ITM Colloquium 2025

The 65th ITM colloquium on “Breaking Boundaries: Innovations in Infectious Disease Research” took place from 4 to 6 November 2025 in Antwerp, Belgium (https://colloq2025.be/). The Unit of Tropical Bacteriology and its partners were well represented:

Prof. Liselotte Hardy (ITM, Belgium) and Dr. Faridath Massou (LRM, Benin; https://srlcotonou.org/) chaired the session on “Accessible Diagnostics and Health Technologies”:
– The keynote speaker Makaita Gombe, a health economist from the Aurum Institute, explained the challenges regarding market access when trying to move an innovative product towards the market.
– Adéchinan Ovide Gouton (LRM, Benin) presented the results of the Tropicare field study during which the implementation of a tropicalized Autobio blood culture automate in Abomey in Benin was evaluated.
– Anke Breine (ITM, Belgium) did a poster pitch on the results of the interchangeability study whereby different brands of blood culture bottles were placed in different commercial blood culture automates.
– Barbara Barbé (IMT, Belgium) did a poster pitch on the lessons learned from the EDCTP2-funded SIMBLE trial which evaluated the performance of a simplified blood culture system in West Africa. (https://www.itg.be/e/simble)

Prof. Liselotte Hardy (ITM, Belgium) and Dr. Aparna Prasad (ITM, Belgium) chaired the Health Technology Showcase where innovators could pitch and demonstrate their innovation:
– Jens Cornelis (ITM and UGent, Belgium) showcased the new and improved version of the turbidimeter to detect growth in blood culture bottles.
– Dr. Pierre Marcoux (CEA-Leti, France) presented the newest version of the SAPHIR tool to optically identify growing colonies on agar plates.
– Both innovations have been tested in vitro and in the field during the SIMBLE trial (https://www.itg.be/e/simble), and lessons learned from the trial were used to further improve the tools to their current versions.

Session discussion with chairs and presenters of the session on “Accessible Diagnostics and Health Technologies”

Jens Cornelis (ITM and UGent, Belgium) showcasing the improved version of the turbidimeter

Dr. Pierre Marcoux (CEA-Leti, France) showcasing the SAPHIR tool to identify growing colonies on agar plates

Session discussion with the innovators of the Health Technology Showcase

Bloodstream infection

Clinical

Sub-Saharan Africa

Surveillance bacteriology