The "Integrative Infection Biology of Crops and Livestock (460K)" department, headed by Prof Dr Michael Kube, studies the pathogens that cause infectious diseases in plants and animals, their similarities and differences and the far-reaching significance of the pathogens for the host, society and the environment. Research focuses on genome analysis, diagnostics (including microbiome and metagenome approaches) and pathogen-host interaction. State-of-the-art methods from bacteriology, molecular biology and bioinformatics are trained and applied. The results provide comprehensive insights into the evolution and virulence of pathogens and the development of strategies to avoid risks in production.<o:p></o:p>