Profile

Professional career

• since 04/2014
  Director of the Institute of Bacteriology and Mycology
• since 09/2018
  Member of the Advisory Board of the DVG Department of Bacteriology and Mycology
• 04/2014 - 04/2018
  Speaker of the Centre of Infectious Diseases at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Leipzig, Germany
• 04/2003 - 03/2014
  Post-doctoral fellow at the Institute for Microbiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany with habilitation to "Surface-associated and dissected factors of Streptococcus suis in epidemiology, pathogenesis and vaccine development"
• 05/2000 - 04/2003
  Doctoral thesis in the diagnostic lab of the Institute for Microbiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany

Education

• since 08/2018
  Chairman of the Veterinary Examination Committee
• 10/1995 - 03/2000
  Studies of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximillian-University Munich, Germany
• 10/1990 - 09/1995
  Studies of Biology, University of Constance, Germany. Subjects: Microbiology, Biochemistry, Biophysics, Cell Biology

Panel Memberships

• since 10/2021
  Chairman of the Appointment Committee for the W3 Professorship for Parasitology at the Veterinary Faculty
• since 09/2019
  Member of the Faculty Board
• since 09/2019
  Member of the Animal Welfare Committee of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Prof. Baums group studies the pathogenesis and epidemiology of Streptococcus (S.) suis infections in pigs, often leading to severe meningitis, arthritis, endocarditis or septicemia. This basic research is linked to studies on vaccine development, which are conducted in cooperation with the industry. Dr. Rene Bergmann is working on the interaction of S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus, another important zoonotic animal pathogen, with the complement system in the blood of horses, pigs and humans. The expertise of Prof. Baums group in streptococcal research includes in-frame deletion mutagenesis, heterologous expression, molecular typing, readout of interaction with the complement system, and experimental infections in pigs. Specific pathogen-host interactions are investigated in DFG projects in cooperation with the Institute of Immunology of the faculty (Prof. Gottfried Alber) and the Department of Biochemistry of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (Prof. Maren von Köckritz-Blickwede). The detection of a cross-protective antigen is a unique feature in the current S. suis vaccine research.

Furthermore, the AG Baums is currently working on pathogens from the genera Klebsiella, Brachyspira and Rodentibacter. As a cooperation partner of Prof. Ralf Hoffmann, the effect of antimicrobial peptides is investigated.

• Innovative agents of AMP-phages for the treatment of infectious diseases of domestic animals

  Baums, Christoph Georg

  Duration: 08/2018 – 07/2020

  Funded by: EU Europäischer Fonds für regionale Entwicklung (EFRE)

  Involved organisational units of Leipzig University: Bakteriologie und Mykologie; Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum (BBZ)
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• Neutrophil extracellular trap formation in the Streptococcus suis infected cerebrospinal fluid compartment

  Baums, Christoph Georg

  Duration: 06/2017 – 12/2021

  Funded by: DFG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

  Involved organisational units of Leipzig University: Bakteriologie und Mykologie
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• Immunoglobulin M-degrading enzyme of Streptococcus suis (IdeSsuis): modulation of B-cell function and consequences for mucosal colonization

  Baums, Christoph Georg

  Duration: 09/2019 – 08/2022

  Funded by: DFG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

  Involved organisational units of Leipzig University: Bakteriologie und Mykologie; Institut für Immunologie
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• Protection against Streptococcus suis across serotypes

  Alber, Gottfried

  Duration: 10/2020 – 12/2022

  Funded by: Sächsische Wirtschaft

  Involved organisational units of Leipzig University: Immunologie; Institut für Bakteriologie und Mykologie; Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum (BBZ)
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• Development of vaccines against respiratory and systemic infections in pigs (Project 3 of the collaborative research project VacoME)

  Baums, Christoph Georg

  Duration: 11/2016 – 09/2019

  Funded by: BMBF Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung

  Involved organisational units of Leipzig University: Bakteriologie und Mykologie; Immunologie; Molekulare Pathogenese; Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum (BBZ)
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more projects

• Bartosch, T.; Frank, A.; Günther, C.; Uhrlaß, S.; Heydel, T.; Nenoff, P.; Baums, C. G.; Schrödl, W.

  Trichophyton benhamiae and T. mentagrophytes target guinea pigs in a mixed small animal stock

  Medical Mycology Case Reports. 2019. pp. 37–42.

  DOI: 10.1016/j.mmcr.2018.11.005
  show details
• Unterweger, C.; Ruczizka, U.; Spergser, J.; Baums, C. G.; Hennig-Pauka, I.

  Effect of Early-Life Treatment of Piglets with Long-Acting Ceftiofur on Colonization of Streptococcus suis Serotype 7 and Elicitation of Specific Humoral Immunity in a Farm Dealing with Streptococcal Diseases

  Pathogens. 2018. 7 (2). pp. 34–34.

  DOI: 10.3390/pathogens7020034
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• Michel, V.; Ulber, C.; Pöhle, D.; Köpke, B.; Engel, K.; Kaim, U.; Fawzy, A.; Kähl, S.; Fornefett, J.; Baums, C. G.; Eisenberg, T.

  Clinical infection in house rats (Rattus rattus) caused by Streptobacillus notomytis

  Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. 2018. 111 (10). pp. 1955–1966.

  DOI: 10.1007/s10482-018-1085-x
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more publications

• Andere herausragende Auszeichnungen: Ackerknecht Preis

  Baums, Christoph Georg (Bakteriologie und Mykologie)

  awarded in 2017 by Veterinärmedizinische Fakultät.
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more awards

• Molekulare Pathogenese; Institut für Bakteriologie und Mykologie; Institut für Immunologie; Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum (BBZ)

  Zelluläre Immunreaktionen von Schweinen bei Infektion und Vakzinierung

  Start Date of Collaboration: 01/04/2015

  Involved persons: Alber, Gottfried; Baums, Christoph Georg
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• Bakteriologie und Mykologie; Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum (BBZ)

  Charakterisierung von Immunglobulin Proteasen

  Start Date of Collaboration: 01/04/2014

  External participating organisations: Umea Universitet (Umea, Sweden)

  Involved persons: Baums, Christoph Georg; Rungelrath, Viktoria
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• Bakteriologie und Mykologie; Institut für Immunologie; Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum (BBZ)

  Immunologische Untersuchungen zu Streptococcus suis Infektionen und Immunisierungen

  Start Date of Collaboration: 01/04/2014

  External participating organisations: Vetmed Uni Vienna (Wien, Austria)

  Involved persons: Baums, Christoph Georg; Alber, Gottfried
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more cooperations

• Tagung

  Treffen des Infect Control Verbundes VacoME

  Bakteriologie und Mykologie; Institut für Immunologie; Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum (BBZ)

  Event Organiser: Baums, Christoph Georg

  01/12/2016 – 01/12/2017
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more events

Prof. Baums has been teaching and examining Bacteriology and Mycology in veterinary medicine at the University of Leipzig since 2014. He is lecturer of the series Bacteriology and Mycology in the 5th semester as well as in the clinical focus courses Digestive Tract, Genital Tract, Respiratory Tract, Herd Management, Poultry Diseases and Infection. 

Together with Prof. Wieland Schrödl, he teaches the course Bacteriology and Mycology in the 5th semester. This course pursues important learning objectives such as working safely with risk group 2 infectious agents and performing a goal-oriented microbiological examination.

Being responsible for the focus Infection, he introduced an Interdisciplinary Diagnostic Parcours in cooperation with the Institute of Parasitology, the Institute of Virology and the Institute of Immunology in 2014, which was outstandingly evaluated by the students and has been conducted every semester since then.

In cooperation with other staff members of the Center for Infectious Diseases, Prof Baums introduced with Bak Myk Unplugged and a Digital Diagnostic Parcours with breakout rooms new digital teaching formats in the semester 2020/21, which encourage student participation.  

Prof. Baums is the recipient of the 2017 Ackerknecht Prize, which is awarded by the faculty based on a proposal from students. This prize annually recognizes individuals who provide outstanding teaching at the faculty.

Prof. Baums is chairman of the clinical assessment committee.

• Lecturer and examiner in veterinary bacteriology and mycology