Research

Project Details:
The project focuses on the isolation of phages from the feces of bearded dragons. After isolation, phages are examined and classified according to their efficacy and characteristics. Subsequently the influence of phage application on the microbiom and shedding of Salmonella is examined. These examinations are of relevance because of the zoonotic potential of Salmonella shedding in reptiles.

Cooperation Partners:

Robert-Koch-Institut Wernigerode

Funding: BioConsult GmbH & Co.KG, Bremen, 51.150 EUR

Project Details:
In order to be able to accompany the evaluation process of the spatial development plan (ROP) from the perspective of marine nature conservation, a nature conservation-based, ecosystem-based planning contribution is to be developed as part of the project, which can be integrated into the marine spatial development plan (MSP) update process in a targeted manner.
In order to enable a synthesis of the information relevant for the planning contribution, the current state of knowledge from completed and ongoing research projects will be researched. Together with additional sensitivity analyses, content for the integration of ecosystem-relevant aspects into the planning contribution will be developed. In addition, various scenarios for the expansion of offshore wind power will be developed and evaluated in order to establish the necessary conditions for an environmentally compatible expansion of renewable energies in the North and Baltic Seas. The project is thus intended to provide an overall spatial planning concept for marine protection that can be incorporated by the BfN into the process of evaluating and updating the MSP.
BioConsult GmbH & Co KG is carrying out the BfN research project as contractor.
The following work on marine mammals is being carried out as a contribution by the TiHo:
- Compilation and preparation of the available distribution data in the form of maps, diagrams and tables with textual explanations
- Identification and presentation of important habitats for indicator species (e.g. harbor porpoise, harbor seal, grey seal)
- Effects of three scenarios of OWP expansion

Project Details:
A blood test provides information on the physiological or pathological status of an animal. In veterinary medicine, another focus is on monitoring the nutritional status of a patient. The patient's results, obtained through sampling and appropriate analysis procedures, are categorised with previously established RI of a healthy reference population. The laboratory results provide important information for the diagnosis and prognosis of a sick animal. In addition to correct analysis, the reliability of laboratory results requires quality-assured pre-analysis and appropriate and evidence-based RI. Even accurate measurement results can lead to incorrect diagnosis and therapy if the sample has been altered at the time of analysis to such an extent that it no longer corresponds to the basic population of the previously used reference population. Many factors influence the quality of samples in the pre-analytical phase and the basis for assessment in the post-analytical phase. The aim of this project is therefore, for the first time, to focus significantly more on pre-analytical factors in the production of RI. In order to avoid diagnostic errors, pre-analytical workflows should be standardised as far as possible. According to a thorough literature search, the RIs of the following parameters in particular differ significantly from each other and will therefore be reproduced in this paper using a reference population. In particular, this will be done with very clearly defined pre-analytical conditions. From clinical chemistry, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH), creatine kinase (CK), total protein (TTP), albumin, total bilirubin, urea, beta-hydroxybutyrate (ß-HBS), free fatty acids (FFA), cholesterol and various minerals are considered.
The aim is to further develop and establish recommendations that can be implemented in daily practice and laboratory work in veterinary medicine, are based on current and quality-assured RI for dairy cows from Germany and lead to meaningful laboratory results.

Funding: MWK, 104.704 EUR

Project Details:
COFONI LZF-TP-Expansion to include the research area
"Interdisciplinary research into the long-term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Results:

https://www.umg.eu/forschung/corona/cofoni/

Funding: MWK via UMG (COFONI), 86.260 EUR

Project Details:
Type I interferon signaling and mitochondrial dysfunction in the heart acute and long-Covid disease.

Results:

https://www.umg.eu/forschung/corona/cofoni/

Funding: Industry (Animal breeding), 1.056.339 EUR

Funding: Drittmittelprojekt, gefördert durch die Fritz-Ahrberg-Stiftung., 100.000 EUR

Project Details:
Raw sausage products are stabilised exclusively through a suitable fermentation process. This process, as well as additives and the quality of the raw materials, ultimately determine the safety of the end product. If nitrite is reduced or replaced in the recipe, the production parameters must be adjusted so as not to jeopardise the safety of the products. The consumption of short-ripened and nitrite-reduced raw sausages can pose a risk to the consumer if the lack of drying and altered ripening processes allow pathogenic and spoilage-causing bacteria to multiply.
Bacillus species are bacteria with a broad application profile in food production. They are used as starter cultures in modern biotechnological processes, but also in traditionally fermented products. They are able to form so-called bacteriocins. These are ribosomally synthesised peptides with a high antibacterial activity. Application of these bacteriocins in sausage production can extend the shelf life of food and prevent the occurrence of pathogenic germs. Due to their small size, bacteriocins can also penetrate biofilms or prevent their formation. As starter cultures, bacteriocin-forming bacteria can make an important contribution to the safe production of fermented products and thus contribute to increased safety of short-ripened and nitrite-reduced raw sausages. Bacteriocins also do not affect the sensory properties of food, nor the composition of the intestinal microbiota in humans, as they are degraded by proteases in the gastrointestinal tract. The bacteriocin nisin produced by Lactococcus lactis is approved as a food additive in Europe and has GRAS (generally recognised as safe) status in the USA.
For the reasons mentioned above, Bacillus strains that have not been investigated so far are to tested in the present project for their antimicrobial properties against meat-relevant spoilage and zoonotic pathogens (e.g. Campylobacter spp., listeria and salmonella). With an already established high-throughput method on a laboratory scale, this can be done with a hundred isolates simultaneously. Cell-free culture supernatants are obtained, which are subsequently used to identify the potential bacteriocins. Promising Bacillus isolates are tested in a second step in short-ripened and nitrite-reduced raw sausage products as a supplement to established starter cultures.

Results:

Natürliche Biokontrolle von Listeria monocytogenes in Rohwurst durch die Bakteriozin produzierenden Stämme Bacillus cereus MHI 86 und Bacillus thuringiensis 5-29. 65. Arbeitstagung des Arbeitsgebietes Lebensmittelsicherheit und Verbraucherschutz, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, 23.09.-25.09.2025.

 

Identifizierung und Charakterisierung von Thuricin-17-ähnlichen Bakteriozinen, produziert von Bacillus thuringiensis und Bacillus cereus Isolaten. 64. Arbeitstagung des Arbeitsgebietes Lebensmittelsicherheit und Verbraucherschutz, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, 24.09.- 27.09.2024.

 

Identification and characterisation of thuricin 17-like bacteriocins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus cereus isolates. 7th Joint Microbiology & Infection Conference, of the DGHM and VAAM, Würzburg, Germany, 02-05 June 2024, 176-177.

Funding: Drittmittelprojekt, gefördert durch Fritz-Ahrberg-Stiftung., 67.500 EUR

Project Details:
Sous vide cooking is the heating of raw ingredients under controlled temperature-time combinations in heat-stable vacuum bags. As with all LTLT cooking methods, the choice of a suitable temperature-time combination is the most important parameter for microbiologically safe food in sous vide-cooking. The aim of this study is to define microbiologically safe temperature-time combinations for the inactivation of pathogens in sous vide-cooked minced beef and pork. In addition, a characterization of technological and sensory aspects of the influence of the sous vide cooking method on hamburger patties is carried out.

Funding: Schaumann Stiftung, 5.000 EUR

Project Details:
Die Leber des Milchkuh ist aufgrund der hohen Milchleistung der Tiere ein wichtiges Stoffwechselorgan. Um detallierte Mechanismen erforschen zu können, soll in diesem Projekt bovine embryonale Zellen zu Hepatozyten differenziert werden. Der große Vorteil stammzellbasierter Hepatozytenmodelle ist, dass man nicht abhängig von gesunden Spenderorganismen ist, aus denen funktionsfähige primäre Hepatozyten isoliert werden können. Im
Rahmen verschiedener Projekte wurden bereits unterschiedliche Protokolle beschrieben, um nach einer in-vitro Differenzierung sowohl morphologisch als auch funktionell möglichst Hepatozyten-ähnliche Zellen ("Hepatocyte like-cells", HLC) zu generieren. Hierbei wurden Stammzellen von z.B. Mäusen nach der Isolation mit
verschiedenen Wachstumsfaktoren, Zytokinen und anderen Faktoren kultiviert. Unter anderem kommt bei der
Differenzierung von Stammzellen zu Hepatozyten-ähnlichen Zellen der Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 (FGF-2),
Aktivin A, Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) und Dexamethason zum Einsatz. Als Qualitätsmerkmale für die
stammzellbasierten Hepatozyten-ähnlichen Zellen werden die zelluläre Morphologie, sowie die Gen- und
Proteinexpression als funktionelle Komponente herangezogen. So sind diese Zellen in der Lage z.B. Albumin zu
produzieren. Ein weiterer großer Vorteil
dieser stammzellbasierten Hepatozyten ist die deutlich längere Lebensdauer im Vergleich zu den primären
Hepatozyten, welche in Kultur frühzeitig phänotypische Altersanzeichen zeigen und generell nur eine kurze
Überlebensdauer haben.

Funding: Gesellschaft zur Förderung kynologischer Forschung e.V., 11.520 EUR

Project Details:
Hypothyroidism is on of the the most commonly encountered endocrinopathy in dogs. However, low thyroxine concentrations are also found as adaptive mechanismen with other diseases (non-thyroidal illness syndrome, NTIS) and it is correlated with severity of diseases and thus, mortality. A discrimination between hypothyroidism and NTIS is not just viable for proper treatment but eminent for patient’s prognosis. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and pro-inflammatory cytokines have been linked to the pathogenesis of the NTIS in both human and animal studies. The aim of this study was to characterize two common canine endocrinopathies (hypoadrenocorticism, hyperadrenocorticism) and their effects on the thyroid gland in the context of a possible NTIS. A NTIS is defined based on an advanced thyroid panel (TT3, fT3, T3RU, TNF-a, IL-1, and IL-2) in canine serum.
Methods In this retrospective cross-sectional study data and left-over of clinical diagnostic serum samples from dogs stratified as healthy, Cushing’s, or Addison diseased were assessed by a single German veterinary laboratory to avoid inter-assay and intra-assay variability via validated chemiluminescence assay and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA [TgAA, IL-1, IL-2, TNF-a]) in accordance to the American Society of Veterinary Clinical Pathologists’ (ASVCP) guidelines for Quality Assurance in Laboratories.