Healthcare-Associated and Antibiotic-Resistant Bacterial Infections

By applying innovative diagnostic methods such as rapid point-of-care tests, multi-omics technologies as well as novel predictive models, clinical management and thus most likely treatment outcomes can be improved. In addition to the high information content of these new methods, the prompt availability of the results as well as the [...]

Antibiotic resistance is increasing at an alarming rate worldwide. New treatment options are urgently needed. Due to their specificity for certain bacteria, phages represent a conceivable alternative or supplement to antibiotics. The specificity of phages, but also the fact that they have no toxic side effects, make them important research [...]

Major abdominal surgery in particular is associated with high postoperative infection rates. Despite well-established surveillance systems for surgical wound infections, there is a lack of comprehensive reporting on infectious complications and the impact of the use of anti-infectives during and after surgery. The TIARA project aims to close this knowledge [...]

Implementation of evidence-based infection control practices to reduce healthcare associated infection remains a national and international priority. R-Net investigates the effect of various interventions aimed at limiting the spread of infections due to multi-drug resistant organisms (MDRO)—including infection prevention and control, decolonisation, antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) and the development of new [...]

A large number of innovative methods are available today to specifically target bacterial pathogens: DZIF scientists in the "TARGET" project use modern sequencing technologies to classify and characterize multi-resistant gram negative pathogens on a genome-by-genome basis. Conceptually, they are pursuing a "one-health-one-world strategy", since antibiotic resistance is not restricted to [...]

Within "NoSPREAD", a computer-assisted early warning system will be developed and established in hospitals. The system is aimed at the early detection of nosocomial transmissions and outbreaks of bacterial pathogens. It uses microbiological routine data - among others from the DZIF project "R-Net" - as well as modern whole genome [...]

Bloodstream infections (BSI) are associated with high morbidity and mortality worldwide and are still considered as one of the most severe bacterial infections. The BLOOMY-PREDICT project is an observational study, which runs at five German university hospitals. Within the scope of the project, different clinical values of patients such as [...]

Recent studies show that there has been an increasing spread of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in hospital patients in Germany in recent years. Enterococci are abundant in the intestines of humans (and animals) and are generally only slightly pathogenic. However, infections caused by these resistant pathogens pose an immediate threat to [...]

In this project, the scientists have developed a monoclonal antibody directed against a resistance protein that is crucial for the virulence, i.e. infectious effect, of Staphylococcus aureus. The monoclonal antibody can restore the body's own defence and thus make the bacteria vulnerable to antibiotics.

In this project, the scientists develop genetically engineered phage lysins and specific bacteriocins for the elimination of hospital germs such as Staphylococcus aureus, they clarify mechanisms of potential resistance mechanisms, and they analyse whether broad-spectrum or specifically acting agents have a more effective and lasting effect on colonization by S [...]