Objective
Anthrax, caused by the spore forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis, is a disease of animals which can infect humans either directly through contact with infected animals or indirectly as a consequence of bioterrorism. In regions of the world such as Eastern Europe and Central Asia the pathogen still constitutes a significant threat to human and animal health. A lack of effective veterinary facilities, access to vaccines and the burial of untreated infected animals has resulted in the contamination of large areas due to the ability of the spores to survive in soil for many years. Given that the bacteria is non-contagious its elimination from contaminated soil and surfaces would have a major impact on disease incidence. We are seeking to to develop an approach which is specific for B.anthracis and will have minimal impact on the environment. Following preliminary field trails on animal burial sites in Turkey we have developed a technique whch triggers the conversion (germination) of B.anthracis spores into bacteriophage (phage) susceptible vegetative bacteria. Phages are natural preditors of bacteria, are species specific and found in close proximity to their prey. We hypothesize that a combination of germinants and B.anthracis specific phages will be an effective and ecologically friends means of reducing spore numbers. Indeed in laboratory studies we have demonstrated the feasibility of this approach. Additional phages have been isolated from burial sites in Georgia and Turkey and will be evaluated as part of this study. While there are a number of funded phage based anthrax decon projects in the region their is as yet no dedicated scientific network to facilitate the sharing of best practices and to link researchers in neighbouring countries facing similar problems. It is our intention to link these projects together in a manner which maximises the current investment and will deliver an environmentally friendly decontamination system.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- social sciences political sciences political transitions terrorism
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology virology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs vaccines
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IRSES
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MC-IRSES - International research staff exchange scheme (IRSES)
Coordinator
CF10 3AT CARDIFF
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.