n a recent analysis, according to the ISI Essential Science Indicators Web product, the Institute For Animal Health in the UK, ranked among the top 1% in terms of total citations among institutions publishing in the fields of Plant & Animal Science, with 242 papers cited a total of 1,841 times to date, and Clinical Medicine, with 54 papers cited a total of 1,456 times to date. In this Special Topics profile, we explore Institute for Animal Health's mission and aims.

The aims of the IAH are: 

• to carry out and provide training in fundamental and applied research on infectious diseases of farm animals
• to advance knowledge and understanding of existing and new infectious diseases
• to develop disease control measures which will enhance farm animal welfare, increase the efficiency of agriculture and protect the environment
• to improve food quality and safety with particular reference to zoonoses

The Institute for Animal Health (IAH) is the largest research institute in the United Kingdom dedicated to the study of infectious diseases of farm animals. It has three sites at Compton, Pirbright, and the Neuropathogenesis Unit in Edinburgh. IAH is one of eight research institutes of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). Details of the Institute's organisation can be found elsewhere.

IAH is a major international centre at the forefront of research into infectious diseases in farm animals. Many of our scientists are involved in collaborative projects with researchers in other countries. Our research provides vital information for the development of vaccines, diagnostic kits and reagents, genes, gene products and vaccine vectors. This information is ultimately used by the industry of food producing animals, but is also used to inform policy decisions concerning animal health, genetics, and welfare. The IAH also has the facilities and staff to carry out contract research on behalf of industrial clients.

The Institute is not only concerned with research into the nature and causes of disease, but it is also a major force in education and training. Our training programmes help equip people from around the world to fight the ever present scourge of disease.

The Institute provides reference laboratories for the emergency diagnosis of a range of major economic diseases on behalf of the Office International des Epizooties, the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the European Union. A vaccine bank for Foot-and-Mouth Disease is maintained on behalf of an international consortium.

Diseases in farm animals cause much suffering. They can ruin individual farmers, threaten local communities and national economies, and inflict problems internationally. Disease is dynamic, old diseases can adapt to enable them to evade current control measures while new diseases appear, on average, one every two years. Disease does not respect national boundaries. Environmental change may affect the range of disease, and political change can have important repercussions.

Institute for Animal Health
Compton
Newbury
Berkshire
RG20 7NN
UK