Genomics for Infection Prevention

We focus on infections of public health relevance, such as healthcare-associated infections (e.g. sepsis, device-associated infections, endocarditis and surgical site infections) caused by antibiotic resistance (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE), Carbapenem resistant microorganisms (CRE) in the hospitals as well as zoonotic diseases (STEC/EHEC) and Vector-borne-disease (Dengue) in the community.

We coordinate and participate in several large national and international as well as Dutch-German cross-border projects comprising microbiological prevalence studies, molecular population structure analysis, novel forms of network-based infection control, and host-virus/bacterium interactions using metagenomics approaches.

We collaborate within Microbes in Health&Disease (MHD) with other research groups of our department and the UMCG (e.g. ICU, imaging, orthopaedics, surgery) as well as with partners from different sectors in the (eu)region and internationally. 

We participate actively in the Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health for the goal of developing novel cross-sectorial and preventive-economic approaches to maintain infections curable in the health-care community.