Institute of Molecular Bacteriology

TWINCORE

Head: Prof. Dr. Susanne Häußler

Tel.: 0511-220027212 und 0531-61813000

E-Mail: Haeussler.Susanne@mh-hannover.de

www.twincore.de/forschung/arbeitsgruppen/molekulare-bakteriologie

At the center of our scientific interest are the molecular mechanisms underlying the establishment of chronic persistent Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. P. aeruginosa is an opportunistic agent that can cause severe acute and chronic infections. A chronic P. aeruginosa infection of significant clinical significance is the infection of the lung of cystic fibrosis patients. P. aeruginosa survives there in so-called biofilms and, encapsulated in a self-produced extracellular matrix, resists the immune system and also intensified antibiotic therapy.

We focus our work on the study of bacterial factors that have a structural and regulatory impact on biofilm formation and focus on the importance of inter- and intra-bacterial signal transduction in the pathogenesis of chronic infections. Another focus is the identification of adaptive mutations. These arise in the context of adaptation to the host and lead to the generation of genetic diversity and selection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and of particularly well adapted P. aeruginosa phenotypes. Findings from our studies should serve as a basis for the development of alternative therapeutic strategies that are also effective against antibiotic-resistant and chronic biofilm infections.