Antibiotic resistance | German Center for Infection Research

Short description

Antibiotic resistance refers to the ability of bacteria to withstand one or more antibiotics, making these drugs less effective or ineffective.

Detailed description

Antibiotic resistance can occur naturally or arise through genetic changes. Certain resistance genes can also be transferred between bacteria. The use of antibiotics favors the proliferation of resistant bacteria because susceptible bacteria are inhibited or killed.

The global rise in antibiotic resistance is making bacterial infections increasingly difficult to treat. At DZIF, researchers investigate how resistance emerges and spreads and explore new approaches to diagnosing, preventing, and treating resistant infections.

The picture shows a scientist examining a Petri dish containing a bacterial culture. The person is in a laboratory; other laboratory equipment and sample containers can be seen in the background.

Thinking beyond antibiotics in the treatment of urinary tract infections

A research team from Switzerland and Germany has explored the combined use of phage and fecal microbiota transplantation to treat female patients with recurrent urinary tract infections that do not

Black-and-white electron micrograph of a rod-shaped, dark gray bacterial cell surrounded by a thick layer of light gray filaments.

From urinary tract infection to brain abscess: How bacterial subpopulations can spread to distant body sites

Researchers from the University of Cologne, the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT present a remarkable clinical case in the New England Journal of

DZIF project nominated for the “Science Breakthrough of the Year 2026” award

The project “PROTON—Breaking the Wall of Deadly Bacterial Infections” has been nominated by the Falling Walls Foundation for the title “Science Breakthrough of the Year 2026” in the Life Sciences

University of Cologne

VRE-LFA: Rapid detection of Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium by lateral flow assay

Enterococcus faecium is intrinsically resistant to many antibiotics and can cause difficult-to-treat infections, especially in immunocompromised and other vulnerable patients. Vancomycin-resistant E. faecium (VRE) strains are especially problematic because vancomycin cannot be used to treat these ...

Computer-generated image of a phage attached to the surface of a bacterial cell and injecting its DNA into the cell.

Viruses against bacteria: EU funds phage therapy with €15 million

Bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics. One alternative is treatment with viruses that exclusively infect bacteria, known as phages. A research project funded by the European

Members of the PKAMR and invited experts engaged in discussion

Parliamentary Group against Antimicrobial Resistance (PKAMR): strengthening antibiotic innovation, ensuring access

On June 12, 2026, the Parliamentary Group against Antimicrobial Resistance (PKAMR) held a discussion under the title "High-tech agenda for antibiotics—strategic directions for innovation and security

Dec 2025

Commun Chem

Targeting bacterial kinases as a strategy to counteract antibiotic resistance

Autoren

Buffa V et al.

Hamburg - Lübeck - Borstel - Riems | Hannover - Braunschweig | München | Tübingen

CLASTER: Clinical and Ambulant Study Center

The Clinical and Ambulant Study Center (CLASTER) supports the planning and implementation of clinical and epidemiological studies within the DZIF research area "Community-Acquired Infections at Mucosal Interfaces". Its mission is to accelerate the translation of discoveries from basic research into ...

Sep 2025

Clin Microbiol Rev

Proteus spp.-taxonomy, clinical significance, and antibiotic resistance of a highly versatile pathogen

Autoren

Muhsal LK et al.

Processing of sputum samples for the culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and drug-resistance testing in the tuberculosis lab in Riga.

Long-term cure rates for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis much better than expected

A new national cohort study from Latvia, conducted in collaboration with researchers from the clinical tuberculosis infrastructure (ClinTB) of the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) at the