For two years, 20 partners from 13 European countries worked together to study SARS‑CoV‑2 and coronaviruses under the COVRIN project. It aimed to gain a better understanding of the factors behind the emergence and spread of the virus responsible for COVID-19, in order to strengthen preparedness for any new coronavirus. ANSES was closely involved in studying the risks of the virus jumping from animals to humans and the possibility of transmission from the environment.

Nematodes are parasitic worms, some species of which cause major crop losses. To prevent their spread, it is important to disinfect organic waste – plants, soil and sludge – and water that have been in contact with these pests before discarding or reusing them. Scientists from ANSES's Plant Health Laboratory have assessed the effectiveness of various disinfection methods enabling this waste to be recovered and reused as part of the circular economy.

A vaccine to combat African swine fever could be produced based on research carried out by ANSES’s Ploufragan-Plouzané-Niort Laboratory. The initial results obtained are promising and are paving the way for an effective means of combating this disease, which is responsible for high mortality rates in pigs and wild boar in several countries in Europe, Asia and the Caribbean.

In late December, a sick cat in the Deux-Sèvres département tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1. ANSES was actively involved in the investigation of this case, which led to a nearby duck farm being identified as the source of the cat's contamination. The increase in such viral transfers from birds to mammals in different countries calls for vigilance, as they could facilitate the possible transfer to humans.

ANSES's Sophia Antipolis Laboratory has participated in a vast genetic analysis of strains of Coxiella burnetii, the bacterium responsible for Q fever, a disease that can be transmitted to humans. This collaboration between animal and human disease specialists, on which a paper was published in late 2022, is the first step in a One Health project on this zoonosis.

An international research team has provided valuable new information about what drives the global spread of genes responsible for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria. The collaborative study, led by researchers at the Quadram Institute and University of East Anglia, brought together experts from France, Canada, Germany and the UK and will provide new information to combat the global challenge of AMR.

Forty-two research projects have been selected by ANSES under the 2022 PNR EST call for proposals. They will receive a total of €7.5 million in funding. This research will provide new knowledge on environmental risks to human health, in the general population or at work, as well as on risks to ecosystems.

Based on experiments conducted with several generations of fish, an ANSES team explored the effects of glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides on the health of rainbow trout. This research showed that whether used pure or in herbicides, glyphosate could have effects on multiple generations of this species.

Today, ANSES is issuing two calls for projects as part of the National Research Programme for Environmental and Occupational Health (PNR EST). The first is dedicated to the themes of environmental and occupational health while the second deals more specifically with the topic of “radiofrequencies and health”. Their aim is to finance research work on current health issues associated with multiple environmental exposures. Researchers interested in taking up challenges related to these issues are invited to submit their proposals by January 2023 at the latest.

In aphids of the species Myzus persicae , there is a low rate of gene flow for insecticide resistance between the populations that colonise different plant species. This discovery made by scientists from ANSES, INRAE and the University of Montpellier may lead to a new approach to the strategies implemented to control the development of resistance to these pesticides.