Skip to menu Skip to content Skip to footer
Dr Brian Forde
Dr

Brian Forde

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 344 36245

Overview

Background

Brian Forde is a fellow in microbial bioinformatics and Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellow at the University of Queensland (UQ) Centre for Clinical Research (CCR). Brian was awarded a PhD from University College Cork, Ireland, in 2013 and developed his interest in bacterial genomics as a postdoctoral fellow at the UQ School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences (SCMB). Currently, his work is primarily focused on clinical microbial genomics, including: the evolution of antibiotic resistance, genomic epidemiology, genomic surveillance of Infectious Diseases and translating genomic research into clinical practice. Since 2017 he has been part of a multidisciplinary team, including researchers, infectious diseases clinicians and infection control professionals, leading the introduction of WGS to investigate hospital-acquired infection in Queensland (https://www.queenslandgenomics.org). In 2020, Brian was awarded Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowship to explore the application of Artificial Intelligence to genomic surveillance and transmission dynamics.

Availability

Dr Brian Forde is:
Available for supervision

Qualifications

  • Bachelor (Honours) of Science (Advanced), University College Cork
  • Doctor of Philosophy, National University of Ireland

Research impacts

Since 2010 Brian has co-authored 52 journal articles, with 13 as first, co-first or senior author. His has been cited 1430 times, resulting in a h-index of 19 and an i10-index of 25 (Google Scholar 28/10/2020). Brians work is regularly published in leading specialist microbiology or infectious disease journals including MBio, AAC and JAC and have also featured in high impact journals such as Nat Comm, Nat Micro, PNAS, CID and CMR. Recent work include a longitudinal study describing a unique comprehensive genomic analysis of a clonal lineage within a single individual over a 5-year period (Forde et al. Nat Comm, 2019). This work provided the framework for the utilization of genomics to help manage and treat patients suffering from debilitating chronic infections.

As part of Queensland Genomics Brian has led and assisted in projects that apply genomics to characterise and resolve infectious outbreaks in clinical settings (Chapman & Forde et al. JCM, 2020; Roberts et al. Nat Comm, 2020; Roberts et al. bioRxiv, 2018). In his current role as lead Bioinformatician for the Queensland Genomics (QG) infectious diseases (ID) project, Brian has developed pipelines for surveillance of priority bacterial pathogens. These tools, which included the development of an outbreak detection and visualisation tool, CATHAI (https:cathai.beatsonlab.com), are used by infection control professional in large Brisbane metropolitan hospitals.

Works

Search Professor Brian Forde’s works on UQ eSpace

113 works between 2010 and 2025

21 - 40 of 113 works

2024

Journal Article

TcrXY is an acid-sensing two-component transcriptional regulator of Mycobacterium tuberculosis required for persistent infection

Stupar, Miljan, Tan, Lendl, Kerr, Edward D., De Voss, Christopher J., Forde, Brian M., Schulz, Benjamin L. and West, Nicholas P. (2024). TcrXY is an acid-sensing two-component transcriptional regulator of Mycobacterium tuberculosis required for persistent infection. Nature Communications, 15 (1) 1615, 1-14. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-45343-7

TcrXY is an acid-sensing two-component transcriptional regulator of Mycobacterium tuberculosis required for persistent infection

2024

Journal Article

HAIviz: an interactive dashboard for visualising and integrating healthcare-associated genomic epidemiological data

Permana, Budi, Harris, Patrick N. A., Roberts, Leah W., Cuddihy, Thom, Paterson, David L., Beatson, Scott A. and Forde, Brian M. (2024). HAIviz: an interactive dashboard for visualising and integrating healthcare-associated genomic epidemiological data. Microbial Genomics, 10 (2) 001200. doi: 10.1099/mgen.0.001200

HAIviz: an interactive dashboard for visualising and integrating healthcare-associated genomic epidemiological data

2024

Journal Article

Genomic epidemiology reveals geographical clustering of multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli ST131 associated with bacteraemia in Wales

White, Rhys T., Bull, Matthew J., Barker, Clare R., Arnott, Julie M., Wootton, Mandy, Jones, Lim S., Howe, Robin A., Morgan, Mari, Ashcroft, Melinda M., Forde, Brian M., Connor, Thomas R. and Beatson, Scott A. (2024). Genomic epidemiology reveals geographical clustering of multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli ST131 associated with bacteraemia in Wales. Nature Communications, 15 (1) 1371, 1-10. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-45608-1

Genomic epidemiology reveals geographical clustering of multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli ST131 associated with bacteraemia in Wales

2024

Journal Article

Differences in antimicrobial resistance gene abundance and microbial diversity of the gut microbiome in patients on antibiotics enrolled in a clinical trial

Stewart, Adam G., Harris, Patrick N.A., Graham, Rikki M.A., Jennison, Amy V., Schlebusch, Sanmarie, Harris-Brown, Tiffany, Paterson, David L. and Forde, Brian M. (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, S36-S37. doi: 10.1016/j.pathol.2023.12.137

Differences in antimicrobial resistance gene abundance and microbial diversity of the gut microbiome in patients on antibiotics enrolled in a clinical trial

2024

Conference Publication

The molecular epidemiology of Burkholderia pseudomallei in North Queensland

Gassiep, Ian, Burnard, Delaney, Permana, Budi, Bauer, Michelle J., Cuddihy, Thom, Forde, Brian M., Chatfield, Mark D., Ling, Weiping, Mayer-Coverdale, Johanna, Norton, Robert and Harris, Patrick N.A. (2024). The molecular epidemiology of Burkholderia pseudomallei in North Queensland. Pathology Update 2024, Adelaide, VIC, Australia, 1 - 3 March 2024. Oxford, United Kingdom: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.pathol.2023.12.133

The molecular epidemiology of Burkholderia pseudomallei in North Queensland

2024

Journal Article

Rapid nanopore sequencing and predictive susceptibility testing of positive blood cultures from intensive care patients with sepsis

Harris, Patrick N. A., Bauer, Michelle J., Lüftinger, Lukas, Beisken, Stephan, Forde, Brian M., Balch, Ross, Cotta, Menino, Schlapbach, Luregn, Raman, Sainath, Shekar, Kiran, Kruger, Peter, Lipman, Jeff, Bialasiewicz, Seweryn, Coin, Lachlan, Roberts, Jason A., Paterson, David L. and Irwin, Adam D. (2024). Rapid nanopore sequencing and predictive susceptibility testing of positive blood cultures from intensive care patients with sepsis. Microbiology Spectrum, 12 (2) e0306523, 1-16. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.03065-23

Rapid nanopore sequencing and predictive susceptibility testing of positive blood cultures from intensive care patients with sepsis

2024

Book Chapter

Microbiome-based approaches to food allergy treatment

Yao, Lu, Forde, Brian, Lunjani, Nonhlanhla, Cronin, Caoimhe and O'Mahony, Liam (2024). Microbiome-based approaches to food allergy treatment. Encyclopedia of Food Allergy. (pp. 610-623) Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-323-96018-2.00109-7

Microbiome-based approaches to food allergy treatment

2023

Journal Article

Melioidosis Queensland: an analysis of clinical outcomes and genomic factors

Gassiep, Ian, Burnard, Delaney, Permana, Budi, Bauer, Michelle J., Cuddihy, Thom, Forde, Brian M., Chatfield, Mark D., Ling, Weiping, Norton, Robert and Harris, Patrick N. A. (2023). Melioidosis Queensland: an analysis of clinical outcomes and genomic factors. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 17 (10) e0011697, 1-13. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011697

Melioidosis Queensland: an analysis of clinical outcomes and genomic factors

2023

Journal Article

Higher rates of cefiderocol resistance among NDM producing Klebsiella bloodstream isolates applying EUCAST over CLSI breakpoints

Isler, Burcu, Vatansever, Cansel, Özer, Berna, Çınar, Güle, Aslan, Abdullah Tarık, Falconer, Caitlin, Bauer, Michelle J., Forde, Brian, Şimşek, Funda, Tülek, Necla, Demirkaya, Hamiyet, Menekşe, Şirin, Akalin, Halis, Balkan, İlker İnanç, Aydın, Mehtap, Tigen, Elif Tükenmez, Demir, Safiye Koçulu, Kapmaz, Mahir, Keske, Şiran, Doğan, Özlem, Arabacı, Çiğdem, Yağcı, Serap, Hazırolan, Gülşen, Bakır, Veli Oğuzalp, Gönen, Mehmet, Saltoğlu, Neşe, Azap, Alpay, Azap, Özlem, Akova, Murat ... Harris, Patrick N. A. (2023). Higher rates of cefiderocol resistance among NDM producing Klebsiella bloodstream isolates applying EUCAST over CLSI breakpoints. Infectious Diseases, 55 (9), 607-613. doi: 10.1080/23744235.2023.2226709

Higher rates of cefiderocol resistance among NDM producing Klebsiella bloodstream isolates applying EUCAST over CLSI breakpoints

2023

Journal Article

GraphSNP: an interactive distance viewer for investigating outbreaks and transmission networks using a graph approach

Permana, Budi, Beatson, Scott A. and Forde, Brian M. (2023). GraphSNP: an interactive distance viewer for investigating outbreaks and transmission networks using a graph approach. BMC Bioinformatics, 24 (1) 209, 1-9. doi: 10.1186/s12859-023-05332-x

GraphSNP: an interactive distance viewer for investigating outbreaks and transmission networks using a graph approach

2023

Journal Article

Using genomics to investigate an outbreak of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium ST78 at a large tertiary hospital in Queensland

Permana, Budi, Harris, Patrick N. A., Runnegar, Naomi, Lindsay, Margaret, Henderson, Belinda C., Playford, E. G., Paterson, David L., Beatson, Scott A. and Forde, Brian M. (2023). Using genomics to investigate an outbreak of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium ST78 at a large tertiary hospital in Queensland. Microbiology Spectrum, 11 (3) e0420422, 1-10. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.04204-22

Using genomics to investigate an outbreak of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium ST78 at a large tertiary hospital in Queensland

2023

Journal Article

Integrative omics identifies conserved and pathogen-specific responses of sepsis-causing bacteria

Mu, Andre, Klare, William P., Baines, Sarah L., Ignatius Pang, C. N., Guérillot, Romain, Harbison-Price, Nichaela, Keller, Nadia, Wilksch, Jonathan, Nhu, Nguyen Thi Khanh, Phan, Minh-Duy, Keller, Bernhard, Nijagal, Brunda, Tull, Dedreia, Dayalan, Saravanan, Chua, Hwa Huat Charlie, Skoneczny, Dominik, Koval, Jason, Hachani, Abderrahman, Shah, Anup D., Neha, Nitika, Jadhav, Snehal, Partridge, Sally R., Cork, Amanda J., Peters, Kate, Bertolla, Olivia, Brouwer, Stephan, Hancock, Steven J., Álvarez-Fraga, Laura, De Oliveira, David M. P. ... Walker, Mark J. (2023). Integrative omics identifies conserved and pathogen-specific responses of sepsis-causing bacteria. Nature Communications, 14 (1) 1530, 1-21. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-37200-w

Integrative omics identifies conserved and pathogen-specific responses of sepsis-causing bacteria

2023

Journal Article

Treatment Failure Due to Adaptive Resistance Mechanisms in a Severe and Complicated Bloodstream Infection Due to

Stewart, Adam G., Roberts, Jason A., Forde, Brian M., Bergh, Haakon, Kidd, Timothy J., Wright, Hugh and Harris, Patrick N. A. (2023). Treatment Failure Due to Adaptive Resistance Mechanisms in a Severe and Complicated Bloodstream Infection Due to . Microbial Drug Resistance, 29 (4), 145-149. doi: 10.1089/mdr.2022.0179

Treatment Failure Due to Adaptive Resistance Mechanisms in a Severe and Complicated Bloodstream Infection Due to

2022

Journal Article

High prevalence of ArmA-16S rRNA methyltransferase among aminoglycoside-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae bloodstream isolates

Isler, Burcu, Falconer, Caitlin, Vatansever, Cansel, Özer, Berna, Çınar, Güle, Aslan, Abdullah Tarık, Forde, Brian, Harris, Patrick, Şimşek, Funda, Tülek, Necla, Demirkaya, Hamiyet, Menekşe, Şirin, Akalin, Halis, Balkan, İlker İnanç, Aydın, Mehtap, Tigen, Elif Tükenmez, Demir, Safiye Koçulu, Kapmaz, Mahir, Keske, Şiran, Doğan, Özlem, Arabacı, Çiğdem, Yağcı, Serap, Hazırolan, Gülşen, Bakır, Veli Oğuzalp, Gönen, Mehmet, Saltoğlu, Neşe, Azap, Alpay, Azap, Özlem, Akova, Murat ... Paterson, David L. (2022). High prevalence of ArmA-16S rRNA methyltransferase among aminoglycoside-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae bloodstream isolates. Journal of Medical Microbiology, 71 (12) 001629, 1-8. doi: 10.1099/jmm.0.001629

High prevalence of ArmA-16S rRNA methyltransferase among aminoglycoside-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae bloodstream isolates

2022

Conference Publication

Demographic, clinical and molecular epidemiology of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli bloodstream infections in Central Australia

Langham, Freya, Tsai, Danny, Camilleri, Shayne, Forde, Brian, Harris, Patrick, Roberts, Jason A. and Chiong, Fabian (2022). Demographic, clinical and molecular epidemiology of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli bloodstream infections in Central Australia. 32nd International Congress of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (ICC), Perth, WA Australia, 27-30 November 2022. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/s2213-7165(22)00286-7

Demographic, clinical and molecular epidemiology of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli bloodstream infections in Central Australia

2022

Journal Article

Immunomodulation by foods and microbes: unravelling the molecular tango

Forde, Brian, Yao, Lu, Shaha, Rupin, Murphy, Sally, Lunjani, Nonhlanhla and O'Mahony, Liam (2022). Immunomodulation by foods and microbes: unravelling the molecular tango. Allergy: European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 77 (12), 3513-3526. doi: 10.1111/all.15455

Immunomodulation by foods and microbes: unravelling the molecular tango

2022

Journal Article

Case report: a fatal case of Aspergillus felis infection in an immunocompetent host

Parkes-Smith, Jill, Bauer, Michelle J., Bergh, Haakon, Eidan, Anthony, Forde, Brian M., Hilton, John, Kidd, Timothy J., Schmidt, Campbell, Stewart, Adam G. and Harris, Patrick N. A. (2022). Case report: a fatal case of Aspergillus felis infection in an immunocompetent host. Access Microbiology, 4 (11) acmi000453, 1-4. doi: 10.1099/acmi.0.000453

Case report: a fatal case of Aspergillus felis infection in an immunocompetent host

2022

Journal Article

Optimized method for bacterial nucleic acid extraction from positive blood culture broth for whole-genome sequencing, resistance phenotype prediction, and downstream molecular applications

Bauer, Michelle J., Peri, Anna Maria, Lüftinger, Lukas, Beisken, Stephan, Bergh, Haakon, Forde, Brian M., Buckley, Cameron, Cuddihy, Thom, Tan, Patrice, Paterson, David L., Whiley, David M. and Harris, Patrick N. A. (2022). Optimized method for bacterial nucleic acid extraction from positive blood culture broth for whole-genome sequencing, resistance phenotype prediction, and downstream molecular applications. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 60 (11) e01012-22, 1-11. doi: 10.1128/jcm.01012-22

Optimized method for bacterial nucleic acid extraction from positive blood culture broth for whole-genome sequencing, resistance phenotype prediction, and downstream molecular applications

2022

Conference Publication

Lonepinella - the devil in the oral cavity (of the koala)

Omaleki, Lida, Blyde, David, McKay, Philippa, Lobo, Edina T., Zhang, Ge, Harris, Louise M., Sinclair, Holly A., Bergh, Haakon, White, Rhys T., Forde, Brian M., Beatson, Scott A., Turni, Conny and Blackall, Patrick J. (2022). Lonepinella - the devil in the oral cavity (of the koala). One Health Downunder Symposium 2022, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 12-13 September 2022.

Lonepinella - the devil in the oral cavity (of the koala)

2022

Journal Article

Clinical implementation of routine whole-genome sequencing for hospital infection control of multi-drug resistant pathogens

Forde, Brian M., Bergh, Haakon, Cuddihy, Thom, Hajkowicz, Krispin, Hurst, Trish, Playford, E Geoffrey, Henderson, Belinda C., Runnegar, Naomi, Clark, Julia, Jennison, Amy V., Moss, Susan, Hume, Anna, Leroux, Hugo, Beatson, Scott A., Paterson, David L. and Harris, Patrick N. A. (2022). Clinical implementation of routine whole-genome sequencing for hospital infection control of multi-drug resistant pathogens. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 76 (3), e1277-e1284. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac726

Clinical implementation of routine whole-genome sequencing for hospital infection control of multi-drug resistant pathogens

Funding

Current funding

  • 2025 - 2030
    Integrating sequencing technologies for bloodstream infection and sepsis diagnostics in critically-ill patients
    NHMRC MRFF Genomics Health Futures Mission
    Open grant
  • 2025 - 2030
    ROAD RCT: Resistance Optimised Antibiotic Dosing in critically ill patients - a Randomised Controlled Trial
    NHMRC MRFF CTA - Clinical Trials Activity
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2028
    Unlocking the gut microbiome to track the spread of AMR genes and pathogens
    MRFF - Global Health Initiative
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2025
    A Rapid, Routine Genomics Service for Clinical Haematology (QLD Health Targeted CRF led by RBWH Metro North Health)
    Metro North Hospital and Health Service
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2027
    Accelerating pathogen detection and antibiotic resistance prediction in children with suspected sepsis
    The Children's Hospital Foundation
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2027
    A Faster Cure for Tuberculosis: Revealing Adjunctive Antimicrobial Solutions
    NHMRC IDEAS Grants
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2023 - 2025
    Development of Wastewater-based epidemiology as a complementary approach for antimicrobial resistance surveillance
    Heidi-CSIRO IDR and AMR Projects
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2024
    The 3,000 Genomes project: using machine learning and artificial intelligence for robust culture-independent susceptibility testing
    Heidi-CSIRO IDR and AMR Projects
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2023
    Automating Infectious Disease Surveillance with Artificial Intelligence
    Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowships
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Dr Brian Forde is:
Available for supervision

Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Genomic and molecular characterisation of antibiotic resistance mechanisms

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Mark Schembri

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Malaria and Infections Diseases in military personnel in the Asia Pacific Region

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Genomic approaches to the surveillance and control of multidrug resistant Enterobacterales.

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Patrick Harris

  • Doctor Philosophy

    New diagnostic strategies for antibiotic-resistant infections

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Adam Irwin, Dr Patrick Harris

  • Doctor Philosophy

    A Multidisciplinary Approach to Identifying Novel Vaccine and Drug Targets of Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Emily Strong, Professor Nick West

Completed supervision

Media

Enquiries

For media enquiries about Dr Brian Forde's areas of expertise, story ideas and help finding experts, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au