This unit is concerned with issues regarding eukaryotic pathogens and non-tuberculous mycobacteria of Public Health relevance.

The focus is on the most prevalent endemic reportable parasitoses, systemic mycoses that are caused by endemic and "imported" fungi and infections with ubiquitous mycobacteria. Many of these microorganisms are widespread in the environment. They may cause diseases that are difficult to treat in predisposed subjects, including among others children and immunocompromised hosts.

Our activities aim at improving diagnosis, preventive and therapeutic options with respect to these infections and at contributing to a more accurate understanding of their epidemiology and pathogenic potential relevant for risk assessment.

Unit 16 also provides the Training Site Representative for the European Public Health Microbiology Training Programme (EUPHEM) of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the main supervisor for EUPHEM fellows.