Reseach of the Department of Microbiology

The main focus of the research

• Neonatal infections: virulence markers of causative agents, optimization of neonatal sepsis treatment and prevention regimens; pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and modeling of antibiotic therapy, clinical trials
• HIV infection in Estonia: prevalence in populations, viral resistance markers, the relationship between the virus and the host, co-infections, human and viral genetic factors influencing HIV infection
• Human microbiome from birth to death and its link to health: microbial communities in the gastrointestinal and reproductive tract, mouth and skin; their disorders in various infectious and non-infectious diseases
• Biotechnological solutions for health: development of novel probiotics and synbiotics in laboratory and clinical trials
• Antibiotic resistance: prevalence of resistance, factors influencing the development of resistance, prevention of the development of resistance, rational use of antibiotics
• Monitoring of vaccine-preventable diseases: epidemiological changes over time, modeling

Grants

• European Commission: Delivering a Unified Research Alliance of Biomedical and public health Laboratories against Epidemics (Professor Irja Lutsar, MMVBS23022, 01.02.2023–31.01.2027)
  Webpage of the project
• European Commission Horizon2020: Boosting the One Health Research Excellence and Management Capacity of the Estonian University of Life Sciences (Professor Irja Lutsar, MMVBS23128R, 01.01-2023–31.12.2025) Webpage of the project
• European Commission: SARS-coV2 variants Evaluation in pRegnancy and paeDIatrics cohorts (Professor Irja Lutsar, MMVBS23269R, 01.05.2023–31.10.2025)
• Health Board: Seroepidemiologic Study (Lecturer Kai Truusalu, LMVBS24547, 01.11.2024-31.03.2027)
• Estonian Research Council: Infrastructure of Food Innovation Technologies (Professor Reet Mändar, SMVBS25308, 01.01.2025-31.12.2029)
• Estonian Research Council: The Role of Virome in Development of Microbiota and Sepsis in Preterm Neonates (kaasprofessor Kristi Huik, GMVBS25098PR, 01.01.2025-31.12.2029)

Current most important cooperation

In Estonia – various institutions and clinics of Tartu University Hospital (men's clinic, women's clinic, surgery clinic, children's clinic, dermatology clinic, internal clinic, dental clinic, ear clinic, joint laboratory, infection control service), UT BSMI Department of Biochemistry, UT Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, UT Estonian Gene Bank, UT Chair of Social Policy in the field of social sciences, UT Institute of Physics, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn University, East Tallinn Central Hospital, West Tallinn Central Hospital, North Estonian Regional Hospital, Institute for Health Development, Estonian University of Life Sciences.

Internationally – Cargill Europe (Belgium); Probi AB (Sweden); University of Turku (Finland); Karolinska Institutet (Sweden); University of Granada (Spain); University Colleage of London, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London (UK); Penta Foundation (Italy); c4c Network; The BARN and enilabAMR network includes clinics in many European countries as part of an international drug resistance study.

Entrepreneurship – Synlab Eesti OÜ, Tere AS, Tervisetehnoloogiate Arenduskeskus AS, BioCC OÜ, Food and Fermentation Technology Development Center, Perfect Cosmetics OÜ, Andre Juustufarm OÜ.

Data and biomaterial collections

• Human Microbiota Biobank (HUMB)
• Estonian Electronic Microbial Database
• HIV-positive database and biobank (E-HIV)