Pathology-Based Animal Cancer Registry of Abruzzo and Molise Regions (Central Italy): A Ten-Year Retrospective Study (2014-2023).

Pets have a crucial role in cancer research. Specifically, dogs and cats share the same environment as their owners and thus may serve as sentinels of naturally occurring tumors that are linked to the exposure to environmental hazards. Quantitative comparison of tumor types may reveal unusual cancer frequencies, providing directions for research and generation of hypotheses of cancer causation in a specific area and identification of risk factors.

Genomic and Antimicrobial Surveillance of Population in Italian Poultry.

is one of the most common foodborne diseases worldwide with increasing rates of antibiotic resistance. Most cases of campylobacteriosis can be traced back to the consumption of poultry meat. Despite many efforts to reduce contamination in farms and in slaughterhouses, the persistence of this pathogen in poultry products remains a problem.

Identification of the Novel subsp. Sequence Type 525 in Donkeys of Abruzzo Region, Italy.

sub. (SEZ) is described as a commensal bacterium of several animal species, including humans. Growing evidence supports the potential role of SEZ in the onset and progression of severe clinical manifestations of diseases in horses and other animals.

Epidemiological Significance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA Dynamic in Naso-Pharyngeal Swabs.

From 16 March to 15 December 2020, 132,357 naso-pharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs were collected in the province of Teramo, Abruzzo Region, Italy, and tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 genomic RNA by a commercially available molecular assay. A total of 12,880 swabs resulted positive. For 8212 positive patients (4.

Infection sustained by lineage B.1.1.7 of SARS-CoV-2 is characterised by longer persistence and higher viral RNA loads in nasopharyngeal swabs.

Following the announcement on December 2020 about the emergence of a new variant (VOC 202012/ 01, B.1.1.

A COVID-19 Hotspot Area: Activities and Epidemiological Findings.

By late March 2020, Villa Caldari, a small village of the municipality of Ortona (Abruzzo region), was registering an incidence rate of COVID-19 cases ten times greater than the overall municipality and was declared a hotspot area. Twenty-two days later, epidemiological investigation and sampling were performed, to evaluate SARS-CoV-2 circulation and the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Overall, 681 nasopharyngeal swabs and 667 blood samples were collected.

SARS-CoV-2 RNA Persistence in Naso-Pharyngeal Swabs.

Since February 2020, Italy has been seriously affected by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. To support the National Health Care system, naso-pharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs collected from suspected cases of Teramo province, Abruzzo region, are tested at Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise G. Caporale, for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA.

Epidemiology, pathological aspects and genome heterogeneity of feline morbillivirus in Italy.

Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) is an emerging morbillivirus first described in cats less than a decade ago. FeMV has been associated with chronic kidney disease of cats characterized by tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN), although this aspect is still controversial and not demonstrated with certainty. To investigate FeMV prevalence and genomic characteristics, an epidemiological survey was conducted in a total number of 127 household cats originating from two Italian regions, Abruzzi and Emilia-Romagna.

Isolation and genome sequences of two Feline Morbillivirus genotype 1 strains from Italy.

Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) is a novel viral paramyxovirus detected in cats. FeMV is suspected to be associated to tubulointerstitial nephritis, but its pathogenic role is far to be clearly understood.  In this short communication, we report the whole genome coding sequences of the first two FeMV strains isolated in Italy.

Outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV) in Abruzzi region, central-Italy.

Here we report and characterize a porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) outbreak which occurred in a swine fattening farm in the province of Teramo, Abruzzi region (central Italy), in January 2016. PED virus (PEDV) identification was determined by real-time RT-PCR performed on RNAs purified from fecal samples collected from two symptomatic pigs. Whole genome sequence (PEDV 1842/2016) was also obtained by next generation sequencing straight from RNA purified from one fecal sample.

Development of a serum neutralization assay to detect Pteropine Orthoreovirus Indonesia/2010 neutralizing antibodies.

Pteropine Orthoreoviruses (PRVs) are fusogenic bat-borne orthoreoviruses that cause flu-like upper respiratory tract infections in humans. The presence of this group of viruses in bats and humans has been well documented in areas where their biological reservoirs - fruit bats (family Pteropodidae) - live densely. In the present study, a serum neutralization (SN) assay to detect neutralizing antibodies against PRV Indonesia/2010 isolate was set up and used to assess the seroprevalence of this virus in Italian domestic animals.

Genome Sequence of Canine Adenovirus Type 1 Isolated from a Wolf () in Southern Italy.

Canine adenovirus type 1 (CAdV-1), a DNA virus of the family , causes infectious canine hepatitis, a highly contagious disease primarily affecting canids. In this report, we describe the isolation and whole-genome sequence of a CAdV-1 isolate from the liver of a free-ranging wolf ().

Novel putative Bluetongue virus in healthy goats from Sardinia, Italy.

In recent years, novel Bluetongue virus (BTV) serotypes have been isolated and/or sequenced by researchers within the field. During Bluetongue surveillance activities, we identified a putative novel BTV serotype in healthy goats from Sardinia, Italy. RNAs purified from blood and serum samples were positive for BTV by a generic real time RT-PCR and c-ELISA, respectively, whereas genotyping and serotyping were unsuccessful.

Whole-Genome Sequence of a Suid Herpesvirus-1 Strain Isolated from the Brain of a Hunting Dog in Italy.

Suid herpesvirus-1 (SHV-1), a DNA virus of the family Herpesviridae, causes a severe and fatal disease in a wide range of mammals. Here, we report the whole-genome sequence of an SHV-1 isolated in Italy in 2014 from the brain of a hunting dog that suffered from an acute and severe disease.

Outbreak of unusual Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium monophasic variant 1,4 [5],12:i:-, Italy, June 2013 to September 2014.

Monophasic variant of Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhimurium (monophasic S. Typhimurium), with antigenic structure 1,4,[5],12:i:-, appears to be of increasing importance in Europe. In Italy, monophasic S.

Disease Risk Assessments Involving Companion Animals: an Overview for 15 Selected Pathogens Taking a European Perspective.

Prioritization of companion animal transmissible diseases was performed by the Companion Animals multisectoriaL interprofessionaL Interdisciplinary Strategic Think tank On zoonoses (CALLISTO) project. The project considered diseases occurring in domesticated species commonly kept as pets, such as dogs and cats, but also included diseases occurring in captive wild animals and production animal species. The prioritization process led to the selection of 15 diseases of prime public health relevance, agricultural economic importance, or both.

Draft Genome Sequences of 19 Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium [4,5:i:-] Strains Resistant to Nalidixic Acid from a Long-Term Outbreak in Italy.

Here, we present the draft genome sequences of 19 Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium monophasic variant [4,5:i:-] strains involved in a long-term salmonellosis outbreak that occurred in central Italy in 2013 to 2014.

Prioritization of Companion Animal Transmissible Diseases for Policy Intervention in Europe.

A number of papers have been published on the prioritization of transmissible diseases in farm animals and wildlife, based either on semiquantitative or truly quantitative methods, but there is no published literature on the prioritization of transmissible diseases in companion animals. In this study, available epidemiological data for diseases transmissible from companion animals to man were analysed with the aim of developing a procedure suitable for their prioritization within a European framework. A new method and its associated questionnaire and scoring system were designed based on methods described by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

A Transitional Model for the Evaluation of West Nile Virus Transmission in Italy.

In August 2008, after 10 years of apparent silence, West Nile virus (WNV) infection re-emerged in northern Italy, spreading through the territories of three regions. In the following years, new cases occurred in the same area and additional foci of infection were observed in central and southern Italy, involving also Sicily and Sardinia islands. The Italian Ministry of Health ordered to test by RT-PCR all blood and organ donors from 15th June to 15th November of each year in the infected areas.

Epidemiology of West Nile disease in Europe and in the Mediterranean Basin from 2009 to 2013.

West Nile virus (WNV) transmission has been confirmed in the last four years in Europe and in the Mediterranean Basin. An increasing concern towards West Nile disease (WND) has been observed due to the high number of human and animal cases reported in these areas confirming the importance of this zoonosis. A new epidemiological scenario is currently emerging: although new introductions of the virus from abroad are always possible, confirming the epidemiological role played by migratory birds, the infection endemisation in some European territories today is a reality supported by the constant reoccurrence of the same strains across years in the same geographical areas.

Analysis of surveillance systems in place in European Mediterranean countries for West Nile virus (WNV) and Rift Valley fever (RVF).

West Nile virus (WNV) and Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) represent an important group of viral agents responsible for vector-borne zoonotic diseases constituting an emerging sanitary threat for the Mediterranean Basin and the neighbouring countries. WNV infection is present in several Mediterranean countries, whereas RVF has never been introduced into Europe, but it is considered a major threat for North African countries. Being vector-borne diseases, they cannot be prevented only through an animal trade control policy.

The components of 'One World - One Health' approach.

The interaction between living beings, including men, animals and pathogens, sharing the same environment, should be considered as a unique dynamic system, in which the health of each component is inextricably interconnected and dependent with the others. Nowadays, a new integrated One Health approach is reflecting this interdependence with a holistic view to the ecological system. The One Health approach can be defined as a collaborative and a multidisciplinary effort at local, national and global level to guarantee an optimal healthy status for humans, animals and environment.