Administrator of the world’s largest collection of TB strains
A major scientific endeavour of ITM
Antibiotic resistance of tuberculosis bacteria is a gigantic problem. In 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) transferred administration of the biggest public research collection of tuberculosis strains on the planet to ITM - a major scientific honour for Antwerp. The strains were at the time already physically located at ITM, but officially came to reside in Belgian hands thanks to the transfer. The bacteria in the freezers of the secure ITM laboratories encompass the worldwide diversity of TB strains and exhibit various resistance patterns.
Dr Leen Rigouts, collection administrator
"This is a bit of a Noah’s Ark when it comes to tuberculosis, and we’re proud that the WHO has entrusted it to the city of Antwerp. It enables us to better understand the disease and develop new medications and tests."
A collection within BCCM Consortium
The TB strains from WHO’s research and training programmes for tropical diseases are part of the collection of mycobacterial strains within the consortium of the Belgian Coordinated Collections of Microorganisms (BCCM), which in addition to TB also contains strains of the Buruli ulcer agent. The public collection is hence the biggest database in the world for typing tuberculosis bacteria. The BCCM consortium was founded by the federal government in 1983 to coordinate collections of microorganisms at Belgian institutions.
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