In this FWF funded project (P 36779) we aim to characterize the role of Rhs insertions in bacterial competition and virulence in Listeria monocytogenes. Our hypothesis is that this gene locus harbors toxin/antitoxin systems, which provide advantage in bacterial competition and interfere with pathogenicity.

This project, which is part of the OneHealth PhD programme of the Vetmeduni, aims to study the prevalence and characteristics of L. monocytogenes in the pig farm environment, in pigs and slaughterhouse in Austria. Our hypothesis is that pigs are frequent asymptomatic carriers of L. monocytogenes and contribute to the contamination of pork meat products. Moreover, the localization of Listeria in the infected pig will be investigated. This PhD project is a joined project with Lukas Schwarz from the University Clinic for Swine.

More about the OneHealth PhD Programme of the Vetmeduni

In this project, we aim to understand the microbial diversity and matrix composition of biofilms in the food processing environment. We furthermore study the interaction of L. monocytogenes in a multi-species biofilm using a static and continuous flow multi-species biofilm model.

This project is part of the Austrian competence centre FFoQSI- Feed and Food Quality, Safety and Innovation.

The aim of this project is to understand the behavior of Listeria in a dynamic frozen vegetable processing environment.

This project is part of the Austrian competence centre FFoQSI- Feed and Food Quality, Safety and Innovation.

The goal of the research core facility BiMM, is to isolate new and active substances and enzymes from fungi and bacteria and to provide infrastructure for high throughput screenings. The core facility is led by the Institute of Microbial Genetics of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU).

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