Antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a serious threat to human health and force the global research to focus on finding new bioactive compounds to combat their spread. In recent years, infections caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria and fungi have continued to increase. Consequently, the treatment of such infections is becoming more and more difficult. In 2019, an estimated number of 1.27 million people died from infections with resistant pathogens.
Currently, there are 17 strains of bacteria deposited at the Leibniz Institute DSMZ, which are representatives of the of the WHO priority list. These bacteria and all connected data, e. g. their resistance profiles, are made available to the scientific community by DSMZ.
Dr. Birte Abt, microbiologist and curator of the pathogen collection at the Leibniz Institute DSMZ, said:
"These bacterial strains are patient isolates and thus precisely the pathogens for which medical treatment is needed in hospitals. To continue documenting the current resistance developments, we are fundamentally reliant on new deposits from the medical community."
In addition to the provision and characterisation of the bacteria themselves, a DSMZ research group is using these strains in Genome Mining studies as target organisms with the aim to identify new antibiotics against them. An overview of all bacteria available through DSMZ is provided online.
The Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures is the world's most diverse collection of biological resources (bacteria, archaea, protists, yeasts, fungi, bacteriophages, plant viruses, genomic bacterial DNA as well as human and animal cell lines). Microorganisms and cell cultures are collected, investigated and archived at the DSMZ. As an institution of the Leibniz Association, the DSMZ with its extensive scientific services and biological resources has been a global partner for research, science and industry since 1969.
Further Reading
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ (17.05.2024): German research institute provides foundation for global antibiotics research
