Cephalosporins are a group of broad-spectrum antibiotics which play an important role in fighting bacterial infections. The effectiveness of these antibiotics is declining as pathogens are increasingly developing mechanisms that render the antibiotics ineffective. These mechanisms known as antibiotic resistance pose a serious threat to human health worldwide.

Various intestinal bacteria (Enterobacteriaceae) play an important role in the transmission of antibiotic resistance between animals and humans. The main aim of the project is to determine the principal ways in which resistant intestinal bacteria spread and to use this knowledge to develop effective counteractive strategies. Resistance to cephalosporins by intestinal bacteria will be studied for various countries of origin (Canada, France and Germany) and for various hosts (chickens, pigs, cattle, dogs and humans). Complete sequences of the bacterial genome and mobile plasmids will be made in order to analyse the spread and transmission of resistance genes.