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Veterinary Microbiology 162 (2013) 302
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bituary
ernd Liess
On October 4, 2012, the scientific community has lostofessor em. Dr. Dr. h. c. Bernd Liess at the age of 82. Berndss was the director of the Institute of Virology of theiversity of Veterinary Medicine, Foundation, Hannover,m 1968 to 1995.Bernd Liess graduated in 1954 in Veterinary Medicine
Hannover. He worked in veterinary practice before herted his scientific career at the Veterinary Institute of
e University of Gottingen. As postdoc he spent a year atrnell University in Ithaca, N.Y. Thereafter he joinedalter Plowright’s laboratory in Muguga, Kenya, where heorked on the cultivation and attenuation of Rinderpestrus in tissue culture.
Back at Hannover Veterinary University he focused onral infections of farm animals, where the pathogenesis,idemiology and control of pestiviruses became hisajor research areas. In the early days of the Europeanmmunity veterinary legislation he advised the Commis-n on the control of classical swine fever (CSF) whicher led to the establishment of the European Referenceboratory for CSF in Hannover.
Bernd Liess had a similar leading role in the control ofbovine viral diarrhoea (BVD). He early recognized thepivotal epidemiological role of persistently-infected calvesand in 1985, in cooperation with the ‘‘NiedersachsischeTierseuchenkasse’’, state veterinarians and a few dedicatedpractitioners he designed the first voluntary controlprogram for the State of Lower Saxony. Only many yearslater BVD became notifiable and is now systematicallycontrolled in Germany.
Bernd Liess’ experience with Rinderpest virus was ofgreat help, when in 1988 he started working on anenigmatic infection of seals that turned out to be caused bya morbillivirus, later termed phocine distemper virus.
Being a dedicated and enthusiastic European, BerndLiess was co-founder of the European Society for Veterinary
Virology (ESVV). Shortly after the fall of the Iron Curtain heinitiated together with Professor Marian Truszczynskifrom the Polish Veterinary Institute a first symposium onthe control of CSF in Pulawy, Poland. This was the start of aseries of annual meetings in other Eastern and CentralEuropean States.
His particular personal concern was the twinning withthe Veterinary Faculty of the University of Ankara. TheTurkish partners honoured his outstanding commitmentby awarding Bernd Liess the doctor honoris causa.
Bernd Liess was a dedicated researcher and teacher. Hehad a clear vision and he cared about his coworkers. Wewill miss him.
Volker Moennig*
Ludwig HaasGeorg Herrler
Paul Becherfor all friends and colleagues at the Institute of Virology
University of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Virology,
Department of Infectious Diseases, D-30559 Hannover,
Germany
*Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 511 953 8840;fax: +49 511 953 8898
E-mail address: [email protected]
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Veterinary Microbiology
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78-1135/$ – see front matter
p://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2012.11.010
