Overview of research projects

Funding: Drittmittelprojekt, gefördert durch das Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr., 272.949 EUR

Project Details:
Many microbial pathogens are transmitted via contaminated drinking water and cause severe diseases in humans. Therefore, it is necessary that drinking water is constantly monitored and microbial contamination is excluded. Compliance with limit values of the "Trinkwasserverordnung" is mandatory. However, monitoring is usually limited to the detection of indicator organisms that indicate faecal contamination of the water and are intended to predict the presence of pathogenic microorganisms. Nevertheless, outbreaks of diseases caused by contaminated drinking water, in which no indicator bacteria have been detected during analysis, have been frequently reported. Drinking water may also contain microorganisms that could not be detected during routine diagnostics. The development of a new method that comprehensively examines microbial diversity and the occurrence of pathogenic microorganisms from drinking water samples could set new standards for drinking water testing in the future. "Next Generation Sequencing" (NGS) is a very promising method for this. The aim of the project is therefore to carry out a parallel analysis of large quantities of DNA or RNA sequences by metagenome sequencing and to record the microbial diversity of water samples. Initial approaches using NGS technologies for this purpose have been described in the literature. Nevertheless, the isolation and concentration of microorganisms from water samples must first be optimised. Protocols, methods and bioinformatic pipelines must also be adapted to overcome the difficulties of detecting pathogenic microorganisms in drinking water. The protocols required for this will be developed in the project. Subsequently, the procedure will be validated against the methods described by the "Trinkwasserverordnung" or comparable reference methods. The determination of the analytical as well as the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity is the main focus of this research project. Furthermore, the methodology will be developed and established for different water samples (e.g. drinking water, surface water) and tested for its practicability with the help of field samples.

Funding: Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr, 449.842 EUR

Project Details:
Im Bereich der Lebensmittelsicherheit ist eine genaue und schnelle Identifikation des ursächlichen Erregers mikrobieller Kontaminationen von Lebensmitteln aufgrund möglicher Lebensmittelinfektionen und -intoxikationen von besonderer Bedeutung. In dem o.g. Projekt werden deshalb auf Basis der sogenannten schleifen-vermittelten ("loop-mediated") Amplifikationsmethode Schnellnachweise für verschiedene bedeutende pathogene Keime (Bacillus cereus, Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella und Staphylococcus aureus) entwickelt. Das LAMP-System funktioniert unter isothermalen Bedingungen, d.h. es werden keine Geräte mit zyklischer Amplifikation (PCR) benötigt. Die Detektion kann in einem auf etwa 65 °C erhitzen Wasserbad oder Heizblock erfolgen. Die Entwicklung und Validierung der Testsysteme wird mit Hilfe des tragbaren real-time Fluorometers Genie® II (Firma OptiGene) durchführt. Ziel des Projektes ist es, verlässliche und schnelle Nachweismethoden wichtiger Mikroorganismen aus verschiedenen Lebensmittelmatrizes zu entwickeln und zu etablieren, welche in der Routinediagnostik Anwendung finden sollen.

Project Details:
Ziel der Untersuchungen ist es, mittels eines Fragebogens, der deutschlandweit an Pferdepraktiker versendet werden soll, einen Überblick über das in der Praxis vorhandene Wissen über die Ätiologie, Diagnostik und Therapie zu erhalten. Durch eine Metaanalyse der vorhandenen Literatur sollen die bekannten Methoden der Endometritisdiagnostik und -therapie auf ihre wissenschaftlichen Grundlagen hin überprüft werden.
Die Studien werden in Hinblick auf ihr unterschiedliches Studiendesign untersucht und in verschiedene Evidenzstufen eingeteilt um ihre Vergleichbarkeit und Fundiertheit zu bewerten. Es ist also zu klären, ob die Endometritisdiagnostik und -therapie in Deutschland auf evidenzbasierten Studien beruht oder ob die Praktiker eher auf ihre Erfahrungen bzw. die Anekdoten von Kolleginnen und Kollegen vertrauen. Außerdem sollen neue Möglichkeiten zur Minimierung des Antibiotikaeinsatzes aufgezeigt werden.

Results:

doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00547. PMID: 32984410

Cooperation Partners:

Niedersächsisches Landgestüt Celle

Project Details:
Boar spermatozoa are sensitive to cooling and, therefore, commonly are preserved at 16°C for use in artificial insemination (AI). Recently, hypothermic semen preservation at 5°C was established to reduce the risk for bacterial growth and to stabilize transport conditions. The aim is to assess the eligibility of AI boars for hypothermic semen preservation using conventional spermatology.

Cooperation Partners:

Hochschule Osnabrück

GfS Ascheberg

Project Details:
Addition of antibiotics to semen extenders is required to control the growth of commensale bacteria in animal semen. Follwing the One Health concept and the DART strategy for reduction of antibiotics, alternative antimicrobial strategies in preserved boar semen are tested.

Funding: Fritz-Ahrberg-Stiftung, 57.000 EUR

Project Details:
The production of meat-based food using nitrite curing salt has become a target of public criticism. After the WHO classified the consumption of processed meat products as "carcinogenic to humans (Group I)", food processors are searching for alternatives to nitrite usage. Besides uncured products, plant extracts as a natural source of nitrate can be used in the production process. It is stated that those products contain lower concentrations of harmful residual nitrite and might therefore be beneficial for human health. However, the question remains whether those "naturally-cured" products remain microbiologically stable and whether they are indeed healthier. Furthermore, those products have to be organoleptically comparable to products containing nitrite curing salt to meet consumers expectations. The present study is investigating the impact of different alternative curing methods of cooked sausages on product quality and food safety using two different vegetable extracts (mangold, beetroot). Aim is to gain knowledge about sensory, microbiologically and physicochemical parameters of alternatively cured meat products. The results can provide important information for food processors as well as for supervising authorities.

Funding: BfN, 549.313 EUR

Project Details:
The implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EG, MSFD) aims to achieve a good environmental status (GES) of the European oceans until 2020. The MSFD obliges all European coastal states to effectuate the development and execution of national marine strategies. It sets a tight time schedule for the accomplishment of several obligations, like the results of the status assessments of the German North and Baltic Seas, which have to be reported to the European Commission regularly, the determination of the GES of the German marine areas and the determination of environmental targets. In the context of this range of tasks, the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research shall support the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) scientifically, in order to perform the existing reporting duties and actions timely and with professional quality. Approaches to the evaluation of the biodiversity status within the MSFD will be compiled on international, national and regional levels, refined and different approaches will be harmonised.

They will be processed nationally as well as internationally in different committees and working groups (for example in the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)) and debated within regional marine protection treaties (Oslo and Paris Commission (OSPAR) and Helsinki Commission (HELCOM)). 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. Currently, the assessments (for example scientific indicators) are being compiled and modulated in the different working groups. 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.
The ITAW has developed and implemented extensive research proposals and monitoring drafts with a focus on marine mammals for Germany in the past, with the result that long-term data and basics are available for indicator configuration at the ITAW. These shall be included in this process. The existing results provided by the ITAW, scientific analyses and considerations on the indicator configuration shall contribute to the international process, because the indicator development also presents an important tool for future monitoring research projects. Furthermore, it is also necessary from the scientific point of view to reconcile and effectuate the implementation and validation of indicators as well as monitoring efficiency on international level, because marine mammals are such highly mobile species.

Results:

https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.795953

Funding: Bundesanstaltung für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung, 111.930 EUR

Project Details:
The aim of the project is to use the "Animal Welfare Advisory Team (HACCP Team)" to transfer the many years of experience gained from expert advice and science to practical farms with pullets and laying hens and to implement, evaluate and optimise it in practice. Experience to date has shown that the focus must be placed even more than before on optimising the rearing of pullets. Here, feed optimisation as well as the provision of occupational material is essential in order to minimise behavioural disorders on the laying farm and to maintain animal health. The aim is to achieve a significant improvement in animal welfare on the participating farms, taking into account the needs and requirements of birds with untrimmed beaks at all ages. The experiences and results of the project farms are to be passed on to the broad professional public and practice. The established "Animal Welfare Advisory Team" consists of the Animal Welfare Advisor (LWK) who, in cooperation with a specialist veterinarian from the University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover (TiHo), develops a common advisory basis for the project. The team possesses competence and represents a sustainable, innovative transfer of knowledge. The team forms the basis for the future HACCP advisory team.

Cooperation Partners:

Landwirtschaftskammer Niedersachsen

Funding: Tönnies Forschung, 165.400 EUR

Project Details:
In this project, pigs are trained by (automatic) operant conditioning to use a pig toilet with separate areas for urinating and defecating. The aim is to reduce ammonia concentrations in the piggery and to improve animal welfare through cognitive environmental enrichment.

Results:

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/1/113

Funding: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, 500.218 EUR

Project Details:
Directive 2010/63/EU obliges a more consistent implementation of the 3Rs principle in the use of animals for scientific purposes, with the consequence of increased research activities in this field. The University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover and the Philipps University Marburg want to support these 3R research activities in a joint effort through a pilot project to establish an open access training platform for 3R methods and to make 3R methods more transparent and visible.

Results:

3R SMART

Directive 2010/63/EU requires a more consistent implementation of the 3Rs principle in the use of animals for scientific purposes, resulting in increased research activities in this field. The Hanover University of Veterinary Medicine Foundation and the Philipps University of Marburg wanted to support these 3R research activities and make them more transparent and visible through a pilot project to set up an open access training platform for 3R methods.

The aim of the project was to set up an open access training platform for 3R methods that would (A) make visible the high level of scientific, but also industry-driven commitment to the development of alternative methods to animal testing, in order to (B) offer not only information that relates specifically to individual 3R methods, but also fundamental background information on the 3R concept (e.g. on the ethical classification of the 3R concept). (C) to offer the training content in the form of short, easy-to-understand video contributions and thus usefully supplement the text-based content of established alternative methods databases (e.g. AnimAlt-ZEBET, DB-ALM).The content was closely aligned with the recommendations from the workshop "Teaching Alternative Methods to Animal Experimentation", which was organized by the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing in Europe (CAAT) and the Transatlantic Think Tank for Toxicology (t4). According to these recommendations, the high degree of diversification of knowledge about 3R methods makes it necessary to teach the essential contents of the 3R concept in a modular way. In the 3R-SMART, this is achieved through modules on 3R background information (basic modules) and on individual 3R methods (advanced modules). To ensure broad acceptance of the 3R-SMART, the EU Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, the German Center for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R) at the BfR, the EU Berlin with the Berlin-Brandenburg research platform BB3R, and BASF were involved in designing the content.

The 3R-SMART has been online since March 2020 and has already been very popular. A total of 1,097 visitors were already registered via the web analytics platform Matomo in 2020, although it is expected that this development can be significantly increased with the optimizations planned in the expansion period.

Cooperation Partners:

Philipps-Universität Marburg, Deutsches Zentrum zum Schutz von Versuchstieren (Bf3R) am BfR, FU Berlin mit der Berlin-Brandenburger Forschungsplattform BB3R, BASF