This year, we once again participated in the Days of Electron Microscopy, an event aimed at highlighting the importance and benefits of electron microscopy in research, while offering a look into life within the microverse. The Brno Observatory and Planetarium is the main organizer of this event held from 24 to 30 March, 2025.
VRI offered event attendees the opportunity to explore the microworld of heroes through an exhibition of electron microscope images at the VRI Small Gallery. Images of the microworld heroes, this time bacteriophages, displayed on the exhibition panels of our gallery, will be available for viewing until 23 April, 2025.
As part of the exhibition opening, a lecture series titled "The Microworld Deserves Our Attention" took place on 26 March, 2025. Attendees had the opportunity to listen to lectures not only on the history and current state of electron microscopy, presented by Dr. P. Kulich from VRI, but also on the inhabitants of the microworld — organisms that significantly impact our health and the ecosystems we live in — in a lecture by Doc. L. Eyer, also from VRI. The fact that the study of these small but immensely important organisms reveals new possibilities for their use in medicine and other related fields was confirmed by Prof. R. Pantůček from Masaryk University in his lecture.
The use of bacteriophages is also not unfamiliar to VRI, as one of the Institute’s main scientific activities involves monitoring trends in resistance of bacteria from animals, food, and humans to antimicrobial agents, as well as identifying the pathways of resistance transmission from animals to humans, either directly or through the food chain.
Therefore, we focus on monitoring the occurrence of resistance in zoonotic bacteria in the food chain, such as Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., and Listeria monocytogenes , and bacteria of veterinary importance, such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp., Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Histophilus somni, and Enterococcus spp.
There are several ways to reduce the rise of antimicrobial resistance. For example, early and accurate diagnostics allowing for better targeting of therapy, vaccination and preventive measures, and the use of probiotic cultures that reduce the occurrence of pathogenic bacteria. Or, the use of phages, which target specific species of bacteria. Therefore, phage therapy is considered an alternative approach to treating bacterial diseases that reduces the need for antibiotics.
The images in the electron microscopy photography exhibition were taken from research conducted by staff at VRI and Masaryk University.
