Human clinical surveillance in the African tropics/Antimicrobial resistance in the Baltic Sea

Human clinical surveillance in the African tropics
Dr. Sarah-Matio Elangwe Milo (Helmholtz-Institut für One Health, Greifswald)
At the Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH) in Greifswald, we acknowledge the interconnection between the health of humans, animals and the environment. In that light, one of our main focus is establishing long-term clinical surveillance in our African focus regions that are considered hotspots for the emergence of zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This involves syndromic surveillance in small rural clinics of our focus African regions. This will enables us identify disease outbreaks, hence providing appropriate and timely information on the choice of treatments and preventive measures.
Sarah-Matio Elangwe Milo is a Health Biologist with a specialized focus on malaria research. She obtained her PhD in tropical parasitology from the University of Montpellier, studying antimalarial drug resistant parasites in humans and their mosquito vectors. She previously worked as a postdoc at TiHo Hannover, and now currently a Postdoc at the Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH) in Greifswald. Her job includes coordinating clinical surveillance in Sub-Saharan Africa in the One Health context. 

Antimicrobial resistance in the Baltic Sea
Dipl.-Pharm. Phillip Lübcke (Helmholtz-Institut für One Health, Greifswald)
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious global health issue. The WHO has designated bacteria like Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae as critical pathogens due to their potential for extensive AMR, which severely limits treatment options. These clinically relevant bacteria are not confined to human hosts; they are also found in a broader context, including wild and domestic animals, as well as aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
This lecture presents our results and projects regarding AMR bacteria in the Baltic Sea, with a focus on surface water and wild birds as potential reservoirs and the role of wastewater treatment plants as hotspots for AMR dissemination.
Phillip Lübcke studied Pharmacy at the University of Greifswald and received his diploma in the field of pharmaceutical microbiology in the working group of Prof. Dr. Katharina Schaufler, PhD. Since June 2021, he has been working on his doctorate under her supervision, which deals with the detection and characterization of antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in aquatic environments under the One Health perspective. He is part of the department of ‘Epidemiology and Ecology of Antimicrobial Resistance’ at the Helmholtz Institute for One Health in Greifswald since January 2025.

Moderation: Karl Kapahnke