Evolutionary Ecology of Zoonotic Pathogens during Agricultural Transformations (EcoPath) – LeibnizScienceCampus Braunschweig

Pathogenic bacteria and viruses in the environment, typically in domestic and wild animals, can cause dangerous infections in humans – so-called zoonoses. So far, little is known regarding their occurrence outside of humans and animals. The aim of the Leibniz ScienceCampus EcoPath is to obtain more information about the spread and survivability of zoonosis-causing pathogens in the environment and thus learn more about their ecology.

This new research program will help to elucidate the evolutionary mechanisms that enable these pathogens to adapt to the environment and facilitate the transition to humans. State-of-the-art molecular ecology and systems biology methods, modelling, and data science analyses will be employed. Three pathogens that are often highly resistant to antibiotics are in the focus: Clostridioides difficile (pathogens that cause severe diarrhoea), enterococci (urinary tract and wound infections, including sepsis) and porcine coronaviruses (rare acute respiratory diseases).