ASSOCIATED PROJECTS 

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.

 Antibiotic treatment can only be effective if the drug reaches its target. However, the cell membrane of bacteria presents a barrier that is difficult for many antibiotics to overcome. Gram-negative bacteria in particular, with their double cell membrane, are often difficult to treat and are increasingly showing resistance to conventional antibiotics. Which structural changes in the cell membrane prevent active substances from passing through, and how can we improve this uptake to optimise the effectiveness of antibiotics? These questions are the focus of the research project ‘Investigation of synergistic effects of membrane-active peptides and conventional antibiotics’, or AMPel for short.

The AMPel researchers aim to investigate the role and effects of so-called membrane-active peptides. These are molecules that interact with the cell membrane in various ways and can contribute to pore formation there. The activity of membrane-active peptides, in combination with the administration of conventional antibiotics, could increase efficacy many-fold and pave the way for novel antibiotic therapies. The development of an analytical platform is intended to enable the investigation of the specific interactions between the peptides and bacterial membranes. This will involve the use of highly sensitive microscopic techniques, electrophysiological and spectroscopic experiments, as well as modelling.

Start:   01.01.2024

End:   31.12.2026

Coordinating institute

Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT)

Partners

FZB, LIV, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg

For further Information (in german) click here.

Planet-wide, the interplay of climate change, plastic pollution, and antimicrobial resistance poses a profound threat to the health of people, animals, and ecosystems. However, our understanding of how these crises interact is severely limited. In this context, the EU-funded TULIP project (Community-based engagement and intervenTions to stem the spread of antimicrobial resistance in the aqUatic environments catalysed by cLImate change and Plastic pollution interactions) aims to unravel the complex connections between plastic pollution and antimicrobial resistance under the influence of a changing climate. Specifically, the project uses advanced methods to understand driving factors and policies, while designing community-based solutions. TULIP transforms evidence into decision-support tools, promoting triple-win solutions for human and ecosystem health. Engaging communities, policymakers, and experts, TULIP focuses on aquatic environments in the Philippines and Italy, with plans for pan-European impact.

Start:  01.01.2024

End:   31.12.2028

Coordinating institute

Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health

Partners

A total of 12 partners, including IZW and IGB

For further Information click here.

The One Health Integrated Surveillance for Zoonotic Diseases: A Case Study of Leptospirosis in Sri Lanka (OHIS-ZOO) project aims to strengthen the early detection and prevention of leptospirosis outbreaks through a proactive One Health (OH) approach. Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Leptospira. The infection usually spreads through water and soil that is contaminated by the urine of infected animals. The risk of leptospirosis often increases after extreme rainfalls or floods, when people come into contact with contaminated water or soil. Leptospirosis is a significant public health risk in Sri Lanka. The disease shows clear seasonal variability, closely linked to the country’s monsoon patterns. Most cases of the disease occur as a result of occupational exposure during paddy cultivation, particularly during planting and harvesting seasons, and outbreaks commonly occur following periods of heavy rain leading to floods. The OHIS-ZOO project aims to develop a driver-based integrated One Health surveillance system for leptospirosis by systematically linking epidemiological, environmental, animal, and laboratory data.

Start:   01.01.2025

End:   31.12.2027

Koordinierendes Institut

Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg (UKHD), Heidelberg Institute of Global Health

Partner

UKHD, IZW, Epidemiology (Ministry of Health Sri Lanka)

For further Information click here.

Start:   01.04.2026

End:   31.03.2031

Coordinating Institute

Robert Koch Institute

Partner

ATB, FZB, TROPOS, UHH, THW

For further Information click here

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.