Transport-related respiratory pathogens in horses travelling long distances: A prospective study on arrival at the slaughterhouse.

Respiratory disorders (RDs) are a common transport-related welfare consequence in horses. This prospective study described the journeys of horses transported to two slaughterhouses in Italy, documented the prevalence of potentially RD-related pathogens, and identified possible predisposing factors. Data were recorded from arrival until 48 h after arrival and included the collection of Deep Nasopharyngeal Swabs (DNS), journey details and welfare assessment of horses (n = 155).

Pilot Study on the Action of Essential Oil in Treating the Most Common Bacterial Contaminants and subsp. Serovar Derby in Poultry Litter.

The indiscriminate use of antimicrobials in poultry farms is linked to the increase in multi-resistant bacteria. Accordingly, based on the antimicrobial properties of Thyme Essential Oil (TEO), the present study evaluated the effects of TEO on the reduction of common microbial contaminants and on poultry litter. A litter bulk sample was collected in a broiler farm and qualitative/quantitative investigations identified and The experimental contamination with Derby wild strain was also performed.

A sustainability scoring system to assess food initiatives in city regions.

The City Region Food Systems approach has been proposed to achieve food system resilience and nutrition security while promoting the urgent ecological transition within urban and peri-urban areas, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the great diversity of the initiatives composing City Region Food Systems in Europe poses barriers to the assessment of their integrated sustainability. Hence, the present work is developed within the EU-H2020 project Food System in European Cities (FoodE), to build a consistent sustainability scoring system that allows comparative evaluation of City Region Food System Initiatives.

Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils Evaluated In Vitro against and .

The spread of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing and methicillin-resistant has caused a reduction in antibiotic effectiveness and an increase in mortality rates. Essential oils (EOs), known for their therapeutic efficacy, can be configured as novel broad-spectrum biocides. Accordingly, the bacteriostatic-bactericidal activity of (LEO), (PEO), (FEO), (BEO), (MEO), (TEO), and (GEO), at concentrations ranging from 1.

Factors Affecting the Development of Bovine Respiratory Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study in Beef Steers Shipped From France to Italy.

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a complex, multifactorial syndrome and one of the major welfare and economical concerns for the cattle industry. This 1-year cross-sectional study was aimed at documenting the prevalence of BRD-related pathogens and clinical signs before and after a long journey and at identifying possible predisposition factors. Male Limousine beef steers ( = 169) traveling from France to Italy were health checked and sampled with Deep Nasopharyngeal Swabs (DNS) at loading (T0) and 4 days after arrival (T1).

Prevalence of Pathogens Related to Bovine Respiratory Disease Before and After Transportation in Beef Steers: Preliminary Results.

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a serious health and economic problem in the beef industry, which is often associated with transportation and caused by different pathogens. The prevalence of (BoHV-1), (BAdV), (BVDV), (BCoV), s (BRSV), (BPiV), , , , , in the nasal microbiota of beef steers before and after the same long-distance journey from France to southern Italy was documented Fifty-six Limousine animals of three different shipments, travelling on three different days from February to April, were included. Prior to shipment (T0) and four days after arrival (T1), two DNS/animal were collected and tested by Real Time quantitative PCR (qPCR).

Use of recombinant canine granulocyte-colony stimulating factor to increase leukocyte count in dogs naturally infected by canine parvovirus.

Canine parvovirus (CPV) is one of the most important cause of mortality in young dogs and no specific treatment exists. Since prolonged leukopenia greatly increases the risk of death in infected pups, strategies to counteract this decline were investigated. The outcomes of CPV naturally infected pups treated with the recombinant canine granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (rcG-CSF), in combination with the routine therapy, were compared with similarly-managed infected pups not treated with rcG-CSF.

Diagnosis and characterization of canine distemper virus through sequencing by MinION nanopore technology.

Prompt identification of the causative pathogen of an infectious disease is essential for the choice of treatment or preventive measures. In this perspective, nucleic acids purified from the brain tissue of a dog succumbed after severe neurological signs were processed with the MinION (Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Oxford UK) sequencing technology. Canine distemper virus (CDV) sequence reads were detected.

Small ruminant lentiviruses in goats in southern Italy: Serological evidence, risk factors and implementation of control programs.

Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs) can drastically affect milk production in goat flocks and only an early detection can control and prevent their spread. Since SRLVs are responsible for persistent infections, antibody screening is the most valuable tool to identify infected animals. ELISA is recommended as the election test both for its sensitivity and for its ability to detect low antibody titers, thus identifying infected animals earlier than agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID).

A duplex real-time PCR assay based on TaqMan technology for simultaneous detection and differentiation of canine adenovirus types 1 and 2.

Canine adenoviruses are a major cause of disease in dogs, coyotes, red foxes and wolves, as well as in other carnivores and marine mammals. Canine adenovirus type 1 (CAdV-1) and canine adenovirus type 2 (CAdV-2) cause infectious canine hepatitis (ICH) and infectious tracheobronchitis (ITB), respectively. In this study, a duplex real-time PCR assay for simultaneous detection and characterisation of CAdV-1 and CAdV-2 was developed by using a single primer pair and virus-specific probes.

Detection and genetic characterization of Canine parvovirus and Canine coronavirus strains circulating in district of Tirana in Albania.

An epidemiological survey for Canine parvovirus 2 (CPV-2) and Canine coronavirus (CCoV) was conducted in Albania. A total of 57 fecal samples were collected from diarrheic dogs in the District of Tirana during 2011-2013. The molecular assays detected 53 and 31 CPV- and CCoV-positive specimens, respectively, with mixed CPV-CCoV infections diagnosed in 28 dogs.

Catecholamine plasma levels, IFN-γ serum levels and antibodies production induced by rabies vaccine in dogs selected for their paw preference.

To explore the possible role of the sympathetic nervous activity in the asymmetrical crosstalk between the brain and immune system, catecholamine (E, NE) plasma levels, Interferon-γ (IFN-γ) serum levels and production of antibodies induced by rabies vaccine in dogs selected for their paw preference were measured. The results showed that the direction of behavioural lateralization influenced both epinephrine levels and immune response in dogs. A different kinetic of epinephrine levels after immunization was observed in left-pawed dogs compared to both right-pawed and ambidextrous dogs.

Hobi-like pestivirus: both biotypes isolated from a diseased animal.

A Hobi-like pestivirus pair consisting of cytopathogenic (cp) and non-cytopathogenic (noncp) strains, Italy 83/10cp and Italy 83/10ncp, was isolated from the lung of a heifer that died of respiratory disease. The noncp and cp viruses were isolated on Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells and separated by plaque purification and end point dilution. Analysis of the nearly full-length genomes revealed that the two viruses were very closely related to each other and to the noncp Hobi-like strain Italy 1/10-1, which had been isolated a few weeks earlier from the same herd.

A pantropic canine coronavirus genetically related to the prototype isolate CB/05.

We report the genetic and biological characterisation of a novel pantropic canine coronavirus (CCoV), strain 450/07, which caused the death of a 60-day-old miniature pinscher. At the genetic level, this virus was strictly related to the prototype strain CB/05, but displayed some unique features. After experimental infection with the new pantropic isolate, most inoculated dogs showed diarrhoea and acute lymphopenia.

Atypical pestivirus and severe respiratory disease in calves, Europe.

In 2010, a HoBi-like pestivirus was isolated from clinically affected calves in Italy. This European virus reproduced a milder form of disease under experimental conditions and was genetically related to previously reported HoBi-like strains. Isolation of this novel virus from a clinical outbreak may have implications for cattle health and prophylactic programs.

Characterisation of bubaline coronavirus strains associated with gastroenteritis in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) calves.

Recently, a coronavirus strain (179/07-11) was isolated from water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) and the virus which displayed a strict genetic and biological relatedness with bovine coronavirus (BCoV) was referred to as bubaline coronavirus (BuCoV). Here, we report the characterisation of four BuCoVs strains identified in the faeces or intestinal contents of water buffalo calves with acute gastroenteritis. Single BuCoV infections were detected in all but one cases from which two clostridia species were also isolated.

Detection of bovine coronavirus using a TaqMan-based real-time RT-PCR assay.

A real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the detection of bovine coronavirus (BCoV) RNA in clinical samples is described. The assay is based on TaqMan technology, consisting of two primers and one probe labeled with the reporter dye 6-carboxyfluorescein that binds selectively to the transmembrane-protein gene of BCoV. The BCoV real-time RT-PCR assay was able to detect the tested BCoV and BCoV-like viruses (canine respiratory coronavirus and bubaline coronavirus), whereas other common viral pathogens of cattle were not recognised by the established oligonucleotide set, thus showing that the test was specific for bovine-like CoVs.

Respiratory disease associated with bovine coronavirus infection in cattle herds in Southern Italy.

Four outbreaks of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) associated with bovine coronavirus (BCoV) infection in Italian cattle herds were reported. In 3 outbreaks, BRD was observed only in 2-3-month-old feedlot calves, whereas in the remaining outbreak, lactating cows, heifers, and calves were simultaneously affected. By using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), BCoV RNA was detected in all outbreaks without evidence of concurrent viral pathogens (i.

In vitro efficacy of ribavirin against canine distemper virus.

Despite vaccination, canine distemper virus (CDV) remains one of the important pathogen of dogs with worldwide distribution. Ribavirin (RIB) inhibits replication of measles virus (MV), a morbillivirus closely related to CDV, both in vitro and in vivo. In this report the antiviral activity of RIB against CDV in cell cultures was assessed.

Severe outbreak of bovine coronavirus infection in dairy cattle during the warmer season.

A severe outbreak of enteric and respiratory disease associated with bovine coronavirus (BCoV) infection is described. The outbreak occurred in a dairy herd of southern Italy in the first decade of September 2006, when summer temperatures were still recorded, affecting calves, heifers and adult cows, with a marked decrease in milk production. By virus isolation and RT-PCR targeting the S gene, BCoV was identified as the etiological agent of the outbreak, whereas bacteriological, parasitological and toxicological investigations failed to detect other causes of disease.

Genotyping canine distemper virus (CDV) by a hemi-nested multiplex PCR provides a rapid approach for investigation of CDV outbreaks.

CDV is a highly contagious viral pathogen causing a lethal systemic disease in dogs and other carnivores. Several lineages or genotypes of CDV exist that are variously distributed throughout several continents. Legal or uncontrolled trading of animals may modify the epidemiology of CDV, introducing novel strains in CDV-naïve areas or accounting for the resurgence of CDV in areas where vaccine prophylaxis was effective and successful to control the disease.

Molecular characterisation of the virulent canine coronavirus CB/05 strain.

This paper characterises a virulent strain (CB/05) of canine coronavirus (CCoV) isolated from the internal organs of pups that had died of a systemic disease without evidence of other common canine pathogens. High viral RNA titres were detected in the internal organs by a real-time RT-PCR assay specific for CCoV type II. Sequence analysis of the 3' end (8.

Detection of canine distemper virus in dogs by real-time RT-PCR.

Canine distemper virus is the etiological agent of a severe disease in dogs and many other carnivores. Clinical diagnosis of canine distemper is difficult due to the broad spectrum of signs that may be confounded with other respiratory and enteric diseases of dogs. Accordingly, a laboratory confirmation is required for suspected cases.