Research

Sestanek članov projekta AVIATOR

lukam — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 11:49:42 +0000

AVIATOR Project’s members meeting lukam Fri, 09/26/2025 - 13:53 Inštitut za perutnino ptice male sesalce in plazilce AVIATOR Interreg raziskovanje Research

After the Opening Conference of AVIATOR Project, it’s member’s meeting took place.

Project’s members dealt in detail with the specific Project’s goals:

Improving knowledge, awareness and monitoring mechanism for protecting biodiversity in the Danube region;
Boosting the contribution of prevention models for biodiversity resilience;
Joint development of strategic approach and promotion of transnational knowledge transfer within the Danube region

The JEMS platform – the Joint Electronic Monitoring System for Programme Monitoring and Communication Portal – was also presented in detail. It is a tool that allows project applicants to create and submit application forms, as well as to report on the project implementation process.

Team members finished this session with questions and answers.

Otvoritveno srečanje projekta Interreg AVIATOR

lukam — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 11:39:45 +0000

Interreg AVIATOR Project Kick-Off Conference lukam Thu, 09/25/2025 - 13:48 Inštitut za perutnino ptice male sesalce in plazilce AVIATOR Interreg raziskovanje Research

The opening conference of the project “Adaptation and Increased Resilience of Birds through Awareness-Raising, Monitoring, Treatment and Raptor Protection Management – AVIATOR” was held in Belgrade on Tuesday, September 23. The project is funded by the European Union through the Interreg Danube Region Program.

The project aims to strengthen resilience, support adaptation, and improve the protection of raptor populations in the Danube Region in the context of climate change, through the development and testing of coordinated and harmonized measures across transnational ecological regions. These measures are designed to mitigate the negative impacts of infectious and parasitic diseases on raptor populations, as well as to reduce overall pressures on biodiversity and ensure the conservation of endangered species.

The conference opened with welcoming remarks from Dr. Branislav Kureljushić, Director of the Institute of Veterinary Medicine of Serbia, and State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Željko Radošević.

Dr. Vesna Milićević, Project Manager at the Institute of Veterinary Medicine of Serbia, the lead partner of the project, also addressed the audience. She presented the AVIATOR project, its pilot activities, and the joint methodological framework for raptor protection.

Dr. Ljubiša Veljović from the Institute of Veterinary Medicine of Serbia shared results from the pilot vaccination program for raptors, while Károly Erdélyi of HUN-REN presented prevention and risk assessment models for protected areas.

The conference included presentations on the importance of raptor conservation, highlighting regional threats, the effects of climate change, emerging infectious diseases, and wildlife poisoning. Experts from Serbia and neighboring countries shared insights and research findings, stressing the need for collaborative action.

Fund for European Affairs and Development of the AP of Vojvodina outlined the project’s communication plan, while Dr. Dejan Laushević from the Diagnostic Veterinary Laboratory in Podgorica spoke on “Mapping Local Stakeholders for Project Implementation.” The event concluded with Ana Vasić from the Institute of Veterinary Medicine of Serbia presenting the “Joint Methodological Framework.”

The AVIATOR project is being implemented with the participation of the following partner institutions from Europe:

Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety – Austria
University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Trakia University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine – Bulgaria
Association BIOM – Croatia
Institute of Dipterology / Association for the Promotion of Mosquito Control – Germany
Veterinary Medical Research Institute, HUN-REN – Hungary
Diagnostic Veterinary Laboratory – Montenegro
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Natural Sciences in Iași – Romania
Fund for European Affairs and Development of the AP of Vojvodina – Serbia
University of Ljubljana – Slovenia
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb – Croatia
Danube Delta National Institute for Research and Development – Romania

The AVIATOR project has a total budget of €2.16 million, including €1.73 million in EU grant funding. Launched in 2025, the project will run until 2027.

Nacionalni veterinarski inštitut

lukam — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 11:05:50 +0000

National Veterinary Institute lukam Tue, 01/28/2025 - 16:14

Dejavnost

Laboratory testing of animal samples, foodstuffs, and raw materials for the diagnosis of animal infectious and other diseases, or for determining the health suitability of animal-derived food, animal feed, drinking water, and other products; conducting pathomorphological diagnostics; performing veterinary hygiene services; preparing professional basis for planning measures in animal health protection and ensuring safe food and feed for animals; monitoring the health status of animals and reproduction through artificial insemination at the national level; monitoring the health status and treatment of bees and fish; and carrying out disinfection, insect control, and rodent control (DDD).

Regional NVI Units

NVI Institutes

Nacional Reference Laboratories

Veterinary Hygiene Service

Sample Reception

Featured

Healthcare of Bees

Information on current beekeeping practices, treatment, and bee trade, along with advice and reports.

The National Veterinary Institute (NVI) is a specialized internal organizational unit responsible for carrying out public veterinary service activities, which must be provided by each European Union member state within the framework of a professional institution.

Kategorija

Diagnostics

Research

Professional

Prostoživeče živali so dober pokazatelj onesnaženosti okolja

lukam — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 10:24:00 +0000

Wild Animals are a Good Indicator of Environmental Pollution lukam Thu, 03/14/2024 - 14:28 Inštitut za patologijo, sodno veterinarstvo, prostoživeče živali, čebele in akvakulturo lisica pesticidi prostoživeče živali Current Research Professional

In foxes, we conducted the first study on the occurrence of poisons for rodent control in non-target species in Slovenia and the Western Balkans.

Preserving the environment is one of the fundamental priorities of the European Union. Nature and biodiversity have been protected for many years by several laws that are now integrated into the broader framework of the European Green Deal, which is one of the six overarching priorities of the European Commission for the period 2019‒2024. Interest in environmental research is high in Europe and worldwide, which also offers great opportunities for veterinary medicine to contribute to these efforts.

Wild animals are a good bioindicator of environmental pollution that affect the entire ecosystem. For this reason, we have started research at the Veterinary Faculty to determine the presence of environmental pollutants in representative animal species in Slovenia and to assess their toxic effects in order to make a holistic assessment of the risk of poisoning.

In foxes (Vulpes vulpes), we conducted the first study on the occurrence of poisons for rodent control in non-target species in Slovenia and the Western Balkans. In the liver, we found statistically higher concentrations of rodenticide pesticide residues with anticoagulant effects than in comparable studies in Europe and the world, which revealed and drew attention to a significant environmental problem of secondary poisoning in our country and region. The research results are related to the results of a survey of disinfection, disinsection and pest control (DDD) operators, which showed that the use of increasingly toxic second-generation rodenticides is increasing, mainly due to the increasing resistance of rodents to these less toxic and more commonly used substances in the past. We have linked the detected concentrations of rodenticides to regional and local urbanization and agronomic factors. The research results will contribute to knowledge about the protection of European ecosystems, as wildlife is not limited by national borders.

Article link in the journal Science of the Total Environment: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170400

Authors: Vesna Cerkvenik-Flajs, Detlef Schenke, Diana Žele-Vengušt, Simona Korenjak-Černe, Anton Perpar, and Gorazd Vengušt

Participating institutions:

University of Ljubljana, Veterinary Faculty, Slovenia
Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) – Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Berlin, Germany
University of Ljubljana, School of Economics and Business, Slovenia
University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Slovenia
Institute of Mathematics, Physics and Mechanics, Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Kemijski povzročitelji hormonskih motenj ‒ naše raziskave bisfenola A na modelu ovce

lukam — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 09:05:08 +0000

Endocrine disrupting chemicals ‒ our investigations of bisphenol A in the sheep model lukam Mon, 02/27/2023 - 10:17 Inštitut za patologijo, sodno veterinarstvo, prostoživeče živali, čebele in akvakulturo Bisfenol A ovce hormonske motnje toksikokinetika Research

Toxicokinetics of bisphenol A in sheep and its effects on bones and reproductive organs of rams in puberty.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an anthropogenic chemical and one of the best known endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that cause imbalances in the endocrine system. Due to its massive global production and widespread use, it is constantly present in the environment. It is mainly used in the production of polycarbonate plastic for packaging. Its use in baby bottles was banned some time ago.

Harmful effects of EDCs, including BPA, at high doses have been demonstrated, such as effects on the incidence of cancer, obesity, and heart disease, but the effects of low doses to which both humans and animals are exposed in daily life remain controversial. Exposure can be particularly problematic during critical periods of organismal development when the endocrine system is developing, such as during pregnancy, childhood, and puberty. Due to the actuality and lack of clarity in this area, BPA is one of the most studied compounds today.

With our ecotoxicological research, for which we previously obtained all necessary permits and which took place in 2017, we studied the pathway of BPA through the organism of a sheep as a model animal, its effects on bones and male reproductive organs during puberty, and its excretion into the environment. Sheep are mammals intended for human consumption, and as grazing animals they are also a bioindicator of environmental pollution. Usually, animal experiments are conducted on laboratory rodents, but we conducted the research on an alternative animal model - small ruminants housed in the Center for Sustainable Recultivation Vremščica, which is part of the Veterinary Faculty. We used sheep of the autochthonous Slovenian dairy breed Istrska pramenka, which we repeatedly administered very low doses of BPA that are possible in the environment and yet can be chemically detected. First, we performed a pilot experiment where we used a sheep with a suckling lamb and found that BPA was excreted mainly through urine and to a lesser extent through milk and feces. To evaluate BPA concentrations in complex biological samples, we developed chemical methods to determine BPA in blood plasma, milk, urine, and feces, and toxicokinetic parameters were evaluated using toxicokinetic models. The second experiment was conducted with a group of 14 pubescent rams, half of which were administered with BPA daily for two months, and at the end of the experiment, all the animals in the experiment were euthanized. We concluded that BPA at a lower dose did not affect the reproductive organs of rams significantly, because we did not detect histopathological changes in the testes of rams that had received BPA. BPA could affect sperm concentration and morphology, but the differences in our study were not statistically significant. Further studies with larger numbers of animals would be needed to confirm the effect of BPA on reproductive organs of rams. Also, no effects were detected on bone morphology of growing rams. We studied macro- and microstructrue of bone tissue; however, a low dose of BPA seemed not to affect bone geometry and biomechanics. Only mineral analysis showed decreased manganese and increased copper content in the femurs of the BPA-exposed rams, which could affect bone properties in the long term of BPA exposure. Analysis of BPA residues in edible tissues taken at the end of the trial also showed a low proportion of total potential daily intake relative to the European Food Safety Agency's (EFSA) tolerable daily intake currently in force. With the expected drastic reduction of this limit, the health risk for consumers would increase significantly.

The research presented is enriched by the interdisciplinary nature of the research areas involved, inter-institutional (including the Clinic of Reproduction and Farm Animals ‒ Infrastructure Centre for Sustainable Recultivation Vremščica and the Institute of Preclinical Sciences of the Veterinary Faculty of University of Ljubljana, and the Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Biochemistry of the University Clinical Center in Ljubljana), inter-faculty (including the Faculty of Pharmacy, the Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, and the Biotechnical Faculty – Department of Animal Science of the University of Ljubljana), and international (including Switzerland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and Iran) collaboration. By choosing sheep as model animals, veterinary medicine as a profession contributes to solving the issue of the impact of pollutants on living beings with which we share the environment.

Funding: This research was funded by the Slovenian Research Agency programs (Javna agencija za raziskovalno dejavnost Republike Slovenije, ARRS) P4-0092, P4-0053. Tch. Asst. Dr. Sabina Šturm was a recipient of the ARRS Postgraduate Doctoral Program Fellowship to fund young researchers.

We successfully presented the results of our study in five articles published in renowned international journals in 2020-2022. The results of the pilot experiment and the findings on the toxicokinetics of BPA in rams and the effects on testes were presented in three articles (Scientific Reports - IF 4.38, Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part B - IF 1.99 and Toxics – IF 4.47) and are part of the doctoral dissertation of Tch. Asst. Dr. Sabina Šturm (under the supervision of Sr. Res. Fell. Vesna Cerkvenik-Flajs and co-supervision of Assist. Prof. Dr. Tanja Švara). We have published the results of the examination of the bones in the journal Animals - IF 3.23 and the results of the residues in tissues in the journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research - IF 5.19.

Links to published articles

Pilot experiment with one sheep:

Rams ‒ toxicokinetics and effects on testes:

https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/10/5/224

Rams ‒ bones (in cooperation with the Institute for Preclinical Sciences):

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/17/2179

Rams – edible tissues:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11356-022-21154-5

Prepared by:

Tch. Asst. Dr. Sabina Šturm
Tch. Asst. Dr. Jana Brankovič
Sr. Res. Fell. Vesna Cerkvenik Flajs

Transuretralna kateterizacija svinj

lukam — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 10:32:08 +0000

Transurethral catheterization of pigs lukam Tue, 02/21/2023 - 11:43 Klinika za male živali transuretralna kateterizacija sečni mehur svinja Research

Transurethral catheterization of female domestic pigs with a Foley catheter

Catheterization of the urinary bladder is a clinical procedure that is rarely used in pigs but may be necessary in certain situations, such as emptying the bladder or continuous collection of urine. Most authors describe catheterization in pigs as a demanding and lengthy procedure.

In this manuscript, catheterization is described in anaesthetized pigs weighing 40 kg. A Foley catheter with an inflatable balloon was used to prevent dislodgement of the catheter from the urinary bladder (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Insertion of the Foley catheter

Speculum enables better visualization
Laryngoscope serves as light source
Curved Rochester Pean forceps helps to insert the catheter
Foley catheter

The depth of catheterization (Figure 2) is important information because injury to the urethra can occur if the catheter is inserted incorrectly. Data on catheterization depth, which indicates the distance between the neck of the urinary bladder (exit of the urethra) and the mucocutaneous junction of the vulva, are not known. The average catheterization depth in 40-kg pigs in this study was 14.5 ± 1.3 cm. The procedure was successfully performed in less than five minutes in almost 80%.

Figure 2: Porcine pelvic organs and transurethrally inserted Foley catheter

The manuscript was published in Laboratory Animals in September 2021. Part of the results were presented in the same year at the 33rd Conference of the European Association of Veterinary Anatomists in Ghent, Belgium. The research was supported by the Slovenian Research Agency (P4-0053 in P3-0043) and by Tertiary funding from the Clinical Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia. The research was approved by the National Ethics Committee and the National Veterinary Administration (U34401-20/2016/4, U34401-20/2016/9, and U34401-20/2016/13).

Authors: Jurij Žel, Jana Brankovič, Rok Klančnik, Tatjana Stopar Pintarič, Erika Cvetko in Alenka Seliškar

Nevarna razmerja: Zveri na našem dvorišču

lukam — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 08:36:48 +0000

Dangerous affairs: Carnivores in our backyards lukam Fri, 02/10/2023 - 09:44 Inštitut za patologijo, sodno veterinarstvo, prostoživeče živali, čebele in akvakulturo Echinococcus multilocularis Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto Echinococcus canadensis PCR v realnem času lisica šakal prostoživeče živali Research

Echinococcosis in Wild carnivores of Slovenia

In the 5^th century, Hippocrates, the ambitious physician, wants to find out what accually killed his patients despite his many attempts at treatment. He carefully examines their organs and notices cysts of various sizes filled with water, and he decides to call the disease "fluid-filled liver." Even then he knew that animals were somehow involved in the disease, but he didn't know how. Thousands of years later, we know that Hippocrates actually discovered two diseases, cystic and alveolar echinococcosis, caused in humans by dog and fox tapeworms. Infection occurs when humans accidentally come into contact with infected feces from wild (foxes, wolves, martens, badgers) or domestic carnivores (dogs or cats) that contain tapeworm eggs. The risk of infection can be significantly reduced simply by deworming our dogs and cats regularly, especially if they hunt small rodents or eat unexamined offal of omnivores (i.e. pig) and ruminants. During our study we sought answers directly from the addressee, i.e. foxes, martens, wolves, jackals, lynxes and otters (https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/17/2223).

Using molecular methods, we investigated the prevalence of the tapeworms Echinococcus multilocularis (EM), E. canadensis, and E. granulosus sensu stricto in the feces of populations of foxes, wolves, jackals, martens, lynx, badgers, and otters in Slovenia. Genetic material of the parasite EM was found in 29.1% of the examined foxes and 18% of the examined jackals. However, other tapeworm species could not be detected. The prevalence of EM depends on the region from which the sample originated, but not on the species, age or sex of the animal. In central and southern Slovenia, the prevalence of EM and thus the risk of infection is highest. However, due to the expansion of the habitat and the growing population, we believe that the jackal could become an important source of infection for EM in the future.

Authors: Petra Bandelj, Rok Blagus, Gorazd Vengušt in Diana Žele Vengušt

Vpliv taninov na žleze slinavke pri merjaščkih

lukam — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 07:45:15 +0000

Influence of tannin dietary inclusion on boar salivary glands lukam Mon, 11/21/2022 - 08:57 Inštitut za predklinične vede Prašiči Prehranski dodatki tanini podušesna slinska žleza imunohistokemija histologija Research

Salivary gland adaptation to dietary inclusion of hydrolysable tannins in boars.

Tannins have traditionally been avoided in animal nutrition due to their anti-nutritive effects however, recent studies have reported beneficial antimutagenic, anticancerogenic, antidiarrheal and antiulcerogenic effects of tannins on animals. In a comprehensive study investigating the effect of dietary tannins in feed on boar taint in entire males, a significant enlargement of the parotid salivary gland (parotidomegaly) was observed. In contrast, mass of the mandibular glands showed no significant changes between the experimental groups. Pigs were divided into four groups: control group (T0) and three experimental groups fed with 1% (T1), 2% (T2) or 3% (T3) of tannins. In our study, we have performed a histological analysis of salivary glands to determine the morphological and immunohistochemical properties leading to parotidomegaly. We have observed the enlargement of acinar area and of the nucleus to cytoplasm ratio in the serous cells in T3 group. Moreover, we have observed a linear trend towards enlargement of lobular area, acinar area and the number of ducts per lobule in all three experimental groups. Additionally, by immunohistochemistry, using antibodies against acid and basic proline rich proteins (PRPs), we have shown significantly higher amounts of PRPs in parotid glands of pigs fed with high tannin concentrations (T3 group). Consistent with the effect of tannins on mandibular gland mass, we did not detect any significant morphological changes. Therefore, the results of our study demonstrate the importance of increased functional activity of the parotid salivary glands as the first and most important line of defence against high dietary tannin concentrations and their potential negative effects.

Authors: Maša Mavri, Marjeta Čandek-Potokar, Gregor Fazarinc, Martin Škrlep, Catrin S. Rutland, Božidar Potočnik, Nina Batorek-Lukač in Valentina Kubale.

Original article published in https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/17/2171/pdf?version=1661342653

Srčna kost - pregledni članek

lukam — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 08:02:58 +0000

Review of os cordis lukam Mon, 09/26/2022 - 10:15 Inštitut za predklinične vede srčna kost osifikacija ektopična kost Research

Anatomy, histology, morphology, development and functions of os cordis: A review

Figure: Relative position of Ossa cordis in the heart, dorsal aspect with of ventriculi cordis with the atria removed (drawing by Samo Krivec, Veterinary faculty, University of Ljubljana; adopted from Habel et al., 2018, Illustrated Nomina Anatomica veterinaria ( 4th ed.).

Anatomy, histology, morphology, development and functions of os cordis: A review

Systematic review regarding heart skeleton published in Anatomia Histologia Embriologia journal, highlights the similarities and variations in ossa cordis prevalence, morphology, histology and anatomical location between differing veterinary species and in humans. It also identifies associated factors such as aging and cardiovascular disease for each species in relation to functional roles and developmental mechanisms that these bone structures may play. The potential functions of os cordis are presented, ranging from aiding cardiac contraction and conduction, providing cardiac structure, and protecting components of the heart, through to counteracting high mechanical stress. Furthermore, this review discusses the evidence and rationale behind the theories regarding the formation and development of ossa cordis in different veterinary species and in people.

The article is also very useful in pedagogical work with students. Samo Krivec, a student at the Veterinary faculty, University in Ljubljana, participated in the article as the author of one of the figures, which was drawn according to the NAV model (Nomina anatomica veterinaria illustrated) exclusively for this article.

Authors: Adam Best, Monika Egerbacher, Sophia Swaine, William Pérez, Aziza Alibhai, Paul Rutland, Valentina Kubale, Samir A.A. El-Gendy, Mohamed, A.M. Alsafy, Kerstin Baiker, Craig J Sturrock, and Catrin Sian Rutland

Original article published in: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ahe.12861

Imunokastracija odraslih merjascev

lukam — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 05:14:09 +0000

Immunocastration in adult boars lukam Thu, 07/28/2022 - 07:20 Inštitut za predklinične vede Prašiči imunokastracija protitelesa proti GnRH morfometrija mod qPCR Research

Immunocastration in adult boars as a model for late-onset hypogonadism.

While immunocastration has been studied in male pre-pubertal pigs, data on older, sexually mature animals are limited. To understand the physiological effects of androgen deprivation in the late sexual development phase, we compared mature immunocastrated boars (n = 19) to young male immunocastrated pigs (n = 6) and young entire males (n = 6) as positive and negative controls, respectively. We hypothesized that the timing of gonadotropin-releasing hormone suppression (early or late sexual development phases) influences the extent of reproductive function inhibition, histological structure of testicular tissue, and expression levels of selected genes related to steroid metabolism. Antibody titer, hormonal status, and histomorphometric analysis of testicular tissue were subjected to principal component analysis followed by hierarchical clustering. In mature post-pubertal boars immunocastration resulted in progressive but variable regression of testicular function. We hypothesize that this is due to local activation of the GnRH2-GnRHR2 system in the testes, which is independent of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Further research is needed to undoubtedly confirm this hypothesis.

This study contributes significantly to the understanding of the effects of immunocastration in adult boars at physiological and cellular levels, while serving as an animal model for late hypogonadism in translational medicine. We have also identified parameters that could be used to evaluate the success of immunocastration in boars.

Authors: dr. Nina Batorek Lukač, dr. Kevin Kress, dr. Marjeta Čandek-Potokar, dr. Gregor Fazarinc, dr. Martin Škrlep, Klavdija Poklukar, dr. Raffael Wesoly, dr. Volker Stefanski in dr. Milka Vrecl

Original article published in: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/andr.13219