Research

Funding: Forschungskreis der Ernährungsindustrie e.V. (FEI), 96.588 EUR

Project Details:
Milk is increasingly criticised by the public for causing various diseases in humans. Beta-casomorphin-7 (BCM-7), which is formed from A1 beta-casein during the digestion of milk, is suggested to be responsible for this. Caseins make up the largest proportion of the protein fraction in milk, accounting for about 80% of the total protein. Four types are distinguished, two different alpha-caseins (αS1 and αS2), as well as kappa- and beta-casein. In domestic cattle, 12 different variants of the beta-casein gene (CSN2) are known so far (A1, A2, A3, B, C, D, E, F, G, H1, H2 and I), of which the A1 and A2 variants are the most significant. At the protein level, the A1 and A2 beta-caseins differ in a single amino acid at position 67 (A1: histidine; A2: proline), which is thought to have a significant influence on the structural and thus also functional properties of the proteins. These can influence both the enteric digestibility of the milk and the technological properties during milk processing. The majority of milk marketed in Germany contains varying amounts of A1 and A2 beta-casein and is referred to as A1 milk. A2 milk, on the other hand, comes from A2/A2 homozygous animals and may not contain A1 beta-casein. The BCM-7 produced from A1 beta-casein may be further degraded to BCM-5, both of which are thought to mediate their effects via - and µ-opioid receptors. In A2 milk, however, the production of these BCM peptides is supposed to be significantly lower, although this assumption is still questionable. In the proposed project, therefore, fundamental questions about the effect of BCM-7 and its occurrence (degradation, formation) in milk and milk products should be answered. Therefore in one part of the project BCM-7 will be added to milk before processing to cheese and yoghurt, in another part milk from A1/A1 and A2/A2 cows will be used for processing. At different steps within the production of the cheese and yoghurt BCM-7 contents will be analysed. In further investigations, physicochemical, sensory and microbiological analyses will be performed to determine the extent to which the different milk genotypes influence the quality of the specific milk products.

Cooperation Partners:

Lehrstuhl für Physiologie (Frau Prof. Cornelia Deeg), Lehrstuhl für Klinische Pharmakologie (Prof. H. Ammer) der Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München

Funding: BfN, 272.431 EUR

Project Details:
The project aims to determine thresholds for marine mammals to show behavioural responses to ship noise and other significant anthropogenic underwater noise. For this purpose, up to 8 grey seals in the German North Sea will be transmitted with DTAGs, which record the movement and the received underwater sound on the animal. The grey seal data collected will be analysed together with data from 14 harbour seals in the German Wadden Sea and the Danish Limfjord already collected in previous projects. The sound data will be analysed with regard to ship passages. Subsequently, the ship passages will be assigned to individual ships that have been detected by AIS in the vicinity. The proportion of ship passages that originate from ships equipped with an AIS system is examined. In the further analysis, behavioural reactions that occur in connection with anthropogenic underwater noise are determined. In this analysis, threshold values are determined above which behavioural responses to underwater noise occur, thus making a significant contribution to environmental objective 6-01, the "derivation and application of biological thresholds for the effect of underwater noise on relevant species". The
behavioural responses will also be investigated in terms of distance to vessels, vessel types and cruising speeds. This step will enable an evaluation of the chances of success of proposed noise reduction or protection measures (in the sense of Environmental Objective 6-04), such as a speed limit, determination of shipping routes or the establishment of quiet zones. The studies should help to find a balance between the ecological, economic and social aspects of the use of the oceans. The overall impact of humans on the marine ecosystem is to be reduced to a tolerable level in order to enable sustainable use for future generations.

Results:

Elmegaard, S.L., Teilmann, J., Rojano-Doñate, L. et al. Wild harbour porpoises startle and flee at low received levels from acoustic harassment device. Sci Rep 13, 16691 (2023).

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-43453-8

Project Details:
Im Rahmen der Studien wird der Nachweis von Salmonellen im Rahmen des Mikrobioms untersucht, sowie der Einfluss externer und interner Faktoren auf die Ausscheidungsrate. Dabei wird auch der Einsatz von Phagen zur Beeinflussung der Salomonellenausscheidung geprüft.

Cooperation Partners:

RKI Wernigerode, Helmholtz-Institut Leipzig

Project Details:
The cat belongs to the most popular companion animal in Germany. Although cats have a long domestication history, our knowledge of their social and cognitive skills, their communication system as well as their social attachment to humans is limited. Several decades of research on dogs has shown a strong impact of domestication on their social behavior and cognitive skills, whereas our knowledge on the impact of domestication on cat behavior, especially towards humans, is in its infancy. It is generally believed that cats "domesticated themselves" by following their prey (rodents) into human settlements. It is assumed that especially the more bold cats lived closely together with humans, which benefited from their hunting abilities. This differs from the domestication of the dog, which was actively domesticated by humans. This different domestication history is likely to have an influence on social interactions between cats/dogs and humans. In this project, we aim to investigate human-directed communication in cats as well as social attachment between cats and their owners. We are interested in whether cats show a kind of "jealousy behavior" like dogs or if and how they compete for their owners. Furthermore, we investigate the influence of factors such as housing (indoor cats, outdoor cats), sex and hormonal status (neutered, not neutered) on social interactions between cats and between cats and humans.

Project Details:
Equine asthma (EA) is the most important lung disease in adult horses. EA is characterised by airway hyperreactivity and chronic neutrophilic inflammation leading to irreversible lung damage
and breathing distress in disease progression. Research on EA endo- and phenotypes is lacking. The diagnosis of mild/moderate EA (mEA, formerly "inflammatory airway disease") and severe
EA (sEA, formerly "recurrent airway obstruction") is made by clinical history, symptoms and neutrophil granulocyte count in tracheobronchial (TBF) / bronchoalveolar (BALF) fluids. This
disregards disease heterogeneity that is present in EA cases, underlies examiner variances and does not provide determined therapy. The leading role of neutrophils in EA is still uncertain. We will investigate whether neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are part of the pathogenesis and whether valuable correlations to clinical symptoms and diagnosis finding can be made. Therefore, 24 horses are thoroughly examined and scored as to disease severity and phenotype. NET-formation from blood derived neutrophils will be investigated via NET-induction assay and quantified using immunofluorescence microscopy in diseased versus healthy horses. In addition,NETs in TBF, BALF and bronchial biopsies are investigated and quantification of NET- and inflammatory-markers will be performed.

Project Details:
Durch die Untersuchung soll die Prävalenz von EOTRH beim Islandpferd in seinem ursprünglichen Lebensraum herausgefunden werden. Nachdem eine belgischen Studie Hinweise auf eine erhöhte Prävalenz von EOTRH beim Islandpferd liefert, soll nun festgestellt werden, ob tatsächlich eine Disposition beim Islandpferd vorliegt. Die Lebensbedingungen des Islandpferdes entsprechen in seinem Heimatland nach jahrhundertelanger geographischer und genetischer nahezu vollständiger Isolation immer noch weitestgehend den natürlichen Gegebenheiten in Haltung und Fütterung, wobei der europäische Einfluss in den letzten Jahren auch hier stetig wächst. Auf Grundlage dessen kann jetzt das Auftreten von EOTRH unter verschiedenen Voraussetzungen herausgearbeitet werden.
Vor Ort finden sowohl klinische als auch röntgenologische Untersuchungen statt. Eine ausführliche Anamnese und die Untersuchung bestimmter Blutparameter sollen zu weiteren generellen Erkenntnissen über die Ätiologie dieser Zahnerkrankung führen.

Funding: Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft, 206.956 EUR

Project Details:
In vitro investigations on host-pathogen interactions and factors determining virulence of non-notifiable avian Influenza viruses.

Cooperation Partners:

GD Deventer, Dr. S. de Wit

University of Edinburgh, Dr. L. Vervelde

Department of Poultry Diseases, Pulawy, Dr. K. Smietanka

Hungary, Prof. A. Balint

Funding: Umweltbundesamt, (Geschäftszeichen: 25 105/0386, Projektnummer: 3721252010) Fachbegleitung: Ulrike Pirntke, UBA, 199.989 EUR

Project Details:
The aim of the project is to develop a monitoring and assessment concept for the pollutant load of marine mammals in the North and Baltic Seas. The work thus also contributes to the implementation of the requirements for descriptor 8 (pollutants) of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD).
Within the scope of the contract, the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW) of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (TiHo) Foundation will evaluate the current state of knowledge on pollutant loads and health effects for harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) and harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) from the North and Baltic Seas using existing publications, reports and data sets. For this purpose, studies from the North Sea and the Baltic Sea as well as from other marine areas will be used. Furthermore, a monitoring and assessment concept for the pollution load of marine mammals under the MSFD, the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea (HELCOM) and the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR) will be developed. The utilization of the determined pollutant data in marine mammals for the chemical legislation, e.g. REACH, Plant Protection Act will be ensured together with UBA.
In order to be able to assess the pollutant load, assessment thresholds for selected pollutants for the protection of marine mammals will be developed together with the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH (UFZ): environmental quality standards (EQS) will be derived for the selected pollutants, following the methodology of the EU Technical Guidance Document (TGD) No. 27, in order to comply with the Water Framework Directive (WFD), the MSFD and the regional conventions OSPAR as well as HELCOM in approach and level of protection. The aim is that the marine mammal EQS to be developed will support the implementation of descriptor 8 (pollutants) and indicator development at OSPAR as well as HELCOM for a (regional) assessment of marine mammal pollutant loads.

Results:

Abschlußbericht: Entwicklung eines Monitoring- und Bewertungskonzeptes für die Schadstoffbelastung mariner Säuger in der Nord- und Ostsee zur Umsetzung der MSRL

https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/publikationen/entwicklung-eines-monitoring-bewertungskonzeptes

Cooperation Partners:

Prof. Dr. Annika Jahnke, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung GmbH - UFZ

Funding: Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung (DGUV), 125.800 EUR

Project Details:
In order to be able to improve the prevention of work-related health hazards, a proposal for a standardised test procedure for the validation of air purifiers for indoor spaces should be available after completion of the research project. The test procedure should both verify the effectiveness of the applied procedure with regard to the reduction of the virus load in the indoor air in addition to other manufacturer specifications, and also takes into account possible risks for people who are in the treated indoor spaces after or during the air purification (e.g. nitrogen oxides, photobiological safety).

Cooperation Partners:

Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.

Forschungsstelle: Fraunhofer Institut für Holzforschung (Wilhelm Klauditz-Institut - WKI - )

Funding: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), 140.519 EUR

Project Details:
Mosquito-borne arboviruses are an increasing (re-)emerging threat for more than 781 million people in Africa (70% of the continental population) (Weetman et al., 2018). Aedes-borne yellow fever (YFV), dengue (DENV), chikungunya (CHIKV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) as well as Aedes- and Culex-borne Rift Valley fever (RVFV) virus infections have been documented from the African continent, but reports are sketchy. The absence of evidence-based risk maps for arbovirus infections prevents adequate planning of both public health and research resources. Although the main vectors Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopitus and Culex quinquefasciatus are prevalent in Central and West African countries (Kreamer et al., 2015); the distribution and the frequency of arboviral infections and outbreaks display a surprising heterogeneity between and within certain countries. Thus, we ask the key question: Do genetic variability and bionomic differences in local mosquito vector populations influence arbovirus occurrence across countries in West Africa?
Here we propose to assess the difference in human exposure to arboviruses (through an epidemiologic and serologic study) based on in-depth multi-national investigation on the vector’s biting behavior, virus surveillance, and the genetic structure of vector populations. We will conduct our study in three West and Central African countries (Benin, Gabon and Côte d’Ivoire) with different and specific epidemiological profiles. Benin (West Africa) will present a setting with low arboviral occurrence, Gabon (Central Africa) will represent a latent focus with high arboviral occurrence where no outbreaks have been reported since 2010, and Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa) will represent an active focus with high arboviral occurrence where ongoing outbreaks have been reported recently. In each country, the study will be conducted in already known arbovirus foci or potential arbovirus foci with arbovirus detection from either human, animal or mosquitoes. As arboviruses have been reported mainly in large African cities, the study will be conducted in the capital cities (and their surrounding towns) of every country to maximize the probability to observe an arboviral infection We will select three sites representing each rural, suburban or urban area to capture potential variability in arbovirus prevalence in connection with mosquito species diversity, and vector and human populations.
The outcomes will help directly to set up a sustainable network on arboviruses (termed EcoVir-network) which will work to contribute to improving the surveillance, prevention and control of arboviruses in Africa. Furthermore, we will build a well-trained new generation of young African scientists through our training program, who will in future contribute to arbovirus control in Africa.

Cooperation Partners:

Prof. Dr. Steffen Borrmann: Tübingen, Germany

Dr. Julien Zahouli Bi Zahouli: Abidjan; Côte d’Ivoire

Prof. Dr. Luc Salako Djogbenou: Abomey-Calavi, Benin

Dr. Gäel Darren Maganga: Franceville, Gabon

Prof. Dr. Ayola Akim Adegnika: Lambarene, Gabon

Prof. Dr. Jacques Mavoungou: Libreville, Gabon