Mobile pathogen diagnostics in poultry farming to reduce antibiotic resistance (MEDiaG)

Development of mobile on-site diagnostics for the detection of relevant multi-resistant pathogens and establishment of prevalence monitoring in poultry farming

Antibiotic-resistant pathogens threaten healthcare systems worldwide. The use of antibiotics in animal husbandry exacerbates this problem and restricts therapeutic options in human medicine. While point-of-need molecular diagnostics is increasingly used in human medicine, it is still underrepresented in veterinary medicine. However, regular on-site molecular diagnostics would enable targeted interventions, minimize the use of antibiotics and reduce the development of resistance. This is where the MEDiaG project comes in: The core is the development of a mobile on-site diagnostics platform for poultry farming. In the context of the planned EU-wide information system for monitoring multi-resistant pathogens (MRE), a prevalence monitoring strategy is being developed in parallel in order to detect the development of resistance in the animal population at an early stage. This combination of diagnostics and monitoring can thus improve animal and human welfare and protect the environment as part of the “One Health” approach.