Partner 34 – Ludwig Maximilians Universitaet Muenchen (LMU)

LMU, Munchen, Germany. The Institute of Comparative Tropical Medicine and Parasitology (www.tropa.vetmed.lmu.de) is an integral part of the Veterinary Faculty of the Ludwig- Maximilians-University of Munich and is – in addition to its teaching and diagnostic commitments at the University – a fully equipped research institution. The Institute has focussed its research activities for the last 24 years primarily on ticks and tick- and other arthropod-borne pathogens. The Institute is ISO - certified (DIN EN ISO 9001:2008) since 2003 for research, diagnostics, and teaching, i. e. the Staff is familiar with the laboratory procedures, safety regulations and the Qualitiy Management (DQS). The laboratory facilities are equipped up to the BSL II including appropriate molecular technique equipment. The research work is focussed on aspects of epidemiology of ticks and tick-borne pathogens (incl. Zoonoses) and on therewith associated pathogenetic mechanisms: It includes various ticks and Babesia spp. Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Rickettsia spp., Borrelia spp., Tick-borne encephalitis virus and Bartonella spp. (TBD-level). The Institute runs in-vitro culture laboratories for tick-cells (various cell-lines) and for several TBD pathogens. ICTMP is the coordinator of a EU-Marie Curie Project and is partner of several national and international projects on ticks, tick cell cultures and TBD’s (VICCI, INTERREG IV A, EDEN (as the TBD-reference laboratory), ICTTD, VETAFRICA, Pirobras and CAPARA.