Qualifications | Research interests | Publications | Presentations |Memberships
Rikki Graham completed her PhD in bacterial pathogenesis at the University of Adelaide in 2005, and then conducted post-doctoral research into streptococcal virulence at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig, Germany.
She is the supervising scientist of the Molecular Epidemiology unit of the Public Health Microbiology reference laboratory of Forensic and Scientific Services (FSS), leading a team of genomics scientists who use bacterial genomics for routine surveillance and characterisation of notifiable bacterial pathogens and during outbreak situations.
ARTICLES
2024
Stewart AG, Harris PNA, Graham RMA, Jennison AV, Schlebusch S, Harris-Brown T, Paterson DL, Forde BM. (2024). Differences in antimicrobial resistance gene abundance and microbial diversity of the gut microbiome in patients on antibiotics enrolled in a clinical trial. Pathology, 56(S.1). DOI: 10.1016/j.pathol.2023.12.137
Payne M, Hu D, Wang Q, Sullivan G, Graham RM, Rathnayake IU, Jennison AV, Sintchenko V, Lan R. (2024). DODGE:Automated point source bacterial outbreak detection using cumulative long term genomic surveillance. medRxiv. DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.21.24301506
Shrestha AC, Stafford R, Bell R, Jennison AV, Graham RMA, Field E, Lambert SB. (2024). Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli Diagnoses from health practitioners, Queensland, Australia. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 30(1). DOI: 10.3201/eid3001.231202
2023
Slinko VG, Guglielmino CJ, Uren AM, Smith JK, Neucom D, Smoll NR, Graham RMA, Fang N, Smith HV, Armstrong AE, Kenny AA, Farmer JL, Quaglitto CA, Jennison AV. (2023). Several confirmed and zoonotic cases of toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans, Queensland, Australia. Communicable Diseases Intelligence. DOI: 10.33321/cdi.2023.47.53
Rathnayake IU, Graham RMA, Bayliss J, Staples M, Micalizzi G, Ariotti L, Cover L, Heron B, Graham T, Stafford R, Rubenach S, D'Addona A, Jennison AV. (2023). Implementation of routine genomic surveillance provided insights into a locally acquired outbreak caused by a rare clade of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis in Queensland, Australia. Microbial Genomics, 9(7). DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.001059
Graham RMA, Rathnayake IU, Sandhu S, Bhandari M, Taunton C, Fisher V, Hempenstall A, Marquardt T, Jennison AV, (2023). Genomic analysis of an outbreak of toxin gene bearing Corynebacterium diptheriae in Northern Queensland, Australia reveals a high level of genetic similarity. Epidemiology & Infection, 151 (e92). DOI: 10.1017/S0950268823000699
Gassiep I, Grey V, Thean LJ, Farquhar D, Clark JE, Ariotti L, Graham R, Jennison AV, Bergh H, Anuradha S, Dyer W, James C, Huang A, Putt E, Pakeerathan V, Griffin PM, Harris PNA, (2023). Expanding the Geographic Boundaries of Melioidosis in Queensland, Australia. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0002
2022
Sim EM, Martinez E, Blackwell G, Pham D, Millan G, Graham RMA, Dhakal R, Wang Q, Suliman B, Jennison AV, Sintchenko V, (2022). Genomes of Vibrio chlorerae O1 Serotype Ogawa Associated with Current Chloera Activity in Pakistan. Microbiology Resource Announcements. DOI: 10.1128/mra.00887-22
Luo L, Payne M, Wang Q, Kaur S, Rathnayake IU, Graham R, Gall M, Draper J, Martinez E, Octavia S, Tanaka MM, Jennison AV, Sintchenko V, Lan R, (2022). Genomic epidemiology and multilevel genome typing of Australian Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis. bioRxiv. DOI:
Biggs SL, Jennison AV, Bergh H, Graham R, Nimmo G, Whiley D, (2022). Limited evidence of patient-to-patient transmission of Staphylococcus aureus strains between children with cystic fibrosis, Queensland, Australia. Plos One. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275256
Laidlow TA, Stafford R, Jennison AV, Bell R, Graham R, Graham T, Musgrave N, Myerson M, Kung N, Crook A, Wang Q, Richards A, Lambert SB, (2022). A multi-jurisdictional outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium infections linked to backyard poultry - Australia, 2020. Zoonoses and Public Health. DOI: 10.1111/zph.12973
Dalmau M, Song SM, Young M, Lambert S, Graham R, Micalizzi G, Field E, Bell R, Jennison AV, Stafford R, (2022). Queensland typhoid cluster linked to twelve-year carriage of Salmonella Typhi. Communicable Diseases Intelligence, 46. DOI: 10.33321/cdi.2022.46.27
Schlebusch S, Graham RMA, Jennison AV, Lassig-Smith MM, Harris PNA, Lipman J, Cuiv PO, Paterson DL, (2022). Standard rectal swabs as a surrogate sample for gut microbiome monitoring in intensive care. BMC Microbiology, 22. DOI: 10.1186/s12866-022-02487-0
Sprohnle-Barrera CH, Gibson JS, Price R, Graham RM, Jennison AV, Ricca MR, Allavena RE, (2022). Fatal non-traumatic gas gangrene caused by Clostridium perfringens type A in a Siberian Husky dog. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation. DOI: 10.1177/10406387221079066
Kerr EJ, Stafford R, Rathnayake IU, Graham RMA, Fearnley E, Gregory J, Glasgow K, Wright R, Sintchenko V, Wang Q, Howard P, Leong LEX, Valcanis M, Pitchers W, Lambert SB, Jennison AV, (2022). Multistate Outbreal of Salmonella enterica Serovar Heidelberg with Unidentified Source, Australia, 2018-2019. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 28(1). DOI: 10.3201/eid2801.211462
2021
Lane CR, Sherry NL, Porter AF, Duchene S, Horna K, Andersson P, Wilmot M, Turner A, Dougall S, Johnson SA, Sait M, Gonçalves da Silva A, Ballard SA, Hoang T, Stinear TP, Caly L, Sintchenko V, Graham R, McMahon J, Smith D, Leong LEX, Meumann EM, Cooley L, Schwessinger B, Rawlinson W, van Hal SJ, Stephens N, Catton M, Looker C, Crouch S, Sutton B, Alpren C, Williamson DA, Seemann T, Howden BP, (2021). Genomics-informed responses in the elimination of COVID-19 in Victoria, Australia: an observational, genomic epidemiological study. The Lancet Public Health. DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(21)00133-X
Hiley L, Graham RMA, Jennison AV, (2021). Characterisation of IncI1 plasmids associated with change of phage type in isolates of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. BMC Microbiology, 21. DOI: 10.1186/s12866-021-02151-z
2020
Baines, SL, Goncalves da Silva A, Carter GP, Jennison AV, Rathnayake I, Graham RM, Sintchenko V, Wang Q, Rockett RJ, Timms VJ, Martinez E, Ballard S, Tomita T, Isles N, Horan KA, Pitchers W, Stinear TP, Williamson DA, Howden BP, Seemann T, Communicable Diseases Genomics Network, (2020). Complete microbial genomes for public health in Australia and the Southwest Pacific. Microbial Genomics. DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000471
Ramirez AL, Colmant AMG, Warrilow D, Huang B, Pyke AT, McMahon JL, Meyer DB, Graham RMA, Jennison AV, Ritchie SA, van den Hurk AF, (2020). Metagenomic Analysis of the Virome of Mosquito Excreta. mSphere. DOI: 10.1128/mSphere.00587-20
Guglielmino CJD, Kakkanat A, Forde BM, Rubenach S, Merone L, Stafford R, Graham RMA, Beatson SA, Jennison AV, (2020). Outbreak of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) Shigella flexneri in northern Australia due to an endemic regional clone acquiring an IncFLL plasmid. European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases. DOI: 10.1007/s10096-020-04029-w
Hume A, Nimmo G, Jennison AV, Graham RMA (2020) Characterisation of Staphylococcus capitis bloodstream isolates from south-east Queensland neonatal units. Pathology, 52 (Supplement 1). S58 DOI: 10.1016/j.pathol.2020.01.188
Alcorn K, Gerrard J, Cochrane T, Graham RMA, Jennison AV, Irwin PJ, Barbosa AD, (2020) First report of Candidatus Mycoplasma haemohominis infection in Australia causing persistent fever in an animal carer. Clinical Infectious Diseases (ciaa089). DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciaa089
2019
Baines SL, Gonçalves da Silva A, Carter GP, Jennison AV, Rathnayake IU, Graham RMA, Sintchenko V, Wang Q, Rockett R, Timms V, Martinez E, Ballard S, Tomito T, Isles N, Horan KA, Pitchers W, Stinear T, Williamson D, Howden B, Seemann T (2019) Complete microbial genomes for public health in Australia 1 and Southwest Pacific. bioRxiv. DOI:
Bialasiewicz S, Duarte TPS, Nguyen SH, Sukumaran V, Stewart A, Appleton S, Pitt ME, Bainomugisa A, Jennison AV, Graham RMA, Coin LJM, Hajkowicz K, (2019) Rapid diagnosis of Capnocytophaga canimorsus septic shock in an immunocompetent individual using real-time Nanopore sequencing: a case report. BMC Infectious Diseases, 19 (660). DOI: 10.1186/s12879-019-4173-2
Hiley LA, Graham RMA, Jennison AV (2019) Genetic characterisation of variants of the virulence plasmid, pSLT, in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium provides evidence of a variety of evolutionary directions consistent with vertical rather than horizontal transmission. PLoS One, 14(4): e0215207. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215207
Hiley LA, Graham RMA, Jennison AV (2019) Genetic characterisation of variants of the virulence plasmid, pSLT, in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium provides evidence of a variety of evolutionary directions consistent with vertical rather than horizontal transmission. PLoS One , DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215207
Jennison AV, Whiley DM, Lahra MM, Graham RMA, Cole MJ, Hughes G, Fifer H, Andersson M, Edwards A, Eyre D. (2019) Genetic relatedness of ceftriaxone-resistant and high-level azithromycin resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae cases, United Kingdom and Australia, February to April 2018. Eurosurveillance, 24 (8). DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.8.1900118
2018
Graham RMA, Hiley LA, Rathnayake IU, Jennison AV (2018) Comparative genomics identifies distinct lineages of S. Enteritidis from Queensland, Australia. PLoS One, 13(1):e0191042. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191042
2017
Gallo GG, Woods M, Graham RMA, Jennison AV (2017) A severe transmissible Majocchi's granuloma in an immunocompetent returned traveler. Medical Mycology Case Reports, 18: 5-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.mmcr.2017.07.003
Graham RMA, Donohue S, McMahon J, Jennison AV (2017) Detection of spotted fever group Rickettsia DNA by deep sequencing. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 23(11): 1911-1913. DOI: 10.3201/eid2311.170474
Vasant BR, Stafford RJ, Jennison AV, Bennett SM, Bell RJ, Doyle CJ, Young JR, Vlack SA, Titmus P, El Saadi D, Jarvinen KAJ, Coward P, Barrett J, Staples M, Graham RMA, Smith Helen V, Lambert SB (2017) Mild illness during outbreak of Shiga toxin−producing Escherichia coli O157 infections associated with agricultural show, Australia. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 23(10): 1686-1689. DOI: 10.3201/eid2310.161836
Shaban RZ, Maloney S, Gerrard J, Collignon P, Macbeth D, Cruickshank M, Hume A, Jennison AV, Graham RMA, Bergh H, Wilson H, Derrington P (2017) Outbreak of health care-associated Burkholderia cenocepacia bacteremia and infection attributed to contaminated sterile gel used for central line insertion under ultrasound guidance and other procedures. American Journal of Infection Control, 45(9):954-958. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2017.06.025
Staples M, Graham RMA, Hicks V, Strachan J, Gonçalves da Silva A, Peverall J, Wicks V, Jennison AV (2017) Discovery of Streptococcus pneumoniae serogroup 35 variants in Australian patients. Clinical Microbiology and Infection, pii: S1198-743X(16)30662-0. DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2016.12.029
Staples M, Graham RMA, Jennison AV (2017) Characterisation of invasive clinical Haemophilus influenzae isolates in Queensland, Australia using whole-genome sequencing. Epidemiology & Infection, 145 (8): 1727-1736. DOI: 10.1017/S0950268817000450
Abady NR, Guglielmino CJ, Graham RMA, Adelskov J, Smith HV, Patel BKC, Jennison AV (2017) Genetic characterization of a Neisseria meningitidis cluster in Queensland, Australia. Canadian Journal of Microbiology, 63(7): 644-647. DOI: 10.1139/cjm-2017-0017
Jennison AV, Masson JJ, Fang NX, Graham RMA, Bradbury MI, Fegan N, Gobius KS, Graham TM, Guglielmino CJ, Brown JL, Fox EM (2017) Analysis of the Listeria monocytogenes population structure among isolates from 1931 to 2015 in Australia. Frontiers in Microbiology. 8: 603. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00603
Graham RMA, Doyle CJ, Jennison AV (2017) Epidemiological typing of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and detection of markers associated with antimicrobial resistance directly from urine samples using next generation sequencing. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 93(1):65-67. DOI: 10.1136/sextrans-2015-052422
Staples M, Fang N-X, Graham RMA, Smith HV, Jennison AV (2017) Evaluation of the SHIGA TOXIN QUIK CHEK and ImmunoCard STAT! EHEC as screening tools for the detection of Shiga toxin in faecal specimens. Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease, 87(2): 95-99. DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2016.03.011
Doyle CJ, Mazins A, Graham RMA, Fang NX, Smith HV, Jennison AV (2017) Sequence analysis of toxin gene-bearing Corynebacterium diphtheriae strains, Australia. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 23(1):105-107. DOI: 10.3201/eid2301.160584
2015
Staples M, Graham RM, Jennison AV, Ariotti L, Cook H, Krause V, Giele C, Smith HV (2015) Molecular characterization of an Australian serotype 1 Streptococcus pneumoniae outbreak. Epidemiology & Infection, 143(2):325-333. DOI: 10.1017/S0950268814000648
2014
Graham RM, Doyle CJ, Jennison AV (2014) Real-time investigation of Legionella pneumophila outbreak using whole genome sequencing. Epidemiology & Infection, 142(11): 2347-51. DOI: 10.1017/S0950268814000375
Staples M, Jennison AV, Ariotti L, Hicks V, Graham RM, Smith, HV (2014) Prevalence and molecular characterisation of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 6C in Queensland, Australia. Diagnostic Microbiology & Infectious Disease, 78(3):307-12. DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2013.11.017
2013
Staples M, Doyle CJ, Graham RM, Jennison AV (2013) Molecular epidemiological typing of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains from Australian patients. Diagnostic Microbiology & Infectious Disease, 75(3):320-4. DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2012.11.010
2012
Staples M, Jennison AV, Graham RM, Smith HV (2012) Evaluation of the Meridian Premier EHEC assay as an indicator of Shiga toxin presence in direct faecal specimens. Microbiology & Infectious Disease, 73(4):322-5. DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2012.05.004
Staples M, Graham RM, Doyle CJ, Smith HV, Jennison AV (2012) Prolonged and mixed non-O157 Escherichia coli infection in an Australian household. Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 18(5): E140-3. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2012.03790.x
2011
Rohde M, Graham RM, Branitzki-Heinemann K, Borchers P, Preuss C, Schleicher I, Zähner D, Talay SR, Fulde M, Dinkla K, Chhatwal GS (2011) Differences in the aromatic domain of homologous streptococcal fibronectin-binding proteins trigger different cell invasion mechanisms and survival rates. Cellular Microbiology, 3(3): 450-68. DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-5822.2010.01547.x
Bergmann R, Dinkla K, Patric Nitsche-Schmitz D, Graham RM, Lüttge M, Sanderson-Smith ML, Nerlich A, Rohde M, Chhatwal GS (2011) Biological functions of GCS3, a novel plasminogen-binding protein of Streptococcus dysgalactiae ssp. Equisimilis. International Journal of Medical Microbiology, 301(2):157-64. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2010.06.007
BOOK CHAPTERS
Graham RMA and Chhatwal GS (2017) Streptococcal diseases. In International Encyclopedia of Public Health (2nd ed.) Stella R.Quah ed.) Elsevier, Oxford UK. pp. 87–97. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-803678-5.00434-3
Graham RMA and Chhatwal GS (2008) Streptococcal diseases. In International Encyclopedia of Public Health (Heggenhougen, K., ed.) Elsevier, Oxford UK. pp. 231–241. DOI: 10.1016/B978-012373960-5.00616-X
September 2024: Lepserico: Working towards genetic typing of leptospira serovars, with Sullivan M, Nicolosi C, Staples M, Heading E, Burns M. In: 13th Conference of the International Leptospirosis Society-ILS-and the 4th Meeting of the European Leptospirosis and other rodent-borne hemorrhagic fevers Society-ELS, Brussels.
July 2022: Invited speaker, Understanding plasmid outbreaks in Queensland. Microbiology Nanopore Day, University of Queensland.
July 2019: Salmonella Enteritidis genomic surveillance in Queensland. In: Queensland Poultry Health Liaison Group Meeting, Coopers Plains, Qld.
July 2019: Clinical and Public Health Metagenomics: Real World Applications. In: Australian Society for Microbiology Meeting, Adelaide, South Australia.
June 2019: Whole Genome Sequencing in Public Health Microbiology: Method overview and update. In: Pathology Queensland Grand Rounds, RBWH Herston, Qld.
Mar 2018: Deep sequencing for detection of pathogens in culture/PCR negative infections with Jennison AV. In: Pathology Update 2018, Sydney NSW.
Nov 2017: Salmonella Enteritidis genomic surveillance in Queensland. In: ASM Clinical Microbiology Special Interest Group Meeting, Coopers Plains, Qld.
Sep 2017: Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) provides genomic insight into diphtheria in Queensland [poster], with Rathnayake IU, Doyle CJ, Fang NX, Smith HV, Jennison AV. In: 26th Annual RBWH Healthcare Symposium, Herston, Qld.
May 2017: Deep sequencing of clinical extracts for pathogen discovery and molecular epidemiological surveillance [poster], with Jennison AV. In: 6th Applied Bioinformatics and Public Health Microbiology conference, Cambridge, UK.
Dr Rikki M.A. Graham
Supervising Scientist, Molecular Epidemiology
Public and Environmental Health
email: rikki.graham@health.qld.gov.au