Veterinarian Annika Breitfelder receives the poster prize

The 5th German Pneumococcal and Streptococcal Symposium took place in Hanover September 25 to 27, 2023. The meeting connects scientists from human medicine, veterinary medicine and the natural sciences to share the current state of research on streptococci important to human and veterinary medicine. There is a great need for research on these pathogens. For example, after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, there has been a serious increase in severe human illnesses caused by Streptococcus pyogens M1 infections, the genesis and significance of which were discussed at the meeting. Research results on pathogens important for veterinary medicine such as S. canis, S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus and S. suis were also presented in detail at the symposium. The Institute of Bacteriology and Mycology thanks Prof. Simone Bergmann, Prof. Peter Valentin-Weigand, Prof. Marcus Fulde and Dr. Nikolai Siemens for organizing this very successful interdisciplinary meeting. We congratulate our colleague Annika Breitfelder on the award for her poster Immunoglobulin M-degrading enzyme of S. suis (Ide_Ssuisreduces IgM secretion by IgM⁺ B cells. This work represents  a central component of the close cooperation between the Institute of Immunology and the Institute of Bacteriology and Mycology on the interaction between S. suis and porcine B lymphocytes and is mostly supervised by PD Dr. Uwe Müller.

Created by: Prof. Dr. Christoph Baums