Laboratory of Foodborne Parasitic Zoonoses
The Laboratory of Foodborne Parasitic Zoonoses (LFBP) is a newly established group in the Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University. Parasitic foodborne zoonoses have been largely neglected, the lack of adequate systems for routine diagnosis, monitoring and reporting in the veterinary sector, combined with a scarcity of active knowledge in the medical sector have led to an under-recognition and under-reporting of these infections.
Foodborne parasites used to be primarily related to poverty with endemic areas located mainly in developing countries. However, the current global changes have a large potential to increase the impact of foodborne parasites, not only in endemic areas but also in non-endemic areas.
This laboratory, headed by Prof. Sarah Gabriël has a research focus on helminth zoonoses, using a holistic approach, including the host, parasite and environment and tackling the diseases from a multidisciplinary, One Health perspective, within Belgium, the European Union, but equally so in endemic areas in the South. The Laboratory of Foodborne Parasitic Zoonoses will look into helminth zoonoses with an initial emphasis on three (groups of) parasites: Taenia solium, Taenia saginata and anisakidae.
Foodborne parasites used to be primarily related to poverty with endemic areas located mainly in developing countries. However, the current global changes have a large potential to increase the impact of foodborne parasites, not only in endemic areas but also in non-endemic areas.
This laboratory, headed by Prof. Sarah Gabriël has a research focus on helminth zoonoses, using a holistic approach, including the host, parasite and environment and tackling the diseases from a multidisciplinary, One Health perspective, within Belgium, the European Union, but equally so in endemic areas in the South. The Laboratory of Foodborne Parasitic Zoonoses will look into helminth zoonoses with an initial emphasis on three (groups of) parasites: Taenia solium, Taenia saginata and anisakidae.
The three proposed core research lines of course do not exclude work on other foodborne parasites, such as Opistorchis spp., Echinococcus spp., Trichinella spp., Fasciola spp. etc.
