Lecture by Hilde Revets (VAXINFECTIO).

Antimicrobial resistance is on the rise . The result is that some serious bacterial infections are becoming harder to treat and are therefore causing more disease, more prolonged disease and more severe disease, which in turn leads to higher healthcare costs and reduced quality of life. In addition, antimicrobial-resistant strains of some previously rare infections are becoming more frequently reported. As a result, antimicrobial resistance constitutes a serious danger to public health, and has now been identified as a major threat to public health.
Considering that acquired-resistance is mainly driven by the exposure of bacteria to widely used antimicrobial agents, pragmatic responses to this problem are the promotion of judicious use of antimicrobials and the prevention of the infections that would require antimicrobial treatment.

Therefore any strategies which can reduce the use of antibiotics should be considered as part of a long term strategy to combat this global health issue. The discovery and development of new agents with novel mechanisms of action is clearly imperative if delivery of therapies is to keep pace with the growing problem of emerging antibiotic resistance. Next to these novel agents, vaccines are receiving increased attention since they have the potential to reduce community reliance on antibiotics.The worldwide eradication of smallpox is the best example of the success of vaccines as the best weapon to combat infectious diseases. Contrary to antibiotics, vaccines have the benefit of working with the immune system of a patient to enhance the natural tool needed to fight infections. Recent evidence suggests that antibiotic use can decrease in association with the initiation of immunisation programmes or increased uptake of available vaccines.

This seminar will focus on the basic mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis with emphasis on the host-microbe interactions and the most recent advances on therapeutic and prophylactic treatments to combat these diseases.

The lecture will take place in room V008 at campus Groenenborger.

Entrance is free for members of KVCV, members of KDA pay 2 EUR and others pay 4 EUR.

Registration is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged.

After the lecture, you are invited for a reception in the corridors.

Register for this event.