The benefits of routine-based sequencing of pathogens

Next generation sequencing (NGS)-based typing of pathogens has increasingly been applied in public health and nosocomial infection control as part of outbreak response.

This increased capacity for rapid typing allows for identification of outbreak sources and transmission of pathogens.
Early identification of clonal spread of pathogens through contaminated medical instruments can save patients lives!

In this webinar, successful experiences in the application of NGS-based typing were presented, underlining the benefits of timely large scale typing for health care.

SPEAKER BIOS

Dr Erik Bathoorn, clinical microbiologist in the University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands, is a specialist in antibiotic resistance, and coordinates research projects in the field of molecular epidemiology of antimicrobial resistant microorganisms. His main focus is to implement innovative detection, typing and surveillance strategies to prevent nosocomial and inter-hospital transmission of highly resistant microorganisms. He is a member of the national guideline committee for infection control of highly resistant micro-organisms. He is member of the regional surveillance committee to prevent transmission of highly resistant organisms. He is a qualified lecturer and has participated as faculty member in several European courses on antibiotic resistance and infection control.

Dr Mariette Lokate has worked as an Infection Preventionist / Infection Prevention Controller at the University of Groningen since 2012 after finishing a Ph.D. in Epidemiology in Utrecht (2008-2012). Before this, Dr Lokate studied Health Sciences and International Public Health (Amsterdam) and Nursing (Enschede). She has a special interest in the role of the environment in the transmission of microorganisms (in Health care settings). And, of course, in the methods of how to prevent the spread of microorganisms via the environment. NGS is crucial in detecting transmissions via the environment.

Prof. Matt Holden is a molecular microbiologist, whose curiosity into the genetics of bacteria lead him along a bioinfomatic path to study and explore bacterial genomes. His research group’s interests focus on investigating the diversity and evolution of bacterial pathogens. In particular, the survival and success of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and also the application of genomics in clinical settings to combat hospital-associated infections.

Prof. John W. A. Rossen is a medical molecular microbiologist at the Laboratory for Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (LMMI) at the Isala Hospital and Professor for Medical Microbiology, at the University Medical Center Groningen. He is also an Adjunct Professor with the Department of Pathology of the University of Utah School of Medicine. Dr Rossen has a 30-year history in molecular virology and microbiology and is Professor for Medical Microbiology, in particular Personalised Microbiology, at the University of Groningen. His group “Personalised Microbiology” has implemented NGS into clinical microbiology and infection prevention and is now focusing on implementing metagenomics and metatranscriptomics. These methods are applied to patient-, animal-, food-and water-samples. Apart from characterising micro-organisms (including viruses) the interaction between them as well as with their host is studied. He is secretary of the ESCMID study group for genomic and molecular diagnostics (ESGMD) and board member of the Dutch Society of Medical Microbiology.