Myrna de Rooij receives a Veni grant for research into zoonotic bacteria and viruses on livestock farms
Myrna de Rooij receives a Veni grant for the development of new technologies to monitor zoonotic pathogens on livestock farms. That is crucial for the prevention and fighting of zoonotic outbreaks. De Rooij is a researcher at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Utrecht University.
Intensive livestock farms are hotspots for zoonotic pathogens. This poses risks to both human and animal health worldwide. Myrna de Rooij occupies herself with research into the spreading of airborne zoonotic pathogens from livestock farms. "There is an urgent need to better monitor pathogens on livestock farms”, De Rooij tells. This way, we reduce risks to public health and prevent negative impacts on animal welfare and the economy."
Known and unknown pathogens
With the money from the Veni grant, De Rooij will set up a multidisciplinary research project. “The goal is to develop two technological innovations for better monitoring of airborne pathogens on livestock farms. The first innovation consists of installing air-sampling technologies in ventilation systems in order to collect air samples in a smart way. This lets us obtain samples which give a complete overview of the bacteria and viruses in the air, including possible zoonotic pathogens. The second innovation concerns new applications of molecular analyses. With this, we can better chart which pathogens enter livestock farms through the air. This project is directed towards poultry farms and will first of all focus on avian flu and Campylobacter jejuni, an important bacteria which causes intestinal infections in humans. But the final goal is to use the innovations for the monitoring of all known and new zoonotic pathogens.”
The spreading of airborne zoonotic pathogens comes with risks. We saw this with the Q-fever epidemic in the Netherlands: Q-fever bacteria infected people living near infected goat farms through the air. In her earlier research, De Rooij discovered that the Q-fever bacteria can travel considerable distances by attaching themselves to dust particles. “Scientific knowledge on the spreading of pathogens leads to more efficient prevention methods. This way, we can better fight infectious diseases in livestock farming, which will make for more sustainable livestock farms, better animal welfare and fewer risks for human and animal health.”
Veni grant
Veni is a funding instrument from the Dutch Research Council talent programme, with which innovative research receives an impulse. A Veni grant provides researchers who recently obtained their PhDs with the opportunity to further develop their ideas for three years. Besides Veni, there are also Vidi and Vici grants for academics in further phases of their careers.