Partner 2: Department of Animal Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM), Antwerp, Belgium
Role, qualification and experience
The helminthology and protozoology units of the Department of Animal Health have a large experience in the field of teaching and research on tropical diseases of livestock, particularly trypanosomiasis and cysticercosis, two important zoonotic diseases which are included in this project. The staff is involved in the organization of an annual Master course in Tropical Animal Health for veterinarians and agronomists from developing countries. In the field of research the Department has ongoing projects in Asia, Latin America and Africa. Many staff members have a longstanding experience in research projects in collaboration with African universities and research institutes. Currently, research projects in the field of trypanosomiasis or cysticercosis on the African continent are going on in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the D.R. Congo, The Gambia, Mozambique, Zambia and South Africa. These projects focus on the epidemiology and control of both parasitic diseases, improved diagnostic tools (e.g. molecular tools for the detection of resistant trypanosome strains, a monoclonal antibody or nanobody based antigen detection ELISA for cysticercosis). Currently, a field trial is going on in Cameroon to assess the efficacy of a vaccine against porcine cysticercosis (in collaboration with the University of Melbourne).
Scientific leader
Pierre Dorny, DVM, PhD, Dipl. EVPC, is head of the helminthology unit of ITM, Antwerp and professor (part-time) in tropical veterinary medicine at the University of Ghent. He is mainly involved in research on parasitic zoonoses.
Key staff members
Stanny Geerts, DVM, PhD, Dipl. EVPC, former head of the unit of veterinary protozoology of ITM, which is a FAO reference Centre for trypanosomiasis. He has a longstanding experience in the field of trypanosomiasis and human and porcine cysticercosis.
Nicolas Praet, DVM, is a PhD student in the helminthology unit of ITM, working on epidemiology.