Associate Professor Scott Beatson
Associate Professor

Scott Beatson

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 54863

Background

Scott Beatson is an Associate Professor and NHMRC Career Development Fellow at The University of Queensland (UQ). He specializes in bacterial pathogenomics: using whole-genome sequencing to investigate transmission, pathogenesis and antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Recent work from his group includes genomic analyses of pandrug resistant enterobacteriaceae and the multidrug resistant Escherichia coli ST131 pandemic clone. He was awarded a PhD from UQ for his work in bacterial pathogenesis in 2002 and developed his career in bacterial genomics in the United Kingdom with the support of fellowships from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 (University of Oxford) and the UK Medical Research Council (University of Birmingham). Since returning to Australia he has held fellowships from both the NHMRC and ARC and has led a successful research group in the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences at UQ since 2008. He is also a member of the Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre and the Australian Centre for Ecogenomics. In 2016 he received the Frank Fenner Award from the Australian Society for Microbiology in recognition of his contribution to microbiology research in Australia.

Availability

Associate Professor Scott Beatson is:
Available for supervision

Fields of research

Bacteriology Biological Sciences Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Epigenetics (incl. genome methylation and epigenomics) Genetics Genomics Infectious agents Medical microbiology Microbial genetics Microbiology Molecular evolution Phylogeny and comparative analysis

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science, University of Otago
  • Masters (Coursework) of Science, University of Otago
  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
  • Masters (Coursework) of Science, The University of Manchester

Research impacts

In the past five years the Beatson Lab has focussed on clinically relevant pathogens and exploiting genomic technologies in the clinical setting. His group regularly reports the genome analyses of antibiotic resistant bacteria to the major tertiary hospitals in Brisbane as part of Queensland Genomics. He is the senior author of a phylogenomic study of E. coli ST131 in PNAS (2014; 312 citations), and joint first author of a landmark publication on the E. coli O157 genome (2006; 413 citations). Genome analysis software developed in his group is widely used i.e. BRIG (2011; 1026 citations) and EasyFig (2011; 756 citations). Since 1998 he has co-authored more than 120 journal articles (9756 citations), including 61 in the past 5 years and 43 with greater than 50 citations (Google Scholar 22/08/19). He regularly publishes in high-impact, general interest or specialist medical/microbiology journals including Science, PNAS, Clin Infect Dis, Nat Commun and MBio.

Search Professor Scott Beatson’s works on UQ eSpace

179 works between 1998 and 2024
All (179) Journal Article (165) Conference Publication (12) Other Outputs (2)

1 - 20 of 179 works

Featured

2019

Journal Article

Population dynamics of an Escherichia coli ST131 lineage during recurrent urinary tract infection

Forde, Brian M., Roberts, Leah W., Phan, Minh-Duy, Peters, Kate M., Fleming, Brittany A., Russell, Colin W., Lenherr, Sara M., Myers, Jeremy B., Barker, Adam P., Fisher, Mark A., Chong, Teik-Min, Yin, Wai-Fong, Chan, Kok-Gan, Schembri, Mark A., Mulvey, Matthew A. and Beatson, Scott A. (2019). Population dynamics of an Escherichia coli ST131 lineage during recurrent urinary tract infection. Nature Communications, 10 (1) 3643, 3643. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-11571-5

Population dynamics of an Escherichia coli ST131 lineage during recurrent urinary tract infection

Featured

2015

Journal Article

Hospital-Wide Eradication of a Nosocomial Legionella pneumophila Serogroup 1 Outbreak

Bartley, Paul B., Ben Zakour, Nouri L., Stanton-Cook, Mitchell, Muguli, Raghuram, Prado, Luis, Garnys, Vyt, Taylor, Katherine, Barnett, Timothy C., Pinna, Glen, Robson, Jennifer, Paterson, David L., Walker, Mark J., Schembri, Mark A. and Beatson, Scott A. (2015). Hospital-Wide Eradication of a Nosocomial Legionella pneumophila Serogroup 1 Outbreak. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 62 (3), 273-279. doi: 10.1093/cid/civ870

Hospital-Wide Eradication of a Nosocomial Legionella pneumophila Serogroup 1 Outbreak

Featured

2011

Journal Article

BLAST Ring Image Generator (BRIG): Simple prokaryote genome comparisons

Alikhan, Nabil-Fareed, Petty, Nicola K., Ben Zakour, Nouri L. and Beatson, Scott A. (2011). BLAST Ring Image Generator (BRIG): Simple prokaryote genome comparisons. BMC Genomics, 12 (402) 402, 1-10. doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-12-402

BLAST Ring Image Generator (BRIG): Simple prokaryote genome comparisons

2024

Journal Article

Metabolism of l-arabinose converges with virulence regulation to promote enteric pathogen fitness

Cottam, Curtis, White, Rhys T., Beck, Lauren C., Stewart, Christopher J., Beatson, Scott A., Lowe, Elisabeth C., Grinter, Rhys and Connolly, James P. R. (2024). Metabolism of l-arabinose converges with virulence regulation to promote enteric pathogen fitness. Nature Communications, 15 (1) 4462, 1-14. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-48933-7

Metabolism of l-arabinose converges with virulence regulation to promote enteric pathogen fitness

2024

Journal Article

High-risk Escherichia coli clones that cause neonatal meningitis and association with recrudescent infection

Nhu, Nguyen Thi Khanh, Phan, Minh-Duy, Hancock, Steven J., Peters, Kate M., Alvarez-Fraga, Laura, Forde, Brian M., Andersen, Stacey B., Miliya, Thyl, Harris, Patrick N. A., Beatson, Scott A., Schlebusch, Sanmarie, Bergh, Haakon, Turner, Paul, Brauner, Annelie, Westerlund-Wikström, Benita, Irwin, Adam D. and Schembri, Mark A (2024). High-risk Escherichia coli clones that cause neonatal meningitis and association with recrudescent infection. eLife, 12 ARTN RP91853. doi: 10.7554/elife.91853.3

High-risk Escherichia coli clones that cause neonatal meningitis and association with recrudescent infection

2024

Journal Article

Inter-species gene flow drives ongoing evolution of Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis

Xie, Ouli, Morris, Jacqueline M., Hayes, Andrew J., Towers, Rebecca J., Jespersen, Magnus G., Lees, John A., Ben Zakour, Nouri L., Berking, Olga, Baines, Sarah L., Carter, Glen P., Tonkin-Hill, Gerry, Schrieber, Layla, McIntyre, Liam, Lacey, Jake A., James, Taylah B., Sriprakash, Kadaba S., Beatson, Scott A., Hasegawa, Tadao, Giffard, Phil, Steer, Andrew C., Batzloff, Michael R., Beall, Bernard W., Pinho, Marcos D., Ramirez, Mario, Bessen, Debra E., Dougan, Gordon, Bentley, Stephen D., Walker, Mark J., Currie, Bart J. ... Davies, Mark R. (2024). Inter-species gene flow drives ongoing evolution of Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis. Nature Communications, 15 (1) 2286, 1-14. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-46530-2

Inter-species gene flow drives ongoing evolution of Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis

2024

Journal Article

A convergent evolutionary pathway attenuating cellulose production drives enhanced virulence of some bacteria

Nhu, Nguyen Thi Khanh, Rahman, M. Arifur, Goh, Kelvin G. K., Kim, Seung Jae, Phan, Minh-Duy, Peters, Kate M., Alvarez-Fraga, Laura, Hancock, Steven J., Ravi, Chitra, Kidd, Timothy J., Sullivan, Matthew J., Irvine, Katharine M., Beatson, Scott A., Sweet, Matthew J., Irwin, Adam D., Vukovic, Jana, Ulett, Glen C., Hasnain, Sumaira Z. and Schembri, Mark A. (2024). A convergent evolutionary pathway attenuating cellulose production drives enhanced virulence of some bacteria. Nature Communications, 15 (1) 1441, 1441. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-45176-4

A convergent evolutionary pathway attenuating cellulose production drives enhanced virulence of some bacteria

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

2023

Journal Article

Molecular and clinical epidemiology of carbapenem resistant Acinetobacter baumannii ST2 in Oceania: a multicountry cohort study

Baleivanualala, Sakiusa C., Isaia, Lupeoletalalelei, Devi, Swastika V., Howden, Benjamin, Gorrie, Claire L., Matanitobua, Silivia, Sharma, Sajnel, Wilson, Donald, Kumar, Silpa, Maharaj, Komal, Beatson, Scott, Boseiwaqa, Lusiana V., Dyet, Kristin, Crump, John A., Hill, Philip C. and Ussher, James E. (2023). Molecular and clinical epidemiology of carbapenem resistant Acinetobacter baumannii ST2 in Oceania: a multicountry cohort study. The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, 40 100896, 1-16. doi: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2023.100896

Molecular and clinical epidemiology of carbapenem resistant Acinetobacter baumannii ST2 in Oceania: a multicountry cohort study

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

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

2022

Journal Article

Ucl fimbriae regulation and glycan receptor specificity contribute to gut colonisation by extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli

Hancock, Steven J., Lo, Alvin W., Ve, Thomas, Day, Christopher J., Tan, Lendl, Mendez, Alejandra A., Phan, Minh-Duy, Nhu, Nguyen Thi Khanh, Peters, Kate M., Richards, Amanda C., Fleming, Brittany A., Chang, Chyden, Ngu, Dalton H. Y., Forde, Brian M., Haselhorst, Thomas, Goh, Kelvin G. K., Beatson, Scott A., Jennings, Michael P., Mulvey, Matthew A., Kobe, Bostjan and Schembri, Mark A. (2022). Ucl fimbriae regulation and glycan receptor specificity contribute to gut colonisation by extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli. PLoS Pathogens , 18 (6) e1010582, e1010582. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010582

Ucl fimbriae regulation and glycan receptor specificity contribute to gut colonisation by extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli

2022

Journal Article

Phase variation in the glycosyltransferase genes of Pasteurella multocida associated with outbreaks of fowl cholera on free-range layer farms

Omaleki, Lida, Blackall, Patrick J., Cuddihy, Thom, White, Rhys T., Courtice, Jodi M., Turni, Conny, Forde, Brian M. and Beatson, Scott A. (2022). Phase variation in the glycosyltransferase genes of Pasteurella multocida associated with outbreaks of fowl cholera on free-range layer farms. Microbial Genomics, 8 (3) 000772. doi: 10.1099/mgen.0.000772

Phase variation in the glycosyltransferase genes of Pasteurella multocida associated with outbreaks of fowl cholera on free-range layer farms

2022

Journal Article

A high-quality reference genome for the fish pathogen Streptococcus iniae

Alsheikh-Hussain, Areej S., Ben Zakour, Nouri L., Forde, Brian M., Rudenko, Oleksandra, Barnes, Andrew C. and Beatson, Scott A. (2022). A high-quality reference genome for the fish pathogen Streptococcus iniae. Microbial Genomics, 8 (3) 000777. doi: 10.1099/mgen.0.000777

A high-quality reference genome for the fish pathogen Streptococcus iniae

2022

Journal Article

Differential Afa/Dr fimbriae expression in the multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli ST131 clone

Alvarez-Fraga, Laura, Phan, Minh-Duy, Goh, Kelvin G. K., Nhu, Nguyen Thi Khanh, Hancock, Steven J., Allsopp, Luke P., Peters, Kate M., Forde, Brian M., Roberts, Leah W., Sullivan, Matthew J., Totsika, Makrina, Beatson, Scott A., Ulett, Glen C. and Schembri, Mark A. (2022). Differential Afa/Dr fimbriae expression in the multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli ST131 clone. mBio, 13 (1) e03519, e0351921. doi: 10.1128/mbio.03519-21

Differential Afa/Dr fimbriae expression in the multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli ST131 clone

2022

Journal Article

Plasmid-mediated ciprofloxacin resistance imparts a selective advantage on Escherichia coli ST131

Phan, Minh-Duy, Peters, Kate M., Alvarez Fraga, Laura, Wallis, Steven C., Hancock, Steven, Nhu, Nguyen Thi Khanh, Forde, Brian, Bauer, Michelle J., Paterson, David L., Beatson, Scott A, Lipman, Jeffrey and Schembri, Mark A. (2022). Plasmid-mediated ciprofloxacin resistance imparts a selective advantage on Escherichia coli ST131. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 66 (1) e02146-21, 1-11. doi: 10.1128/aac.02146-21

Plasmid-mediated ciprofloxacin resistance imparts a selective advantage on Escherichia coli ST131

Past funding

  • 2021 - 2024
    Australian Pathogen Genomics (AusPathoGen) Program (MRFF Genomics Health Futures Mission, Flagships administered by University of Melbourne)
    University of Melbourne
    Open grant
  • 2020
    Rapid detection of resistance genes from Gram-negative bacteria isolated from blood in ICU-admitted patients
    Pathology Queensland - Study, Education & Research Trust Fund
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2021
    Virulence and detection of Escherichia coli that cause neonatal meningitis
    The Children's Hospital Foundation
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2023
    Cluster randomised trial of a multimodal intervention to reduce antimicrobial use in residential aged care facilities
    NHMRC MRFF - Antimicrobial Resistance Targeted Call for Research
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2023
    Integrated bacterial genomics and virulence analysis of uropathogenic Streptococcus agalactiae (NHMRC Project Grant led by Griffith University)
    Griffith University
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2020
    Epigenetic regulation in bacteria
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2016
    Instrumentation for the analysis of cellular and metabolic phenotypes
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2019
    Bacterial Pathogenomics: whole-genome sequencing to investigate infection transmission, pathogenesis and antibiotic resistance
    NHMRC Career Development Fellowship
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2018
    Superbugs and veterinary drugs: Are multidrug-resistant zoonotic pathogens residing in Australian animals? (ARC Linkage Project administered by University of Adelaide)
    University of Adelaide
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2017
    A pan-genome reverse vaccinology approach to disease prevention in farmed fish
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2018
    Functional and genomic analysis of the globally disseminated multidrug resistant Escherichia coli ST131 clone
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2015
    Smarter fermentations through starter culture genomics
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2015
    Evolution and pathogenicity of NDM-1 positive Escherichia coli
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2012
    ResTeach Funding 2012 0.2 FTE School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences
    UQ ResTeach
    Open grant
  • 2011
    Cell culture facilities for studying host-pathogen interactions and immune function
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2013
    Escherichia coli ST131: an emerging pathogen
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2013
    Adhesins of uropathogenic Escherichia coli.
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2009
    Genomics as a tool to study P aeruginosa lung disease in cystic fibrosis
    Australian Cystic Fibrosis Research Trust
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2011
    Evolution and function of a novel lateral flagellar locus, Flag-2, in pathogenic Escherichia coli (NHMRC Project grant administered by the University of Melbourne)
    University of Melbourne
    Open grant
  • 2009
    Infrastructure for biochemistry and infectious disease resarch in molecualr biosciences
    UQ School/Centre Co-Funding
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2011
    Molecular basis of asymptomatic colonization of the human urinary tract
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2011
    ResTeach 2009 0.2 FTE School of Chemical and Molecular Biosciences
    Open grant
  • 2008 - 2012
    The evolution of bacterial pathogenesis: a genomic approach
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2007 - 2008
    Understanding staphylococcal urinary tract infections: a comparative genomics approach
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant
  • 2006 - 2007
    The complete genome sequence of asymptomatic bacteriuria 'Escherichia coli' strain VR50
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant
  • 2005 - 2007
    NHMRC Howard Florey Fellowship: Bacterial Pathogenesis: A Genomic Approach
    NHMRC Career Development Award
    Open grant

Availability

Associate Professor Scott Beatson is:
Available for supervision

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Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Using low-cost state of the art technology and big data to help smallholder fish farmers to diagnose and control disease

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Oleksandra Rudenko, Professor Andrew Barnes

Completed supervision

Enquiries

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