The research group "Chronic Pseudomonas Infections" is concerned with the investigation of the molecular mechanisms involved in the development of chronic infections. The focus of research is on infections provoked by the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This bacteria is highly resistant and present almost everywhere in the environment.
The germ causes problems in hospitals. It is one of those pathogens which provoke serious infections in patients with weakened immune systems. Burn patients and people suffering from cystic fibrosis are particularly susceptible to a chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. No other bacteria are as common in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. They cause pneumonia which often ends fatally.
Scientists suspect that the merging of bacteria into so-called biofilms are responsible for the severe illness. Biofilms are bacterial communities that are exceptionally well-suited to fighting off attacks by the immune system and antibiotics. The bacteria also communicate with one another in order to maintain the structure of their alliance and coordinate responses between them. Researchers are interested in finding out what intracellular messenger substances are used to exchange information and how this "language" works.
You can find more information on the research group in these press releases and podcasts in German