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09/2024:

Prof. Dr. Michael Pfaffl, Animal Physiology & Immunology, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich is visiting our Institute and will give a talk entitled: “Exosomal Biomarkers in Liquid Biopsies - How to identify valid and better ‘Biomarker Signatures’ from micro-vesicular small-RNA Sequencing.” (Lecture hall M on September 9th, 2024, 1 p.m.)”

04/2024: We welcome Tanja Edelbacher. Tanja Edelbacher (BSc) who will work with us on our new research project 'Rapid Electrodynamic Sepsis Diagnosis‘, which we are carrying out  in cooperation with Marcin Osuchowski, Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft and CellEctric Biosciences GmbH. A warm welcome!

03/2024: We welcome MSc. Serafina Meßmer. Ms. Meßmer will be doing her PhD thesis on "Mechanisms of pathogenicity of Bacillus cereus s.l." within the framework of our research focus "Pathogenic Bacillus cereus s.l.“ A warm welcome!

01/2024: Prof. Dr. Monika Ehling-Schulz was awarded the Vetmeduni Science Prize "Scientist of the Year 2022/2023 - Most successful external funds raising, non-clinical departments“! 

10/2023: We welcome Sebastian Herndler (BSc) who will work with us on our new research project InfraPET (Infrared Spectroscopy Typing of Peritoneal Dialysis Effluate, project supervision: Dr. Tom Grunert)

09/2023: 

At the 20th Congress of the European Shock Society 2023 (ESS)

the Best Presentation Award was given to Astrid Digruber-Laimer  (MSc)

for her talk on "Bacillus cereus Extracellular Vesicles". Congratulations, Astrid!

09/2023: We welcome Mrs. Chibuzo Nsofor from Nigeria at our Institue, who will work the next 4 months with us thanks to the ÖAD-Worlwide program.

A warm welcome! 

Mrs Nsofor´s PhD thesis is entitled "Diversity of third generation Cephalosporin-resistent Enterobacterales from human and animal samples obtained in Nigeria". 

08/2023: Wir welcome our new colleague Kristina Schmidhofer (MSc).  Kristina will work on her PhD-thesis in frame of the new PhD One-Health-Doctoral Program durchführen.   Warm Welcome! 

07/2023: Extracellular vesicles of Bacillus cereus  
First insights into the transport of complex toxins and virulence factors of enteropathogenic Bacillus cereus to human target cells are given in our recent manuscript "Bacillus cereus xtracellular vesicles act as shuttles for biologically active multicomponent enterotoxins”, published in "Cell Communication and Signaling" (Link to article) and in a video produced by ResearchSquare (Link to YouTube video).

05/2023: Wir welcome Mag. Rosmarie Reisner in our team. Mrs Reisner will work on her PhD thesis in frame of the "FWF 100 Ideas"-Project "Schnelle elektrodynamische Sepsis-Diagnose" (Fast Electrodynamic Sepsis Diagnostic). Warm Welcome! 

05/2023: Start of the research project "Schnelle elektrodynamische Sepsis-Diagnose“ (Fast Electrodynamic Sepsis Diagnostic), wich will be carried out in cooperation with the Ludwig Boltzmann-Institute for Traumatology and the CellEctric Biosciences GmbH in frame of the "FWF 1000 Ideas" program (Head Vetmeduni: Prof. Dr. Monika Ehling-Schulz).

05/2023: 

We welcome our new PostDoc Dr. Roberto Navais Arranco.  
A really hearty Welcome! 

Mr. Navais will focus onto the molecular basis of Bacillus cereus pathogenesis. 

05.05.2023: Eva Maria Kalbhenn, MSc, successfully completed her PhD defense.  Huge congratulations to Eva Maria!

 

03/2023:  Dr.  Danai Etter, University of Zurich, visits our Institute within the scope of the SNF Sinergia Project "MicRisk" (Project description in Vetdoc).

Danai will stay with us until September as a guest scientist. Hearty Welcome!

12/2022: Dr.  Eva Veronesi, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Mendrisio, Universität Zürich, is visiting our institute as part of the SNF Sinergia Project "MicRisk" (Project´s home page: https://www.micrisk2030.com/). A big Welcome!

 

 

10/2022: Stelli Stancheva, MSc., received the award for the best student presentation at the MedVetPathogens Conference in Prato, Italy. Our congratulations!
 

 

10/2022: At the 8th Teaching Vets Symposium, Astrid Digruber, MSc., was awarded the Teaching Award in the category Biomedicine/IMHAI (Link to teaching-vets-symposium-page). Our congratulations!

 

10/22: We welcome Prof. Jörg Jores from the Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, and Multidisciplinary Centre for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Switzerland, and we invite you to his oral presentation entitled: "A yeast-based synthetic genomics platform to reconstruct and edit mycoplasmal and viral genomes".
Where: lecture hall M! When: 12.10.2022, 12.15 p.m. (Link to Abstract)

 

10/2022: We welcome Masoumeh Alinaghihossein, PhD.

Mrs Alinaghihossein will participate as PostDoc in the Sinergia -SNF reseach project MicRisk2030.  Warm Welcome!

10/2022: Retirement in emeritus status of O. Univ.-Prof. DDr. Renate Rosengarten.

With organizing a top class international Mycoplasma symposium with high-profile speakers O. Univ.-Prof. DDr. Renate Rosengarten took leave from active service at Vetmeduni. We wish our colleague all the best for her future endeavours!

09/2022 Start of the DaFNE-Research Project "SaFEALM - Risikoanalyse und Prävention hochansteckender Mastitiserreger in der Almwirtschaft am Beispiel boviner Staphylokokkus aureus " (Risk analysis and prevention of highly contagious mastitis pathogens in alpine farming using Staphylococcus aureus as an example, leadership: Dr. Tom Grunert)

 

09/2022: We welcome DVM Nasrin Ramezanigardaloud. Mrs Ramezanigardaloud will work as a PhD student in the framework of the DaFNE research project SaFEALM. A warm welcome! 

 

09/2022: We welcome MSc Magdalena Irena Trojanska. Mrs Trojanska will work on her PhD thesis within the framework of the Sinergia research project MicRisk2030. Warm welcome ! 

 

08/2022: Start of the Sinergia research project "MicRisk2030 - A novel path for microbial risk assessment and management towards sustainable food systems: employing AI-based risk management concepts from Stochastic Finance", carried out in cooperation with the University of Zurich, ETH Zurich, and the University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland (Head Vetmeduni: Prof. Dr. Monika EHLING-SCHULZ).   Project link: https://data.snf.ch/grants/grant/209253

 

08/2022:

 

Visit of Minister of Defense Klaudia Tanner at the Institute of Microbiology.

In the frame of signing the cooperation agreement of Vetmeduni & Bundesheer (Linkwe had the opportunity to give BM Klaudia Tanner an insight into the practical laboratory work of the Eurothrax cooperation project of Vetmeduni & Austrian Armed Forces.

(Credits: HBF/Carina Karlovits)

08/2022: Dr. Alicia Nevers, Microbial Genetics and Environment Unit, MICALIS Institute, INRAE France, will give a lecture entitled: "Role of megaplasmids in pathogen emergence: Transcriptional impact of pCER270 megaplasmid transfer on various Bacillus cereus group hosts" as part of our Institute's Microbiology Seminar Series.  Lecture Hall M, August 24th, 2022, 12:15 p.m.

08/2022: Guest scientist Dr. Alicia Nevers from the Microbial Genetics and Environment Unit, MICALIS Institute, INRAE France, is visiting our Institute in frame of our collaborative FWF/ANR project CEREMET (link). Warm Welcome!

07/2022: We welcome our new colleague BSc. Katrin Berghammer, who will support our team as technician. A warm welcome!

06/2022: Prof. Dr. Terri Koehler, Chair, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School, UTH Houston, USA is visiting our Institute and will give a talk entitled: “Virulence of the anthrax pathogen – What does bacterial physiology have to do with it? ” (Lecture hall M on June 21st, 2022, 12:15 p.m.

06/2022: The start-up project „Tuning into cereulide - Dissecting the regulatory networks and decisive factors driving toxin production in Bacillus cereus" from Sabrina Jenull, PhD was approved through the profile line board from the Vetmeduni Vienna. The project is funded for 2 years.

05/2022: Ms. Katja Sommer, Bachelor student of Rohini Chopra-Dewasthaly, was awarded a conference stipend for the 37th Annual Meeting of the Austrian Society for Hygiene, Microbiology and Preventive Medicine (ÖGHMP) at Bad Ischl, Austria for the abstract: "Serum resistance of different Mycoplasma agalactiae strains and mutants bearing different lipoprotein profiles" (Katja Sommer, Saskia Kowald and Rohini Chopra-Dewasthaly).

 

06/2022: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Monika Ehling-Schulz - New chair of the board of the Austrian Society for Hygiene, Microbiology and Preventive Medicine (ÖGHMP).
At the ÖGHMP annual meeting in Bad Ischl, the general assembly of the ÖGHMP elected Monika Ehling-Schulz as chairperson on 01 June 2022.

05/2022: Guest lecture at the Microbiology Seminar of the Institute of Microbiology:
“Strain-specific virulence of bovine-adapted Staphylococcus aureus” given by Dr. Orla Keanne (
Animal & Bioscience Research Dept., Teagasc, Ireland) in Lecture Hall C, 4th of May,  2022, 12:00 p.m. c.t.

04/2022: Posautz et al. published with Igor Loncaric, Joachim Spergser und Michael Szostak as co-authors the study "Outbreak of Cronobacter turicensis in European brown hares (Lepus europaeus)" in "Letters in Applied Microbiology". (go to manuscript)
The study reports for the first time a clinical infection of animals by Cronobacter turicensis, and implies the question about the general role of wild animals as reservoir of potentially human pathogenic Cronobacter. (Link to VetMed News) (Link to ORF Science)

 

03-04/2022: Guest scientist Emmanuel IRIMASO of  the Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Rwanda, is visiting our Institute. Warm Welcome !

On the 06.04.2022 Dr. Irimaso will give a lecture entitled "Presence of broad-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales isolated from ruminants in Rwanda" (12.00 Uhr, lecture hall D).

02/2022: Election of Prof. Dr. Monika Ehling-Schulz as new member to the "European Academy of Microbiology" (EAM ). The European Academy of Microbiology (EAM), which was founded by founded by the Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS), is a leadership group of eminent microbiology experts to promote excellence in microbiology across Europe. The recruitment process of the EAM is highly selective and based on a peer-review evaluation to ensure the highest scientific standards. With her election as a new member, the European Academy of Microbiology recognizes Monika Ehling-Schulz's outstanding contribution to microbiology.
More information here

01/2022: Larsen et al. together with Priv.-Doz. Dr. Igor Loncaric published a study entitled "Emergence of methicillin resistance predates the clinical use of antibioticsin the journal NatureThe study suggests that the mecC variant of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) may have evolved through evolutionary adaptation to natural antibiotics produced by the fungus Trichophyton erinacei. Both microorganisms co-colonize the skin of hedgehogs, where this development may have taken place long before the clinical use of β-lactam antibiotics."

11/2021: Astrid Digruber´s project "Bacillus cereus sepsis" was granted by the Vienna Anniversary Foundation for Higher Education.

12/2021:

Award for our Diagnostics team, granted by VetMed students for their commitment to the training and education of students.

 

 

10/2021: Here is s short report about our research project "Synergism and distribution of emetic B. cereus food-born toxins and development of strategies for preventing toxin production („Emetic B. cereus toxins“)

 

09/2021:  Spilled milk can be valuable – Read here the report about some recent research at our institute in the Austrian newspaper ‚Die Presse‘!

09/2021: VetmedTalk #3 – Almen, Alpen, Milchwirtschaft (Alpine pastures, alps and dairy industry). Together with experts from veterinary medicine and agriculture Prof. Dr. Monika Ehling-Schulz discussed recent developments in science and diagnostics in the context of  the United Nations agenda "Sustainable Development Goals" (SDGs). Here you can listen to the VetMed talk (in german).

09/2021:  From toxin diagnostics to toxin prevention: Recent data from our IGF follow-up project of the Otto-von Guericke-Award were published in the journal Toxins by Dr. Markus Kranzler et al. 

 

08/2021: Short interview with Prof. Dr. Monika Ehling-Schulz,
winner of the Otto-von Guericke-Award, in conjunction with the AiF review
"25 Jahre Otto von Guericke Preis".  The interview is linked here
Informations about the toxin toolbox, for which Prof. Dr. Ehling-Schulz received the Otto von Guericke-Award in 2016 together with 2 colleagues of TU Munich, can be found here

 

08/2021: We welcome our new PostDoc Dr. Sabrina Jenull!

Dr. Jenull will concentrate on pathomechanisms of Bacillus cereusWelcome in our team!

05/2021: EuroThrax-Project under the leadership of Vetmeduni Vienna - Presentation at the Ministry of Defence (BMLV). On May 3, 2021 Prof. Monika Ehling-Schulz and HptmdhmtD Maximilian Mayerhofer MSc. presented the cooperation project EuroThrax (Institut of Microbiology, Vetmeduni Wien (consortium leadership) / Amt für Rüstung und Wehrtechnik (ARWT), Institute of Microbiology of the German Armed Forces) at the BMLV. Federal Minister of Defence Klaudia Tanner and Head of Cabinet Dr. Arnold Kammel were thoroughly informed about the project and the planned actions. A more comprehensive report about the project presentaton can be found here.

 

01/2021: We welcome Maximilian F. Mayerhofer, MSc. Max will carry out his PhD in FFG-FORTE research project on "Detection, bioforensics and genomics of Bacillus anthracis / high pathogenic B. cereus sensu lato". Welcome!

01/2021: Start of our FFG-funded research project "Detection, bioforensics and genomics of Bacillus anthracis/high pathogenic B. cereus sensu lato", in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Defence and the Institute of Microbiology of the German Armed Forces (leadership Vetmeduni: Prof. Dr. Monika EHLING-SCHULZ). More information you may find here: Defense Research Programme FORTE and our project.

 

11/2020: We welcome BSc. Anna Korath in our team as technician.

10/2020: Dr. Agnieszka Gacek-Matthews et al. published the article "Beyond toxin transport: novel role of ABC transporter for enzymatic machinery of cereulide NRPS assembly line"Link to the article . This article describes a new approach to the development of antibiotics, immunotherapy medications and anti-cancer drugs . Link to press release

 

07/2020:  Panagiotis Ballas, DVM successfully defended his PhD. Our Congratulations!

05/2020:  Dr. Igor Loncaric successfully finished his habiliation and was awarded the venia docendi for Microbiology. Our Congratulations!

 

04/2020: Start of our FWF/ANR research project on "Role of megaplasmids in pathogen emergence", carried out in cooperation with the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, France (Headed by Prof. Dr. Monika Ehling-Schulz , Vetmeduni Vienna and Dr. Didier Lereclus , INRA). Link to FWF

03/2020: Prof. Dr. Monika Ehling-Schulz was appointed as FEMS Council member (Federation of European Microbiological Societies), representing the Austrian Society for Hygiene, Microbiology and Preventive Medicine (ÖGHMP).
Link to FEMS

12/2019: We welcome BSc. Serina Karuthedom George in our team. As a student assistant, she will work in frame of the FWF-project "Nim-mediated Resistance". Welcome!

11/2019: We welcome MSc Astrid Digruber in our team.  Astrid will carry out her PhD in in the field of "Pathogenic Bacillus cereus s.l", focusing on mechanisms of pathogenicity of Bacillus cereus. Welcome!

10/2019: Helene Marbach, PhD et al. published the article "Within-host evolution of bovine Staphylococcus aureus selects for a SigB-deficient pathotype characterized by reduced virulence but enhanced proteolytic activity and biofilm formation" in Scientific Reports. Link to the article. This article describes a new mechanism of persistence of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. Link to press release

10/2019: Prof. Dr. Siegfried Scherer from Technical University of Munich, Germany, will give a lecture "Overlapping genes: Unexpected genetic complexity of the human pathogen E. coli EHEC" on 16.10.2019  at 2:15 PM, lecture hall D. 

09/2019: Kevin P. Francis, PhD (PerkinElmer Fellow, Visiting Professor at UCLA and Texas A&M) will give a lecture "Preclinical Multimodal Imaging" on 25.09.2019 at 12:15 PM, lecture hall M.

05.09.2019: Vienna Business Run;  6 staff members of our Functional Microbiology Division started for the Vetmeduni Vienna. The participants covered a distance of 4,1 kilometers in the "Prater Hauptallee". We congratulate!

 

08/2019: We welcome BSc. Barbara Tischler in our team as technician.

 

05/2019-03/2020: Ms Maysa Barbosa from University of Sao Paulo/Brazil visits our institute. Welcome!

12/2018: Dr. Gregor Grass  from the Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Dept. of Bacteriology and Toxinology, Munich, Germany, visits our Institute and will give a lecture on SNPing, FiSHing and Phage-ing for Bacillus anthracis ",  05.12.2018 at 12:15 PM, Lecture Hall M.

10/2018: We welcome Stelli Stancheva in our team . Stelli will carry out her PhD as part of the PaP vetmeduni doctoral program, focusing on mechanisms of persistance of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. Welcome!

07/2018: Dr. Rohini Chopra-Dewasthaly received the 2018 Derrick Edward Award of the International Organization for Mycoplasmology (IOM) for outstanding contributions in research in the field of Mycoplasmology. She presented her award lecture “Mycoplasmas as Fascinating Masters of Camouflage: The Many Complex  and New Facets of Molecular Stealth Mechanisms of Mycoplasma agalactiae” on July 9 at the 22nd IOM Congress held at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA. Link to Vetmeduni news
Further she has been invited to a member of the IOM Board for 2018-2020 biennium.

07/2018: We welcome Susanna Leiter, MSc, and Stefanie Strobl, BSc, in our team as technicians.

29.06.2018: Dr. Rohini Chopra-Dewasthaly was awarded the title "Privatdozentin" and the venia docendi for Molecular Microbiology by the Rector at the Academic Ceremony of Vetmeduni Vienna. The laudatio was given by O.Univ.-Prof. Dr. Renate Rosengarten. Our Congratulations!

05/2018: We welcome PhD Zuzana Chromikova in our team. Zuzana will work on the molecular basis of cereulides synthesis in emetic Bacillus cereus. Welcome!

01/2018: Prof. Dr. Monika Ehling-Schulz, together with her colleagues Prof. Dr. Thomas Hofmann and Prof. Dr. Siegried Scherer from TU Munich, was nominated by AiF for the German Future award 2018. Link to AiF press release

15.12.2017: Mag. Markus Kranzler was awarded the PhD degree by the Rector at the Academic Ceremony of Vetmeduni Vienna. Our Congratulations!

10/2017: Dr. Rohini Chopra-Dewasthaly published her research article "Vpma phase variation is important for survival and persistence of Mycoplasma agalactiae in the immunocompetent host" in PLoS Pathogens. Here you will find the Link to the press release

12.10.2017: Mag. Markus Kranzler successfully defended his PhD. Our Congratulations!

10/2017: Dr. Ana Sofìa Ramírez Corbera from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, will give a lecture on "Mollicutes of non-mammalian marine animals: describing two new Mycoplasma species" on 18.10.2017 at 12 o'clock noon at the Lecture Hall M.

09/2017: Start of the AiF/FEI research project on "Synergies and Routes of Emetical Bacillus cereus Toxins in Food and Development of Toxin-Inhibiting Strategies", carried out in cooperation with the Technical University of Munich (Headed by Prof. Dr. Monika Ehling-Schulz, Vetmeduni Vienna and Prof. Dr. Thomas Hofmann, TUM).

09/2017: Priv.-Doz. Dr. med.vet. Joachim Spergser elected as a member of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes (ICSP, Subcommittee for the Taxonomy of Mollicutes). We congratulate!  

08/2017: Dr. Imrich Barak from the Institute of Molecular Biology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava visits our department and will give a lecture on "Bacillus subtilis as a Tool in Basic Science and Applied Research" on 09.08.2017 at 12:15 PM at Lecture Hall M.

08/2017: Prof. Dušan Misic from the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia visit our institute, and on 01.08.2017 will give a guest lecture on "Multi-drug resistant bacteria isolated from animals in Serbia" (at 12.00 noon/Lecture Hall D).

07/2017: Dr. Jürgen Busse was nominated as a delegate for the ICSP (International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes) by ÖGHMP (Austrian Society for Hygiene, Microbiology and Preventive Medicine). He will be the representative the ÖGHMP it at the meeting of the IUMS (International Union of Microbiological Societies) in Valencia, Spain from 7.7. to 9.7.17.

07/2017: We welcome Dr. Murat Bagcioglu at our institute. He will work as PostDoc in the joint KTI project on “Meat Authenticity Testing by FTIR Spectroscopy" in collaboration with the University of Zurich.

06/2017: Dr. Igor Loncaric visited the INES-Ruhengeri Institute of  Applied Sciences in Ruhengeri, Rwanda, as part of a delegation from Vetmeduni Vienna. During his visit he gave a lecture on antibiotic resistance and conducted a microbiology workshop with students and scientists. Link to INES  Moreover, he was also appointed to the advisory board of the New Vision Veterinary Hospital (NVVH) in the Musanze district of Rwanda.

06/2017: Dr. Kai Sohn from the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, Stuttgart, will give a guest lecture on 22.06.2017: "From Next Generation Sequencing to Next Generation Diagnostics - Changing the Paradigm to Agnostic Approaches"(5 pm, Lecture Hall G).

05-09/2017: Our PhD student Ms. Katharina Mayer visited the lab of Prof. Susanne Engelmann of the Institute for Microbiology at the Technical University of Braunschweig in frame of an ErasmusPlus scholarship.

05/2017: We welcome Marlene Redl, MSc, in our team as a technician.

04/2017:  We welcome Helene Marbach, PhD, at our institute. She will work as PostDoc in the FWF project "Persistent Staphylococcus aureus Chronic Bovine Mastitis".

02/2017: In a collaborative project with the Universidad de Buenos Aires, we recently showed that salicylic acid, a common pain reliever, promotes colonization of the nose by the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. Here is the link to the press release.

01/2017: Dr. Josef Altenbuchner from the Institute of Industrial Genetics, University of Stuttgart will give a guest lecture on 01.02.2017: "Towards a Bacillus subtilis - Minimal Genome" (at 12 noon, Lecture Hall M). Here is the link to the announcement .

12/2016:  "New, efficient and rapid detection of a bacterial toxin in food" won the prestigious Otto von Guericke Prize 2016. This new method to detect the cereulide toxin was awarded the OVG Prize on 16.12.2016. The picture shows the project leaders Prof. Thomas Hoffmann, Vice Rector for Research at TU Munich, Prof. Monika EHLING-SCHULZ, Institute of Microbiology of VetmedUni Vienna and Prof. Siegfried Scherer, Institute of Microbiology, TU Munich.  Link to press release

12/2016: Priv.-Doz. Dr. Joachim Spergser was appointed as a "Founding Diplomate" of the newly founded European College of Veterinary Microbiology (ECVM). Hearty Congratulations! 

Within the framework of the ECVM, a postgraduate training program (Residency Program) for qualifying as a European Diplomate for Veterinary Microbiology is to be established.  Link to ECVM