COMBAT is a multidisciplinary European consortium which aims to understand and control the emergence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance (AR) in drain biofilms. Emerging AR in bacteria is one of the most important global challenges of our time. Antimicrobial resistance in bacteria will lead to infections that cannot longer be treated. Biofilms are complex microbial communities that can harbour multidrug resistance bacteria. Biofilms have been associated with spreading infection. COMBAT aims to understand emerging AR resistance from drain biofilms from three ecological niches: hospitals, pig farms and homes. By using a small scale biofilm model, COMBAT aims to provide a better understanding of emerging AR, evaluate the efficacy of current drain disinfectants in controlling biofilms and the dissemination of AR. The COMBAT team includes researchers from the UK, Germany, Ireland, Finland and Estonia.

2022

2025