At the inaugural “Foodborne Bacterial Toxins International Symposium” (FBTIS), held from April 2 – 4, 2025 in Paris, researchers gathered to discuss the current state and future perspectives on foodborne bacterial toxins from Staphylococcus, Bacillus, and Clostridium. The symposium focused on key aspects of foodborne outbreaks, including epidemiology and outbreak investigation, legislative updates and microbiological criteria, cutting-edge methodologies such as AI-supported tools, and strategies for food safety management and risk assessment.

During the event, Paulin Dettmann was awarded first prize in the “FBTIS 2025 Awards” for the best oral presentation. These awards, sponsored by the French Society for Microbiology, honor the outstanding achievements of young scientists and PhD students under the age of 35.

Paulin Dettmann is a doctoral researcher in the Division of Biological Toxins (ZBS 3) and is working on the development of a multiplex suspension immunoassay for the simultaneous detection, quantification, and differentiation of staphylococcal enterotoxins. These toxins, which are virulence factors of Staphylococcus aureus, were responsible for over 200 foodborne outbreaks in Europe in 2023 alone. Since as little as 6 ng per person can trigger symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, fast and reliable diagnostic tools are essential. In heat-treated foods, the bacteria themselves often can no longer be detected, making toxin detection crucial. However, commercial kits currently cover only five types of enterotoxins, and outbreak investigations suggest the involvement of additional, insufficiently detectable toxins.

The method developed at ZBS 3 is designed to close this diagnostic gap. As part of their doctoral research, Paulin Dettmann is developing the first multiplex suspension assay using a panel of self-produced monoclonal antibodies. This assay can detect, differentiate, and quantify eight different staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEA to SEI) simultaneously from minimal sample volumes. A particular challenge lies in ensuring the specificity of the reagents and the final multiplex assay, especially for closely related enterotoxins. In a comprehensive validation study using 145 genome-sequenced strains provided by FG 13 (special thanks to Birgit Strommenger!) and the BfR, the assay demonstrated excellent performance, particularly in terms of sensitivity and specificity.

We warmly congratulate Paulin Dettmann on this well-deserved award and wish them continued success and all the best in their future research.