Project description
Improved diagnostics to combat superbugs
In sub-Saharan Africa, drug-resistant infections pose a significant challenge, exacerbated by the scarcity of life-saving antibiotics and inadequate diagnostic capabilities. While multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria cause sepsis and other deadly infections, hospitals in the region rarely identify the specific pathogens. In this context, the EU-funded ComBac-Africa project is working in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, and Nigeria to improve microbiological diagnostics. Specifically, it will map the spread of bacteria across people, animals, and the environment, and introduce stewardship tools to guide treatment. Crucially, the project aims to ensure equitable access to newer antibiotics, such as ceftazidime-avibactam and cefiderocol, through local capacity building and clinical trials, helping doctors treat the right bug with the right drug.
Objective
Antimicrobial resistance is a major global health threat for humans, animals and the environment, with the highest mortality and morbidity rates in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The World Health Organization prioritised several carbapenem- and third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Gram-negative bacteria such as Enterobacterales as the most critical pathogens with only very limited treatment options. Bacteraemia, sepsis and other severe infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) give rise to excess mortality. Yet, the causative pathogens are rarely identified in patients in SSA due to a lack of microbiological diagnostics. Carbapenems and the new antibiotics ceftazidime-avibactam, cefiderocol and aztreonam-avibactam are active against different MDR GNB and could significantly reduce morbidity and mortality, but they are not widely available in SSA.
The ComBac-Africa consortium has the overall goal to improve the management of severe infections due to MDR GNB in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria through the establishment of a needs-adapted diagnostic and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programme that provides equitable access to these novel antibiotics for targeted treatment. This will be achieved through (1) provision of high-quality and accurate microbiological diagnostics for prompt and correct identification of causative agents in bacteraemia and other severe infections; (2) a comprehensive One Health assessment of the epidemiology of GNB in humans, animal and environmental specimens; (3) tailored AMS initiatives, including early outbreak detection and infection prevention measures, to optimise the use of novel antimicrobials; (4) development of clinical algorithms for targeted diagnosis and treatment of infections due to MDR GNB; and (5) establishment of sustainable and affordable access to these antibiotics in SSA. A clinical trial will assess and quantify the impact of this multi-pronged intervention on patient outcome.
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.
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy drug resistance multidrug resistance
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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.
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HORIZON.2.1 - Health
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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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.
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.
HORIZON-JU-RIA - HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions
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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.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-JU-GH-EDCTP3-2024-01-two-stage
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
66123 Saarbrucken
Germany
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.