Updates
Latest News! 
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5th Consortium Meeting in October 2025 All consortium partners participated in an online meeting in October 2025. A concise overview concerning the most recent outcomes was given by all partners. Remaining challenges like recapturing of the tagged seals were discussed. The procedure regarding the collection of AMR data from the participating partners that is already taking place has been specified. Additionally, the methodology for publishing data and possible content of publications was considered. It was pointed out that the mid-term report will be due shortly and a course of action for the final revisions was established. All partners agreed to provide the necessary information which will be compiled in the final report. |
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4th Consortium Meeting in May 2025 in Klaipeda, Lithuania In May, our consortium partners attended for an in-person meeting for the MARRES project, which took place over two days at the Baltic Sea Animal Rehabilitation Centre. As part of the meeting, all partners presented their current results. Key findings, as well as any challenges encountered, were discussed, and future steps were considered. It was unanimously agreed that all work is progressing according to schedule. During the meeting, all partners expressed their enthusiasm and commitment to delivering excellent results, demonstrating a strong collective motivation to advance the project. |
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RKI Researchers Join TiHo Team for Fieldwork on Helgoland Our colleagues from RKI joined the fieldwork efforts of TiHo researchers in January 2025 on Helgoland to observe the capture, sampling, and tagging of weaned grey seal pups for the MARRES project. Researchers first scanned the beach to locate suitable animals. Once identified, a satellite transmitter (tag) was attached to a weaner’s fur, allowing up to six months of tracking before naturally falling off during the first molt. These movement data will be analyzed alongside AMR data from rectal swabs collected during tagging and recapture. Bacterial isolates will undergo phenotypic and genotypic AMR analysis, including metagenome sequencing. Speaking of metagenomics, RKI scientists used this fieldwork opportunity to test real-time sequencing with Nanopore technology as a proof-of-concept for rapid genomic applications in wildlife surveillance. |
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3rd Consortium Meeting in November 2024 In November, an online meeting took place with all consortium partners. The MARRES website has been presented and all partners were asked to provide a link to the website on their respective institutional websites. Discussions were held regarding the goals achieved for the upcoming year. The primary challenge discussed was ensuring harmonization across data sets. The dates for the next sampling season and the subsequent meeting were considered. All partners are looking forward to presenting their new data at the next in-person meeting. |
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Water Sampling Activities Across the Baltic and North Seas Our MARRES project partners from the Lithuanian Sea Museum, Hel Marine Station in Poland, and the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (TiHo) in Germany have successfully conducted water sampling efforts in both offshore and coastal waters of the Baltic and North Seas. Offshore samples were collected by boat at two different locations per region, with additional samples taken directly at coastal sites. These samples were carefully filtered in their respective labs, and the resulting filters were then sent to collaborating institutions for in-depth culturing and metagenomic analysis. This coordinated effort marks a key step in our project gaining a better understanding in antimicrobial resistance in marine ecosystems. |
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Kickoff Meeting in June 2024 In June, our consortium partners gathered for the MARRES project’s kickoff meeting, marking the start of our collaborative journey. During the two-day meeting, each partner introduced their institution, presented their specific project roles, and shared preliminary insights. Together, we discussed the research plan, defined sampling methods, and addressed anticipated challenges for the coming phases. This successful kickoff set a solid foundation for our work ahead, and we’re excited to move forward with this important research! |
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