Public double lecture of the Young Academy Greifswald by Dr. Sarah-Matio Elangwe Milo and Dipl.-Pharm. Phillip Lübcke (both Helmholtz Institute for One Health, Greifswald)

Human clinical surveillance in the African tropics
Dr. Sarah-Matio Elangwe Milo (Helmholtz Institute for One Health, Greifswald)
At the Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH) in Greifswald, we acknowledge the interconnection between the health of humans, animals and the environment. In that light, one of our main focus is establishing long-term clinical surveillance in our African focus regions that are considered hotspots for the emergence of zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This involves syndromic surveillance in small rural clinics of our focus African regions. This will enable us identify disease outbreaks, hence providing appropriate and timely information on the choice of treatments and preventive measures.

Antimicrobial resistance in the Baltic Sea
Dipl.-Pharm. Phillip Lübcke (Helmholtz Institute for One Health, Greifswald)
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious global health issue. The WHO has designated bacteria like Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae as critical pathogens due to their potential for extensive AMR, which severely limits treatment options. These clinically relevant bacteria are not confined to human hosts; they are also found in a broader context, including wild and domestic animals, as well as aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
This lecture presents our results and projects regarding AMR bacteria in the Baltic Sea, with a focus on surface water and wild birds as potential reservoirs and the role of wastewater treatment plants as hotspots for AMR dissemination.