Overview of research projects

Project Details:
The aim of this project is to characterize the situation of S. suis-related disease outbreaks on farms. The main influence of PRRSV circulation on farms, specific S. suis genotypes and pathotypes on tonsils and predefined environmental factors on the occurrence and development of S. suis-related disease will be assessed. The aim is to elaborate recommendations for practice with regard to outbreak prevention on farms.

Cooperation Partners:

Kooperationspartner des EU Projektes PigsSuis (PROGRAM FOR INNOVATIVE GLOBAL PREVENTION OF STREPTOCOCCUS SUIS, Referenznummer 727966

Funding: SP Europäische Innovationspartnerschaften (Landwirtschaftskammer Niedersachsen), 89.794 EUR

Project Details:
In two pig farms in three subsequent nursery periods animal health data, daily weight gain and
treatments will be compared between two identical piglet rearing compartments. In one
compartment the drinking water pipes will be cleaned prior to arrival of piglets by an innovative
cleaning process. The cleaning process combines mechanical cleaning forces using a mobile
flushing device equipped with a constant pressure system, with a new chemical cleaning concept.
The cleaning substance is based on the synergistic interaction of vitamins, organic acids, metal
ions and detergents, each of which attacking different target structures of pathogens. The
process resulted in a strong antimicrobial efficacy and in destruction of extracellular nucleic acids
(e.g. genes coding for resistance against antimicrobials). The effectiveness of the cleaning
process will be verified by chemical and microbiological examination of water pipe deposits prior
to and after cleaning. The cost-effectiveness of the process will be evaluated by performance
data, expenditure of time and material costs.

Project Details:
Ohrerkrankungen, insbesondere Otitiden, stellen einen wichtigen Erkrankungskomplex bei Heimtierkaninchen dar. Die Arbeit soll die verschiedenen Therapieoptionen (konservative Verfahren versus chirurgische Behandlungsmöglichkeiten) vergleichend analysieren. Des Weiteren sollen etwaige Spätfolgen und das Auftreten von Rezidiven anhand von klinischen und bildgebenden Verfahren systematisch untersucht werden, um Rückschlüsse auf gewählte Therapieoptionen ziehen zu können.

Project Details:
In der Studie werden die Daten der eingelieferten Wildsäuger der letzten 10 Jahre sowie des aktuellen Jahres 2021 statistisch erfasst und ausgewertet.

Die Studie hat folgende Ziele:
-Statistische Darstellung von Tierart, Erkrankung, Therapie, Dauer des stationären Aufenthaltes sowie dem weiteren Verlauf
-Erhebung der Behandlungskosten
-Gewinn von wissenschaftlich fundierten Erkenntnissen bezüglich der Heilungsmöglichkeiten bei Wildsäugern
-Entwicklung eines Leitfadens zur Entscheidungsfindung bezüglich der Rehabilitation bzw. Euthanasie von Wildsäugern unter Berücksichtigung des rechtlichen Rahmens

Neben der Auswertung der im Rahmen der Diagnostik erhaltenen Befunde soll zusätzliches Augenmerk auf den Parasitenstatus jedes Tieres gelegt werden. Außerdem sollen euthanasierte und verstorbene Tiere mit unklarer Todesursache seziert und veränderte Organe histopathologisch und ggf. mikrobiologisch untersucht werden. Der retrospektive Teil soll alle erhobenen Daten zu eingelieferten Wildsäugern statistisch erfassen, die im Zeitraum der Jahre 2010 - 2020 erhoben wurden.

Project Details:
Kaninchen mit Schlappohren, sogenannte Widderkaninchen, erfreuen sich einer zunehmenden Beliebtheit. Durch die Schlappohren sind diese Kaninchen prädestiniert Otitiden zu entwickeln. Im Rahmen von vergleichenden Untersuchungen zu Ohrerkrankungen bei unterschiedlichen Kaninchenrassen (REUSCHEL, 2018) wurde auch eine Verkürzung der Schädel bei diesen Kaninchen festgestellt. Diese beginnende Brachyzephalie bei Heimtierkaninchen könnte eine zunehmende Bedeutung erlangen und sich ähnlich wie in der Kleintiermedizin (Hund und Katze) entwickeln. Daher untersucht das Projekt die Kopfform von Kaninchen anhand von Messungen an CT-Aufnahmen unterschiedlicher Kaninchenrassen im Vergleich zu Wildkaninchen. Außerdem sollen weitere anatomische Veränderungen, welche durch den verkürzten Kopf entstehen können, in Anlehnung an Erkenntnisse von brachyzephalen Hunden untersucht werden.

Funding: Ministerium für Energiewende, Landwirtschaft, Umwelt, Natur und Digitalisierung, 199.000 EUR

Project Details:
The Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) population is still recolonizing large areas of Germany and nowadays inhabits almost all parts of the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein (SH). In the context of rising otter numbers, various conflicts appear on the agenda, such as road traffic as the main cause of death of otters, contamination of water bodies or the interface between fisheries and otter protection. Otters found dead can play a valuable role to answer various scientific questions, as many aspects of the ecology and behavior of this strictly protected and highly elusive species still remain cryptic. Within the first two successful years of a pilot study starting in 2019, a wide network of collaborators was established, who strategically collect all otters found dead in SH and hand them over to ITAW for examination. Over 90 otters from the years 2015-20 (some were stored from previous years) have already been examined. During the standardized post mortem examinations the age and sex of all animals, as well as the nutritional status, are determined and all abnormalities are recorded. Further, a whole spectrum of diagnostics is undertaken, including: histology, bacteriology, virology, parasitology, population genetics, dietary analysis, reproduction analysis and to some extent contaminant analysis. This allows an extensive insight into the current population health status of Eurasian otters. All findings together build a solid base for species protection measures, management decisions and conflicts of interests. The continuation of the project for initially two years is an important step to guarantee a long term data collection and to assess possible population trends of the otter population.

Funding: Bundesamt für Naturschutz, 478.092 EUR

Project Details:
The species group of marine mammals represents a relevant ecosystem component in German marine waters. According to the latest assessment of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC, MSFD), marine mammals in the North Sea and Baltic Sea have not achieved good conservation status. Good data bases as well as scientifically robust approaches to assessing status are needed to adopt measures that will subsequently lead to good conservation status for the respective populations of marine mammal species. To ensure that these data are as comprehensive, comparable, and area-wide as possible, regional coordination of monitoring and indicators used for assessment is essential. Because marine mammals are highly mobile species, it is also imperative from a scientific perspective to coordinate and review the implementation of indicators and the effectiveness of monitoring at the international level. In addition, the development of the indicators is an important tool for future research concepts in the monitoring field and requires the results, scientific analyses and approaches to the design of the indicators to be brought into the international process.
The goal of this project is to further develop data-based, regionally accepted indicators for assessing the status of marine mammals in the North and Baltic Seas and to bring them to national and regional agreement. Different approaches to assess the status of biodiversity under the MSFD will be developed, refined and harmonized at international, regional and national levels. They are used nationally as well as regionally and internationally in marine conservation conventions (relevant for Germany: Oslo-Paris Commission (OSPAR) and Helsinki Commission (HELCOM)) by numerous bodies and working groups (e.g. under the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)). The cooperation regarding the MSFD and partially the Council Directive on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora will be organised within the framework of BLANO in Germany.
Scientists at the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW) of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (TiHo) Foundation have in the past developed or implemented national and international research projects as well as monitoring concepts with a focus on marine mammals, so that long-standing data series, expert knowledge and basic principles for the design of indicators are available and can be incorporated into the process. A continuous cooperation is necessary in the various working groups, in order to guarantee a sufficient incorporation of German research results and indicator concepts on international level. This is enabled within the framework of this project.

Cooperation Partners:

Dr. vet. med. Paulo Dorneles

Funding: Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur, 45.000 EUR

Project Details:
The aim of the project is to build up and consolidate our project consortium, to prepare the project application and to ensure a joint application in due time in this EU funding program. The composition of a convincing project consortium with the involvement of many different European countries is quite important. We aim to coordinate for the project as well as to cover important research areas. The deliverables also include contributing to a better overall societal and public understanding of the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning through education and training (school and marine science, art and citizen science platforms). Therefore, we would like to specifically work with a professional media partner to create a good outreach concept. The proposed project should enable us to ensure the preparation of the proposal with the project partners, to write the proposal with experienced scientists in the field of biodiversity, ecology and health and to submit it on time with the support of an external professional EU project proposal office

Results:

In the project, the preparation of the application was ensured with the project partners. With experienced scientists from the fields of biodiversity, ecology and health and with the support of an external professional office for EU project the application was submitted on time.

Funding: VolkswagenStiftung, 119.800 EUR

Project Details:
Tagging wild animals is important to investigate their behaviour and habitat use. The project "Realising a game changer in tagging wild animals; stress-free instrumentation" is part of the funding initiative ?Experiment? of the Volkswagen Foundation. Its goal is to achieve a less stressful tagging experience for wild animals. To this end, so-called self-affixing smart tags are under development. For this, animals do not need to be caught and immobilized, but they can nevertheless be equipped with new hi-tech devices that inform researchers about their habits. Smart tags are undergoing testing in, and customisation for, several different species. The goal is to reduce any stress experienced by animals while being outfitted with transmitters to make this process more animal-friendly. Another advantage is that data recorded after tagging are immediately usable, rather than researchers having to discard initial data because the animal is behaving aberrantly following capture. Indeed, after attaching the types of transmitters used to date, animals usually display abnormal behaviour, which can lead to considerable deviations in measured data and even to the tagged animal leaving its usual habitat. Animal tagging is employed in many research projects worldwide. The collected data provide information about how animals live, their use of space, energy expenditure, behaviour, and even emotional states. Thus, they provide important information for protection and management. Indeed, such is the power of the approach that it has progressed to a distinct discipline called biologging.

Cooperation Partners:

Prof. Dr. Rory Wilson, Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University (SU), Swansea, UK

Funding: DFG, 240.125 EUR

Project Details:
Neurons in the intermedial nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (INLL) are implicated in cross-frequency integration of auditory signals in bats. Contrary to other auditory brainstem nuclei in rodents, INLL neurons show a strong biophysical heterogeneity, as membrane time constants range over three orders of magnitude. Correlated with the membrane time constant the neuronal output type shows onset, adapting and sustained firing behaviours. We intend to understand this cellular heterogeneity on the molecular, biophysical and synaptic level. Therefore, we combine functional characterisations of INLL neurons with their single cell transcriptome analysis. This project generates the cellular fundament of exploring the functional features of INLL neurons that is so far enigmatic.

Results:

Wicke KD, Oppe L, Geese C, Sternberg AK, Felmy F.: Neuronal morphology and synaptic input patterns of neurons in the intermediate nucleus of the lateral lemniscus of gerbils. Sci Rep. 2023 Aug 30;13(1):14182. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-41180-8.