Training

The Institute provides in training in clinical microbiology and the study of infectious diseases for university students from the disciplines of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and cell biology.

Research

Research at the Institute is focused on pathogenesis of certain infectious diseases (respiratory and CNS infections), microbial population dynamics (at the Pneumococcal Centre) and the epidemiology and molecular mechanisms of antibiotic resistance of bacterial pathogens.

Clinical study of infectious diseases

The Institute works closely with the University Clinic for Infectious Diseases at the University Hospital, Bern. The Clinic cares for out-patients with infectious diseases including providing consultations for HIV patients. It serves as a centre for travel and tropical medicine, infectious diseases in general, and acts as a consult service for infectious diseases, hospital hygiene and paediatric infectious disease.

The co-directors of the Institute are also responsible for leading the University Clinic for Infectious Diseases (Prof. M. Täuber) and hospital hygiene at the University Hospital (Prof. HJ.Furrer).

Clinical microbiology

The Institute for Infectious Diseases (IFIK) is engaged in diagnostic microbiology in the fields of virology, bacteriology, mycology, parasitology and immunology and is thus the only university institute in Switzerland which encompasses all diagnostic microbiological disciplines under one roof.