Liver flukes cause fasciolosis, a disease that harms small ruminants and threatens the livelihoods of nomadic families. This project estimates its true prevalence around Lake Chad and identifies reliable tests to improve surveillance and control.

It is hypothesize that the current inter-piglet-interval threshold for diagnosing dystocia may not reflect free farrowing sow (patho)physiology. The study evaluates links between inter-piglet-intervals, farrowing outcome and sow-related factors.

This project evaluates how computer-guided navigation can improve accuracy and safety when stabilising pelvic injuries in cats to better protect the spinal cord, nearby nerves and other vital structures.

Maintaining adequate blood glucose can support the farrowing process in crated sows. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of blood glucose levels on sow traits, farrowing kinetics, and piglet parameters under free farrowing conditions.

Farrowing duration in sows is increasing, raising the risk of puerperal disorders. This study evaluated the effect of intrauterine phytotherapeutic treatment on clinical parameters during the puerperium and on subsequent litter performance.

The incidence of postpartum disorders in sows is rising with prolonged farrowing. This study evaluates the effect of oral ketoprofen on the health of sows and their piglets during the lactational period.

The research group PHAR-OH explores the biology of phage–bacteria interactions to understand how phages shape adaptation and antibiotic resistance in staphylococci across One Health, and leverages this knowledge to advance phage-based solutions for public health.

The project explores whether 5G-related non-ionizing radiation can influence the development of neurons in young people. Using human brain organoids, the researchers aim to uncover changes in brain structure and function that may affect long-term neuronal health and lead to neurodegeneration.

At Vetsuisse Faculty, the researchers investigate how NogoA affects the development of neurons linked to Parkinson’s disease. Their work may reveal mechanisms that enable early neuroprotective strategies for Parkinson’s disease and support targeted central nervous system therapies.

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), caused by the parasite Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae, is a notifiable condition that affects endangered wild brown trout. We systematically examine the parasite’s life cycle and the role of non-salmonid species as intermediate and reservoir hosts. Our findings hold important implications for epidemiology and management.

Host-pathogen dynamics in freshwater ecosystems are influenced by environmental temperature, which affects the host's fitness as well as pathogen's growth and virulence. This international, SNF funded study investigates how realistic current and projected temperature regimes affect the dynamics of crayfish plague, a disease in endangered crayfish species.

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 pose a major challenge in veterinary neurology and can cause severe motor deficits to plegia. The Division of Clinical Neurology aims to develop innovative therapies to improve outcomes.

Optimal development and successful metabolic adaptation are essential for health of neonatal farm animals. The researchers of the Vetsuisse Faculty are developing new feeding strategies to optimize calf development in different environmental conditions.