Microbial Interactions and Processes

Our Research

Even though an immense amount of knowledge is available on single microorganisms, our understanding of the functioning of complex communities is limited. Such complex communities also inhabit the human body, where they support human health. If the complex balance between microbial communities and human host becomes disrupted, this may result in disease. Applying detailed analyses on community structures, we aim to understand if changes in microbiota composition relate with disease and how they affect disease progression.

Central to our research was a close collaboration with clinicians and the analysis of samples of clinical importance to identify relationships between microbial community composition and disease and/or environmental factors. We were involved in various clinical trials to identify microbial risk factors in different habitats. 

Using the nose, the major source and risk factor for invasive infections by Staphylococcus aureus, we analyzed the interactions between S. aureus and other members of the nasal community and characterized the in vivo activity of S. aureus, to provide insights for future intervention strategies.

The analysis of in vivo activities is also used by us to understand and therefore be capable to combat infections such as necrotizing fasciitis, which are caused by single pathogens, for example S. aureus oder Streptococcus pyogenes, but also by interacting pathogenic microbial communities. 

The vaginal microbiota as well as the microbiota of newborns was analyzed to identify risk factors for early onset neonatal sepsis.

Regarding the gastrointestinal tract we are concentrating on bacterial functions important for host health, such as the formation of short-chain fatty acids which is essential for providing energy to the intestinal epithelium and modulating the immune system, or the formation of trimethylamine that is believed to promote atherosclerosis. The detailed investigation of such bacterial key functions will provide crucial knowledge on the interplay between nutrition, intestinal microbiota and disease and assist the development of precision medicine to promote host health.

Currently we are working on the project FRESCO on the transfer of frozen encapsulated multidonor stool filtrate for active ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease with significant morbidity and mortality. As current therapies are limited, there is a medical need for new therapies. Fecal microbiota transplantation has been proven to be effective in managing Clostridioides difficile infections and preliminary results indicated that also the transfer of sterile filtrates of donor stool drives gastrointestinal microbiota changes and eliminate symptoms. FRESCO multicenter, double blind study to determine safety and efficacy of repeated fecal microbiota transplantation of sterile filtrate. Here, we analyzed changes in the microbial community as well as the virome during treatment.