Animal health research conducted so far focuses mainly on observational studies to generate epidemiological data that support national and regional programs on disease prevention and control. Risk factor, distribution and extent, and agent characterization (genotype /serotype /topotype /strain) of major transboundary and endemic livestock diseases have been studied using conventional and advanced tools. Epidemiology of infectious diseases that are known to impact productivities and productions at farm level are also well documented; among which are infections that have public health significance such as bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis.

Diagnostic reagent/ kit development and validation is also another focus area. Focused research on diagnostic in put development is significant for Ethiopia as there is no company that produce commercial kits required for laboratory testing. AHI and other similar institutions invest huge resources to procure laboratory in puts annually.   

AHI has modest experimental facilities that enable to conduct controlled experiments. Using such facility, several studies have been conducted on validation of new or existing vaccines, validation of on-farm disease testing antigens, experimental models to explore the role of some animal species in the transmissions of selected transboundary diseases such as Pestes des Petit Ruminants (PPR).

Ongoing collaborative research with Penn State University, USA, aiming to define disease trajectories of bovine tuberculosis infection. Since disease control is predicated on the ability to identify infectious animals in a population, defining disease trajectories and ante-mortem diagnostic tests that predict infectiousness is essential. However, the current OIE-prescribed diagnostic tests are unable to detect the different disease states in animals.

Experimental animal facility

AHI has well established animal facility and lab animals kept for as input for some laboratory tests and for different research purposes. these include large animal (cattle) facility for bTB and acaricide resistance research and small ruminant (sheep and goat) facility for PPR research.