Research and development

The Centre carries out research in the areas of zoonoses and antibiotic resistance. The research at the Centre supports the departments and institutions assignments.

Current research projects at the Zoonosis Centre:
The projects are described below with reference to contact persons

Risk perception and cost benefit analysis of interventions to control Campylobacter

Antimicrobial consumption and resistance in broilers and pigs - DANMAP and VetStat

Antibiotic resistance in human GI flora - DANMAP

Associations between non-human antimicrobial usage and resistance in animals and food - DANMAP and VetStat

Human VTEC infections - sources and routes

Giardia and Cryptosporidium- Transmission

Human food borne infections - modelling the actual number

Animal-food sources to human salmonellosis- Quantifying the contribution

Risk perception and cost benefit analysis of interventions to control Campylobacter
The objective of the project is to identify optimal reduction strategies for the control of Campylobacter in the Danish broiler production and thereby to reduce the number of human food-borne illnesses. For the first time, options to control a food-borne pathogen (Campylobacter) in a chain perspective (from rearing of broilers to consumption of chicken meat) will be given in consideration of technical feasibility, costs, public perception of Campylobacter risk, the public acceptance of suggested reduction methods, the consumer's willingness to pay for low-risk products and the saved socio-economic costs due to the expected lower number of human infections. The project will serve as a model for cost-effectiveness studies of food-borne hazards.

Further information; contact
Helle M. Sommer
Tine Hald

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DANMAP and VetStat project – associations between antimicrobial consumption and antimicrobial resistance in broiler flocks and pig herds
The DANMAP programme monitors the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance among zoonotic indicator and pathogenic bacteria from animals. The farm of origin is registered for each bacterial isolate. The VetStat programme monitors the consumption of antimicrobials at herd level and within herd the consumption is known for animals species, age group and indication.

Based on data from the VetStat programme a descriptive analysis of the consumption of antimicrobials in broiler flocks and pig herds is carried out. Combining data from DANMAP and VetStat enables an analysis of the possible association between consumption of antimicrobials and occurrence of resistance at herd level.

Further information; Contact: 
Vibeke Frøkjær Jensen
Hanne-Dorthe Emborg

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DANMAP research – Antibiotic resistance in human GI flora in the Danish population
Resistance in indicator bacteria has been monitored in production animals since the initiation of the Danish antibiotic resistance surveillance program DANMAP in 1996. The level of resistance in healthy humans and the effect that resistance in our production animals might have on humans is however unknown.

Resistance in our production animals might influence the level of resistance in humans and thereby the possibility for treatment of human infections. In order to investigate this, a monitoring program with 200 radomly selected human subjects are carried out. Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecium are cultured from a faecal sample and the level of resistance in these indicator bacteria is measured. All enrolled subjects are interviewed about medication, food exposure, contact with animals and travel.

Further information; Contact:
Lone Jannnok Porsbo

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