Research Activities at the Faculty

Reports of the Institutes and Departments

Research Activities at the Faculty

1. Products of animal origin and consumer protection
2. Preventive veterinary medicine
3. Clinical veterinary medicine
4. Ecological animal husbandry

Postgraduate Research Unit

In 2000, the Postgraduate Research Unit enjoyed its second period of funding. The projects are as follows:

• Influence of stressors on the clinical manifestation of persistent salmonella infections in pigs – characterisation of mechanisms leading to infection and colonisation (Institute of Animal Hygiene and Public Veterinary Science).
• Effect of endotoxin treatment on the course of an asymptomatic persisting salmonella infection (Institute of Immunology).
• Detoxification by the gut (Institute of Veterinary Physiology).
• Influence of stressors on the translocation of viruses and on the reactivation of unapparent infections (Institute of Virology).
• Ethological investigations on the behaviour of stressed and unstressed animals (Ethology team, Institute of Food Hygiene).
• Functional morphology of the gastrointestinal barrier of pigs and its reaction to antigens (Institute of Veterinary Pathology).
• Translocation of antigens at biological cell barriers – in vitro investigations (Institute of Veterinary Pathology).
• Identification of Campylobacter spp. in Saxon pigs – influence of transportation (Institute of Food Hygiene).

Many interesting findings have already been obtained and the research unit intensively promoted interdisciplinary research at the Faculty. Funding for the research unit continued until May 2001.

Consumer Protection

In addition to this Postgraduate Research Unit, various groups are working on the problems of consumer protection by studying the influences of modern animal production and trying to establish diagnostic systems for ensuring and enhancing the quality of meat, milk and eggs:

• Influence of stressors on the processes of microbial translocation (Institute of Food Hygiene).
• Models for predicting food spoilage and food shelf life (Institute of Food Hygiene).
• Detection of specific risk material concerning BSE in food (Institute of Food Hygiene).
• New strategies of zoonosis control in food producing animals by orally administered antibodies (Institute of Food Hygiene).
• H-antigens of salmonella for the detection of antibodies against salmonella (Institute of Veterinary Anatomy in co-operation with Labordiagnostik GmbH Leipzig).
• Translocation of zoonotic bacteria (salmonella, Yersinia, Campylobacter) from the gastrointestinal tract of pigs into the inner organs during slaughter (Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health).

Preventive Veterinary Medicine

Within preventive veterinary medicine, both paraclinical and basic studies are conducted. The projects are as follows:

• Structural investigations of the absorption of humic acids in the procine duodenum (Institute of Veterinary Anatomy/Institute of Animal Nutrition, Nutrition Diseases and Dietetics).
• Role of Interleukin-12 p40 in immunity (Institute of Immunology in collaboration with the Centre for Veterinary Science at the University of Cambridge, UK, the Institute of Pathology at Albert Ludwig University in Freiburg, Research Centre Borstel, the Institute of Virology at the University of Basle, Switzerland, and the University of Cape Town, South Africa).
• The growth of animals with regard to health and production (Institute of Veterinary Anatomy).
• The role of fatty acids and antioxidants in prophylactics and the therapy of diseases of domestic animals (Institute of Veterinary Physiological Chemistry).
• Adaptation of transport processes in the ruminant forestomach (Institute of Veterinary Physiology in collaboration with the Institute of Physiology at Hanover College of Veterinary Medicine, the Physiology Centre at the University of Göttingen, Forskningcenter Foulom, Tjele, Denmark, and the University of Hisar, India).
• (Patho-)physiology of the enteric nervous system (Institute of Veterinary Physiology/Institute of Veterinary Anatomy in collaboration with the Institute of Virology at Justus Liebig University, Giessen, and the Institute of Physiology at Hanover College of Veterinary Medicine).
• The importance of the gastrointestinal flora for maintaining the microbial and immunological homeostasis – possible modifications (Institute of Bacteriology and Mycology).
• The hygiene of used air originating from composting plants and biofilters (Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health).

Clinical Veterinary Medicine

Within clinical veterinary medicine, an attempt is made to transfer diagnostic procedures established in human medicine to the specific demands of veterinary medicine. Furthermore, therapy plans are developed. Work is focused on the following projects:

• Digital imaging systems to be used in the diagnosis of cardiovascular and CNS diseases (Small Domestic Animals Clinic).
• The pathomorphology and pathophysiology of retina degeneration induced by the Borna disease virus (Institute of Veterinary Anatomy in collaboration with several institutes at the University of Leipzig and the Institute of Virology at Justus Liebig University, Giessen).
• Neuron deficit in the myenteric plexus and hypertrophy of the longitudinal and circular muscle layer in the cecum of horses with chronic recurrent cecal impaction (Large Animal Medicine Department).
• Health as well as yield stabilisation in ruminants in the peripartal period with special regard to energy and antioxidative metabolism (Large Animal Medicine Department).

Ecological Animal Husbandry

Within ecological animal husbandry, the Faculty is investigating the legal requirements of the veterinarian in dealing with the consequences of animal husbandry.
Work is being conducted on the following projects:

• Non-chemical fly control by the antagonist Ophyra aenescens (Institute of Parasitology).
• Reduction of N-excretion of piglets and pigs (Institute of Animal Nutrition, Nutritional Diseases and Dietetics).

Other Topics

In addition to the topics surrounding veterinary medicine, studies are also being conducted which have an impact on human medicine. For example, the Institute of Veterinary Anatomy in collaboration with the IZKF (Interdisciplinary Centre for Clinical Research) and several Institutes of the University of Leipzig are working on the modification of glia–neuron interaction in the mammalian retina.