Although mortality from infectious disease has declined globally, viral and bacterial infections still disproportionately impact the world's most vulnerable populations. Pneumonia and diarrhoea are major killers in young children while syphilis is the main cause of stillbirth and perinatal mortality. HIV, tuberculosis, and viral hepatitis are among the leading causes of deaths due to infectious disease in adults living in low and middle income countries. Treatment for these devastating diseases exists, but their use and effectiveness face numerous challenges including timely diagnosis, drug resistance and access to healthcare. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 70% of the world’s people living with HIV and the highest tuberculosis burden in the world. Although treatment has saved many lives, daunting challenges in reaching, diagnosing and treating patients hamper their control.

Multi-resistant bacteria are found in all regions of the world and spread easily, thus constituting one of the most serious threats to global health. In the last decades, emerging infectious diseases, especially those related to emerging viruses such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika, have become an increasingly important area of concern in public health at a global level. The crisis triggered by SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19, has brought the threat of emerging viruses to the forefront at a global level.

Main research lines

At ISGlobal, we use our experience to improve the diagnosis and treatment of viral and bacterial diseases, to understand the causes of antibiotic resistance, and to find novel ways of reaching underserved populations in the following areas:

• Antimicrobial resistance
• Emerging viruses
• Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
• Tuberculosis (TB)
• Viral hepatitis