Building an EU animal disease research network

The EU-funded project 'The network of animal disease infectiology research facilities' (NADIR) linked together 14 European laboratories. These level 3 bio-safety labs are able to work securely with parasites, viruses and bacteria that pose a threat to human health. The labs are being organised and upgraded to promote cooperative, economic and optimised animal research activities.

An Internet-based platform allowed organising and sustaining collaboration between the partners. Sharing best practices, training and protocols, and managing animal lines and in-house tools facilitated the relationships, focusing on specific diseases. NADIR infrastructure allowed researchers to characterise animal lines, customise imaging technologies, and develop new molecular tools and animal models. A database of animal models was created during the project. The collection of pathogen isolates, infected tissues and fluids can now be used to design new diagnostic tests.

NADIR developed useful guidelines on biosafety, biosecurity and ethical standards. Joint research activities included characterisation of animal lines, diagnosis of infectious diseases, and development of improved or new models of infectious diseases. Chicken, sheep, pig and fish cell lines were genotyped. Scientists assessed susceptibility of animal lines to infections using different viruses, prions, bacteria and parasites.

A number of devices were successfully tested in pigs and ruminants to monitor the progression of infectious diseases. NADIR participants have the possibility to follow the infectious process in small animals (mice, chicken) through imaging technologies. In addition, monitoring is performed using immunological tools, microarrays and multi-diagnostic assays developed during the course of the project.

NADIR scientists responded to newly emerging viral diseases. Such viruses cause, among others, bluetongue disease, Rift Valley fever, Schmallenberg virus, African swine fever and African horse sickness. These infections are emerging zoonoses - diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans. Collaborations established during the NADIR project will allow a faster response time to emergence of a new disease using available tools and resources throughout Europe.