Objective
Clostridium difficult-associated disease (CDAD) has become the most frequent nosocomial infection in many European hospitals, exceeding infections caused by MRSA. Its impact is considerable, both in terms of human suffering and costs of disease management. A number of factors have contributed to this escalation. On the one hand, the proportion of the European population in the principal high-risk group, the elderly, is rapidly rising. On the other, there has been a steady increase in strains exhibiting increased virulence and/or enhanced antibiotic resistance.
In 2004, the situation was exacerbated by the arrival in Europe of a new hyper-virulent strain (ribotype 027) previously confined to N. America, where it has been responsible for a massive increase in CDAD incidence and associated deaths. It is imperative that an overall European strategy to combat this and similar novel variants is devised. Central to the control of epidemics are the deployment of assays able to rapidly diagnose and monitor the presence and spread of the organism. No such tests currently exist for these new hyper-virulent C. difficult strains.
It is the overall objective of this proposal is to develop the urgently required rapid, diagnostic assays. Our objective will be achieved through the complementary skills of a consortium composed 3 SMEs and 4 public sector institutes, each experts in their fields. Suitable diagnostic markers (DNA- and antigen-based) will be identified using a combination of targeted approaches (focusing on toxin and antibiotic resistance determinants), and empirical approaches (DNA arrays and HT-AFLP) to identify unique strain differences. Assay development will be led by the SMEs, using proprietary technologies. Clinical validation will be performed in a certificated reference laboratory. The programme outputs will allow the formulation of a European strategy to combat the considerable threat now being posed to Europe.
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 sociology demography mortality
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics DNA
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs antibiotics
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy drug resistance antibiotic resistance
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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.
FP6-2005-LIFESCIHEALTH-7
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.
Coordinator
LEIDEN
Netherlands
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.