Research

Funding: EU Commission, 1.100.900 EUR

Project Details:
Work programme 2025-2027 of the EU Reference Laboratory for Classical Swine Fever

Cooperation Partners:

Dr. Christoph Staubach (FLI Riems)

Funding: Niedersächsischen Ministerium für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz, 480.000 EUR

Project Details:
Infectious diseases in wild animals are currently on the rise and with them the questions of what these infectious agents mean for native wild animal populations, hunters and other people who handle these animals. Since Covid-19, awareness has once again been raised that infectious diseases from wild animals can be a source of danger for humans. For example, influenza and West Nile viruses have been observed in more and more species, sometimes leading to significant losses in populations. The first-time detection of Usutu viruses in native seals in the Wadden Sea and the new occurrence of myxomatosis in brown hares in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony are also evidence of the pathogens' enormous tendency to adapt and spread.
Overall, there is great uncertainty among hunters and the general public with regard to infectious diseases in wild animals, so there is an urgent need for action. The Food and Veterinary Institute Braunschweig/Hanover of the LAVES is responsible for the examination of wild animals at the Hanover site. Among other things, the institute deals with pathogen situations, the etiology of diseases and the causes of death of wild animals sent in.
The information and experience on wild animal infectious diseases in Lower Saxony provided by the LAVES, the TiHo and the Lower Saxony Hunting Association (LJN) is to be pooled in the study in order to improve understanding of the occurrence, spread, population significance and risk management.
The aims of the project are as follows:
1. veterinary summary of individual animal findings of wild animals from Lower Saxony
2. to determine the veterinary significance for the various wild animal populations
3. targeted and statistically representative sampling and investigation of newly emerging infectious diseases or suspicious deaths in wild animals
4. analysis of the occurrence and potential impact of infectious diseases on
wildlife populations, particularly in the case of novel pathogens
5. risk assessment and development of hygiene concepts for hunters and other
stakeholders
6. advice for decision-makers on sustainable wildlife infection management

Cooperation Partners:

Lebensmittel- und Veterinärinstitut Braunschweig/Hannover, Standort Hanover (LAVES)

Funding: QS-Wissenschaftsfonds, 29.830 EUR

Project Details:
Infectious diseases pose a serious threat to animal health. There are only two legally required vaccinations in the livestock poultry sector in Germany (Newcastle disease and zoonotic salmonella). In the EU, vaccination against avian influenza was prohibited for many years, as the disease could be controlled by biosecurity and eradication measures. A new legal regulation (VO/EU 2023/361) allows vaccination to be used as part of the control measures. In order to rule out the risks of vaccination, it must be accompanied by close monitoring. According to current data, this will be very costly and may have to be borne proportionately by the livestock owner. In addition to the reduction in animal suffering, a further impact factor is the emotional consequences for the people involved in animal husbandry and care in the event of a complete depopulation of livestock in the event of an animal epidemic. Against this background, our project aims to assess the practical feasibility of vaccination against HPAI in livestock poultry farming. The aim is to record what wishes farmers have regarding the possible implementation of vaccination against HPAI, under what circumstances this can/should happen, what they need for implementation, what support they expect from veterinary medicine and the authorities.The task of this study is therefore to determine, through quantitative and qualitative empirical analyses, which measures are particularly effective against classical avian influenza. What are the prerequisites for successful implementation by the farmers?

Funding: Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality of the Netherlands, 174.600 EUR

Project Details:
Pinnipeds are frequently infected with respiratory nematodes commonly referred to as lungworms. Distinctively, lungworms are particularly prevalent pathogens of young harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in Northern Europe. In the Netherlands, young harbour seals frequently strand on human accessible areas and display severe clinical symptoms associated with lungworm infection; as a result, they are often admitted to the nearest rehabilitation centre for treatment. Currently, the number of lungworm patients admitted for rehabilitation is limited for conservation purposes, however, there is a lack of clear criteria regarding the selection of those lungworm patients that should receive care. Critically, there remains an absence of clinical parameters that directly indicate the disease progression; thus veterinarians lack the clinical tools to determine the severity of the infection, and consequently, the likelihood of survival. Furthermore, there is currently insufficient data regarding the fate of rehabilitated lungworm patients post release. Therefore, to prevent potentially unnecessary admissions of lungworm patients, further insights regarding the severity of infection and post-release survival rates are required.

This research project will employ a multiple strategy approach with the overarching aim to develop a triage system for seal rehabilitation centres to assess prognosis for seals either directly at the point of stranding or upon admission. Through comprehensive investigations, this project will provide unprecedented insights into the pathology of lungworm-infected harbour seals, identify clinical parameters associated with survival to and after release, as well as assess the behaviour and survival of seals post release from rehabilitation using telemetry devices. Ultimately, if applicable, this project will result in the development of a prognostic tool to guide the selection of lungworm-infected harbour seals most suitable for rehabilitation. This project, led by the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW) in collaboration with three major Dutch seal rehabilitation centres (Aseal Stellendam, Sealcentre Pieterburen and Ecomare), as well as Utrecht University and Wageningen Marine Research, is funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality of the Netherlands.

Funding: Dr. Rolf M. Schwiete Stiftung, 243.493 EUR

Project Details:
This project aims to develop a system for the visualization and modification of carbohydrate structures on the surface of neuronal cells within 3D neurosphere models. By employing chemically modified sugar derivatives and bioorthogonal ligation chemistry, surface epitopes will be selectively labeled and functionalized for fluorescence imaging. This approach enables the investigation of changes at the cell surface during early brain development in a complex, biomimetic system that recapitulates fetal brain development. The innovative strategy holds the potential to significantly deepen our fundamental understanding of the role of glycans in neuronal development. In the long term, this technology could advance research into the impact of infections on the developing brain and may open new avenues for preventive strategies to reduce the risk of neurological sequelae and neurodevelopmental disorders following fetal infections.

Funding: BMFTR, 39.738 EUR

Project Details:
The planned project will serve to prepare a multilateral project proposal on research and innovation at EU level in order to improve the integration of Eastern Partnership countries into the European Research Area.
The multilateral AgriTransEUROPE consortium consists of six excellent research groups from two
European Member States (D, NL) and three Eastern Partnership countries (GE, UA, ARM). The planned
EU application aims to provide alternative treatment strategies that can replace or complement current antibiotic treatments. The aim is to further develop the use of bacteriophages as a model in the three animal husbandry systems poultry, cattle/pigs and aquaculture. Bacteriophages are viruses that can infect and kill bacterial pathogens. The planned project aims to address global challenges in the food and livestock sector with innovative concepts for the use of bacteriophages.

Cooperation Partners:

Center for Biomedical Engineering, Implant Research and Development (NIFE), Prof. Willem Wolkers

Agricultural University of Georgia 0159 Tiflis Georgien

George Eliava Institute of Bacteriophages,

Microbiology and Virology 0160 Tiflis Georgien

Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National

University Luhansk Ukraine

Yerevan State University Armenia 0025 Jerewan Armenien

Funding: Gesellschaft für Kynologische Forschung e.V., 10.000 EUR

Project Details:
As part of this project, the effectiveness of alternatives to antibiotics (including ozone oil, manuka honey) in dog skin infections caused by Staphylococcus pseudintermedius is being investigated.

Funding: Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V., Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie, 635.500 EUR

Project Details:
The cHillYGIENE project will be carried out in three stages. First, the microbiological contamination of cooling fan units and their surroundings in meat processing plants will be investigated, while simultaneously recording various metadata (including design, materials, temperature range, operating zones, defrosting processes, and refrigerated goods). This will be done through a broad-based status quo survey and long-term monitoring in selected companies. This will provide comprehensive information on the usual microbial colonization, hygienically relevant areas, and the development of microflora in air coolers. Furthermore, the influence of various surface coatings on relevant cooling fan components on microbial contamination is being investigated. Preliminary laboratory-scale tests provide basic information on the extent to which coatings influence the adhesion, detachment, proliferation, and biofilm formation potential of selected microorganisms under practical conditions. Based on this, the previously identified hygienically relevant components of a standard cooling fan are coated, or coated pieces of material are installed in them as sentinels. The modified cooling fan is installed in a practical operation or in a room suitable for simulating practical conditions in order to generate information on the hygienic benefits of surface coatings on cooling fans. Finally, the results are evaluated jointly and discussed with the participating commercial enterprises. Based on the synthesis of all available data, the final report identifies problems and formulates recommendations for implementing the results in practice.

Cooperation Partners:

Externe Kooperationspartner: Technische Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe, Institut für Life Science Technologies, Lemgo

Veterinärmedizinische Fakultät der Universität Leipzig, Institut für Lebensmittelhygiene

Funding: Fritz-Ahrberg-Stiftung, 100.000 EUR

Project Details:
The protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is capable of being transmitted to humans via under-cooked meat or contaminated raw foods and has been identified as a potential health risk to the immunocompromised and pregnant population. In the absence of an efficient, rapid test method for foodstuffs that enables early identification of the source of contamination, work is underway on the development of a LAMP assay, with funding provided by the Fritz Ahrberg Foundation. This method should enable the rapid and sensitive detection of even small amounts of parasites in various, sometimes complex food matrices. In a subsequent phase of the project, the presence of pathogens along the food processing chain will be determined. Consequently, potential measures for risk minimisation can be evaluated.

Funding: IBT, 486.181 EUR

Project Details:
The aim is a comparative study for the MCMV-based vaccine candidate developed at the HZI against RSV in the ferret model at the TiHo and the further technical development of the vaccine candidate at the HZI.

Cooperation Partners:

HZI Braunschweig