Research topics

The research activity of the Infectious Diseases Unit is focused on the study of viral and bacterial agents of domestic animals, with particular emphasis on those that are responsible for zoonoses or can serve as animal models for human infections. The Unit consists of two sections.

The virology section is mainly involved in the study of viruses of carnivores (parvoviruses, coronaviruses, morbilliviruses) and ruminants (pestiviruses, herpesviruses), as well as of viral agents with direct and indirect zoonotic potential (astroviruses, uncultivable caliciviruses, rotaviruses, enteroviruses). Molecular surveillance of viral infections, development of innovative diagnostic assays and vaccines and antiviral therapy are objectives of this research.

The bacteriology section studies the application of classical cultural methods, biomolecular assays and bioinformatic software to the study of bacteria of veterinary and human health importance, such as as Chlamydia spp, Clostridium perfringens, Mycoplasma of ruminants, Coxiella burnetii, Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Salmonella spp. and some vector-borne bacteria of cats and dogs. The research interests also include the identification of putative rational targets for the development of novel treatment and control strategies against infectious diseases.