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The Institute of Virology, School of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, European Reference Laboratory for Classical Swine Fever, has two departments and 23 employees. A major field of the Institute is pestiviruses (CSFV, BDV and BVDV). In close cooperation with the Institute of Pathology in Hannover, recent research is focused on the pathogenic mechanisms of BVD virus that leads to Mucosal Disease of cattle. In addition, the European Community Reference Laboratory (CRL) for CSF is also located at the premises. Regular activities of the CRL include the organisation of inter-laboratory comparison testing with National Reference Laboratories all over Europe, and the supply of reference reagents. It is also an OIE reference laboratory for CSF. Current research efforts are focused on the molecular epidemiology of CSF, on pathogenesis of different CSFV isolates and on the development of sensitive and specific (molecular) tools for the diagnosis of CSF. Epidemiological data concerning these viruses have been computerized, and most of the viruses have been genetically typed within the FAIR project PL95-707.

Prof. Dr. Volker Moennig

Prof. Moennig is a veterinarian and is head of the Institute of Virology. Member of several expert groups on CSF, marker vaccines and diagnosis. Involved in several national and international research projects dealing with molecular biology of BVD and CSF, epidemiology and diagnosis.

Prof. Dr. Irene Greiser-Wilke

Head of the Molecular biological Department of the Institute of Virology, Member of several expert groups on CSF, marker vaccines and diagnosis. Involved in several national and international research projects dealing with molecular biology of BVD and CSF, epidemiology and diagnosis.

Dr. Alexandra Meindl-Böhmer

Veterinarian and head of the European Community Reference Laboratory for CSF at the Institute of Virology. Involved in several national and international research projects dealing with the molecular biology of CSF, epidemiology and diagnosis. Organizer of the Inter-laboratory comparison tests for the National Swine Fever Reference Laboratories of the EU countries. Responsible for the organization of the Annual Meeting of European National Swine Fever Reference Laboratories.

Dr. Sabine Schroeder (Kühne)

Took over from Alexandra in May 2007. She studied Veterinary Medicine at the "Ludwig-Maximilians-University" Munich, Germany, achieved Dr. med. vet. from the Institute of Medical Mikrobiology, LMU University, Munich, where she worked on the structural proteins (Capsid, Erns, E1, and E2) of BVDV: Expression and immunization using recombinant Sindbis viruses and cDNA-vectors. She was Research Associate Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Leader of the veterinary diagnostic and research laboratory for BVD. Now she is Research Associate University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Institute of Virology, Community Reference Laboratory for Classical Swine Fever.

Britta Laüder

Project Manager, EU Liaison Office Hannover/Hildesheim; CSF Administrative Manager. With four permanent staff members and four additional project-related staff, the EU Liaison Office has over twelve years experience in providing support in the planning, application, and support of successful EU Projects. Serving nine higher education institutions in the Hannover/Hildesheim area, the office provides a wide range of consulting services including legal, management and financial issues. Britta Laüder works at the proposal advisory service of the EU Liaison Office Hannover/Hildesheim and operates the University Service for European Research Management (USER-M). Britta took over from Katharina Pechtold.