Prof. dr. R. Ducatelle
Professor R. Ducatelle works at Ghent University since 1989,he is head of the laboratory of veterinary pathology since 1993. In his past he was president of the European Society of Veterinary Pathology and now he is still an active Member of the board of directors of Ghent University.
Main Research: Intestinal pathology/intestinal health
The delicate balance between the host and the intestinal contents, including its microbiota, is named oral tolerance. It is of critical importance for such diverse effects like growth/performance in production animals, welfare in production and companion animals, protection against cancer, protection against autoimmunity, etc. Lack of oral tolerance leads to inflammation/enteritis. Various in vivo and in vitro models are being investigated in order to fully understand the underlying mechanisms of enteritis vs oral tolerance.
This research is done in collaboration with other members of the department as well as scientists from other departments and other universities.