African Partner Institutions

Principal investigator: Aurélia Souares, Till Bärnighausen

Funding: German Centre for Infection Research

Partners:

Albert Schweitzer Hospital, Lambaréné, Gabon
Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany

Centre de Recherche en Santé de Nouna, Burkina Faso

Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, Ghana

Institute of Tropical Medicine in Tübingen, Germany
NIMR - Mbeya Medical Research Center, Tanzania
Tropeninstitut München, Germany


Project description:
The infrastructure African Partner Institutions (API) was established to strengthen long term partnerships and to build research capacity at well-established sites in Ghana, Burkina Faso, Gabon and Tanzania, countries characterized by high incidences of many infectious diseases, emerging infections, and growing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Infections with antimicrobial-resistant pathogens remain a serious health threat on the African continent. Prior results from this group in the Fever Without Source (FWS) study reveal a distinguishable susceptibility pattern across the various African countries, e.g. with a notably high frequency of ESBL producing bacteria and ciprofloxacin resistant non-typhoid Salmonella in Burkina Faso. Therefore, AMR surveillance capacities, set up in all API hospitals in years 2019 to 2020, shall be sustained to provide continuous spatio-temporal AMR data including molecular characterization of the pathogens. In order to translate the existing surveillance data into appropriate actions for the control or reduction of AMR, an intervention trial will be designed and conducted within this funding period. Based on a situational analysis in each of the four countries, priority interventions will be identified, which can be targeted within the frame of an antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programme in health facilities or in the community. The implementation and implementation effectiveness of the intervention will be evaluated. With additional training offered in this field, this joint project will further strengthen the research capacity of the African partners and will generate new knowledge, solutions and implementation strategies.

Contact:  Aurélia Souares (souares(at)uni-heidelberg.de)