The laboratory for Diagnosis of Zoonoses (IMI) of the University of Ljubljana is involved in the clinical diagnostics and research of zoonotic vector-borne diseases, mainly arboviruses and viral hemorrhagic fevers. The laboratory has the role of reference center at the national and international level, for Hantaviruses, TBE and CCHF viruses. The Laboratory for Zoonoses, which is running the BSL-3 laboratory, conducts research on genetic variability of the above mentioned pathogens with the relation to their host-vector-man relationship. The laboratory is a partner in in the FP6 coordinated action ICTTD-3 (contract No. 510561 INCO); integrated project - EDEN (Contract No. 010284 - GOCE), integrated project - PathogenCombat (Contract No. FOOD-CT-2005-07081) and in consortium RiViGene (Contract No. SSPE-CT-2005- 022639). The notable equipment and facilities dedicated to the project are: i) BSL 2 serological and molecular laboratory: ELISA washer and reader, centrifuges, incubator, BSL 2 cabinet, homogenizator, sonificator, NA automatic extractor, conventional and real time cyclers, gel doc, 310 genetic analyzer, freezers; ii) BSL 3 laboratory: ELISA washer and reader, centrifuges, microscopes, BSL 2 and BSL 3 cabinets (glove box inside BSL3), incubators, autoclave, freezers

Tasks:

Leads work package N2. Contribution of practical experiences, knowledge and supply of unique strains of viruses Experience: Working in field (collecting rodents and ticks as natural sources of viruses), close collaboration with clinicians (human sera collections), working with viruses under BSL 2 and BSL 3 conditions (virus isolates from patients and from natural hosts) and molecular detection and genetic characterization of viruses

Key staff members:

Prof. dr. Tatjana Avsic-Zupanc, PhD Clinical Virologists, Head of laboratory and head of research activity at the Institute of Microbiology and Immunology; responsible for diagnosis of viral zoonoses and full professor of Medical Microbiology at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana. Partner in EU-granted projects: FP6 coordinated action ICTTD-3; EDEN; PathogenCombat and in RiViGene. She is a Slovenian representative expert in ENIVD.

References:

Avsic-Zupanc T et al. Genetic analysis of wild-type Dobrava hantavirus in Slovenia: co-existance of two distinct genetic lineages within the same natural focus. J Gen Virol 2000; 81: 1747-55. Saksida A et al. The importance of tick-borne encephalitis virus RNA detection for early differential diagnosis of tick- borne encephalitis. J Clin Virol 2005; 33(4): 331-5.

Duh D et al. Novel one-step real-time RT-PCR assay for rapid and specific diagnosis of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever encountered in the Balkans. J Virol Methods 2006; 133(2): 175-9. Avsic-Zupanc T et al. Puumala hantavirus in Slovenia: Analyses of S and M segment sequences recovered from patients and rodents. Virus Res 2007; 123(2):204-10.

Duh D et al. Viral load as predictor of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever outcome. Emerg Infect Dis 2007; 13(11): 1769-72.