International Scientific Conference
9-10 September, 2026
Košice, Slovakia 
Event Information
Welcome word
We are pleased to announce that the international conference “INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN THE CONTEXT OF ONE HEALTH” will take place in Košice, Slovakia (September 9–10, 2026). The aim of the event is to provide a platform for discussion on research that contributes to the dissemination of new theoretical, methodological, and empirical knowledge and to a better understanding of the spread of infectious diseases. The “One Health” concept represents an integrated and unifying approach aimed at maintaining long-term balance and optimizing the health of humans, animals, and ecosystems. It is based on the principle that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the entire environment is closely interconnected and interdependent. This approach promotes collaboration across multiple scientific disciplines at various levels of society to protect health, address threats to ecosystems, and simultaneously meet shared needs such as clean water, air, and energy; safe and nutritious food; and active measures against climate change. From a medical perspective, the “One Health” concept has long placed significant emphasis on zoonoses in particular. In the 21st century, the rate of emergence of new zoonotic diseases is rising sharply. Epidemiological studies show that up to 75% of newly emerging pathogens have zoonotic potential.
The conference is organized by the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice (Slovakia). Please share information about the conference with your colleagues, students, and anyone who might be interested in attending.
We are looking forward to welcoming you in Košice!
Best regards,
Jozef Nagy, rector of UVMP in Košice
Conference Topics
One Health Perspectives on Viral, Bacterial, and Parasitic Diseases
Pathogen Ecology and Epidemiological Trends
Host-Pathogen Interactions and Virulence Mechanisms
Antimicrobial Immunity and Therapeutics
Collaborating Organizations
 | University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Slovakia |
 | State Veterinary and Food Administration of the Slovak Republic |
 | Institute of Virology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia |
 | Focal point for scientific and technical matters with European Food Safety Authority, Slovakia |
Keynote Speakers
RAMESH MANGESH BHIDE
Prof. M. Bhide is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions fellow (postdoctoral research, NIH, Madrid, Spain 2005-2007). He was awarded Schwarz fund in Slovakia in host–pathogen interactions. For the last twenty years he has been working in the field of neuroinfections (Borrelia, Neisseria, West Nile virus etc.). He has expertise in host-pathogen interactions at BBB, and development of peptides and nanobodies against neuroinfections. He has vast expirience in the development of peptides and nanobodies using combinatorial phage display and antibody phage display. He has developed rapid technology (Registered patent number 48-2023. patenting office of Slovak republic) for production of fused protein and peptides. He has ongoing international collaborations in the field of development of antimicrobial peptides/nanodrug delivery systems and patented antimicrobial nanodrug (international patent WO2023223317A1 (WIPO PCT). In 2023 he obtained professorship in the field of drug development against neuroinfections. He has published 115 papers (H index 26), 9 book chapters, 1 patent, 1 software developed for transcriptomics. He was European research area chair (ERA-chair, European Commission pilot program for Widening initiative), in the years 2014-2017, for establishment of the proteomic facility at the University of Zagreb. He is governor for the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) for Slovakia. He is president of the Slovak Immunology Society. He has completed 27 research projects (PI of 16 funded by national agencies and 5 international). He is one of the PIs of H2020 projects (Marie-Curie ITN) and ERA-NET (EURONANOMED2018-49) and EFSA (2018/03-GA04). He has led bilateral projects between Slovakia – Portugal and France. He has guided 10 post-doc and 19 doctoral fellows.
BORIS KLEMPA
Dr. Klempa is Head of the Department of Virus Ecology at the Institute of Virology, Biomedical Research Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava, Slovakia. He studied Biology with a specialization in Virology at Comenius University in Bratislava and completed his PhD studies at the Institute of Virology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
He is an internationally recognized expert in the molecular evolution and ecology of zoonotic viruses transmitted to humans by rodents, other small mammals, and ticks. His research focuses particularly on hantaviruses and includes the discovery of the first hantaviruses in Africa, pioneering studies in unconventional hosts, and molecular epidemiological characterization of hantaviruses in Central Europe and Russia. In recognition of his contributions to the field, he received the 2019 Joel M. Dalrymple Memorial Lectureship Award from the International Society for Hantaviruses.
Dr. Klempa has received numerous scientific distinctions, including the Clinical Virology Award (2011) from German scientific societies, the Personality of Science and Technology Award (2017) from the Slovak Ministry of Education, finalist recognition in the ESET Science Award (2020), the ESET Science Award Public Choice Award (2020), the Crystal Wing Award in Medicine and Science (2021), and Slovak Scientist of the Year 2020 in the Innovator of the Year category. According to the Web of Science database, he has an H-index above 40 and is author or co-author of more than 119 scientific publications with over 4,400 citations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he actively contributed to the response through science communication, implementation of routine diagnostic testing, participation in the development of PCR diagnostic assays, and genomic surveillance of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.
MARTINA LIČKOVÁ
Martina Ličková is a specialist in virology, Institute of Virology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia. She is a virologist at the Biomedical Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava, where she has worked since 2000. Her research focuses on vaccines against ticks and vector-borne viruses, particularly tick-borne encephalitis virus and other zoonotic viruses. She is the author of 20 peer-reviewed scientific publications (H-index: 13) and has led several national and international research projects. In addition to her research, she is actively involved in teaching and mentoring students.
PETRA DRZEWNIOKOVÁ 
Currently working as researcher at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie. She specializes in advanced molecular diagnostics and proficiency testing schemes for emerging zoonoses, with a targeted research focus on rabies, coronaviruses, and influenza. Through extensive collaborations with the WHO, FAO, WOAH, and EURLs, her work actively advances global disease surveillance, harmonizes international laboratory standards, and strengthens veterinary public health frameworks.
KORNÉLIA KURUCZ 
Currently, working as an assistant professor at the University of Pécs in Hungary, and leading the Disease Vector and Disease Ecology research group at the National Laboratory of Virology. Her scientific interest was always on urban ecology and human-animal interactions, hence her research activities are mainly related to understanding the ecological background of zoonoses and vector-borne diseases. She coordinates and/or participates in several projects focused on vector ecology and holistic survey of pathogens, with a special focus on mosquitoes.
GÁBOR ENDRE TÓTH 
Gábor Endre Tóth is a PhD student at the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine. He has over a decade of experience in next-generation sequencing, having begun his work in the field of archaeogenetics. His research interests have since evolved from human respiratory viruses to bat-associated viruses and, more recently, mosquito-borne viruses. He has participated in field expeditions in Bangladesh and Ecuador, contributing to sample collection and on-site research activities. His work is driven by a strong interest in viral metagenomics and the development of targeted sequencing approaches.
Committees
Scientific Committee
| Jozef Nagy | University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Slovakia |
| Jana Mojžišová Vaščinec | University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Slovakia |
| Jana Koščová | University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Slovakia |
| Martin Chudý | State Veterinary and Food Administration of the Slovak Republic, Slovakia |
| Boris Klempa | Institute of Virology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia |
| Petra Vanková | National focal point for scientific and technical matters with European Food Safety Authority – EFSA, Slovakia |
| Monika Halánová | Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Slovakia |
| Marián Várady | Institute of Parasitology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia |
Organizing Committee
| Chairman: Anna Ondrejková (University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice) |
| Members: Monika Drážovská Alica Kočišová Božena Kočíková Soňa Pivka Marián Prokeš Katarína Peňazziová Loziaková Petra Schusterová |
Conference secretariat
Alica Kočišová
University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice
Komenského 73
041 81 Košice, Slovakia
+421 915 984 641
alica.kocisova@uvlf.sk
Conference Venue
Institute of Postgraduate Education of Veterinary Surgeons in Košice
Cesta pod Hradovou 13/A
041 77 Košice
48.745184427814536, 21.246334010337456
Official Language
The official languages of the Conference are English 
/ Slovak / Czech 
Preliminary Programme
September 9, 2026
| 11:00 – 17:00 | Registration |
| 12:00 – 12:15 | Welcome |
| 12:15 – 12:45 | Plenary Lecture |
| 12:45 – 13:15 | Plenary Lecture |
| 13:15 – 13:30 | Coffee Break |
| 13:30 – 13:45 | Oral presentation |
| 13:45 – 14:00 | Oral presentation |
| 14:00 – 14:15 | Oral presentation |
| 14:15 – 14:30 | Oral presentation |
| 14:30 – 14:45 | Oral presentation |
| 14:45 – 15:15 | Coffee Break |
| 15:15 – 15:45 | Plenary Lecture |
| 15:45 – 16:15 | Plenary Lecture |
| 16:15 – 16:30 | Oral presentation |
| 16:30 – 16:45 | Oral presentation |
| 16:45 – 17:00 | Oral presentation |
| 17:00 – 18:00 | Poster Exhibition |
| 19:00 | Gala Dinner |
September 10, 2026
| 09:00 – 11:30 | Registration |
| 09:00 – 09:30 | Plenary Lecture |
| 09:30 – 10:00 | Plenary Lecture |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | Coffee Break |
| 10:15 – 10:30 | Oral presentation |
| 10:30 – 10:45 | Oral presentation |
| 10:45 – 11:00 | Oral presentation |
| 11:00 – 11:15 | Oral presentation |
| 11:15 – 11:30 | Oral presentation |
| 11:30 | Closure |
Social Programme
Gala Dinner, Wednesday, September 9, 2026 at 19:00, IVVL in Košice
Registration Guidelines
All participants are kindly asked to register via the Online Registration Form.
Online registration will be closed on June 26, 2026.
Please read the instructions below carefully.
Registration Fees
| Early Bird until June 26, 2026 | Late after June 26, 2026 to August 28, 2026 | On-Site | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participant | EUR 250 | EUR 300 | EUR 350 |
| PhD Student | EUR 150 | EUR 170 | EUR 200 |
Conference fee including VAT. Please do not send any payments by bank transfer without participant’s name included in payment details.
Payment Details
| Account holder: | University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice Komenského 73 041 81 Košice Slovakia |
| Bank: | Štátna pokladnica Radlinského 32 810 05 Bratislava 15, Slovakia |
| Bank account number: | 7000072225/8180 |
| IBAN: | SK 42 8180 0000 0070 0007 2225 |
| SWIFT: | SUBASKBX |
| Variabile symbol: | 6378 |
Please, indicate YOUR NAME in Details of Payment (or Information for Beneficiary)!
Once your payment has been processed, please, e-mail a copy of your payment remittance to alica.kocisova@uvlf.sk.
Important Dates
| Paper submission | June 26, 2026 |
| Notification of the paper acceptance | July 15, 2026 |
| Deadline for early bird registration and payment of registration fee | June 26, 2026 |
| Deadline for late registration and payment of registration fee | August 28, 2026 |
| On-site registration | September 9-10, 2026 |
| Final Programme available – at the Conference website | August 31, 2026 |
Accommodation
Accommodation is possible in hotels in Košice and has to be booked directly. We strongly recommend you to book your hotel room as soon as possible. There are numerous alternatives for accommodation in Košice, for more information visit the websites:
Paper Submission
Each registered participant can submit max. 2 papers!
| Paper submission deadline | June 26, 2026 |
| Notification of the paper acceptance | July 15, 2026 |
Guidelines for PAPER preparation and publishing
A conference proceeding (with ISBN) is reviewed and includes all the papers presented at the conference as lectures and posters. Manuscripts of maximum four-page papers as per following instruction in text editor MS Office Word (ver. 2007 and later) should be sent via e-mail to: onehealth.kosice@uvlf.sk
Title (font Times New Roman, size 12, bold, capital); Authors (font Times New Roman, size 12, normal, capital only surname, align left) – please underline the name of the author; who will lecture or present a poster; Address (font Time New Roman, size 12, normal, align left); Abstract (optimal length should be kept to approx. 100 words); Title, Authors and Address – spacing 1. Text of paper – Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, REFERENCES (font Time New Roman, size 12, spacing 1.5; borders 2 cm). Please arrange the reference list in alphabetical order by the first author’s surname.
Example of paper
IImpacts of climate change on the spread of pathogens AND animal health IN SLOVAKIA
Smutný M., Drobný R.*, Landerov K.
University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Department of Epizootiology and Parasitology, Komenského 73, 041 81 Košice, Slovak Republic; smutny@uvlf.sk
* Institute of Parasitology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01 Košice, Slovak Republic
ABSTRACT, INTRODUCTION, MATERIAL AND METHODS, RESULTS, DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, REFERENCES
ORAL PRESENTATION OF SCIENTIFIC WORK: The Scientific Committee will notify corresponding author regarding the acceptance of paper.
Oral presentation: maximum 10 minutes + 5 minutes for discussion.
Poster presentation: maximum height 110 cm, width 90 cm.
Plenary lectures: maximum 45 minutes
Useful Information
Arriving by plane:
If you want to fly to Košice, you can choose the city’s own international airport – Košice International Airport (approximately 8 km from city centre). The airport and the city centre are connected by regular shuttle buses.
Arriving by car:
From Bratislava – highway E571/E58, direction Košice, Slovakia (403 km)
From Krakow 
– highway DK75, direction Košice, Slovakia (245 km)
From Budapest – highway M3, direction Košice, Slovakia (256 km)