The project develops an AI-driven system for objective assessment of nostril stenosis in brachycephalic dogs, improving diagnostic consistency, informing evidence-based surgical decisions, and strengthening standardized evaluations in breeding programs

To provide flexible anatomy study based on defined learning aims, augmented reality teaching units with realistic animal models are developed through continuous user feedback. Learning progress is tracked by self-tests.

Alpacas and llamas show diverse fleece types and colors. The livestock genetics team with international partners studies genome data to uncover genetic variants driving inherited traits and rare diseases like deafness in blue-eyed white animals.

The project aims to generate context-specific insights into how human-influenced dog movement drives disease transmission, enabling researchers to develop locally adapted models that support effective and culturally acceptable control strategies.

Closing gaps in dog ecology is key to better rabies control, including mass dog vaccination. This project will define the demographics of India’s free-roaming dogs, estimate populations with varied methods, and test a simpler survey-based HR tool.

Straw-bedded outdoor areas for veal calves have been shown to be associated with better health (lower antibiotic use and death rate) than unsheltered areas under experimental conditions. This concept is now tested under “real life” conditions.

The Vetsuisse livestock genetics team is working with experts at Qualitas Zug and ETH Zurich to identify harmful gene variants and develop selection tools that will prevent inherited disorders and improve health and welfare of Swiss cattle.

To assess the potential for zoonotic & anthroponotic transmission of IAVs, samples from humans having pig contact & from pigs will be collected. Positives will be subjected to whole genome amplification & sequencing to enable characterization.

A nationwide study found Salmonella in only 0.4% of 1,143 fecal samples from Swiss pigs. While confirming a low prevalence compared to neighboring countries, the results highlight the need for monitoring to protect food safety and animal health.

Spitz dogs of all sizes undergo MRI to investigate cerebrospinal fluid flow. Flow disturbances are linked to hydrocephalus and syringomyelia. The Vetsuisse Faculty establishes evidence-based breeding criteria for a healthier dog population.

In order to breed laying hens that are more resilient, the project uses tracking technology within a commercial barn to identify how movement of laying hen influences and is affected by disease and injury, genetics, and neurogenesis.

This project reviews KAP studies on dog-mediated rabies, develops a validated KAP questionnaire, and applies it in a Kenyan county where rabies control programs are underway to identify gaps that hinder effective control.

Livestock health is often seen solely as the absence of disease. At Vetsuisse, researchers go further, using AI and stakeholder input to build a comprehensive Determinants of Health model for dairy cattle.

Canine rabies elimination is possible. For this, at least 70% of the dog must be vaccinated; and it is important that dog bite cases and rabies cases are reported. The eRabies project investigates these and other aspects – on the towards rabies elimination in Uganda.

As part of the national foot rot control program, the ambulatory division of the Ruminant Clinic tests and oversees approximately 130 sheep farms in the Region of Bern. In collaboration with the Veterinary Office of the Canton of Bern, data related to the control efforts are being collected and incorporated into a research project.

Resistance testing of E. coli isolated from fecal swab samples from sick cows with or without previous treatment and from healthy control cows will investigate resistance patterns to important antimicrobials of highest priority in human medicine

The Rottenberg group aims to understand mechanisms of radio- and chemotherapy resistance in cancer in humans and animals. They search for approaches to overcome resistance, which is the main cause of death of patients with metastasized tumors.

This study aims to answer whether inbred mice are less robust and less resilient to stress compared to heterozygous mice, and thus whether inbreeding compromises the animals’ health and well-being and the reproducibility of research findings.

The common liver fluke causes liver disease in humans and animals. As common medications are threatened by the development of drug resistance, we study the molecular mechanisms behind resistance and new active molecules against the liver fluke.

Development of antiparasitic drug treatments for neosporosis, toxoplasmosis and related diseases caused by apicomplexan parasites, and vaccines against neosporosis in cattle, caused by Neospora caninum.

Alveolar echinococcosis is a life-threatening infection caused by the fox tapeworm. Since current drugs only inhibit parasite growth, we develop new therapies targeting key metabolic pathways to achieve more effective, curative treatments.

The researchers investigate clinical features of endocrinopathies in donkeys and seek to enhance laboratory diagnosis through hormone analysis. They address welfare concerns, as the associated laminitis can be painful and may require euthanasia.

The project aims to draw conclusions on domestication processes and genetic adaptation to «life as a lab pet» in zebrafish.

The SNF-funded project characterizes the effect of rearing environment on adult immune responses of fish towards a parasite.

The SNF-funded project investigates which characteristics of microbiomes in recirculating aquaculture are linked to health and disease of fish.

The project’s goal is to document the exposure of calves on Swiss dairy farms to antimicrobials in waste milk, and to evaluate the association between such exposure and the carriage of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in calves.

TMHS is a poorly understood equine disease. The researchers seek to create non-invasive tools to assess trigeminal nerve function and establish intraoperative neuromonitoring methods for targeted trigeminal ganglion rhizotomy.

Proliferative kidney disease (PKD) is an important disease affecting wild brown trout (Salmo trutta) and is considered one of the potential causes for the decline of brown trout populations. The causative agent of the disease is the myxozoan endoparasite Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae, which has a complex life cycle involving an invertebrate primary host – the bryozoan – and a vertebrate intermediate host – a fish. Until now, it has been assumed that the intermediate hosts belong exclusively to the salmonid family. The aim of this project is to systematically investigate the parasite cycle of T. bryosalmonae and the potential intermediate host status of minnows (Phoxinus phoxinus), which coexist with brown trout in PKD-positive waters. The research question will be addressed through an infection experiment conducted under controlled laboratory conditions. The successful transmission of the infection from infected bryozoans to minnows will be assessed using histology, qPCR, sequencing, eDNA, and a subsequent infection of naïve bryozoans. The results of this study may have significant epidemiological relevance and far-reaching implications for the monitoring of this notifiable disease in Switzerland.

Host-pathogen dynamics in freshwater ecosystems are heavily influenced by environmental temperature, which affects both the host's fitness and immune response and the pathogen's growth and virulence. This is especially critical for ectothermic aquatic organisms, like crayfish, that cannot easily migrate to more favorable conditions. Global warming is altering freshwater temperature regimes, leading to both gradual increases and more frequent, severe heat waves, which are expected to greatly impact disease dynamics. This international, SNF funded study investigates how realistic current and projected temperature regimes in Swiss and Croatian freshwater systems affect the dynamics of crayfish plague caused by the oomycete Aphanomyces astaci. By integrating controlled laboratory trials, gene expression studies, and predictive modeling, the project aims to enhance the understanding of disease dynamics under changing environmental temperatures. The results will improve our understanding of how climate-driven temperature changes may influence future disease risks and the health of freshwater ecosystems

The Vetsuisse Faculty aims to advance the understanding of equine asthma by developing a novel diagnostic test based on alpaca-derived nanobodies targeting CXCL13, a promising biomarker for this frequent respiratory disease in horses.

The researchers integrate near-infrared fluorescence imaging with indocyanine green-loaded tumor-derived nanoparticles to enhance the precision of tumor and lymph node removal in dogs, aiming to reduce recurrence and advance surgical oncology.

The researchers use proteomic profiling of extracellular vesicles from dogs with mast cell tumors to identify biomarkers of minimal residual disease and recurrence, aiming to advance liquid biopsy approaches in veterinary oncology.

To better understand conditioned pain modulation - how pain can inhibit pain - in horses, researchers at the Vetsuisse Faculty study this mechanism with AI support, aiming to improve pain assessment, management, and animal welfare.

The overarching aim of this project will be to advance the understanding of BRD in dairy pre-weaning calves by integrating high-resolution clinical assessment and pathogen profiling. By doing so, it will improve animal health, welfare, and sustainability, aligning with One Health and Green Deal.

Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) is an inherited disease leading to complete blindness. Researchers at the Vetsuisse Faculty investigate the causal genetic defect to enable genetic testing and avoiding the breeding of further affected dogs.

Traumatic spinal cord injuries represent a major challenge in veterinary neurology that may result in complete loss of motor function in the patient’s pelvic limbs (paraplegia). Spinal cord injury can arise from external trauma (e.g. traffic accidents) or internal trauma (e.g. intervertebral disc herniation, IVDH). As IVDH is a naturally occurring disease, canine spinal cord injury has become an increasingly valuable translational model for studying SCI in humans.

Researchers of the Division of Clinical Neurology are investigating potential biomarkers for prognosis of recovery and exploring innovative therapeutic strategies, particularly the transplantation of cells that promote tissue restoration into the injured spinal cord. Their studies include detailed assessments of neurological function and treatment outcomes to determine the effectiveness of these interventions. The insights gained from this work may help inform and advance therapeutic options for human patients with comparable spinal cord injuries.