Wooldridge KG, Abouseada N, Oldfield NJ, Self T, Ala'Aldeen DAA, Tuomanen EI. (2009) Laminin receptor initiates contact of bacterial with the blood brain barrier in experimental meningitis models. J Clin Invest. 2009 119:1638-1646. (joint senior author). Paper highlighted in Nature [Bacterial break-in. (2009) Nature. 459: p487: 28 May 2009]
Li Y, Wooldridge KG, Javed
MA, Tang C and Ala'Aldeen DAA (2009) Secreted proteins of Neisseria meningitidis
protect mice against infection. Vaccine. 27:2320-5
Spence PR, Wright V, Ala’Aldeen
DAA, Turner DPJ, Wooldridge KG Wooldridge and James R (2008) Validation of a
Virulence and Epidemiology (VirEp) DNA microarray for Staphylococcus aureus.
J Clin Microbiol. 46, 1620-1627..
Ali T, Oldfield NJ, Wooldridge KG, Turner DPJ, and Ala'Aldeen DAA (2008) Functional
characterization of AasP, a maturation protease autotransporter protein of Actinobacillus
pleuropneumoniae. Infect. Immun. 76, 5608-5614.
Oldfield NJ, Donovan EA†, Worrall KE, Wooldridge KG, Langford PR, Rycroft AN & Ala'Aldeen DAA (2008). Identification and characterization of novel antigenic vaccine candidates of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. Vaccine 26, 1942-1954.
Maiden MCJ, Ibarz-Pavón AB, Urwin R, Gray SJ, Andrews NJ, Clarke SC, Walker AM, Evans MR, Kroll JS, Neal KR, Ala'Aldeen DAA, Crook DW, Cann K, Harrison S, Cunningham R, Baxter D, Kaczmarski E, MacLennan J, Cameron JC, Stuart JM. (2007) Impact of meningococcal serogroup C conjugate vaccines on carriage and herd immunity. J Infect Dis; In press
Ashgar SSA, Oldfield NJ,
Wooldridge KG, Jones MA, Irving GJ, Turner DPJ and Ala’Aldeen DAA (2007).
CapA, an Autotransporter Protein of Campylobacter jejuni, Mediates Association
with Human Epithelial Cells and Colonization of the Chicken Gut. J. Bacteriol.
189: 1856–1865.
Oldfield NJ, Bland SJ, Taraktsoglou M, Dos-Ramos F, Robinson K, Wooldridge KG
and Ala’Aldeen DAA (2007) T-cell stimulating protein a (TspA) of Neisseria
meningitidis is required for optimal adhesion to human cells. Cellular Microbiol.
9, 463–478.
Turner DPJ, Marietou AG. Johnston L, Ho KKL, Rogers AJ, Wooldridge KG Ala’Aldeen
DAA (2006). Characterisation of MspA - an immunogenic autotransporter protein
mediating adhesion to epithelial and endothelial cells in Neisseria meningitides.
Infect Immun, 74 ,2957–2964
Wooldridge KG, Kizil M , Wells DB & Ala'Aldeen DAA (2005) Unusual Genetic
Organization of a Functional Type I Protein Secretion System in Neisseria meningitidis.
Infect Immun. 73, 5554-5567
Robinson K, Wooldridge KG, Wells D, Dos Ramos F, Hasan A, Todd I, Robins A, James R, Ala'Aldeen DAA (2005). T-Cell-Stimulating Protein A Elicits Immune Responses during Meningococcal Carriage and Human Disease. Infect Immun. 73, 4684-4693
Ala’Aldeen DAA, Dangerfield P, Benbow E, Barer M, Irving W. (2005). Teaching Microbiology to Medical Students-debate. Microbiology Today. Aug. p134-135.
Henderson IR, Navarro-Garcia F, Desvaux M Fernandez R and Ala'Aldeen DAA (2004). Type V secretion pathway: the autotransporter story. MMBR. 68: 692-744.
Robinson K, Taraktsoglou K, Rowe K, Wooldridge KG, Ala'Aldeen DAA (2004). Secreted proteins from Neisseria meningitidis mediate differential human gene expression and immune activation. Cellular Microbiology. 6: 927-938.
Constantin D, Cordenier A, Robinson K, Ala'Aldeen DAA, Murphy S (2004) Neisseria meningitidis induced death of cerebrovascular endothelium: mechanisms triggering transcriptional activation of inducible nitric oxide synthase". J Neurochem. 89; 1166 1174.
Goulding JN, Stanley J, Olver W, Neal KR, Ala'Aldeen DAA and Arnold C (2003), Independent subsets of amplified fragments from the genome of Neisseria meningitidis identify the same invasive clones of ET37 and ET5 J Med Microbiol, 52, 151-154
Bebb JR, Bailey-Flitter N, Ala'Aldeen DAA and Atherton JA (2003) Mastic gum has no effect on Helicobacter pylori load in vivo. J Antimicrob Chemother 52, 522-523
Loughlin MF, Ala'Aldeen DAA and Jenks P (2003) Monotherapy with mastic does not eradicate Helicobacter pylori infection from mice. J Antimicrob Chemother. 51,367-71
Turner DPJ, Wooldridge KG, Ala'Aldeen DAA. (2002) Autotransported serine protease A(AspA) of Neisseria meningitidis: an immunogenic, surface-exposed outer-membrane and secreted protein. Infect Immun, 70, 4447-4461.
Maiden et al (2002) Carriage of serogroup C meningococci 1 year after meningococcal C conjugate polysaccharide vaccinatino. Lancet 359. p1829-30
Ala'Aldeen DAA. (2002) A non-mulitresistant community MRSA exposes its genome. Lancet 359. 1791-2
Constantin D, DAA Ala'Aldeen, S Murphy (2002) Transcriptional activation of nitric oxide synthase-2, and NO-induced cell death, in mouse cerebrovascular endothelium exposed to Neisseria meningitidis. J Neurochem 81; 270-276.
Robinson K, KR Neal, C Howard, J Stockton, K Atkinson, E Scarth, J Moran, A Robins, I Todd, E Kaczmarski, S Gray, I Muscat, R Slack and DAA Ala'Aldeen. (2002). Characterisation of humoral and cellular immune responses elicited by meningococcal carriage. Infect Immun 70; 1301-1309.
Ala'Aldeen DAA. (2001) Risk of deliberately induced anthrax outbreak. Lancet 358. p1387
Abdel Hadi H, Wooldridge KG, Robinson K, Ala’Aldeen DAA. (2001) Identification and Characterisation of App: an Immunogenic Autotransporter Protein of Neisseria meningitidis. Mol Microbiol. 41, 611-624.
Ala'Aldeen DAA and H Grundmann (2001) Unveiling of genetic basis of resistance of S. aureus to antibiotics. Lancet, 357; 1218-1219.
Turner PC, CE. Thomas, I Stojiljkovic, C Elkins, G Kizel, DAA Ala'Aldeen, and P. F. Sparling (2001). Neisserial TonB-dependent outer-membrane proteins: detection, regulation and distribution of three putative candidates identified from the genome sequences. Microbiology 147: 1277-1290
Wells D, Teigh P, Wooldridge KG, Robinson K, Ala’Aldeen DAA (2001). Differential gene expression during meningeal-meningococcal interaction: evaluation for self-defence and early release of cytokines and chemokines. Infect Immun, 69; 2718-2722.
Goulding JN, Hookey JV, Stanley J, Olver W, Neal KR, Ala’Aldeen DAA, Arnold C. (2000). Fluorescent amplified-fragment length polymorphism genotyping of Neisseria meningitidis identfies clones associated with invasive disease. J Clin Microbiol; 38, 4580-4585.
Ait-Tahar K, KG Wooldridge, DPJ Turner, M Atta, I Todd, DAA Ala'Aldeen (2000) Auto-transporter A (AutA) protein of Neisseria meningitidis: a potent CD4+ T-cell and B-cell stimulating antigen detected by expression cloning. Mol Microbiol. 37, 1094-1105.
Ala'Aldeen DAA , KR Neal,
K Ait-Tahar, JS Nguyen-Van-Tam, A English, TJ Falla, PM Hawkey, RCB Slack (2000).
Dynamics of meningococcal long-term carriage among University students and their
implications on mass-vaccination. J Clin Microbiol. 38:2311-2316.
Neal KR, JS Nguyen-Van-Tam, R Madeley, K Ait-Tahar, M Vale, RCB Slack, DAA Ala'Aldeen.
(2000) Changing carriage rate of Neisseria meningitidis amongst university
students during the first week of term. cross sectional study. BMJ
320: 846-849.
Kizil G, I Todd , M Atta, SP Borriello, K Ait-Tahar and DAA Ala'Aldeen. (1999)Identification
and characterisation of TspA, a major CD4+ T-cell and B-cell stimulating Neisseria-specific
antigen. Infect Immun. 67, 3533-3541.
Neal KR, JS Nguyen-Van-Tam, RCB Slack, EB Kaczmarski, A White, DAA Ala'Aldeen.
(1999) Seven week interval between acquisition of a meningococcus and the onset
of invasive disease. Epidemiol Infect. 123: 507-9.
Huwez FU, D Thirwell, A
Cockayne, DAA Ala'Aldeen. (1998) Mastic gum kills Helicobacter pylori.
New Eng J Med. 339, 1946.
Powell NBL, Bishop K, Palmer HM, Ala'Aldeen DAA, Gorringe AR and Borriello SP
(1998) Differential binding of apo and holo human transferrin to meningococci
and co-localisation of the transferrin binding proteins (TbpA and TbpB). J
Med Microbiol, 47, 257-264.
Ala'Aldeen DAA and Borriello
SP. (1996) The meningococcal transferrin-binding proteins 1 and 2 are both surface
exposed and generate bactericidal antibodies capable of killing homologous and
heterologous strains. Vaccine, 13, 49-53.
Ala'Aldeen DAA , Westphal AH, de Kok A, Weston V, Atta M, Baldwin TJ, Bartley
J, and Borriello SP (1996). Cloning, Sequencing, Characterisation and implications
on vaccine design of the Novel Dihydrolipoyl Acetyltransferase of Neisseria
meningitidis. J Med Microbiol ; 45, 419-432.
Pintor M, Ferrón C, Gomez JA, Powell NBL, Ala'Aldeen DAA, Borriello SP, Criado1 MT and Ferreirós CM. (1996) Blocking of Iron Uptake from Transferrin by Antibodies Against the Transferrin Binding Proteins in Neisseria meningitidis. Microb Pathog; 20, 127-139.
Ala'Aldeen DAA, Stevenson
P, Griffiths E, Gorringe A, Iron L, Robinson A, Hyde S, and Borriello SP. (1994)
Immune response in humans and animals to meningococcal transferrin-binding proteins:
implications for vaccine design. Infect. Immun 62: 2984-2900.
Ala'Aldeen DAA, Davies HA, Wall RA, Borriello SP. (1994) The 70 kilodalton iron
regulated protein of Neisseria meningitidis: studies on surface exposure
and functional attributes of common epitopes. Vaccine, 12: 535-541.
Bhatt R, Ala’Aldeen DAA, Baldwin T, and Borriello SP. (1994) The 126 Kilodalton
protein of Listeria monocytogenous is not a transferrin binding protein. FEMS
Microbiol Lett, 123: 119-124.
Atta M, Lim KL, Ala’Aldeen DAA, Powell RJ, Todd I. (1994) Detection of anti-fibronectin antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus. Ann Rheum Dis 54: 117-124.
Ala'Aldeen, DAA, Powell NBL, Wall RA, Borriello SP. (1993). Localisation of the meningococcal receptors for human transferrin. Infect. Immun. 61: 751-759.
Ala'Aldeen, DAA, Borriello SP, Griffiths E. (1993). Alteration of transfer ribonucleic acid of Neisseria meningitidis following growth in the presence of human transferrin. J Med Microbiol. 38: 442-448.
Wilton J, Ala'Aldeen DAA, Palmer HM, Borriello SP. (1993). Cloning and partial sequence of transferrin-binding protein 2 of Neisseria meningitidis using a novel method:Twin N-terminal PCR. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 107: 59-66.
Palmer HM, Powell NBL, Ala'Aldeen DAA, Wilton J and Borriello SP. (1993). Neisseria meningitidis transferrin-binding protein 1 expressed in Escherichia coli is surface exposed and binds human transferrin. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 110: 139-146.
Griffiths E, Stevenson P, Byfeild P, Ala’Aldeen DAA, Borriello SP, Holland J, Parsons T, and Williams P. (1993) Antigenic relationship of transferrin binding proteins from Neisseria meningitidis, N. gonorrhoeae, and Haemophilus influenzae: Cross-reactivity of antibodies to NH2 terminal peptides. FEMS Microbiol Lett, 109: 85-92.
Palmer HM, Powell NBL, Ala’Aldeen DAA, Wilton J and Borriello SP. (1993). Neisseria meningitidis transferrin-binding protein 1 expressed in Escherichia coli is surface exposed and binds human transferrin. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 110: 139-146.
Ala’Aldeen DAA, Wall RA, Borriello SP. (1990) Immunogenicity and cross-reactivity of the 70-kDa iron-regulated protein of Neisseria meningitidis in man and animals. J Med Microbiol. 32: 275-281.
Ala’Aldeen DAA, Davies HA, Wall RA, Borriello SP. (1990) The 70-kDa iron-regulated protein of Neisseria meningitidis is not the receptor for human transferrin. FEMS Microbiol Lett 69: 37-42.
Ala’Aldeen DAA and
Barer MR (1989) Bacterial growth and toxin production in ileostomy effluents.
J Med Microbiol. 28: 287-290
Books, Chapters, reviews
Ala'Aldeen DAA, Wooldridge KGW and Turner DPJ (2009) Protein secretion and and pathogenesis in Neisseria meningitidis. In: Bacterial Secreted proteins: Secretary mechanisms and role in pathogenesis. Editors: Wooldridge KGW. Horizon Scientific Press.
Irving W, Boswell T and Ala’Aldeen DAA (2005) Instant notes in Medical Microbiology (300 pages). Bios Scientific Publishers Ltd. Oxford. [Book]
Ala’Aldeen DAA and Hiramatsu K (2004) Staphylococcus aureus: Clinical and molecular aspects. Horwood publishers, Chichester, UK. [Book]
Ala'Aldeen DAA (2004) Neisseria meningitidis. In: Principles and practice of clinical bacteriology. Editors: Gilaspy S. and Hawkey P. John Wiley and Sons, Chichester. Second edition.
Ala’Aldeen DAA (2002). Bacterial pathogenesis. In: Medical Microbiology. Editors: Greenwood D, Slack R, and Peutherer J. 15th Edition. Churchill Livingstone. London.
Ala'Aldeen DAA (1997) Neisseria meningitidis. In: Principles and practice of clinical bacteriology. Editors: Emmerson AM, Hawkey P and Gilaspy S. John Wiley and Sons, Chichester. p277-304.
Ala'Aldeen DAA (1997) Current developments in vaccines against meningococcal disease. Culture. 18, 1-4.
Westphal AH, de Kok A, Ala'Aldeen DAA, Atta M, Veenhuis, M. (1996) Lipoamide dehydrogenase from Neisseria meningitidis. Flavius and Flaboproteins (Ed. K.S. Stevenson). University of Calgery Press.
Ala'Aldeen DAA. (1996) Vaccines against Neisseria meningitidis: past, present and future. Biotecnologia Aplicada, 13, 1-7.
Ala'Aldeen DAA. (1996) Transferrin receptors of Neisseria meningitidis: promising candidates for a broadly cross-protective vaccine. J Med Microbiol. 44, 237-243.
Ala'Aldeen DAA (1996) Meningococcal
vaccines: the challenge and the prospects. PHLS Micobiol Dig, 13, 152-157.
Ala'Aldeen DAA and Cartwright KAV (1996) Neisseria meningitidis: Vaccines and
vaccine candidates . J Infect. 33, 153-157.
Cartwright KAV and Ala'Aldeen DAA (1996) Neisseria meningitidis: Clinical Aspects. J Infect. 34, 19-23.
Ala’Aldeen DAA and Hormaeche C. (1995) Clinical and molecular aspects of bacterial vaccine development. 400 pages. John Willey and Sons. Chichester. [Book]
Ala’Aldeen DAA and Griffiths E. (1995) Vaccines against meningococcal diseases. In: Molecular and clinical aspects of vaccine development. Editors: Ala’Aldeen DAA and Hormaeche C E. John Wiley andSons, Chichester. p 1-39.
Professor
Dlawer A.A. Ala'Aldeen
Molecular Bacteriology and Immunology Group
Division
of Microbiology & Infectious Diseases
University Hospital
Queen's
Medical Centre
Nottingham NG7 2UH
United Kingdom
Tel:
(44) 115 823 0748 (direct)
(44)
115 823 0771 (secretary)
Fax: (44) 115 823 0759
email: daa@nottingham.ac.uk
Molecular
Bacteriology and Immunology Group
Division
of Microbiology & Infectious Diseases
University
of Nottingham