Research Activities at the Faculty
The projects conducted by the Faculty of Veterinary
Medicine focus on the following topics:
- Products of animal origin and consumer protection
- Preventive veterinary medicine
- Clinical veterinary medicine
- Ecological animal husbandry
As far as the sphere of preventive consumer protection is
concerned, the following projects are dealt with in respect of protecting
consumers' health in connection with animal products:
- Zoonoses and their communication via food; combating zoonosis
pathogens in the food chain [Institute of Food Hygiene]
- Detection of risk materials in connection with transmissible
spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) in meat products [Institute
of Food Hygiene, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology]
- Human BSE exposure risk - the detection of specified risk material
and PrPSc in food (Institute of Food Hygiene in collaboration
with the Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health,
the Institute of Pathology and the Saxon Analytical Office for
Veterinary and Public Health)
- Translocation of zoonotic bacteria (salmonella, Yersinia, Campylobacter)
from the porcine gastrointestinal tract into the internal organs
during the slaughtering process [Institute of Animal Hygiene and
Veterinary Public Health]
- Mathematical models for predicting food spoilage (Institute
of Food Hygiene)
- New strategies of zoonosis control in food-producing animals
by orally administered antibodies (Institute of Food Hygiene)
- Development and validation of diagnostic methods and techniques
for epidemiological studies of important zoonosis pathogens -
a contribution to reducing the main causes of food poisoning from
the pork production chain [Institute of Food Hygiene]
- Expression analysis of Campylobacter strains [Institute of Food
Hygiene]
- Ecological products and consumer protection [Institute of Food
Hygiene].
Within preventive veterinary medicine, both paraclinical
and basic studies are conducted. The projects are as follows:
- The growth of animals with regard to health and production (Institute
of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology)
- The role of fatty acids and antioxidants in prophylaxis and
the therapy of diseases of domestic animals (Institute of Physiological
Chemistry)
- The adaptation of transport processes in the ruminant forestomach
(Institute of Physiology in collaboration with the Institute of
Physiology at Hanover College of Veterinary Medicine, the Physiology
Centre at the University of Göttingen and the Forskningcenter
Foulom, Tjele (Denmark))
- (Patho-)physiology of the enteric nervous system (Institute
of Physiology / Institute of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology
in collaboration with the Institute of Physiology at Hanover College
and the National Animal Disease Center Ames, IA (USA))
- Molecular mechanisms of persistent infection in Borrelia burgdorferi
(BBZ Junior Research Group "Molecular Medicine of Infectious
Diseases" at the Institute of Immunology in conjunction with
the College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca,
USA, and with Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew
University of Jerusalem, Israel)
- The significance of recent members of the interleukin-13 cytokin
family in resistance to Salmonella enteritidis and Cryptococcus
neoformans [Institute of Immunology in conjunction with veterinarian
and human medicine institutes and departments of Universität
Leipzig, Westphalian Wilhelm University Münster, the University
of Cape Town (South Africa) and the DNAX Research Institute Shering
Plough, CA (USA)]
- Systemic and macrophage specific effects of interleukin-4 and
interleukin-13 in the defence against Cryptococcus neoformans
[Institute of Immunology in conjunction with veterinarian and
human medicine institutes and departments of Universität
Leipzig, Westphalian Wilhelm University Münster, the University
of Cape Town (South Africa) and Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
New York (USA)]
- Infections with protozoa: epidemiology, prophylaxis, treatment,
and diagnosis with serological and molecular biological tests
(Institute of Parasitology)
- Effect of alternative growth promoters (herbs and spices) on
performance and health (Institute of Animal Nutrition, Nutrition
Diseases and Dietetics in collaboration with the Saxon Agriculture
Centre)
- Hygienic aspects of compost and biofiltration (Institute of
Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health)
- Development and application of modern vaccination strategies
to combat virus diseases in horses [Institute for Virology in
conjunction with the German Cancer Research Centre, Heidelberg
(Applied Tumour Virology) and the University of Heidelberg]
- Epidemiology of and combating immunosuppressive virus infections
in commercial poultry [Institute for Virology in conjunction with
the Veterinary and Agricultural Research Centre, Brussels (Belgium),
National Veterinary and Food Research Agency (AFFSA), Ploufragan
(France), the Department of Agriculture of Northern Ireland, Belfast
(Northern Ireland), Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh
(Bangladesh) and others]
- Epidemiology of and combating the avian polyoma virus (APV)
and the psittacine beak and feather disease virus (PBFDV) [Institute
for Virology in conjunction with the Institute of Poultry Diseases
of the University of Giessen, the University of Hohenheim, the
Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Institut
de Biologie Structurale, Grenoble (France) and others]
- Mechanisms of neutralisation in connection with the infectious
bursal disease virus (IBDV) [Institute for Virology under SFB
610: Protein States Relevant to Cell Biology and Medicine, Leipzig
and Halle]
- Studies of the epidemiology, symptoms and pathogenesis of the
natural Borna virus infection [Institute for Virology in conjunction
with the Large Animal Clinic for Internal Medicine]
- Pathomorphology and pathophysiology of the degeneration of the
retina induced by the Borna disease virus
- The pathophysiological significance of the regulation of adrenergic
and muscarinergic receptors [Institute of Pharmacology, Pharmacy
and Toxicology in conjunction with Leipzig Heart Centre, Institute
of Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Toxicology, University of Halle-Wittenberg]
- Characterisation of the methotrexate carrier of the kidneys
(RK-MTX) [Institute of Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Toxicology]
Clinical veterinary medicine integrates both clinical and
theoretical institutions. Collaboration with other national and
international groups allows the elucidation of various diseases
known to be significant in both veterinary and human medicine. Various
diagnostic procedures and therapy programmes are developed and evaluated.
Work is focused on the following topics:
- Pathomorphology and pathophysiology of retina degeneration induced
by the Borna disease virus (Institute of Anatomy, Histology and
Embryology in collaboration with several institutes of the Universität
Leipzig)
- DNA vaccine for the treatment of equine arteritis virus (Large
Animal Clinic for Internal Medicine)
- Diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in cardiopulmonary and
vascular diseases of dogs, cats, birds, and reptiles (Department
of Small Animal Medicine in collaboration with several institutes
of the Universität Leipzig, Heart Centre Leipzig, Institute
for Animal Breeding, the Faculty of Agriculture of the University
of Halle)
- NMR and other imaging techniques in the diagnosis of neurological
disorders and tumours (Department of Small Animal Medicine in
collaboration with various institutes of the Universität
Leipzig)
- Reconstructive surgery in the stifle and hip joint (Department
of Small Animal Medicine in collaboration with the Chirurgical
Clinic, University of Zurich)
- Modern radio-oncological and chemotherapeutical concepts in
tumour treatment (Department of Small Animal Medicine in collaboration
with several institutes of the Universität Leipzig and the
Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals of the University
Utrecht (NL))
- Diagnosis, aetiology, pathogenesis, therapy, prognosis and prophylaxis
of equine reproduction disorders (Institute of Pathology)
- Studies of the mechanism of tumour involution in canine oral
papillomatosis [Institute for Virology in conjunction with the
Department of Small Animal Medicine]
- The assessment of keeping and breeding birds from the viewpoint
of animal protection [Department of Small Animal Medicine, Clinic
for Birds and Reptiles in conjunction with the Department of Anatomy,
Histology and Embryology]
- Non-invasive diagnostic techniques for poultry and reptiles
[Department of Small Animal Medicine, Clinic for Birds and Reptiles]
- Diagnosis, aetiology, pathogenesis, therapy, prognosis and prophylaxis
of equine reproduction disorders [Institute of Pathology]
- Minimal invasive surgery in large animal species (Large Animal
Clinic for Surgery)
- Epidemiology, diagnosis, metaphylaxis and therapy of mastitis
in dairy cattle with regard to consumer protection (Large Animal
Clinic for Theriogenology and Ambulatory Services in cooperation
with industrial partners)
- Transfer of embryos of prepubertal cattle: studies of the influence
of the follicle diameter on the embryo rate and the transfer result
[Large Animal Clinic for Theriogenology and Ambulatory Services
in conjunction with industrial companies]
- Development and optimisation of reproduction control techniques
in prepubertal and pubertal young sows and older sows [Large Animal
Clinic for Theriogenology and Ambulatory Services in conjunction
with industrial companies]
- Mycotoxins as the reason for reproduction disorders among young
and older sows [Large Animal Clinic for Theriogenology and Ambulatory
Services in conjunction with industrial companies]
- Changes to the autonomous nerve system in pulmonary equine diseases
[Institute of Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Toxicology]
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:
- N-reduced, amino acid-supplement diets for swine (Institute
of Animal Nutrition, Nutrition Diseases and Dietetics)
- Treatment of residues originating from the production of rape
petrol (Institute of Animal Nutrition, Nutrition Diseases and
Dietetics)
In addition to the topics related to veterinary medicine, studies
are also being conducted which have an impact on human medicine:
- Modification of glia-neuron interaction (Institute of Anatomy,
Histology and Embryology in collaboration with IZKF)
- Hypoxia and vascularisation of the retina as a CNS model (Institute
of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology in collaboration with IZKF)
- Ischemic human myocardial diseases: new therapeutic approaches
in the animal pig model (Institute of Pathology in collaboration
with Heart Centre Leipzig)
- Drug-targeting against experimentally induced ß-amyloid-plaques
(Institute of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology)
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