Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic hygiene and distance rules on the transmission of multidrug-resistant gram-negative pathogens in hospital settings

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Marco Galardini; Professorin Dr. Susanne Häußler
• Subject Area: Medical Microbiology and Mycology, Hygiene, Molecular Infection Biology
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 458256411

The COVID-19 pandemic is exposing the influence of non-pharmacological interventions in controlling the spread of infectious agents. Time will tell if these interventions will persist in society, especially improved hygiene in hospital settings. The pandemic has also accelerated the use of data such as case counts and genomics to inform policy changes in near real-time. In this project, we seek to investigate the effect of improved hospital hygiene on the spread of multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria. We hypothesise that the COVID-19 pandemic will have an impact on the circulating lineages, and we seek to understand how lasting this perturbation will be once interventions are lifted. We propose to collect gram-negative ESBL isolates from before, during and after the pandemic. We will apply whole genome sequencing to identify the circulating lineages at high resolution. This data will be augmented by epidemiological data to identify sources of pathogen transmission and their changes. This project will form the basis of a modern pathogen surveillance system and the establishment of guidelines for effective infection control measures.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants