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Professor David Murdoch

David Murdoch

Co-leader of The Infection Group
Co-director of One Health Aotearoa 
Vice-Chancellor Designate

MB ChB, MD (Otago), MSc (Lond), DTM&H (Liv), FRACP, FRCPA, FFSc(RCPA)

Email david.murdoch@otago.ac.nz 
Tel +64 3 479 8253

Current roles

Professor David Murdoch is the co-leader of The Infection Group, the co-director of One Health Aotearoa, a Senior Associate in the Department of International Health at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and a clinical microbiologist at Canterbury Health Laboratories.

In February 2022, Professor Murdoch will begin in the role of Vice-Chancellor of the University of Otago.

Research interests

David’s main research interests are the epidemiology, diagnosis and prevention of respiratory tract infections, pneumococcal disease, legionellosis, bloodstream infections, and the role of vitamin D in infectious diseases.

He has a particular interest in the microbial aetiology of pneumonia, and is the Laboratory Director of the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) project which is focused on determining the causes of severe pneumonia in young children from developing countries. David has ongoing projects based in nine countries in Africa and Asia.

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Publications

Shrestha, S., Gurung, M., Amatya, P., Bijukchhe, S., Bose, A. S., Carter, M. J., … Murdoch, D. R., … & the PneumoNepal Study Group. (2022). Effect of the of 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in Nepal 4 years after introduction: An observational cohort study. Lancet Global Health, 10, e1494-e1504. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(22)00281-9

Cheung, J., Nordmeier, K., Kelland, S., Harrington, M., Williman, J., Storer, M., Beaglehole, B., … Chambers, S., Epton, M., Freeman, J., Murdoch, D., Werno, A., & Maze, M. (2022). Symptom persistence and recovery among Covid-19 survivors during a limited outbreak in Canterbury, New Zealand: A prospective cohort study. Internal Medicine Journal. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/imj.15930

Téllez, A., Ambrosioni, J., Hernández-Meneses, M., Llopis, J., Ripa, M., Chambers, S. T., … Raymond, N., … the International Collaboration on Endocarditis (ICE) Investigators, including Murdoch, D. R. (2022). Clinical characteristics and outcome of infective endocarditis due to Abiotrophia and Granulicatella compared to Viridans group streptococci. Journal of Infection. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2022.05.023

Park, D. E., Watson, N. L., Focht, C., Feikin, D., Hammitt, L., Brooks, W. A., … Murdoch, D. R., … McCollum, E. D. (2022). Digitally recorded and remotely classified lung auscultation compared with conventional stethoscope classifications among children aged 1-59 months enrolled in the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) case-control study. BMJ Open Respiratory Research, 9, e001144. doi: 10.1136/bmjresp-2021-001144

Kandasamy, R., Lo, S., Gurung, M., Carter, M. J., Gladstone, R., Lees, J., … Murdoch, D. R., … Pollard, A. J. (2022). Effect of childhood vaccination and antibiotic use on pneumococcal populations and genome-wide associations with disease among children in Nepal: An observational study. Lancet Microbe. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/S2666-5247(22)00066-0

Pollard, A. J., & Murdoch, D. R. (2007). Bergmedizin: Höhenbedingte erkrankungen und gesundheitsgefahren bei bergsteigern (3rd ed.). Bern, Switzerland: Hans Huber, 240p.

Authored Book - Research

Pollard, A. J., & Murdoch, D. R. (2003). The high altitude medicine handbook (3rd ed.). Oxon, UK: Radcliffe Medical Press, 193p.

Authored Book - Other

Pollard, A. J., & Murdoch, D. R. (2001). Travel Medicine. Oxford: Health Press, 152p.

Authored Book - Other

Pollard, A. J., & Murdoch, D. R. (1998). The High Altitude Medicine Handbook (2 ed.). Abingdon: Radcliffe Medical Press, 165p.

Authored Book - Other

Begg, E., Barclay, M., Vella-Brincat, J., Gardiner, S. J., Doogue, M., McDermott, L., … Chambers, S., & Murdoch, D. (Eds.). (2004). Preferred Medicines List (8th ed.). Christchurch: The Caxton Press, 172p.

Edited Book - Other

Murdoch, D. R., Werno, A. M., & Jennings, L. C. (2019). Microbiological diagnosis of respiratory illness: Recent advances. In R. Wilmott, A. Bush, R. Deterding, F. Ratjen, P. Sly, H. Zar & H. Li (Eds.), Kendig's disorders of the respiratory tract in children. (9 ed.) (pp. 396-405.e3). Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-323-44887-1.00022-5

Chapter in Book - Research

Murdoch, D. R. (2005). Streptococcus pneumoniae. In J. Fuchs & M. Podda (Eds.), Encyclopedia of diagnostic genomics and proteomics. (pp. 1236-1240). New York: Marcel Dekker.

Chapter in Book - Research

Murdoch, D. (2004). Altitude sickness. In Clinical Evidence 11. (pp. 1767-1773). BMJ Publishing Group. Retrieved from http://www.clinicalevidence.com/ceweb/conditions/index.jsp

Chapter in Book - Research

Pollard, A. J., Litch, J. A., & Murdoch, D. R. (1998). Children at altitude. In H. Ohno, T. Kobayashi, S. Masuyama & M. Nakashima (Eds.), Progress in mountain medicine and high mountain physiology. (pp. 422-424). Japanese Society of Mountain Medicine.

Chapter in Book - Research

Murdoch, D. (2013). Pathology. In P. Joyce, G. Nicholls, K. Thomas & T. Wilkinson (Eds.), The Christchurch experience: 40 years of research and teaching. (pp. 45-49). Christchurch, New Zealand: University of Otago.

Chapter in Book - Other

Bryce, A., Foley, L., Phillipson, J., Slow, S., Storer, M., Williman, J., Beasley, R., Bhally, H., … Dummer, J., Epton, M., … Gracie, K., Hancox, R. J., Hills, T., Hogg, S., … Kearns, N., … Murdoch, D., Raymond, N., … Maze, M. J. (2022). Clinical features of patients hospitalised with COVID-19 from February to October 2020, during the early waves of the pandemic in New Zealand. New Zealand Medical Journal, 135(1552), 120-130. Retrieved from https://journal.nzma.org.nz/

Journal - Research Article

Carter, M. J., Gurung, M., Pokhrel, B., Bijukchhe, S. M., Karmacharya, S., Khadka, B., … Murdoch, D. R., … Pollard, A. J. (2022). Childhood invasive bacterial disease in Kathmandu Nepal (2005-2013). Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 41(3), 192-198. doi: 10.1097/inf.0000000000003421

Journal - Research Article

Cheung, J., Nordmeier, K., Kelland, S., Harrington, M., Williman, J., Storer, M., Beaglehole, B., … Chambers, S., Epton, M., Freeman, J., Murdoch, D., Werno, A., & Maze, M. (2022). Symptom persistence and recovery among Covid-19 survivors during a limited outbreak in Canterbury, New Zealand: A prospective cohort study. Internal Medicine Journal. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/imj.15930

Journal - Research Article

Kandasamy, R., Lo, S., Gurung, M., Carter, M. J., Gladstone, R., Lees, J., … Murdoch, D. R., … Pollard, A. J. (2022). Effect of childhood vaccination and antibiotic use on pneumococcal populations and genome-wide associations with disease among children in Nepal: An observational study. Lancet Microbe. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/S2666-5247(22)00066-0

Journal - Research Article

Park, D. E., Watson, N. L., Focht, C., Feikin, D., Hammitt, L., Brooks, W. A., … Murdoch, D. R., … McCollum, E. D. (2022). Digitally recorded and remotely classified lung auscultation compared with conventional stethoscope classifications among children aged 1-59 months enrolled in the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) case-control study. BMJ Open Respiratory Research, 9, e001144. doi: 10.1136/bmjresp-2021-001144

Journal - Research Article

Shrestha, S., Gurung, M., Amatya, P., Bijukchhe, S., Bose, A. S., Carter, M. J., … Murdoch, D. R., … & the PneumoNepal Study Group. (2022). Effect of the of 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in Nepal 4 years after introduction: An observational cohort study. Lancet Global Health, 10, e1494-e1504. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(22)00281-9

Journal - Research Article

Slow, S., Anderson, T., Murdoch, D. R., Bloomfield, S., Winter, D., & Biggs, P. J. (2022). Extensive epigenetic modification with large-scale chromosomal and plasmid recombination characterise the Legionella longbeachae serogroup 1 genome. Scientific Reports, 12, 5810. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-09721-9

Journal - Research Article

Téllez, A., Ambrosioni, J., Hernández-Meneses, M., Llopis, J., Ripa, M., Chambers, S. T., … Raymond, N., … the International Collaboration on Endocarditis (ICE) Investigators, including Murdoch, D. R. (2022). Clinical characteristics and outcome of infective endocarditis due to Abiotrophia and Granulicatella compared to Viridans group streptococci. Journal of Infection. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2022.05.023

Journal - Research Article

Awori, J. O., Kamau, A., Morpeth, S., Kazungu, S., Silaba, M., Sande, J., … Murdoch, D. R., … Scott, J. A. G. (2021). The etiology of pneumonia in HIV-uninfected Children in Kilifi, Kenya: Findings from the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) Study. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 40, S29-S39. doi: 10.1097/inf.0000000000002653

Journal - Research Article

Baillie, V. L., Moore, D. P., Muthunjwa, A., Baggett, H. C., Brooks, A., Feikin, D. R., … Murdoch, D. R., … Madhi, S. A. (2021). Epidemiology of the rhinovirus (RV) in African and Southeast Asian children: A case-control pneumonia etiology study. Viruses, 13(7), 1249. doi: 10.3390/v13071249

Journal - Research Article

Bothara, R. K., Tafuna'i, M., Wilkinson, T. J., Desrosiers, J., Jack, S., Pattemore, P. K., Walls, T., Sopoaga, F., Murdoch, D. R., & Miller, A. P. (2021). Global health classroom: Mixed methods evaluation of an interinstitutional model for reciprocal global health learning among Samoan and New Zealand medical students. Globalization & Health, 17, 99. doi: 10.1186/s12992-021-00755-8

Journal - Research Article

Brooks, W. A., Zaman, K., Goswami, D., Prosperi, C., Endtz, H. P., Hossain, L., … Murdoch, D. R., … Deloria Knoll, M. (2021). The etiology of childhood pneumonia in Bangladesh: Findings from the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) Study. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 40, S79-S90. doi: 10.1097/inf.0000000000002648

Journal - Research Article

Brueggemann, A. B., Jansen van Rensburg, M. J., Shaw, D., Jolley, K. A., McCarthy, N. D., Maiden, M. C. J., … Murdoch, D. R., … Zhou, F. (2021). Changes in the incidence of invasive disease due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis during the COVID-19 pandemic in 26 countries and territories in the Invasive Respiratory Infection Surveillance Initiative: A prospective analysis of surveillance data. Lancet Digital Health, 3(6), e360-e370. doi: 10.1016/S2589-7500(21)00077-7

Journal - Research Article

Bunthi, C., Rhodes, J., Thamthitiwat, S., Higdon, M. M., Chuananon, S., Amorninthapichet, T., … Murdoch, D. R., … Akarasewi, P. (2021). Etiology and clinical characteristics of severe pneumonia among young children in Thailand: Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) case-control study findings, 2012-2013. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 40, S91-S100. doi: 10.1097/inf.0000000000002768

Journal - Research Article

Chambers, S. T., Withers, A., Dawson, K., Anderson, T., Williman, J., Murdoch, D., Scott-Thomas, A., & Slow, S. (2021). How safe are gloves and masks used for protection against Legionella longbeachae infection when gardening? Letters in Applied Microbiology, 73, 616-622. doi: 10.1111/lam.13546

Journal - Research Article

Deloria Knoll, M., Prosperi, C., Baggett, H. C., Brooks, W. A., Feikin, D. R., Hammitt, L. L., … Murdoch, D. R., … O'Brien, K. L. (2021). Introduction to the site-specific etiologic results from the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) Study. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 40, S1-S6. doi: 10.1097/inf.0000000000002778

Journal - Research Article

Ebruke, B. E., Deloria Knoll, M., Haddix, M., Zaman, S. M. A., Prosperi, C., Feikin, D. R., … Murdoch, D. R., … Howie, S. R. C. (2021). The aetiology of pneumonia from analysis of lung aspirate and pleural fluid samples: Findings from the PERCH study. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 73, e3788-e3796. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1032

Journal - Research Article

Geoghegan, J. L., Douglas, J., Ren, X., Storey, M., Hadfield, J., Silander, O. K., … Baker, M. G., Murdoch, D. R., … de Ligt, J. (2021). Use of genomics to track Coronavirus disease outbreaks, New Zealand. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 27(5), 1317-1322. doi: 10.3201/eid2705.204579

Journal - Research Article

Howie, S. R. C., Ebruke, B. E., McLellan, J. L., Deloria Knoll, M., Dione, M. M., Feikin, D. R., … Murdoch, D. R., … Zaman, S. M. A. (2021). The etiology of childhood Pneumonia in The Gambia: Findings from the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) Study. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 40, S7-S17. doi: 10.1097/inf.0000000000002766

Journal - Research Article

Jolliffe, D. A., Camargo, Jr, C. A., Sluyter, J. D., Aglipay, M., Aloia, J. F., Ganmaa, D., … Murdoch, D. R., … Martineau, A. R. (2021). Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis of aggregate data from randomised controlled trials. Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 9, 276-292. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(21)00051-6

Journal - Research Article

Mohammadi, A., Chambers, S. T., Slow, S., Anderson, T., Williman, J., Scott, P., Murdoch, D., & Scott-Thomas, A. (2021). Presence of Legionella Longbeachae in pine but not composted green waste used in manufacture of potting soils in New Zealand. Journal of Applied & Environmental Microbiology, 9(1), 1-4. doi: 10.12691/jaem-9-1-1

Journal - Research Article

Moore, D. P., Baillie, V. L., Mudau, A., Wadula, J., Adams, T., Mangera, S., … Murdoch, D. R., … Madhi, S. A. (2021). The etiology of pneumonia in HIV-uninfected South African children: Findings from the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) Study. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 40, S59-S68. doi: 10.1097/inf.0000000000002650

Journal - Research Article

Moore, D. P., Baillie, V. L., Mudau, A., Wadula, J., Adams, T., Mangera, S., … Murdoch, D. R., … Madhi, S. A. (2021). The etiology of pneumonia in HIV-1-infected South African children in the era of antiretroviral treatment: Findings from the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) Study. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 40, S69-S78. doi: 10.1097/inf.0000000000002651

Journal - Research Article

Mwananyanda, L., Thea, D. M., Chipeta, J., Kwenda, G., Mulindwa, J. M., Mwenechanya, M., … Murdoch, D. R., … Seidenberg, P. (2021). The etiology of pneumonia in Zambian children: Findings from the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) Study. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 40, S40-S49. doi: 10.1097/inf.0000000000002652

Journal - Research Article

Nguyen, T., Adnan, M., Nguyen, B. P., de Ligt, J., Geoghegan, J. L., Dean, R., … Baker, M. G., … Murdoch, D. R., … Simpson, C. R. (2021). COVID-19 vaccine strategies for Aotearoa New Zealand: A mathematical modelling study. Lancet Regional Health: Western Pacific, 15, 100256. doi: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2021.100256

Journal - Research Article

Park, D. E., Higdon, M. M., Prosperi, C., Baggett, H. C., Brooks, W. A., Feikin, D. R., … Murdoch, D. R., … Deloria Knoll, M. (2021). Upper respiratory tract co-detection of human endemic coronaviruses and high-density pneumococcus associated with increased severity among HIV-uninfected children under 5 years old in the PERCH study. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 40(6), 503-512. doi: 10.1097/inf.0000000000003139

Journal - Research Article

Pericàs, J. M., Llopis, J., Athan, E., Hernández-Meneses, M., Hannan, M. M., Murdoch, D. R., … on behalf of the International Collaboration on Endocarditis (ICE) Investigators. (2021). Prospective cohort study of infective endocarditis in people who inject drugs. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 77(5), 544-555. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2020.11.062

Journal - Research Article

Scott, P., Zhang, J., Anderson, T., Priest, P. C., Chambers, S., Smith, H., Murdoch, D. R., French, N., & Biggs, P. J. (2021). Whole-genome sequencing and ad hoc shared genome analysis of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from a New Zealand primary school. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 20328. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-99080-8

Journal - Research Article

Seidenberg, P., Mwananyanda, L., Chipeta, J., Kwenda, G., Mulindwa, J. M., Mwansa, J., … Murdoch, D. R., … Thea, D. M. (2021). The etiology of pneumonia in HIV-infected Zambian children: Findings from the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) Study. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 40, S50-S58. doi: 10.1097/inf.0000000000002649

Journal - Research Article

Shrestha, S., Stockdale, L. K., Gautam, M. C., Gurung, M., Feng, S., Maskey, P., … Murdoch, D. R., … Pollard, A. J. (2021). Impact of vaccination on Haemophilus influenzae type b carriage in healthy children less than 5 years of age in an urban population in Nepal. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 224(Suppl. 3), S267-S274. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiab072

Journal - Research Article

Tapia, M. D., Sylla, M., Driscoll, A. J., Touré, A., Kourouma, N., Sissoko, S., … Murdoch, D. R., … Kotloff, K. L. (2021). The etiology of childhood pneumonia in Mali: Findings from the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) Study. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 40, S18-S28. doi: 10.1097/inf.0000000000002767

Journal - Research Article

Carter, M. J., Gurung, P., Jones, C., Rajkarnikar, S., Kandasamy, R., Gurung, M., … Murdoch, D. R., … for the PneumoNepal Study Group. (2020). Assessment of an antibody-in-lymphocyte supernatant assay for the etiological diagnosis of pneumococcal pneumonia in children. Frontiers in Cellular & Infection Microbiology, 9, 459. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00459

Journal - Research Article

Gallagher, K. E., Deloria Knoll, M., Prosperi, C., Baggett, H. C., Brooks, W. A., Feiken, D. R., … Murdoch, D. R., … for The PERCH Study Group. (2020). The predictive performance of a pneumonia severity score in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-negative children presenting to hospital in seven low- and middle-income countries. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 70, 1050-1057. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciz350

Journal - Research Article

Geoghegan, J. L., Ren, X., Storey, M., Hadfield, J., Jelley, L., Jefferies, S., … Baker, M. G., Murdoch, D. R., … de Ligt, J. (2020). Genomic epidemiology reveals transmission patterns and dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in Aotearoa New Zealand. Nature Communications, 11(1), 6351. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-20235-8

Journal - Research Article

Hannaway, R. F., Wang, X., Schneider, M., Slow, S., Cowan, J., Brockway, B., Schofield, M. R., Morgan, X. C., Murdoch, D. R., & Ussher, J. E. (2020). Mucosal-associated invariant T cells and Vδ2+ γδ T cells in community acquired pneumonia: Association of abundance in sputum with clinical severity and outcome. Clinical & Experimental Immunology, 199(2), 201-215. doi: 10.1111/cei.13377

Journal - Research Article

McCollum, E. D., Park, D. E., Watson, N. L., Fancourt, N. S. S., Focht, C., Baggett, H. C., … Murdoch, D. R., … Hammitt, L. L. (2020). Digital auscultation in PERCH: Associations with chest radiography and pneumonia mortality in children. Pediatric Pulmonology, 55, 3197-3208. doi: 10.1002/ppul.25046

Journal - Research Article

Mohammadi, A., Chambers, S. T., Scott-Thomas, A., Lewis, J. G., Anderson, T., Podmore, R., Williman, J., Murdoch, D., & Slow, S. (2020). Enhancement of culture of Legionella longbeachae from respiratory samples using immunomagnetic separation and antimicrobial decontamination. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 58(11), e01218-20. doi: 10.1128/jcm.01218-20

Journal - Research Article

Slow, S., Pearson, J. F., Florkowski, C. M., Elder, P. A., Lewis, J. G., Kennedy, M. A., & Murdoch, D. R. (2020). Effect of genetic factors on the response to vitamin D3 supplementation in the VIDARIS randomised controlled trial. Nutrition, 75-76, 110761. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2020.110761

Journal - Research Article

Kandasamy, R., Gurung, M., Thorson, S., Yu, L.-M., Galal, U., Voysey, M., … Murdoch, D. R., … Pollard, A. J. (2019). Comparison of two schedules of two-dose priming with the ten-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in Nepalese children: An open-label, randomised non-inferiority controlled trial. Lancet Infectious Diseases, 19, 156-164. doi: 10.1016/s1473-3099(18)30568-1

Journal - Research Article

Martineau, A. R., Jolliffe, D. A., Greenberg, L., Aloia, J. F., Bergman, P., Dubnoz-Raz, G., … Murdoch, D. R., … Hooper, R. L. (2019). Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory infections: Individual participant data meta-analysis. Health Technology Assessment, 23(2). doi: 10.3310/hta23020

Journal - Research Article

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