Submission Form for including your FP6 project information in the EPSO online FP6 project finder

FP6 Priority: FOOD 2002 – AREA 5.4.6 - T28:

Antibiotic resistance in animals, plants and humans

Projects Acronym: ACEART

Start and Ending date: START January 1^st,2004 - ENDING December 31^st ,2006

Budget: 2.4 M€

Name Coordinator: Lorenzo Morelli

Full Address:

 Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Via Emilia Parmense 84 – 29100 Piacenza, Italy

Coordinator email: lorenzo.morelliunicatt.it

Coordinator fax.+39-523-599246

Full Title: Assessment and Critical Evaluation of Antibiotic Resistance Transferability in Food Chain 

Contract number: 506214

STREP

The emergence and evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria represents a major financial and societal cost. Despite concern that the use of antibiotics in the food chain contributes to the development of resistant bacteria, research has yet to provide the data necessary for the development of an effective risk management strategy. Risk assessment of antibiotic resistant, nonpathogenic bacteria present in the food chain requires data on the sources of these bacteria, their genetic composition and potential for resistance transfer. This project, named Assessment and Critical Evaluation of Antibiotic Resistance Transferability in Food Chain  (ACE-ART) will provide a critical evaluation of the role of antibiotic use in agriculture and in the prophylaxis and treatment of disease in humans. Unlike other studies, focused on pathogens, this project is focused on non-pathogenic bacteria. Strains belonging to Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Lactococcus and Streptococcus thermophilus will be used as they can be found in a wide range of habitats. Moreover, they are industrially important bacteria, used as starter cultures for fermented food. Within this project the importance of these bacteria as a source of antibiotic resistance genes (Work package 1) will be assessed. The project will also examine the transmission of resistance in the environment and in the animal and human gut  (WP 2) and establish the genetic basis of the detected resistances and transmission mechanisms (WP 3). Dissemination of results and links with consumers’ organization will be provided by WP4; an industrial platform will assure the link with 14 industries producing starter cultures. This research will establish a dataset on the occurrence and transmission of antibiotic resistance, which will provide the scientific basis for an antibiotic application strategy to inhibit further development of resistance in pathogenic bacteria.

Lorenzo Morelli

            Istituto di Microbiologia, Università Cattolica Sacro Cuore

            Via Emilia Parmense 84

            29100 – Piacenza

            Italy

            short acronym:CUP

2.         Sigrid Andersen

            Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, Division of Microbiological Safety

            Mørkhøj Bygade 19

            DK-2860 Søborg

            Denmark

            short acronym: IFSE

3.         Eric Johansen

            Chr. Hansen A/S  - Applied Biotechnology

            Boege Allé 10-12

            DK-2970 Hoersholm

            Denmark

            short acronym: CH

4.         Abelardo Margolles

            Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones

             Cientificas

            Carretera de Infiesto s/n

            33300 - Villaviciosa, Asturias

            Spain

            short acronym: CSIC

5.         Jaana Mättö

            VTT Biotechnology (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland)

            Tietotie 2

            FIN-02044 VTT - Espoo

            Finland

            short acronym: VTT

6.         Karen A. Krogfelt

            Department of Gastrointestinal and Parasitic Infections, Statens Serum Institut

            Artillerivej 5

            2300 S – Copenhagen

            Denmark

            short acronym: SSI

7.         Lars Axelsson

            Norwegian Food Research Institute, Microbiology and Packaging

            Osloveien 1

            N-1430 AAS

            Norway

            short acronym: MATFORSK

8.         Jacek Bardowski

            Instytut Biochemii i Biofizyki PAN

            Pawinskiego 5a

            02-106 Warsaw

            Poland

            short acronym: IBB PAN

9.         Declan Bolton

            TEAGASC - The National Food Centre

            Ashtown

            Dublin 15

            Ireland

            short acronym: NFC

10. Henricus Jozef Maria Aarts

            RIKILT Institute of Food Safety –MCB

            6700 AE – Wageningen

            The Netherlands

            short acronym: RIKILT

11.        Atte Johannes von Wright

            Institute of Applied Biotechnology, University of Kuopio

            Neulamäentie 1

            FIN-70211 Kuopio

            Finland

            short acronym: UKU

12.        Wolfgang Kneifel

            Department of Dairy Research and Bacteriology (IMB)

            BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences

            Gregor Mendel Strasse 33

            A-1180 Vienna

            Austria

            short acronym: BOKU

13.        Jean Swings

            Laboratorium voor Microbiologie, Ghent University

            K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35

            9000 – Gent

            Belgium

            short acronym: RUG

14.        Sven E. Lindgren

            Swedish National Food Administration

            Hamnesplanaden 5

            75126 – Uppsala

            Sweden

            short acronym: NFA

www.aceart.net

This Form was completed by – Name:Lorenzo Morelli

Affiliation to the project:Coordinator

Submission Date of this form: March 7,2004