We will carry out intervention studies, either as an experiment or in chicken farms. We will test, which interventions are most effective and feasible: i) Antibiotic-free raising of chickens, ii) Treatment with medicinal plants as alternative for antibiotics, iii) vaccination against the bacterium Escherichia coli, iv) Application of bacteriophages that infiltrate and destroy bacteria, v) Treatment or long storage of manure, vi) Treatment of farm effluents to remove antibiotics and their residues.

Focus will be laid on certain bacteria that are widely distributed, and on certain resistances that can harm human health (e.g. so-called ESBL). A mathematical risk assessment model will be developed and used to assess the effectiveness as well as potential synergistic effects of the interventions, to reduce human exposure via the foodborne, occupational and environmental pathways. Data already available for the participating countries will be included in the model, and new, essential data will be generated within the studies. As a result, specific as well as general interventions will be identified that have the potential to reduce AMR in chicken and in the environment of chicken farms for Europe and Tunisia. To achieve this, six working groups from Germany, France, Lithuania, Poland, and Tunisia, bundle their leading expertise for the respective issue. 

Project partners

• Roswitha Merle, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany (Coordinator)
• Lucie Collineau, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety, France
• Mindaugas Malakauskas, Veterinary Academy of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Lithuania
• Marta Kuzminska-Bajor, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Poland
• Wejdene Mansour, University of Sousse, Tunisia
• Tina Kabelitz, Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy, Germany

Further information can be found  here.

One of the adverse effects of the HIV infection among children are bone deficiencies (skeletal development). Therefore, the purpose of the VITALITY study is to establish whether supplementation with vitamin D3 (weekly) and calcium carbonate (daily) improves musculoskeletal health among peripubertal CWH (children living with HIV) aged 10-19 years in Zambia and Zimbabwe, over a period of 48 weeks. In addition to this, the study will also investigate the intervention's effect on muscle mass and strength and to determine the sustainability of the intervention's effects by performing a follow-up at 96 weeks after the supplementation period.

Start:  2020
End:    2025

Principal Investigator: Professor Rashida Ferrand

Funders: European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP)

Project partners

• University of Bristol
• University Teaching Hospital of Zambia
• Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center
• Biomedical Research & Training Institute, University of Oxford
• London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, University of London

• Sub-Saharan African Musculoskeletal Network, Ministry of Health & Child Welfare

   For more information about the trial visit the VITALITY website.

In many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), high levels of prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) seem to be associated with high levels of corruption in healthcare delivery systems. This observation raises the question whether such corruption can be identified as a significant risk factor that contributes to the spread of AMR. In addition, it calls for clarification as to whether corruption, by undermining the principle of equal access to healthcare, might thwart the effectiveness of policies that are successful in curbing the spread of AMR in less corrupt settings.

Against this background, the Global Health Research Group at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW) aims to:

• produce new quantitative evidence for the influence of corruption on the spread of AMR amid the substantial economic inequality that characterizes many LMICs;
• develop an analytical economic model that can explain the influence of corruption and economic inequality on the utilization of antibiotics in human healthcare, predict deviations from optimal patterns of use, and be used for the evaluation of policy strategies;
• develop novel strategies that international organizations, such as the World Health Organization or the Global Fund, can use to help curb the spread of AMR in countries with endemic corruption in their healthcare delivery systems – without restricting essential access to antibiotics among the poor.

Start: 10.10.2022
End:   09.10.2025

Coordinating Institute
Kiel Institute for the World Economy

Project Team

• Dr. Michael Stolpe, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (Coordinator)
• Sahar Saeedi Moghaddam MSc, Kiel Institute for the World Economy
• Dr. Sofia Monteiro, Kiel Institute for the World Economy

Further information can be found here.

Addressing Wildlife Risk Knowledge Gaps at the Environment-Health Nexus of the Andes-Amazon-Orinoco: Socio-ecological Impacts and Mechanisms of Pathogen Emergence in Changing Landscapes (SIMPEL) Human alterations of landscapes and resultant impacts on human and animal distributions are key environmental changes occurring worldwide. Evidence is growing that such anthropogenic environmental changes are driving increased emergence of zoonotic pathogens. However, the current understanding of these linkages is limited, primarily correlative, and inconsistent across spatial and temporal scales, pathogens, transmission routes, and ecological contexts. This project will apply inter- and trans-disciplinary studies to characterize the ecological and social impacts of transitions from one land-use type to another, including effects on wild and domestic hosts, their pathogens, and human-nature relations. The project focuses on the under-studied, highly biodiverse, and rapidly changing landscapes of the Andes-Amazon-Orinoco in Colombia and Bolivia, and the Indigenous and local communities reliant on them, such as the T'simane and Tacana in Bolivia and diverse Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in Colombia. We will define the links between potential pathogen emergence and environmental transformation to better detect, predict and prevent future pandemic emergence associated with land use change, and strengthen the evidence base for integrating health into environmental conservation and development policies and Indigenous territorial management plans.

Start: 02.12.2022
End:   02.06.2025

Coordinating Institute
Leibniz-Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW)

Coordination

• Prof. Dr. Alex Greenwood (IZW)

Partners

• Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
• WCS Health Program
• WCS Bolivia
• WCS Colombia

Project Team

• Prof. Dr. Alex Greenwood (IZW)
• Dr. Sarah Olson (WCS: New York, USA)
• Zulema Lehm (WCS: Trinidad, Bolivia)
• Fabian Beltran (WCS: La Paz, Bolivia)
• Dr. Luz Acevedo (WCS: Bogotá, Colombia)

Further information can be found here.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) microorganisms can be transmitted from various sources such as livestock farming, sewage discharge or waste heaps to humans via environmental pathways (e.g., water, air) or vectors (e.g., flying insects). The aim of this research project is to explore the assessability of spatio-temporal environmental risks due to AMR germ transmission from animal husbandry as sources via flies (in particular Musca domestica) as vectors to humans as receptors.

Against this background, the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER) is pursuing the following research questions:

• Which environmental variables determine the spatial dispersal behaviour of the model organism Muca domestica and how can these be described on different spatial scales using geodata?
• Which approaches are suitable for modelling the spatial dispersal behaviour of the model organism, in particular for potential transmission pathways from AMR sources in livestock farming to the human population as AMR receptors?
• What contributions to the assessment of environmental risks from AMR vectors for the investigated transmission pathways and to their reduction can be derived for Musca domestica at different spatial scales?

Start:   01.08.2023

Ende:   31.07.2026

Koordinierendes Institut

Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER)

Partner

Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF)

Projekt-Team

• Lisa Eichler
• Prof. Jochen Schanze
• Dr. Ralf-Uwe Syrbe
• Dr. Marco Neubert
• Dr. Robert Hecht

Further information can be found hier.

Pathogenic bacteria and viruses in the environment, typically in domestic and wild animals, can cause dangerous infections in humans – so-called zoonoses. So far, little is known regarding their occurrence outside of humans and animals. The aim of the Leibniz ScienceCampus EcoPath is to obtain more information about the spread and survivability of zoonosis-causing pathogens in the environment and thus learn more about their ecology.

This new research program will help to elucidate the evolutionary mechanisms that enable these pathogens to adapt to the environment and facilitate the transition to humans. State-of-the-art molecular ecology and systems biology methods, modelling, and data science analyses will be employed. Three pathogens that are often highly resistant to antibiotics are in the focus: Clostridioides difficile (pathogens that cause severe diarrhoea), enterococci (urinary tract and wound infections, including sepsis) and porcine coronaviruses (rare acute respiratory diseases).

Start:   01.04.2024

End:    01.04.2028 

Coordinating Institute:

• Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH

For further Information click hier.

The majority of countries worldwide have now developed national action plans (NAPs) to control antimicrobial resistance (AMR). However, initial research indicates that the governance and implementation of many NAPs is severely delayed and incomplete.

In this project, together with the Global Health Governance Programme in Edinburgh, we are conducting a global governance analysis of all countries represented by a self-assessment survey in the global Tripartite Antimicrobial Resistance Database (TrACCS). For this, we are applying a governance framework to assess national AMR action plans from Anderson et al. (2019) to measure the global response to AMR.

Start:    01.05.2022
End:      31.07.2022

Coordinating Institute

• German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA)

Partners

• Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM)
• Global Health Governance Programme, University of Edinburgh

Projectteam 

• Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hein (GIGA)
• Dr. Anne Harant (GIGA)
• Dr. Denise Dekker (BNITM)
• Prof. Dr. Devi Sridhar (Global Health Governance Programme, University of Edinburgh)
• Dr. Genevie Fernandes (Global Health Governance Programme, University of Edinburgh)
• M. Sc. Jay Patel  (Global Health Governance Programme, University of Edinburgh)

In this project, we aim to examine the role of overconfidence in medical decision making among medical professionals and trainees in Ghana. The study focuses on the relationship between overconfidence and antibiotic prescription practices. The aim is to understand the extent, causes and consequences of overconfidence. To achieve this, we are conducting an individual survey across various healthcare facilities and teaching hospitals.

Start:  01.05.2023

End:   30.06.2025

Coordinating Institute

• Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM)

Coordination

• Jan Priebe (BNITM)

Partners

• Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR)

Project Team

• Dr. John Amuasi (KCCR, BNITM)

• Jan Priebe (BNITM)

• Eva Lorenz (BNITM)

• MSc Mawuli Leslie Aglanu (KCCR)

• Angelina Effah (KCCR)

• MSc Lena Merkel (BNITM, GIGA)

This project gathers first-hand data on antibiotic use in cattle rearing and the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in animal source foods (ASF), humans, and the environment in the South Kivu province, in the east of the D.R. Congo (DRC). A region where perennial political insecurity and a lack of (road) infrastructure make the zone difficult to access, discourage qualified animal care staff to settle in the area and complicate the supply of veterinary products. The data collected will serve as invaluable basis for the design of an intervention study.

The funds are used to conduct a socio economic survey with livestock keepers on antimicrobial use in South Kivu, Eastern D.R. Congo and analyse cattle faeces and soil samples for presence of antimicrobial resistant pathogens. Hence, the project will provide an understanding of the motives, use patterns and the existing resistance levels of antimicrobials, indispensable in order to assess the problem and to design effective mitigate measures.

Start: 30.06.2023

End: 31.12.2024

Coordinating Institute:

• Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy, e. V. (ATB)

Partners:

• Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung e.V. (RWI)
• Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales de Bukavu (ISTM)
• link: https://www.istm-bukavu.ac/

Project Team:

• Dr. Olivier Kashongwe (ATB)
• Dr. Tina Kabelitz (ATB)
• Prof. Dr. Renate Hartwig (RWI)
• Dr. Louisette Wimba (ISTM)

Air in livestock barns - a danger for animals and humans?

In the seed money project AirBarn, aerosols inside and from animal barns are investigated as a potential source for airborne pathogens. It is known that the use of antibiotics in agriculture often selects antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but the extent to which environmental influences can change the composition of bacteria in bioaerosols and where risks arise for humans and the environment are still open research questions. In AirBarn, the size and density of fine dust particles in the pig barn will be measured. The prevalence of pathogenic microorganisms on airborne particles and the occurrence of antibiotic resistance will be investigated. Under the hypothesis that the abundance of AMR bacteria in bioaerosols varies depending on environmental conditions (temperature and humidity), different methods (microscopy, bacterial cultivation, next generation sequencing and PCR/qPCR) are applied to investigate bioaerosols in the pig barn. The aim is to gain a better understanding of the aerobiology of pathogen-containing aerosols in pig farms.

Start: 01.10.2024

End: 30.09.2025

Coordinating Institutes:

• Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik und Bioökonomie e.V. (ATB)
•  Robert Koch-Institut Berlin (RKI)

Partners:

• Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures
• Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF)
• Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt für Tierzucht und Tierhaltung e.V. (LVAT)
• Leibniz Innovation Farm for Sustainable Bioeconomy (InnoHof)

Project team

• Dr. Tina Kabelitz (ATB)
• Dr. Elisabeth Pfrommer (RKI)
• Prof. Ulrich Nübel (DSMZ)
• Dr. Doreen Werner (ZALF)
• Claudia Dolsdorf (LVAT)
• Dr. Anja Hansen (InnoHof)

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria include all Mycobacterium species except M. tuberculosis and M. leprae. Currently, over 200 NTM species are described, but only a handful cause disease in humans. It is believed that transmission to humans primarily happens through contact with environmental sources such as water and soil. However, the exact transmission routes and epidemiology of environmental NTMs remains poorly investigated. To bridge this knowledge gap, this project involves collection of water samples at different sites in Germany followed by detailed characterization of isolated NTMs.

Start:    01.07.2024
End:      01.07.2026

Coordinating Institute

• Research center Borstel – Leibniz Lung center

Coordination

• Dr. ir. Margo Diricks (FZB), Dr. Inna Friesen (FZB) and Prof. Dr. Stefan Niemann (FZB)

Partners

• Leibniz-Institut für Gewässerökologie und Binnenfischerei in Berlin (IGB)

Projectteam 

• Dr. ir. Margo Diricks (FZB)
• Dr. Inna Friesen (FZB)
• Prof. Dr. Stefan Niemann (FZB)
• Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Grossart (IGB)