Hospital pathogens | German Center for Infection Research

Short description

Hospital pathogens are microorganisms that patients can get infected with in connection with hospital treatment.

Synonyms

Nosocomial pathogens

Nosocomial

Detailed description

The most common pathogens that cause nosocomial infections—also called hospital pathogens or healthcare-associated pathogens—are summarised under the acronym ‘ESKAPE’. These include Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter species. They can spread in hospitals and clinical facilities due to a lack of hygiene measures and the incorrect use of antibiotics, among other things. The increase in nosocomial bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics is particularly worrying. Healthcare-associated infections can lead to wound, bloodstream, respiratory and urinary tract infections, meningitis and other infectious diseases.

Research transfer: Infection research leads to therapeutics

The coronavirus pandemic provided the decisive impetus: In 2022, a Bavarian branch of the young Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (ITMP) was launched in rented

Virologist Florian Klein appointed to the National Academy of Sciences

Prof. Florian Klein, scientist at the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) and director of the Institute of Virology at University Hospital Cologne, has been accepted as a new member of the

Prof. Michael Schindler and a colleague in blue lab coats look at multi-colored marked cells on a computer screen.

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An interdisciplinary research team involving the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) has identified two antiviral drug candidates effective against a wide range of viruses. The study

Group photo of around 160 participants at the EVH kick-off meeting

Launch of the European Vaccines Hub for Pandemic Readiness, a new European public-private partnership for public health-relevant vaccine development

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Red-coloured rod-shaped bacteria in an electron micrograph.

Multidrug-resistant bacteria: development of new antibiotics

The German Research Foundation (DFG) and the French Agence National de la Recherche (ANR) are now funding the project "Characterization of novel natural product binding sites in the DNA gyrase of

Electron micrograph of a cluster of yellow-stained round bacteria

New agent inhibits Staphylococcus aureus toxin: hope for pneumonia patients

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Jena University hospital

The Jena University Hospital is involved in the DZIF research area Novel Antibiotics and is working on the preclinical…

Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS)

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This project prepares the preclinical development of the semi-synthetic chlorotonil derivative dehalogenil for the treatment of bacterial infections caused by Gram-positive pathogens. Dehalogenil impresses with its potent and very rapid antibacterial effect, which is triggered by membrane ...

Blue filamentous viruses on the surface of a green-yellow round cell against a black background

New study sheds light on the causes of fevers of unknown origin in sub-Saharan Africa

A new retrospective, laboratory-based observational study provides detailed insights into the causes of fevers of unknown origin in sub-Saharan Africa. Together with scientists from Guinea and

Tuberculosis research: promising new active agent

Tuberculosis is the most common infectious disease worldwide. In 2022 alone, there were 10.6 million new infections and 1.3 million deaths. The European-African network PanACEA—a consortium of