The second edition of the International Days on Antibacterial Resistance in Benin will take place from 11 to 13 October 2026 at Hôtel Casa Cielo in Cotonou. The theme of the scientific symposium is “Containing antimicrobial resistance in the era of integrated national health programmes”. The symposium is organized by the Bacteriology-Virology unit in collaboration […]
ITG
Laboratory visits in Rwandan hospitals and reference centres in preparation of PhD research of Acsa Igizeneza
In Rwanda, Acsa Igizeneza (PhD researcher), Liselotte Hardy (ITM promotor), Anne-Sophie Heroes (ITM researcher) and Jean Claude Semuto (promotor from Rwanda Biomedical Centre and University of Kigali) visited diagnostic hospital laboratories in Kigali and Butare/Huye. The goal of the visit was to understand the current workflow of blood culture collection up to result reporting and […]
Prevention of bacterial contamination of transfused blood products: a 5-day workshop took place in DR Congo
Since 2018, the National Blood Transfusion Centre (CNTS), the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) and the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp have collaborated to study bacterial contamination of blood products intended for transfusion in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): prevalence, risk analysis and prevention1-4. In December 2023, results were reported in […]
ESCMID Global 2026
The Congress of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID Global) took place on 17–21 April 2026 in Munich, Germany. It involved keynote lectures, oral sessions, workshops, symposia, meet-the-expert sessions and poster presentations. The Unit of Tropical Bacteriology (ITM) and its partners were well represented at ESCMID Global 2026. Below is the list […]
Safe Sputum Processing for Tuberculosis Testing in a Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) Laboratory
Safe and standardized sputum processing for tuberculosis testing is essential for reliable mycobacteriology results and for protecting laboratory staff. This procedure demonstrates good biosafety practice, GLP-aligned laboratory technique, and sputum digestion and decontamination as performed in a Biosafety Level 3 laboratory. BSL3 conditions are shown as a reference standard and represent the highest biosafety environment […]
Workshop on Antimicrobial Resistance in Siglé, Burkina Faso
Palpouguini Lompo, a research partner of the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp (ITM), and his team at the Clinical Research Unit of Nanoro (CRUN) Burkina Faso, organized a workshop and training antimicrobial resistance (AMR), blood cultures and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC). It took place from the 7th to the 10th of April 2026 in […]
Meet Acsa Igizeneza, our PhD candidate working on the molecular investigation of β-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales
Acsa Igizeneza, from Rwanda, started her PhD on 1st January 2026 at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium and Radboud University in the Netherlands. Acsa is undertaking a sandwich PhD program which is funded by the Belgian Directorate General for Development Cooperation (DGD). Her doctoral research focuses on the molecular investigation of β-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales […]
ESCMID Global 2026
The Congress of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID Global) takes place on the 17–21 April 2026 in Munich, Germany. It will involve keynote lectures, oral sessions, workshops, symposia, meet-the-expert sessions and poster presentations. The Unit of Tropical Bacteriology (ITM) and its partners will be part of ESCMID Global 2026. Below is […]
Efficacy of susceptibility-matched antibiotic treatment of nontyphoidal Salmonella bloodstream infections: a prospective observational study in hospitalized children under 5 in the Democratic of Congo
Read the latest paper by Bieke Tack. Objectives: In sub-Saharan African children aged under 5 years, nontyphoidal Salmonella (NTS) frequently cause fatal bloodstream infections. Antimicrobial resistance and absence of antibiotic treatment efficacy data challenge effective treatment. In this prospective observational study, we provide treatment efficacy data of susceptibility-matched antibiotic regimens from the treatment of NTS bloodstream […]
Performance evaluation of the BactInsight simplified blood culture system developed for resource-limited settings using a simulated test design
Read the latest paper by Barbara Barbé and Jens Cornelis. BactInsight is a simplified blood culture system designed for resource-limited settings. It consists of in-house produced blood culture bottles and a turbidimeter to detect microbial growth on top of visual inspection of blood culture bottles. A first proof-of-concept using simulated commercial blood cultures showed that […]