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Partners : IZSLER

Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Brescia, Italy (IZSLER)

Via Bianchi 9, 25121 Brescia

Phone: 03022901; Fax: 0302425251. Director General - Prof. Stefano Cinotti

Year of establishment - Date on which partner was founded: January 11th 1951

Brief description of capacities The Institute offers a broad range of services in the Public Veterinary sector and in particular, to the Veterinary Services, Breeders and Consumers. Its functions today can be described as those of a Technical-Scientific Body providing services as required by national and regional laws. Decree n.270 of 1993, Lombardy Regional Law n.26 of 2000 and Emilia Romagna Regional Law n.3 of 2000 established the main duties of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia-Romagna.

Key expertise/ core business

a) Experimental research into the etiology and pathogenesis of transmissible and diffuse diseases in animals;

b) Diagnostic Service on transmissible animal diseases and zoonoses;

c) Analytical and diagnostic test and technical and operational support for performing policy control plans, profylaxis, improvement and eradication;

d) Research into hygiene in breeding farms and zootechnical production; technical scientific support for health defense actions and for improvement of animal production;

e) technical support for performing policy control plans, profylaxis and improvement of animal production as well as farmaco-surveillance;

f) Epidemiological surveillance on health, hygienic condition and welfare of animals and of animal products;

g) Performance of test and analysis needed for checking the healthiness of foodstuffs of animal origin;

h) Performance of test and analysis needed for checking the healthiness of animal feed;

i) Study and testing of technology and methods for checking the healthiness of foodstuffs of animal origin and animal feed;

j) Training of specialized staff in the field of zooprofylaxis also abroad;

k) Implementing national and regional plans, also in collaboration with Universities, to train, update end specialization of veterinary doctors and other technicians;

l) Performance of research activities for developing knowledge in the area of hygiene and veterinary health, according to plans and also through collaboration agreements with universities and other national and international research institutions, and on request of the National Authorities, the Regions and public and private bodies;

m) Performing any other duty in the veterinary area requested by the Regions or the National Authorities;

n) Technical scientific cooperation with institutes of the veterinary system even international ones, subject to agreements with the Ministry of Health;

o) Devising and applying alternative methods to the use of animals in scientific experimentation and the toxicological field;

p) Disseminating knowledge and assisting the farmers in order to develop and improve the hygienic state of animal productions.

Main tasks they have been attributed and previous experience relevant to those

tasks. In the frame of the IZSLER activities the Entomological Laboratory (EL), sited in Reggio Emilia Section of IZSLER, work in the field of Mediacal and Veterinary Entomology. The EL have a strong background in field activity concerning sampling of arthropod vectors, identification of medical and veterinary relevant arthropods (ticks, mosquitoes, sand flies, culicoids, bedbugs, fleas, etc.), and biomolecular identification of pathogens in arthropods; through collaboration with the Virology department of IZSLER the EL can work also on isolation of arboviruses in field collected samples. The EL is primarely involved in management of entomological surveillance, in National (West Nile virus, Blue Tongue virus), and Regional plans (West Nile virus, Toscana virus and Leishmania). In this role the EL was involved in the characterization of the 2007 Chikungunya Italian outbreak.

The team members that will participate to the project will be Paolo Bonilauri as biologist expert in biomolecular detection of pathogens in arthropods, Francesco Defilippo Giulia Maioli and Mattia Calzolari as entomologists (sampling and identification of arthropods), Davide Lelli as veterinarian expert in virology (isolation of viruses from collected samples) .

Key Researcher who will be responsible for the main research activities related

to CRDS and attach their CVs - Dr Michele Dottori

Address and conctacts: Via Pitagora, 2; 42100 Reggio Emilia

Phone: 0522/921733; 0522/277996, Fax: 0522/518639