Institute for Infectious & Zoonotic Diseases

    More than three-quarters of emerging infectious diseases affecting humans are zoonotic. Over the past two decades, the world has witnessed outbreaks of Ebola, Zika, avian influenza, West Nile virus, and SARS-CoV-2, among others. Meanwhile, longstanding infections such as malaria and dengue remain persistent global threats.

    At the same time, the rise of antibiotic resistance—particularly in healthcare settings—poses a critical public health challenge. As resistance spreads and zoonotic pathogens continue to emerge and re-emerge at an alarming pace, coordinated research and response efforts across human, animal, and environmental health are more urgent than ever.

    our mission

    IIZD is Penn Vet’s One Health response to the rising threat of zoonotic diseases – locally and globally. Our mission is to confront the next zoonotic outbreak by fostering cross-campus collaboration, driving scientific innovation, and strengthening the infrastructure of one of the nation’s largest zoonotic disease programs.

    IIZD logo

    Why Penn Vet

    We have one of the largest zoonotic disease programs in the nation, rooted in our extensive faculty network and distinctive geography. Penn Vet’s campus in Philadelphia neighbors the University of Pennsylvania’s twelve schools, including the medical and nursing schools, and the School of Arts and Sciences. Our New Bolton Center campus is surrounded by a region densely populated with dairy farms and agriculture. This topography brings Penn’s scientists together with incredible resources spurring cross-disciplinary collaboration to tackle monumental challenges, from chronic and fatal disease to biosecurity and antimicrobial stewardship, to climate change.

    Penn Vet is a valuable partner to industry, specifically to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System, as well as to several leading regional and national laboratory networks and health commissions. 

    virus image from the Institute for Infectious & Zoonotic Diseases
    an image of a dna molecule and a virus

    Research focus

    mRNA Initiative

    Penn Vet’s mRNA Research Initiative will fast-track the development of veterinary mRNA-based vaccines and host-directed therapies.

    Scientific findings from these basic studies will inform the project’s goal to develop veterinary vaccines, including a vaccine for avian influenza in poultry, and a vaccine for viral infections in swine.

    Evolutionary researcH

    Center for Host-Microbial Interactions

    The Penn Vet Center for Host-Microbial Interactions (CHMI) is an interdisciplinary center that helps faculty leverage cutting-edge genomic approaches to understand how microbes (viruses, bacteria, and parasites) influence animal health and disease. These so-called ‘host-microbial interactions’ represent an ongoing evolutionary arms race between mammals and the microbial world we live in. 

    viruses are shown in this 3d illustration

    research focus

    CREATE

    Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) are among the greatest threats to animal and human health, as they are often nearly impossible to treat with antibiotics. CRE can spread silently through veterinary hospitals, establishing environmental reservoirs and potentially transmitting to animals and people. The CREATE website is a resource for veterinarians, veterinary hospital administrators, and veterinary laboratories to support preparedness, response, and accurate detection of CRE.

    petri dish
    closeup of petri dish

    Funding Opportunities

    IIZD invests in the next generation of scientific discovery through competitive pilot awards and fellowships.
    test tubes in lab

    Resources

    Shared tools, laboratories, and facilities are an integral part of research and education.
    Dean speaking at symposium

    Symposium

    This annual symposium brings together basic, translational, and clinician scientists who research infectious diseases at Penn Vet to discuss their latest discoveries. 
    a tick is sitting on a green leaf

    A Pennsylvania study of deer and ticks at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine could shape public health and safety across the Commonwealth

    Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet), in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, are studying the complex interactions between ticks, pathogens, hosts, and their…

    A person in a mask holding a small bottle.

    Improving T-cell responses to vaccines (link is external)

    Penn Vet and Penn Medicine researchers have modified mRNA vaccines to include the cytokine IL-12 and improve T-cell responses which could improve the body’s ability to fight infections.

    This image shows Toxoplasma gondii (red) and a neuron (green) in a mouse brain.

    Understanding the immune response to a persistent pathogen (link is external)

    Penn Vet researchers show that the immune system can recognize and control the latent stage of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, a finding that can inform the study of latency in…