HZI magazine "InFact"

Dear readers,

The COVID-19 pandemic and this year's monkeypox outbreak may give the impression that diseases are increasingly spreading from animals to humans. But is this true? What is certain is that humans are increasingly making this step easier for pathogens – through deep invasion of natural habitats, intensive agriculture and animal farming, as well as globalisation. The researchers led by Fabian Leendertz at the Helmholtz Institute for One Health in Greifswald are investigating how these and other factors are connected. Our cover story takes you all the way to the African tropics, where the research team is looking for risks of infection and possible solutions. In addition to mRNA vaccines, classical vaccines are now also in use against SARS-CoV-2. In our interview, Peggy Riese explains the differences and reports on current vaccine research. From soil samples sent by citizens to the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland, about 1000 new strains of soil bacteria could be isolated. These bacteria produce substances, some of which have antibiotic effects. Now the research team has expanded its project from Saarland to the whole of Germany and hopes for lively participation.

I wish you a pleasant read!

Andreas Fischer
Editor-in-chief