
- An antimicrobial resistance and bacterial virulence (AVB) unit,
- An epidemiology and surveillance support (EAS) unit,
- A neurodegenerative diseases (MND) unit,
- A joint-research unit (UMR) formed by ANSES and VetAgro Sup for ruminant mycoplasmas,
- A contracted unit (USC) for the characterisation and monitoring of pesticide resistance development (CASPER) phenomena in relation with INRAE.
- The antimicrobial resistance and bacterial virulence unit
The scientific positioning of this unit aims to enable a better understanding of the risk posed to humans by antimicrobial resistance of non-human origin, through an approach based on conventional, molecular, genomic and functional microbiology, closely linked with the epidemiological approach implemented by the EAS unit. The scientific projects undertaken mainly concern the flow of genes between animals, the environment and humans as part of a “One Health” approach, the impact of antimicrobial exposure on intestinal microbiota, and an understanding of the formation of bacterial biofilms acting as an ecological barrier against antimicrobial efficiency. As part of its research into alternatives limiting the impact of antimicrobials, the unit is also engaged in studies on phage therapy.
- The epidemiology and surveillance support unit
Research into epidemiology and surveillance concerns:
- the determinants of population health (risk factors, resistance factors),
- improvements to surveillance methods (syndromic, risk-based),
- assessments of the efficiency of surveillance, prevention and control methods in the fields of animal health, plant health and food safety (cost-benefit analyses, decision trees, qualitative assessments),
- the epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance (temporal dynamics, links between use and resistance, determinants of resistance).
- The neurodegenerative diseases unit
This unit studies the diseases associated with protein folding anomalies, represented primarily by prion diseases and other neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s in humans. The projects underway primarily concern disorders associated with the alpha-synuclein protein, the best known of which is Parkinson’s disease. One of the remarkable characteristics of this disease is the early and significant involvement of the digestive tract, based on the hypothesis of an as-yet undetermined pathogen initiating the pathological process, which is then thought to progress to the central nervous system through prion-like mechanisms. In the same way as for studies on prion diseases, research is based on transgenic or conventional experimental models. The objective is to establish the extent to which exposure to pesticides, particularly via food, is likely to initiate the associated protein aggregation phenomena and/or chronic neuroinflammatory processes.
- The joint-research unit on ruminant mycoplasmas
Given the exotic nature of mycoplasmas, their resistance to antimicrobial therapy, and the lack of effective vaccines, the emergence or re-emergence of these animal diseases can have serious consequences from both an economic and health standpoint. In the case of ruminants, three mycoplasma pathogens are listed by the OIE. The Vigimyc network provides a detailed picture of the circulation of mycoplasmas in ruminants across France, and has made it possible to build up a large collection of strains for use in scientific studies on the biodiversity and virulence of Mycoplasma genus bacteria, and on the clinical expression of the associated diseases in ruminants. The scientific orientations of the joint-research unit concern two main fields: 1) the virulence and emergence of mycoplasmas and 2) the diversity and antimicrobial resistance of mycoplasmas.
- The contracted unit on the characterisation and monitoring of phenomena of pesticide resistance development
The contracted unit is studying the emergence and development of phenomena of pesticide resistance development in the main plant pests (fungi and oomycota, insects, bacteria and weeds). It is working in a context where the requirement is to reduce the quantity and diversity of the active substances authorised. With this in mind, the Unit develops methods and tools for detecting resistance through both biological and molecular approaches. Its research activities are focused on two model biological systems: adaptation dynamics and resistance mechanisms of the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae), and spatial and temporal changes in resistance to respiration-inhibiting fungicides in grapevine downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola).
The unit is a member of the Pesticide Resistance Forum and Research network (R4P), alongside INRAE and the Ministry of Agriculture. The aim of the R4P network is to develop greater dialogue between scientists and to widely disseminate resistance detection methods between research communities, primarily in order to predict, delay and/or manage resistance selection more effectively.
Regional partners
VetAgro Sup, University of Lyon 1, University of Lyon 3, University of Auvergne, University of Lyon (ENS), Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre, Bioaster, Rhone-Alps Regional Federation for Controlling Harmful Organisms (FREDON), LVD69 Departmental Veterinary Laboratory, National Centre of Reference for Staphylococci.
National partners
INRAE (French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment), CIRAD (French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development), INSERM (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research), CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research), Institut Pasteur, ENVT (National Veterinary School of Toulouse), ONIRIS (National Veterinary School of Nantes), ENVA (National Veterinary School of Alfort), EFS-Montpellier Blood Bank, Paris Brain and Spinal Cord Institute, University of Paris VII, University of Limoges, Santé Publique France, CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission), ONERBA (French National Observatory of the Epidemiology of Bacterial Resistance to Antimicrobials), ADILVA (French Association of Managers of Public Veterinary Testing Laboratories), SNGTV (French National Society of Veterinary Technical Groups), AFVAC (French Association of Vets for Pets), AVEF (French Equine Veterinary Association), IFCE (French Institute of Horses and Riding), INTERBEV (French Interprofessional Association for Livestock and Meat), IDELE (French National Livestock Institute), CTIFL (Technical Interprofessional Centre for Fruit and Vegetables), ACTA (French Agricultural Technical Institute), GDS France Health Protection Group, APCA Chambers of Agriculture, INRIA (French National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology).
International partners
Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR, Germany), Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL, Germany), Freie University Berlin (Germany), Friedrich Loeffler Institut (FLI, Germany), Max Planck Institute (MPIWG, Germany), Robert Koch Institute (RKI, Germany), Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES, Austria), Medical University of Vienna (Austria), VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology (Belgium), University of Calgary (Canada), University of Guelph (Canada), Statens Serum Institut (SSI, Denmark), Technical University of Denmark (DTU, Denmark), Complutense University of Madrid (UCM, Spain), Fundación Pública para la Gestión de la Investigación de Salud en Sevilla (FISEVI, Spain), Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research (IRYCIS, Spain), Veterinary Medical Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (VMRI, Hungary), National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG, Ireland), University College Dublin (UCD, Ireland), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA, Italy), Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS, Italy), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte (IZS, Italy), University of Tripoli (Lebanon), Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI, Norway), National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM, Netherlands), Nederlands Center for One Health (NCOH, Pays-Bas), Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (CVI, Netherlands), National Veterinary Research Institute (PIWET, Poland), University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Science (VFU Brno, Czech Republic), National Veterinary Institute (SVA, Sweden), Office Fédéral de la Sécurité Alimentaire et des Affaires Vétérinaires (OSAV, Switzerland), University of Fribourg (Switzerland), Animal and Plant Health Agency, (APHA, UK), Cambridge University (UK), Exeter University (UK), Liverpool University (UK), Public Health England (PHE, UK), Iowa State University (USA), Finnish Food Authority (Finland).