The “Workshop on Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases” took place September 30th to October 2nd , 2014 in Berlin as a joint meeting of the German Society of Medical Entomology and Acarology (DGMEA) and the “Workshop on Tick-borne Diseases” of the National Reference Laboratory for Q Fever of the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut. This joint meeting was organized by the Umweltbundesamt ( UBA ) - Federal Environment Agency, Section IV 1.4 – Health pests and their control, in close cooperation with the German Society for Medical Entomology and Acarology (DGMEA), the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), National Reference Laboratory for Q Fever and the Freie Universität Berlin – Free University Berlin, Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine. Veröffentlicht in Broschüren.
Das Projekt "Teil 1: Verbreitung von Zecken in gesamt Baden-Württemberg" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), Zoologisches Institut, Abteilung für Ökologie und Parasitologie durchgeführt. Zecken und von Zecken übertragene Krankheiten sind von großer Bedeutung für die Gesundheit von Mensch und Tier. Über die Faktoren, die ihre Verbreitung und Dynamik beeinflussen, ist allerdings nur wenig bekannt. In diesem Projekt werden Spezialisten aus verschiedenen Fachbereichen zusammen-arbeiten, um den Einfluss von Wetter, (Mikro)Klima, Habitat, Landnutzung, menschlichen Eingriffen und die Populationsdynamik den Wirtstieren auf die Verbreitung und Dynamik von Zecken und den von ihnen übertragenen Krankheitserregern in Baden-Württemberg zu bestimmen. Das Projekt ist in vier Module unterteilt. Im ersten Modul konzentrieren wir uns auf die Verbreitung von Zecken in gesamt Baden-Württemberg, im zweiten Modul untersuchen wir im Detail, inwiefern Mikroklima, Habitat und Wirtstiere die Populationsdynamik von Zecken beeinflussen. Zecken, die im ersten und zweiten Modul gesammelt werden, werden im dritten Modul auf zeckenübertragene Pathogene und ihre Dynamik untersucht. Das vierte Modul beinhaltet eine übergreifende Analyse aller Daten, um die relative Bedeutung der untersuchten Faktoren zu bestimmen und um damit ein Risikomodel zu erstellen, das die Bedeutung von Klimaveränderungen für zeckenübertragene Krankheiten in Baden-Württemberg mit einbezieht.
Das Projekt "D 4.1: Livestock parasites and parasitic zoonoses in smallholder farming systems of Northern Vietnam" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Hohenheim, Institut für Zoologie, Fachgebiet Parasitologie durchgeführt. 80Prozent of the Vietnamese population inhabits rural areas, which are dominated by agriculture. After rice production, animal husbandry is the 2nd most important agricultural activity. In the mountainous area of northwestern Vietnam, livestock production is mainly done in smallholder farms, with each farmer keeping small numbers of a variety of species including pigs, cattle, buffaloes, goats and poultry. Within this area dominated by economic constraints, smallholder farming differs according to the distance to towns where market outlets exist. While farmers in valleys (near roads or towns) use e.g. pig production for income generation, the more remote mountain slopes are dominated by subsistence farming. In adaptation to this, different husbandry practices exist, and different animal species / breeds are raised. Generally, pigs are the most important animal species both as a meat source and for sale. While local pig genotypes are gradually being replaced by high yielding exotic breeds in large areas of Vietnam, this development is only slowly reaching the more remote areas of the northwest. Presently, aspects of resource utilization with regard to different animal breeds are under investigation (cf. sub-project D2.2 (Livestock effiency)). However, the impact of this development on aspects of veterinary and public health importance have not been addressed so far, although the transmission of economically important livestock pathogens and zoonotic diseases are intricately linked to husbandry practices and animal genotypes. Several species of livestock parasites not only have economic importance due to their impact on the quality and quantity of animal products, but are causative agents for human disease. Due to the complex life cycles of most parasites - which involve different host species and obligatory host changes - the locally prevailing conditions of animal husbandry, slaughtering facilities and marketing practises have a drastic influence on the transmission intensity. Many parasitic diseases can be effectively controlled by improved slaughtering practises (meat inspection) and information on preventive behaviour to farmers and distributors. However, small scale farming usually favours disease transmission due to uncontrolled home slaughter with unsafe offal disposal and generally unhygienic conditions. Therefore, any changes in animal production systems and the introduction of new animal genotypes is likely to have an impact on parasite transmission and public health, which has to be taken into account when evaluating the local acceptance and sustainability of such systems. In a first phase of this project, prevalence surveys of various parasite species in livestock (pigs, cattle, buffaloes, goats) will be carried out in an area of Son La Province, which includes different types of animal husbandry. (abridged text)
Das Projekt "Forest management and habitat structure - influences on the network of song birds, vectors and blood parasites" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Freiburg, Forstzoologisches Institut, Professur für Wildtierökologie und Wildtiermanagement durchgeführt. Forest structure is altered by humans for long times (Bramanti et al. 2009). The long lasting modification of forests pursuant to human demands modified the living conditions for birds as well as for many other animals. This included changes in resource availability (e.g., food, foraging, nesting sites) and changes of interspecific interactions, e.g., parasitism and predation (Knoke et al. 2009; Ellis et al. 2012). Also species compositions and the survivability of populations and even species are affected. The loss of foraging sites and suitable places for reproduction, the limitation of mobility due to fragmented habitats and the disturbances by humans itself may lead to more stressed individuals and less optimal living conditions. In certain cases species are not able to deal with the modified requirements and their populations will shrink and even vanish. Depending on the intensity of management and the remaining forest structure, biodiversity is more or less endangered. Especially in systems of two or more strongly connected taxa changing conditions that affect at least one part may subsequently affect the other, too. One system of interspecific communities that recently attracted the attention of biologists includes birds, blood parasites (haemosporidians) and their transmitting vectors. For instance, avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum) represents the reason for extreme declines in the avifauna of Hawaii since the introduction of respective vectors (e.g. Culicidae) during the 20th century (van Riper et al. 1986, Woodworth et al. 2005). With the current knowledge of this topic we are not able to predict if such incidences could also occur in Germany. All in all, different management strategies and intensity of forest management may influence the network of birds, vectors and blood parasites and change biodiversity. To elucidate this ecological complex, and to understand the interactions of the triad of songbirds as vertebrate hosts, dipteran vectors and haemosporidians within changing local conditions, I intend to collect data on the three taxa in differently managed forest areas, the given forest structure and the climatic conditions. I will try to explain the role of abiotic factors on infection dynamics, in detail the role of forest management intensity. Data acquisition takes place at three spatially divided locations: inside the Biodiversity Exploratory Schwäbische Alb, at the Mooswald in Freiburg, and inside the Schwarzwald.
Das Projekt "Occurrence and distribution of insecticide resistance in stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans) on dairy farms in the federal state of Brandenburg, Germany" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Berlin, Institut für Parasitologie und Tropenveterinärmedizin durchgeführt. Stable flies (Stomoxyinae) frequently constitute a common problem in and around livestock farms or in agriculture. Nuisance by biting flies and the ensuing negative impact on livestock productivity plays an important role. Disease transmission may sometimes be an additional problem. The frequent and uncontrolled application of insecticides is likely to speed up the development of insecticide resistance within a few generations as was also shown in a previous investigation on the resistance status of Musca domestica in Brandenburg. Surprisingly, little is known about the resistance in S. calcitrans in Germany. But, there are clear indications from own, unpublished investigations that stable flies have already acquired resistance against pyrethroids. Estimates of the economics of stable fly-induced losses point to as much as Dollar 2billions/year for the cattle sector in the US. It is unfortunate that we do not dispose of reliable estimates of the economic impact of stable flies in Germany. Trials protecting dairy cows against attacks from nuisance insects point, however, to significant reductions of defensive movements and a resulting significant increase of milk production. In this survey it is planned to assess the present status of occurrence and distribution of insecticide resistance in S. calcitrans on dairy farms in Brandenburg, Germany. The goal of this work is to develop a rational approach in pest management, assisting farmers in applying best-bet and environmentally sound strategies for the control of nuisance flies on dairy farms.
Das Projekt "Teilprojekt 1" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Bochum, Lehrstuhl für Evolutionsökologie und Biodiversität der Tiere, Arbeitsgrupe Zoologie,Parasitologie durchgeführt. Projektziele sind die Erfassung der Abundanz und der wesentlichen Bruthabitate von veterinärmedizinisch relevanten Insekten (Muscidae, Ceratopogonidae) in und im Umfeld von Rinderställen, Vergleich und Optimierung innovativer Bekämpfungsmethoden zur effektiven Reduktion der Insektenbelastung im Stall sowie die Bilanzierung der relativen Bedeutung unterschiedlicher Substrate im Stall und im Hofbereich als Bruthabitate. So ist die Bedeutung der auf verschiedene Habitate ausgerichteten Maßnahmen erkennbar: gezielte Reinigung der Spaltenböden, mechanische Störung von Liegeflächen und Eliminierung der Emergenz aus Mistlagerstätten. Ebenfalls eingesetzt werden Schlupfwespen und Güllefliegen zur Bekämpfung der Musciden. Dies wird verglichen mit einer Insektizidbehandlung von Ställen. Der Erfolg wird über die Abundanz der Insekten im Stall überprüft. Die Analysen münden in zielgruppenadressierte Konzepte zu Methodenoptimierungen. Der Arbeitsplan umfasst drei Arbeitspakete: 1. Erfassung der Abundanz der Imagines von Musciden und Ceratopogoniden im Stall und Stallumfeld; 2. Erfassung der Emergenz aus den wichtigsten Bruthabitaten; 3. Vergleichende Studien zur effizienten Bekämpfung der Vektoren. 19 Meilensteine beschreiben Teilergebnisse und strukturieren Ablauf und Zusammenarbeit. Die Ruhr-Universität ist für vier Meilensteine verantwortlich und kooperiert bei 11 Meilensteinen, wobei biologische und konventionelle Höfe einbezogen werden. Bedingt durch das Auftreten der Insekten finden Versuche 2016 bis 2018 jeweils in der Hauptflugzeit statt. Mehrmonatige Auswertungen bis zum Abschluss der Meilensteine folgen und bilden die Datenbasis für anschließenden Versuche.
Das Projekt "Teilprojekt A" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Institut für Zoomorphologie, Zellbiologie und Parasitologie - Pflanzliche Zellbiologie und Biotechnologie durchgeführt. Reichlich vorhandene landwirtschaftliche pflanzliche Rückstände, die beim Anbau von Kulturpflanzen aufkommen, stellen eine nachhaltige Ressource dar um fossile Energieträger zu ersetzen. Der größte Anteil dieser landwirtschaftlichen Überreste besteht aus so genannten Lignozellulosen, einem komplexen pflanzlichen Verbundmaterial, dessen Zucker für die mikrobielle Fermentation zu Grundchemikalien verwendet werden können. Die größte Herausforderung für die Umwandlung der Lignozellulosen zu Chemikalien ist deren schwere Abbaubarkeit. Daher hat die Züchtung von Pflanzen, mit verbesserten, leichter abbaubaren Lignozellulosen ein großes Potential die Verarbeitungskosten und den Energieverbrauch zu verringern, und daher fossile Energieträger zu ersetzen. In diesem Projekt werden Maismutanten nach veränderten Lignozellulose-Eigenschaften charakterisiert. Das erhaltene patentierbare Wissen kann leicht auf andere Kulturgräser wie Weizen und Gerste übertragen werden, um auch in Zukunft informierte, gezielte Zuchtziele mit höheren Erträge von Pflanzenüberresten zu erhalten.
Das Projekt "Einfluss von Populations-basierten Unterschieden in Zecken aus Naturherden auf die Übertragung des FSME Virus" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Stiftung Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover, Institut für Parasitologie durchgeführt. In diesem Teilprojekt (TP6) soll das Infektionsmodell mit Zecken aus FSME Naturherden und Kontrollgebieten und verschiedenen FSME Virusisolaten etabliert werden. Das FSME Virus zirkuliert in der Natur in einem enzootischen Übertragungszyklus zwischen Ixodes ricinus Zecken und verschiedenen Wirtstieren. Ixodes ricinus Zecken wie auch verschiedene Wirtstiere sind in Zentral- und Mitteleuropa nahezu flächendeckend verbreitet. Im Gegensatz dazu weist die Verbreitung des FSME Virus gerade in Deutschland extrem fokale Herde auf. Zumeist wird das Virus in sehr begrenzten Gebieten nachgewiesen, wohingegen in umliegenden Bereichen zwar Zecken, jedoch kein FSME Virus gefunden wird. Daher stellt sich die Frage, welche Faktoren die Verbreitung des FSME Virus begrenzen. Zur Beantwortung dieser Frage soll in diesem Projekt ein Infektionsmodel erstellt werden, welches Zecken aus verschiedenen FSME Naturherden und Rötelmäuse nutzt, um die Interaktion von FSME Virusstämmen mit den jeweiligen Zeckenpopulationen unter Miteinbeziehung des natürlichen Reservoir-Wirtes zu untersuchen.
Das Projekt "D 2.2: Efficiency of smallholder animal husbandry depending on intensity of management and genetic potential of livestock in mountainous reg. of Northern VN, development of community driven breeding progr. using genotypes with high productive adapt" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Hohenheim, Institut für Tierproduktion in den Tropen und Subtropen durchgeführt. During the first project phase a comprehensive analysis of smallholder livestock production systems with a special focus on pig production has been carried out. In a juxtaposition of the smallholder pig production system of 'demand driven' (close to town) and 'resource driven' (farer from town), different production intensity levels have been described and resource limitations have been identified. Production and breeding objectives were identified. The results suggest that the resource driven small-holder pig production can be improved through specific breeding programmes, which utilise genotypes with high productive adaptability in order to make most efficient use of the available local resources, and by integrating breeding between different intensity levels in a stratified approach. At present, no breeding programmes exist for resource poor smallholder systems, because of infra-structural shortcomings and the limited knowledge on the 'productive adaptability' (i.e. performance under harsh production conditions) of the locally avail-able livestock. Therefore in the next step it is required to determine the productive adaptability of different genotypes under field conditions. Special emphasis will be given to disease tolerance/ resistance traits (SP D4.1 Parasitology)). Priority is given to pigs, however further attention will be paid also to ruminants specially in the resource driven systems, whereas under demand driven conditions resource competition between pig and poultry production will be considered. Therefore in the second project phase the emphasis is placed on: - Determination of the productive adaptability of different livestock genotypes and their resource use efficiency (specifically feed, labour and capital efficiency). - Valuation of farmer breed and trait preferences, as well as the trade-offs farmers are willing to make between such breeds or traits, in order to support the definition of breeding goals. - Development of appropriate, cost-effective and sustainable village breeding programmes incorporating these genotypes. - Identification and assessment of the relative importance of the principal policy and market factors determining trends in the utilisation of indigenous breeds. 'Demand driven' and 'resource driven' livestock systems will be assessed in parallel and comparatively. The juxtaposition of these systems producing at different intensity levels and coping with different resource limitations is further used as a principal analytical tool of the study. Methods to conduct on-farm performance testing will be further developed. Appropriate parameters for on-farm performance testing selected for genetic and economic suitability and feasibility of reliable recording (supported by the results of the farmer trait preference work) will be used for regular herd monitoring by farmers (short term benefit). In the long-run they will be fed into a data base and pro-vide a basis for village breeding programmes. (abridged text).
Das Projekt "Biodiversity and associated ecosystem services in small vs. large scale agriculture" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Göttingen, Department für Nutzpflanzenwissenschaften, Abteilung Agrarökologie durchgeführt. Biodiversity conservation cannot rely on protected areas alone, as sustainable conservation requires strategies for managing whole landscapes including agricultural areas. Organic farming in Germany may contribute strongly to the protection of biodiversity and to sustainability of agriculture through enhancing ecosystem services. However, the effectiveness of this agri-environmental management is highly dependent on landscape structure. The main objective of this study is to compare the effectiveness of organic cereal management in small vs. large scale agriculture through measure of the diversity of plants and arthropods and associated ecosystem services, such as seed predation, insect predation, aphid parasitism and pollination. Pairs of organic and conventional winter wheat fields will be selected in small vs. large scale agricultural landscapes along the former inner German border, i.e. in West vs. East Germany. This study design enables a unique experiment, where it would be possible to disentangle the effects of landscape composition and configuration heterogeneities in the same study region and to study how these affect the effectiveness of organic management. The detailed analyses of the expected valuable data could provide significant results (published in high ranked, international scientific journals), and contribute to the development of the existing