Maki Piri (Infectious Diseases)

‘Ea’a te maki piri? (What is an infectious disease?)

Ko te maki piri, ‘e maki tē reira tei ‘akatupu’ia ‘ē te au tiēmu, mei te manumanu rikiriki kiteakore’ia e te mata tangata, ro’ero’e, fungi, ‘ē te manumanu kai-tangata. Ko tēta’i au ‘ākara’anga, ko te KŌVITI-19, te purū, te mītara, ‘ē te maki marō. ‘Ē tāmate ana te maki piri, mei tēta’i 17 mirioni tangata, takapini ‘i teianei ao ‘i te mata’iti ‘okota’i, ‘ē, ‘ē riro ana ‘ei ‘akatupu ‘i tēta’i ‘akatoto’a’anga ma’ata, ‘ē pērā katoa, ‘i te au maki kāre a tātou rapakau’anga ‘i rauka ake nō tē reira.

An infectious disease is an illness caused by germs such as viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. Some examples are COVID-19, influenza, measles and tuberculosis. Infectious diseases kill over 17 million people worldwide each year and can cause pandemics as well as many diseases for which we have no specific treatments available.

‘Ea’a ka manatā ‘ia ei?? (Why does it matter?)

Tē ‘ati nei ‘a Aotearo’a, nō te teitei ‘i te tārē’anga ‘ō te au maki piri e tupu nei, tei rauka ‘i te au pātireia ‘i roto ‘i teianei ao ‘i te ‘aka’aere, ko te au maki tikāi tei rauka mai mei roto ‘i te streptococcus, mei te maki rūmātiki. Ma’ata ‘i teia au maki piri, kua tū’ia tō tatou ‘iti tangata Māori ‘ē te Patipika, ‘ē kua rīpōti’ia mai te ma’ata ‘I te aronga tei tū’ia, kua teitei te ririnui ‘i te kino o te maki, mei te purū ‘ē te KŌVITI-19, mē ‘aka’āiteite ‘ia atu kī tēta’i au ‘iti tangata kē ‘i Aotearo’a.

Aotearoa suffers from very high rates of infectious diseases that have been conquered elsewhere in the developed world, especially diseases resulting from streptococcus infection, such as acute rheumatic fever. Many of these infections disproportionately affect our Māori and Pacific populations, with more severe case rates reported for diseases such as influenza and COVID-19 compared to other ethnic groups in Aotearoa.

‘Ea’a tā te Maurice Wilkins Centre ‘ē rave nei nō te tā atu ‘anga ‘i te au maki piri? (What does the Maurice Wilkins Centre do to combat infectious diseases?)

Tē ‘ākara-tāmou nei tā mātou kimikimi’anga ki runga ‘i te au tū maki piri tūkēkē, mei te au maki piri ro’ero’e, ō mai te maki-marō, staphylococcus, ‘ē te streptococcus, ‘ē pērā katoa te kimikimi’anga ‘ō te viral, ‘ei turu ‘i tā mātou ‘i rauka ‘i roto ‘i te pa’u’anga atu ‘i te au tāmataku’anga tei ‘akatupu’ia ‘ē te au manumanu rikiriki kitea kore’ia, mei te SARS-CoV-2 (te manumanu tei ‘akatupu ‘i te KŌVITI-19).

Our research focuses on a range of infectious diseases such as bacterial infections, including tuberculosis, staphylococcus and streptococcus as well as viral research to support our capability in responding to the threats posed by viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19).

Kua ui mātou ē, ‘ea’a ‘i rauka ei ‘i tēta’i au ro’ero’e ‘i te tāmate ‘i te tu’anga pāruru ‘ō te kōpapa tangata, kua kimikimi atu mātou nō tēta’i au vairākau tākore-manumanu, ‘ē mē ‘e au tu’anga tēta’i ‘i ‘akataka‘ia tei kitea ‘ua ‘ia mai ki roto ‘i te DNA ‘ō te ‘iti tangata Māori ‘ē te Patipika, tē ka ‘arapaki ‘i te tu’anga pāruru ‘ō tō tatou kōpapa, mē kore ra, ka ‘akapē’ea tatou ‘i terapakau’angaatu ‘i te au maki piri.

We ask why some bacteria can defeat the human immune system, we investigate potential antimicrobial drugs, and if unique adaptations seen only in the DNA of Maori and Pacific populations affects our immune system or how we respond to infectious diseases.