Institut für Parasitologie
Institut für Parasitologie
BFS - Biomedizinisches Forschungszentrum Seltersberg
Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen
Schubertstraße 81
35392 Gießen
GERMANY
Geschäftsführende Direktorin:
Prof. Dr. Anja Taubert
Prof. Dr. med. vet. Horst Zahner (*19.05.1941- †16.10.2024)
former Head and Professor of the Institute of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU), Giessen, Germany.
With the passing of our esteemed colleague and mentor Prof. Zahner we lost one of the most prominent and deserving scientists within the field of veterinary parasitology in Germany. All who knew him personally grieve for an open-minded person with a remarkable acuteness of thoughts, a good sense of finding exciting parasitological research topics, a marked interest in African history and arts, a distinctive sonorous voice, social engagement and, last but not least, a good sense of humour.
Horst Zahner studied Veterinary Medicine at the Justus Liebig University (JLU) Giessen, Germany (1961-1966). In 1963/64, he spend some months as foreign student at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria. He obtained his PhD degree in 1968 at the Institute of Parasitology of the JLU Giessen. Thereafter, he worked for many years at this Institute as scientific researcher, habilitated in 1985 and was appointed as Professor of Parasitology in 1989. In the years 1994-1995 Prof. Zahner supported Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in his position as Dean. Besides, he was always an active member of the German Society of Parasitology (DGP) and the German Veterinary Medicine Society (DVG). Referring to the latter society, he was moreover engaged as treasurer in the years 2005-2009. During his scientific and administrative work, he dealt with many actual challenges, related to not only to Parasitology but also to Veterinary Medicine in Germany, including animal welfare, anthelminthic resistance and global health inequalities.
Prof. Zahner’s scientific accomplishments have been reflected in his multiple peer-reviewed international publications. His reputation as a globally recognized scientist primarily based on his pioneer studies on immune responses against zoonotic-relevant filarial nematodes (e. g. Brugia malayi, Brugia timori), including investigations on the function of microfilarial sheath proteins, uterus-derived antigens and antigens from juveniles, humoral as well as cell-mediated immune responses, thereby focusing on several aspects of immunoevasion and immunopathology. Later in his career, he dedicated his research work to host cell modulation driven by the ruminant coccidian parasite Eimeria bovis, and, to his inspiring idea on investigating the relevance of neutrophil effector mechanisms, especially neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation, against protozoan stages, a topic, which is still pursued in Giessen. During his scientific career, he successfully habilitated three parasitologists, i. e. Franz Conraths, Anja Taubert and Carlos Hermosilla.
Prof. Zahner was a talented speaker with an ‘unmistakable/unforgettable voice’, teacher, lecturer and communicator. His involvement in the textbook of “Parasitology for Veterinary Medicine" (editors: Peter Deplazes, Johannes Eckert, Georg von Samson-Himmelstjerna and Horst Zahner) testified his broad and deep knowledge on Parasitology, thereby setting high standards for the quality of teaching Veterinary Parasitology in Germany. Besides the veterinary field, Prof. Zahner was also highly interested in human parasitology, which was exemplarity mirrored by his activities as an expert on parasitic zoonoses (i. e. schistosomiasis, filariasis) in the World Health Organization (WHO). His special interest in parasitic zoonoses was also reflected by his participation in the textbook on “Zoonoses, Infectious Diseases Transmissible from Animals to Humans”, published in 2003 in its third edition (editors Hartmut Krauss, Albert Weber, Max Appel, Burkhard Enders, Henry D. Isenberg, Hans Gerd Schiefer, Werner Slenczka, Alexander von Graevenitz and Horst Zahner).
Prof. Zahner was also an active member of the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP) thereby contributing to the progress of Veterinary Parasitology. Internationally, he was well-connected on friendly terms with eminent parasitologists of numerous countries including Lord Ernest Soulsby, Johannes Eckert, Peter Deplazes and Robin Gasser to name few of them.
We will miss him as an esteemed colleague and inspiring mentor.
Carlos Hermosilla and Anja Taubert, Giessen
- Fax: +49 641 99-38469
- E-Mail: vet-parasitologie
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