Zoonotic viral pathogens in food animals: molecular epizootology/ epidemiology and study of transmission

The project is focused on the study of the transmission and spread of zoonotic enteric viruses, which, according to the latest EFSA report, are considered to be noroviruses, rotaviruses and the hepatitis E virus. The presence of these viruses in both domestic and wild food animals means that they become part of the human food chain. Genetic typing will contribute to the knowledge of the genetic variability of these viruses in food animals and in human patients. To study the transmission of these zoonotic viral pathogens, the methods of molecular epizootology/molecular epidemiology, which deal with the search for phylogenetic relationships between different virus strains, will be used. The recognition of these interrelationships and the close cooperation of veterinary and human doctors will contribute to the discovery of the transmission routes of zoonotic viral pathogens, allow to determine the main risk factors of infection and propose ways to minimize the risk.