Infectious diseases and preventive medicine

Head of the research group: MVDr. Kamil KOVAŘČÍK, Ph.D.
Phone: +420 777 786 319
E-mail: kovarcik@vri.cz

The research group participated in developing and testing of a method for IBR eradication from cattle herds, using marker vaccines. Another health control programme has been put into effect by Dr. Kovarcik and his team in order to control BVD (bovine viral diarrhoea) in cattle herds. Up to now, BVD has been eradicated from the majority of Czech cattle herds, i.e. from approximately 170 herds (220,000 animals). This brings annual gain of CZK 260 million to farmers. In the following period, the team will make considerable efforts to introduce a paratuberculosis control programme to cattle herds.

Head of the research group: RNDr. Jana PRODĚLALOVÁ, Ph.D.
Phone: +420 777 786 321
E-mail: prodelalova@vri.cz

The research group deals with two important topics in the field of molecular epidemiology of viral diseases of farm animals. These include enteric viral infections of pigs and viral infections of honey bees. The research group is involved in the study of rotavirus infections, especially in terms of detection and typing of atypical rotaviruses, including the possible transmission of porcine rotaviruses to humans. Coronaviruses, caliciviruses and picornaviruses are also studied. An important topic addressed by the group are viral infections of honey bees. Bee viruses are one of the factors of poor bee health in Europe. The team mainly deals with the diagnosis and epidemiology of bee viruses (SBV, DWV, BQCV, bee paralysis infection, etc.).

Head of the research group: RNDr. Jiří SALÁT, Ph.D.
Phone: +420 533 331 101
E-mail: jiri.salat@vri.cz

The mission of the group for Emerging Viral Diseases is basic research in the area of epidemiology and pathogenesis of significant viral zoonoses, especially tick-borne encephalitis, Hantavirus infections and rabies. They also deal with exotic and highly contagious viral diseases of animals and humans. They implement national and international projects and cooperate with the world's leading virologists. The activities of the laboratory are closely connected with the Laboratory of Arbovirology of the Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in České Budějovice.

Head of the research group: MVDr. Ľubomír POJEZDAL, Ph.D.
Phone: +420 771 121 264
E-mail: pojezdal@vri.cz

The research group deals with diagnostics and research in the field of viruses pathogenic to fish with an emphasis on notifiable diseases under the Veterinary Care Act ("highly contagious diseases") and emerging diseases with the potential to endanger health and domestic production of fish. The research activity takes place within the framework of national and international project calls and focuses on cataloguing, characterizing and archiving of viruses isolated in the Czech Republic using virological and molecular methods. The group also manages a part of the VRI Experimental Animal Facilities accredited for work with fish, including infectious experiments and GMO handling. The research group is involved, for example, in experiments analysing the virulence of specific pathogens, in infectious experiments testing the resistance in various lines and breeds of fish to diseases, and in testing the effect of feed additives on the immune system of fish.

Head of the research group: MVDr. Ján MATIAŠOVIC, Ph.D.
Phone: +420 533 331 317
E-mail: matiasovic@vri.cz

The research group is involved in the study of diseases of pigs and poultry aimed at reducing the impact of significant infections which affect the economic output from herds and the safety of foods of animal origin. These include post-weaning diarrhoea in piglets, mainly caused by Escherichia coli. The activities are focused on the development and testing of feed additives that would help solve this problem without the use of antibiotics or zinc oxides. Another area are porcine respiratory tract infections caused by bacterial or viral pathogens, such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) infections. Vaccination approaches aimed at animal protection are being tested and the following principles are defined: how to prevent the spread of these diseases to farms, which methods of sample collection to use in order to assess the epidemiological situation and which therapeutic intervention strategy to choose.