The microbiology research delivery team are one of the many essential cogs in the well-oiled machine that keep medical research moving at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB).

Led by Dr Anna Casey, a Clinical Research Scientist, the team works with any of the medical trials that require microbiology analysis input, as well as taking on responsibility for specific trials, on which they lead too.

Anna explained: “If any study has a microbiology element, then researchers should contact us to see what capacity there is for collaboration and what services can be provided.”

The centralisation of the service means that when samples are collected from wherever patients are located in the hospital, the microbiology team can still guarantee continuity in the collection and analysis of samples.

The team has recently expanded, thanks to funding from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), with the appointment of Liz Ratcliffe, a new research Biomedical Scientist (BMS) and the arrival of Research Nurse, Sophia Brown.

New to research, Sophia highlighted that working within Microbiology Research has highlighted the need for a thorough understanding of the research process and terminology, and an in-depth knowledge of the specialty. She said: “As nurses we play a key role as patient advocate, ensuring their safety and protection and supporting them throughout the research study.” Collaboration and cooperation with other researchers and members of the multidisciplinary team is crucial for successful research.

Currently, one of the group’s major pieces of research work is the multi-centred and international advanced understanding of Staphylococcus aureus infections in Europe – surgical site infections (ASPIRE-SSI) trial.

The ASPIRE-SSI research is unusual in respect of the fact that the microbiology team are both recruiting patients and handling the pathology needs of the trial. ASPIRE-SSI is a multi-centred NIHR study run across Europe and in which UHB is the UK lead.

One of the objectives of the study is to find out whether people who carry Staphylococcus aureus (a bacteria which is ‘carried’ by a third of people) are more likely to suffer from surgical site infection than those not colonised by the bacteria. At UHB the researchers, led by Chief Investigator and Consultant Microbiologist, Dr Miruna David, are specifically recruiting and observing patients undergoing mastectomy (breast), craniotomy (brain) and spinal surgery.

Currently, 68 patients have been recruited to the observational study, which involves taking three swabs and one blood sample pre-surgery. Then, after surgery, a proportion of patients are followed up with series of phone calls over a three month period, asking whether they have any symptoms of surgical site infection.

Recruitment of patients has been helped by colleagues in the ‘100,000 Genomes’ team, who often work with patients with cancer, and have signed up a large number of the patients currently in the trial. Having started in November 2017, the trial will carry on into next year, though a final date is yet to be decided.