Ongoing research
1. Examination of certain diseases of honey bees:
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. János Gál DSc., head of department, university professor
Brief summary of the research: The honey bee, as an important species group of diurnal pollinators, plays a very important role in the pollination of angiosperms. The health of the colony plays an important role.
In our tests, we monitor the factors influencing the health of bee colonies, primarily living pathogenic factors.
Other participants: Gábor Halász, department engineer
Funding: Not a tender source
2. Examining the animal health issues of pheasant rearing:
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. János Gál DSc., head of department, university professor
Brief summary of the research: The pheasant is a significant member in our domestic wildlife management. Our wildlife management units raise hundreds of thousands of birds in intensive to semi-intensive conditions every year. Pre- and post-rearing, as well as stock keeping and hatching, pose numerous animal health challenges for professional breeders.
We collect data on the diseases affecting each age group by performing diagnostic, supplementary bacteriological, virological and parasitological examination of pheasant carcasses that have died during the work. During the work, several new diseases in our country have already been presented, but we have also observed new virus strains.
Other participants: Dr. Árisz Ziszisz, PhD student, clinical veterinarian
Funding: Not a tender source
3. Arachnofaunistic study of North Africa and the Near East:
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. János Gál DSc.
Brief summary of the research: In North Africa, primarily in Morocco, around the middle of the last century, many works of a faunistic nature were published by French and Spanish researchers. Following these works notices were also published, but the research possibilities of the issue still have areas that can be exploited. In 2012-2013, we thoroughly surveyed the country’s coastal strip, from Tangier to Agadir. As a result, a report was prepared at the Arachnological World conference, but we described several species new to this region. We have described a new species for science, Loureedia maroccana, but we are also working on the description of a new, previously unknown species of velvet spiders from the region.
Our work is basically based on the methodology of arachno-faunistic surveys and the survey is carried out accordingly. In the determination of species, in addition to the examination of classic macro- and micromorphological features, we also carry out genetic tests.
Other participants: Gábor Kovács
Funding: Non-tender, private resources
4. Examination of certain diseases of reptiles
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. János Gál DSc.
Subprogram leader: Dr. Árisz Ziszisz, PhD student, clinical veterinarian
Brief summary of the research: Keeping and caring exotic reptiles is becoming more and more popular. Accordingly, more and more species are introduced into terraristic community every year. The new speciei make challenges for the terrarists. On the one hand, individuals from free habitats can introduce many new pathogens causing death, and on the other hand, housing and feeding errors can be lethal, too.
A pathological and additional (histological, immunohistochemical, bacteriological, virological and parasitological) examination of such reptiles subjected to diagnostic dissection is carried out. In the case of newly recognized pathogens and diseases of non-infectious origin, the mechanism of the pathogenetics of the disease is published, thereby helping clinical work.
Other participants:
• Dr. Dóra Csatári, PhD student, clinical veterinarian
• Dr. Anna Nógrádi PhD, assistant professor
• Dr. Antal Papp, clinical veterinarian
• Dr. Tünde Kanyorszky, clinical veterinarian
Funding: Non-tender
5. Vertebrate-faunistic and invasion-biological investigation of the North Adriatic archipelago
Supervisor: Dr. Tamás Tóth PhD., university assistant professor
Brief summary of the research: The basic vertebrate-faunistic research of the northern Adriatic islands, including the Cres-Lošinj archipelago, has only been partially completed to date, as the vast majority of the 36 islands are uninhabited, so the access to them is difficult. The survey of amphibians and reptiles living on the archipelago began in 2002, which has resulted so far in more than a dozen occurrences new to science, the data of these has been published in numerous publications in English and German.
According to our plans, in the future, in addition to the continuation of herpetofaunistic research, we will also expand our data collection to investigate the occurrences of birds and mammals living in the area, as well as possibly freshwater fish. In addition, in a separate announcement, we plan to present the highly variable color and pattern variability of the islands’ two dominant lizard species (Podarcis melisellensis and Podarcis siculus) at the population level, as well as the dynamics and direction of the expansion of the alien, invasive sharp-snouted rock lizard (Dalmatolacerta oxycephala) that we discovered in the southern part of the island of Cres.
Other participants:
• Dr. Miklós Marosán PhD., habil, university associate professor
• Prof. Dr. János Gál DSc., university professor
Funding: non-tender
6. Historical zoological research of vertebrate species
Supervisor: Dr. Tamás Tóth PhD., university assistant professor
Brief summary of the research: Since the events of the present cannot be interpreted and the processes of the future cannot be modeled without knowledge of the past, we therefore feel it is important that a zoological analysis of as many as possible species of the Carpathian Basin based on historical data should be completed, as already done by the golden jackal, here we have already done so in the case of native vulture species or the European snake-eyed skink. During our data collection, in addition to searching for older literature data, we also take into account, evaluate and process information related to preparations found in various private and public collections, as well as photographic certificates and personal reports.
In the future, we also planned the historical processing of the occurrence of the Mediterranean monk seal in the Adriatic, the history of domestic frog exports for consumption, the occurrence of mink in Hungary, and the domestic attempts to control the population of stray dogs and cats. In the more distant future, the research of the history and data of the brown bear and the gray wolf in the Carpathian basins also arose.
Other participants:
• Dr. Miklós Marosán PhD., habil, university associate professor
• Prof. Dr. János Gál DSc., university professor
Funding: non-tender
7. Scientific history research
Supervisor: Dr. Tamás Tóth PhD., university assistant professor
Brief summary of the research: Research in the history of science is a somewhat neglected but all the more important area of zoology, on which topic we previously published several domestic herpetology-oriented publications.
In the future, we plan to compile a work summarizing the history of Hungarian herpetology and terraristics, and we would also like to finish and publish the history of the Hungarian coyote debate, as well as the processing of the herpetological aspects of Hungarian heraldic symbols.
Other participants:
• Dr. Miklós Marosán PhD., habil, university associate professor
• Prof. Dr. János Gál DSc., university professor
Funding: non-tender
8. Investigation of game damage from hunting, agricultural and legal aspects
Supervisor: Dr. Miklós Marosán PhD., habil, university associate professor
Brief summary of the research: In the course of the research, we examine the regeneration capacity of different plant stands depending on the different damages. First of all, we correlate the rate of damage with the degree of crop loss. We make professional recommendations for the clarification of
wildlife damage estimation methods. We examine and evaluate current wildlife damage enforcement procedures, both from a theoretical and practical point of view.
Other participants: Norbert Abaúji, department engineer
Funding: Non-tender
9. Examination of certain diseases of freshwater fish (scurvy and helminthosis).
Supervisor: Dr. Ferenc Baska PhD, habil, university associate professor
Brief summary of the research: One of the most common metabolic diseases of bony fish is scurvy caused by a lack of L-ascorbic acid, which leads to chronic diseases (anaemia, ossification disorders, etc.). Its frequent consequences are secondary diseases (saprolegniosis, secondary infections caused by CYTOPHAGACEA bacteria). Subclinical and clinical scurvy is common in both semi-intensively and intensively kept commercial fish, as well as high-value zoo and ornamental fish, the research of which has become the focus of interest in the recent period.
The goal is to develop the possibilities of prevention and medical treatment (causal and complementary therapy).
Other participants:
• Dr. Zoltán Vincze, clinical veterinarian
• Dr. Márton Hoitsy PhD
Funding: Non-tender
10. Examination of certain diseases of zoo animals
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. János Gál DSc. professor
Subprogram leader: Dr. Endre Sós PhD, clinical veterinarian, zoo chief veterinarian
Brief summary of the research: Zoos keep and care for a large number of endangered animal species, often on the brink of extinction. In these cases, death can be caused by a number of diseases, often with a background, pathology, or pathogenesis that is not yet fully understood by science and clinical practice.
A pathological and additional (histological, immunohistochemical, bacteriological, virological and parasitological) examination of zoo animals subjected to such a diagnostic autopsy is also carried out. In the case of newly recognized pathogens and diseases of non-infectious origin, the mechanism of the course of the disease is published, thus helping the daily clinical work and the protection programs of the individual species.
Other participants:
• Dr. Viktória Koroknai PhD, zoo veterinarian
Funding: Non-tender
11. De novo development of molecular sex markers in amphibian and reptile species
Supervisor: Dr. Szilvia Kövér (Molecular Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology)
Participants:
Emese Balogh PhD student (Molecular Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology)
Dr. Krisztián Szabó (Molecular Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology)
Dr. Nóra Vili (Molecular Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology)
Dr. Veronika Bókony (ATK NÖVI; ÁODI)
Dr. János Gál (Department of Exotic Animals and Wildlife Medicine)
Dr. Árisz Ziszisz (Department of Exotic Animals and Wildlife Medicine)
Brief summary of the research:
Within the framework of the project, our goal is the de novo development of a set of markers enabling molecular gender determination using genomic and molecular techniques (RAD-Seq).
In genetically sex-fixed reptile and amphibian species in which such markers are not yet known at all (e.g., Pyxicephalus adspersus and Theloderma sp. amphibians, certain Tiliqua sp. species, which have not been examined so far, and Morelia sp., Uromastyx sp. ).
In those reptile species where markers that can be used with qPCR technique are already available, but sex markers developed based on RAD-Seq data, which can also be used with conventional PCR, can be a cheaper and simpler alternative (e.g. Varanidae, Agamidae and certain Scincidae species).
Funding: University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest
Framework amount: HUF 3,500,000