COMplex Biofilms and AMR Transmission

COMBAT is a multidisciplinary European consortium which aims to understand and control the emergence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in drain biofilms. Emerging antimicrobial resistance in bacteria is one of the most important global challenges of our time. Antimicrobial resistance in bacteria will lead to infections that cannot longer be treated. Biofilms are complex microbial communities that can harbour multidrug resistance bacteria. Biofilms have been associated with spreading infection. COMBAT aims to understand emerging antimicrobial resistance from drain biofilms from three ecological niches: hospitals, pig farms and homes. By using a novel small scale complex biofilm model, COMBAT aims to provide a better understanding of emerging antimicrobial resistance, evaluate the efficacy of current drain disinfectants in controlling biofilms and the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. The COMBAT team includes experienced researchers from the UK, Germany, Ireland, Finland and Estonia, and stakeholders representing the disinfection industry, and low and medium income countries.

COMBAT represents a multidisciplinary consortium which aims to understand and control AMR emergence and dissemination in complex biofilms. COMBAT will achieve this aim by gaining a better understanding of the nature of complex biofilms and their control in 3 One Health areas: healthcare, domiciliary and veterinary. There is currently limited understanding of the composition of complex biofilms, natural abundance of AMR genes and gene transfer occurrence in these ecological niches. With such a paucity of information, the efficacy of interventions (disinfection) in controlling the emergence and dissemination of AMR cannot be evaluated in situ, whilst evidence to date identified biofilms as a source for AMR that requires targeted countermeasures. By using a newly established small scale complex biofilm model, COMBAT will provide new information on microbial diversity, AMR gene abundance and transfer in complex biofilms of importance to 3 One Health areas. Further COMBAT will provide a robust platform to evaluate disinfectant product interventions designed to deliver a measurable impact in limiting AMR dissemination. In doing so, COMBAT will optimise cost-effective interventions appropriate to minimise the spread of AMR in 3 One health areas.
COMBAT is composed of experienced research groups with significant international reputations in the fields of AMR and biocidal products. Industrial, infection control, veterinarian, farmer stakeholders will provide COMBAT with a translational aspect ensuring the outputs are effective and commercially viable.