Profile

Research area

The role of the innate immune response in the disease development and disease resistance to bacterial and viral infections in production animals (primarily dairy cattle). The use of immune components for early detection and identification of infectious diseases. Further, to study how management, environment and genetics influence immune responsiveness in production animals.

Main activitities

• Characterisation of the proinflammatory cytokine response and leukocyte receptors of importance to bacterial mastitis in dairy cows and viral pneumonia in calves.
• Establishment of infectious and inflammatory disease models in cattle and pigs.
• Establishment of ex vivo and in vitro cellular assays and immunoassays for studying immune components and mechanisms in production animals.
• Effect of energy balance (feed and milk yield) on immune responsiveness in dairy cows.
• Altered immune responsiveness in periparturient dairy cows.
• Biomarkers for early detection of mastitis in dairy cows (SCC, differential SCC, cytokines, acute phase proteins).