A Date with Science: Behind and beyond AMR: clinical bacteriology in low-resource settings online and live

February 15, 2023

Bacteriology

Jan Jacobs head of our Tropical Bacteriology Unit talks about antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, illness and death.

This seminar is a part of ITM’s ‘A Date with Science‘: a series of academic seminars that take place every last Thursday of the month, live in Antwerp followed by a drink and online.

Programme:

3pm – 4pm: Academic seminar in aula Janssens (and online)
4pm – 5.30pm: Drink in Karibu at ITM

Speaker: Jan Jacobs

Title: Behind and beyond AMR – clinical bacteriology in low-resource settings

Abstract:

In 2019, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) killed 1.3 million people but we may not overlook that wild-type (“susceptible”) bacteria killed another 5 million people. Over the past 15 years, together with partners in low- and middle-income countries, we have been implementing blood culture systems in hospitals in low-resource settings. We learned a lot about tropical bacteria, such as invasive Salmonella and healthcare-associated Klebsiella (you will also hear what malaria and liquid soap have to do with them). Over recent years, the Unit of Tropical Bacteriology grew in competence and reached out to appropriate antibiotic use, healthcare-associated infections and One Health. Together with our partners in Benin we are presently starting up a the first microbiology culture media production facility in Africa. At ITM, we are currently assessing China-made blood culture automates for performance and tropical robustness. I will also discuss AMR education, advocacy, policy, and regulation. I promise to end in due time and offer a glimpse of outstanding issues and prospects. You are all warmly welcome!