The scientific and research activities of the department are aimed at solving current problems of bacterial, viral and parasitic diseases of animals, including zoonoses. Problems with the occurrence of infectious and parasitic diseases are solved in a complex way – from the analysis of the epidemiological situation on farms and in the field through the isolation of microorganisms to the study of the infectious agent – host interaction by integrating the classic approaches of detection with the modern and medical research methods. Another important scientific and research activity of the workplace is the protection of productive and social animals from dangerous diseases, which contributes to a significant economic growth of breeding and improvement of animal welfare. In the case of zoonoses, the workplace contributes significantly to ensuring the public health.
Workplace of epizootiology focuses its scientific research activities on the study of bacterial and viral diseases in animals. Part of the team focuses on the epidemiological analysis of viral infections in livestock and wildlife using molecular epidemiology methods. In the diagnostics of infectious diseases, it uses the latest molecular-genetic methods, methods of identification of microorganisms, analysis of viral genomes and genetic typing of viruses. Pestiviruses, PRRSV, PCV2, lyssavirus, herpesvirus, campylobacter and enteral infections as infectious agents that infect animals and humans are particularly of concern. In addition to classical methodological approaches, the workplace also uses methods of genomics and proteomics.
The priorities of the workplace of parasitology in science and research are defined for the field of protozoology by monitoring the epizootiological and epidemiological relationships of zoonotic protozoa infections and protozoa transmitted vectors. In the field of helminthology, we analyze the occurrence and spread of filariasis of carnivores as well as helminths in birds of prey in Slovakia; we monitor the occurrence of severe parasitozoonoses in wild and domestic carnivores (echinococcosis, alveococosis, toxocarosis) as well as the occurrence of tissue helminthoses (cysticercosis, trichinellosis). In the area of arachnoenthomology, we record changes in arachno-entomofauna with an emphasis on the diagnostics of hematopoietic arthropods in relation to the total global changes. We improve methodical procedures for laboratory detection of ectoparasites.