Research

Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Translational Medicine
Microbiologia i Malalties Infeccioses

The group's research topics are focused on Clinical Microbiology (CM), Infectious Diseases (ID), and Kidney Transplant (KT). The CM and ID projects are focused on antimicrobial resistance and stewardship, severe and bloodstream infections, healthcare- and device-associated infections, mycobacterial and chronic infections, antifungal innovation, emerging and re-emerging infections, and microbiome dynamics in kidney transplant patients (KT) and endometriosis. The KT unit also examines biomarkers.

Main lines of research

Clinical Microbiology:

  • Detection and characterization of different antidrug mechanisms of resistance (Miro Cardona, Elisenda; Rivera Martinez, Maria Alba; Rubio Bueno, Marc; Navarro Risueño, Ferran).
  • Epidemiology of tuberculosis and anti-tuberculosis resistance mechanisms. (Rubio Bueno, Marc; Garrigo Fullola, Montserrat).
  • Molecular diagnosis in infectious diseases, taxonomy. (Navarro Risueño, Ferran; Miro Cardona, Elisenda).
  • Microbiome description in clinical samples (Navarro Risueño, Ferran; Miro Cardona, Elisenda; Rubio Bueno, Marc).
  • Leishmaniosis (epidemiology, characterization, and diagnosis) and Chagas (diagnosis and congenital infection) (Muñoz Batet, Carmen; Llovet Pellejero, Teresa).
  • Medical care projects (Sanchez Reus, Fernando; Berengua Pereira, Carla; Soares Pereira Batista, Celso).
  • Early bloodstream infection detection by NGS of cfDNA (Rivera Martinez, Maria Alba; Navarro Risueño, Ferran; Rubio Bueno, Marc).

Infectious Diseases:

  • Restricted-use policies for antimicrobial agents and suitable use of antimicrobial agents. (Navarro Risueño, Ferran; Rivera Martinez, Maria Alba, infeccioses).
  • Study of antimicrobial multiresistant microorganism infections requiring patient isolation. (Navarro Risueño, Ferran; Rivera Martinez, Maria Alba; infeccioses).
  • Study of foreign body infections such as joint prostheses, catheters, cardiac prostheses, and pacemakers. (De Benito Hernandez, Maria Natividad; Grillo, Sara; Pomar Solchaga, Virginia; Navarro Risueño, Ferran).
  • Tuberculosis infectious diseases (Pomar Solchaga, Virginia; Garrigo Fullola, Montserrat).
  • Impact of New EUCAST Definitions for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Categories with a Bundle to Mitigate Adverse Effects (Escola Verge, Laura; Rivera Martinez, Maria Alba).
  • Impact of infective endocarditis on frailty and quality of life among the elderly population (Escola Verge, Laura).

Kidney Transplant Unit:

  • Description of the fecal microbiome in kidney transplant patients and recurrent urinary tract infections (Perez Mir, Monica; Miro Cardona, Elisenda).

Scientific Challenges

  • Technique Standardization: Each research area, including clinical microbiology, kidney transplant, and infectious diseases, requires standardized techniques. Ensuring consistency in methodologies across diverse disciplines poses a significant challenge.
  • Data Management and Analysis: With the incorporation of advanced techniques such as massive sequencing, we have the challenge of applying the most innovative tools in bioinformatics analysis, as well as organizing and analyzing big data. One of the objectives of different projects is the description of different pipelines.
  • Sample Quality and Handling: Maintaining sample integrity and minimizing contamination during collection, processing, and storage is vital across all research areas. Developing standardized protocols and ensuring reproducibility are key challenges.
  • Interdisciplinary Collaboration: As research becomes increasingly multidisciplinary, fostering effective collaboration among experts from diverse fields poses a challenge. Overcoming communication barriers and integrating knowledge from different disciplines are essential for holistic research outcomes.
  • Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance: Understanding and combating antimicrobial resistance remains a critical challenge in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases research. Developing novel strategies to tackle resistant pathogens while preserving antibiotic efficacy is imperative.
  • Integration into Healthcare Systems: Successfully integrating research findings and innovative technologies into existing healthcare systems presents logistical and structural challenges.

Contact

Ferran Navarro
FNavarror@santpau.ca

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