The transmission routes of African swine fever during an outbreak in Serbia July-August 2023: African swine fever virus detections in environmental samples and insects.

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious viral disease of domestic pigs and wild boar () caused by an arbovirus- African swine fever virus (ASFV), which is classified into the family . Even though the main transmission route of ASFV is direct contact between animals and carcasses releasing ASFV into the environment, the role of other transmission routes such as via environmental contamination or insects remains in great part unclear. During an epidemic f ASF in Serbia in 2023, environmental samples (soil, feed, water and swabs from the pig barns), and insects [resulting in collection of adult and/or larval stages of non-biting flies (: and )] were collected in four locations in South Banat district of Serbia.

Evaluation of commercial ELISA kits' diagnostic specificity for FAST diseases in wild animals.

Wild animals, sharing pathogens with domestic animals, play a crucial role in the epidemiology of infectious diseases. Sampling from wild animals poses significant challenges, yet it is vital for inclusion in disease surveillance and monitoring programmes. Often, mass surveillance involves serological screenings using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests, typically validated only for domestic animals.

Cross-sectional serosurvey of selected infectious diseases in wild ruminants in Serbia.

The role of wildlife in maintaining infectious diseases in veterinary medicine is often neglected, although the disease eradication process in domestic animals is continuously affected by the risk of pathogens transmission from wildlife as a primary source. The main aim of this paper was to estimate the prevalence and distribution of selected infectious diseases in wild ruminants in Serbia. In total, 259 sera from wild ruminants were tested for specific antibodies to bluetongue virus, Schmallenberg virus, Bovine viral diarrhea/border disease virus, Capripox virus, West Nile fever virus, Bovine herpes virus-1, Coxiella burnetii, Brucella spp.

Seroprevalence of Viral Enzootic Diseases in Swine Backyard Farms in Serbia.

Contrary to pig farming in developed Western countries, in a large part of the world, pigs are still traditionally kept in small backyard farms, usually for family needs. Their main characteristics are low biosecurity, swill feeding, natural breeding and uncontrolled trade. Given the high number of backyard farms in Serbia and the risk they are thought to pose to intensive pig farming, the main aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of major viral diseases of swine among traditionally kept pigs in small holdings with low biosecurity.

Protoparvovirus carnivoran 1 infection of golden jackals Canis aureus in Serbia.

Parvoviruses are among the major animal pathogens that can cause considerable health disorders ranging from subclinical to lethal in domestic and wild animals. Golden jackal (Canis aureus), an expanding European species, is a reservoir of many pathogens, including vector-borne diseases and zoonoses. Given the importance of parvovirus infections in dogs and cats, this study aimed to unfold the virus prevalence and molecular characterisation in the golden jackal population in Serbia.

Prevalence and genotype distribution of caprine papillomavirus in peripheral blood of healthy goats in farms from three European countries.

Caprine papillomaviruses (ChPVs, Capra hircus papillomaviruses) were detected and quantified for the first time using droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) blood samples of 374 clinically healthy goats from farms located in Italy, Romania, and Serbia. Overall, ddPCR revealed ChPV DNA in 78 of the 374 examined samples, indicating that ~21% of the goats harbored circulating papillomavirus DNA. In particular, in Italian goat farms, ChPV genotypes were detected and quantified in 58 of 157 blood samples (~37%), 11 of 117 samples from Serbian farms (~9.

Retrospective phylogenetic analysis of rabies virus G and N genes from Serbia.

Rabies is a viral disease of the central nervous system of all warm-blooded animals and one of the oldest and most important zoonoses. In the Republic of Serbia, rabies is controlled by compulsory vaccination of dogs and cats and oral vaccination of wild carnivores, which has been implemented since 2010. In the period 2009-2018, 367 rabies cases were recorded.

Patterns of ASFV Transmission in Domestic Pigs in Serbia.

The first case of African swine fever in domestic pigs in Serbia was in 2019. The following year, the disease was confirmed in wild boar. Thenceforth, ASF has been continuously reported in both wild and domestic pigs.

First Molecular Detection of Pneumocystis spp. in the Golden Jackal (Canis aureus).

Forty-six golden jackals (Canis aureus) were collected between November 2020 and February 2021 in five counties of Serbia. Lung samples were screened for the presence of Pneumocystis DNA by pan-Pneumocystis PCR on the mtLSU rRNA gene obtaining PCR products of 370 bp in length. Pneumocystis DNA was detected in the lungs from 6/46 (13.

Morphological and immunophenotypic characteristics of the liver of swine naturally infected with hepatitis E virus.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV), the zoonotic agent of infectious hepatitis, is present in swine farms in different geographical areas. Little is known about the mechanism of liver damage and type of local immune response by HEV in swine. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the morphological and immunophenotypic characteristics of hepatic lesions caused by hepatitis E virus in naturally infected swine.

Molecular characterization of Canine parvovirus type 2 from diarrheic dogs in Serbia from 2008 to 2020.

Canine parvovirus 2 (CPV-2) is the causal agent of canine parvovirosis an infectious disease with the high fatality rate among dogs. However, in Serbia, it has never been investigated thoroughly. This study was conducted on samples collected from dogs with diarrhea in anamnesis, submitted for various reasons to the Institute of Veterinary Medicine of Serbia, and stored in the sample bank.

A subspecies serovar Choleraesuis outbreak in weaned piglets in Serbia: clinical signs, pathologic changes, and microbiologic features.

subspecies serovar Choleraesuis is rarely detected in Europe, but the clinical disease has been reported in wild boars. We describe here the clinical findings, pathologic changes, and microbiologic features of swine salmonellosis caused by serovar Choleraesuis in weaned piglets in Serbia. In April 2019, on a large farrow-to-finish pig farm, increased mortality was reported in weaned piglets, marked by lethargy, anorexia, pyrexia, and respiratory distress.

Investigation of possible aetiological/triggering factors in porcine ear necrosis syndrome at a farrow-to-feeder pig system.

At a commercial farrow-to-feeder pig system with 2,100 sows in Serbia, lesions resembling porcine ear necrosis syndrome were observed in 80% of the weaned pigs at 45-50 days of age. Pathomorphological examinations were carried out on 10 pigs that had been found dead. The gross lesions ranged from mild, superficial dermatitis to severe, deep inflammation with exudation, ulceration and necrosis.

Biochemical, carcass and meat quality alterations associated with different degree of lung lesions in slaughtered pigs.

This study examined the relationship between lung lesion severity and presence of antibodies of various respiratory pathogens, and the effects of lung lesion severity on growth performance, biochemical indicators, total aerobe counts, and carcass and meat quality indicators in total of 240 slaughter pigs originating from two farms with similar rearing conditions. Lung lesion severity was calculated based on the degree of pneumonia and pleurisy in slaughtered pigs. Two-step cluster analysis was used to place individual pigs to four clusters according to pneumonia and pleurisy scores: no lung lesions (cluster 1); mild lung lesions (cluster 2); moderate lung lesions (cluster 3); and severe lung lesions (cluster 4).

Molecular detection and characterization of Porcine Kobuvirus in domestic pigs and wild boars in Serbia.

Porcine Kobuvirus (PKV) infection is very common in pigs throughout the world. Since it has never been investigated in Serbia, to contribute to the knowledge of Porcine Kobuvirus, its role, and distribution, we tested 200 samples from domestic pigs and wild boars. From domestic pigs, 10 fecal, 22 spleen and 68 serum samples, and 100 spleen samples from wild boars were tested.

Seroprevalence of hepatitis E in pigs and wild boars in the region of the city Belgrade.

Introduction: Hepatitis E is considered an emerging human viral disease with many evidences of zoonotic nature of disease, and swine are the main reservoir of HEV. The aim of this study was to determine HEV seroprevalence in commercial pig farms, backyard pigs, slaughtered pigs and wild boars in the region of the city Belgrade.

Methodology: A total of 405 sera samples: 150 samples from 3 commercial pig farms, 70 samples from backyard pigs, 119 samples from slaughtered pigs and 66 samples from wild boars of the region of the city Belgrade, Serbia were analysed by commercial ELISA test.

Identification and genetic characterization of porcine circovirus 3 on pig farms in Serbia.

Backgroud: The presence of PCV3 genome has been detected in pigs affected by different clinical and pathological conditions as well as in healthy animals. Its presence has been reported in many countries of North and South America, Asia and Europe. However, there is no evidence of the presence and genetic characteristics of PCV3 in many European countries and especially the countries of the Balkan Peninsula.

Slaughterline records of various postmortem pathological lesions and their influence on carcass and meat quality in slaughtered pigs.

The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of pathological lesions in pigs from small-scale farms and to determine associations between pathological lesions and hematological parameters, and carcass and meat quality in slaughtered pigs. The study was conducted on 625 pigs (~115 kg) originating from 20 small-scale farms. Any signs of pneumonia, pleurisy, pericarditis, and liver milk spots were recorded as present or absent.

Cardiopulmonary parasitic nematodes of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in Serbia.

Among the wild canids, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is recognised as an important reservoir species for a range of parasites, including cardiopulmonary nematodes of public health and veterinary importance. As cross-host transmission between the red fox and domestic carnivores can play an important role in the epizootiology of cardiopulmonary parasitic diseases, the aim of the present investigations was to obtain data on the geographical distribution of cardiopulmonary nematodes of the red fox. The material for examination consisted of 83 foxes which were legally hunted at different locations during a three-month period from December 2017 to February 2018.

Bovine viral diarrhea virus infection in wild boar.

Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) is one of the most economically important diseases of cattle. With its very high prevalence, cattle kept on pastures become a source of the virus for the wildlife which, due to their susceptibility, then easily can serve as a source for re-infections of cattle. Therefore, we investigated the BVDV infection in Serbian wild boar and assessed the role of wild boar in BVDV epidemiology including possible spreading to domestic species.

Prevalence of Salmonella enterica in slaughtered pigs in Serbia: Serotyping, PFGE-genotyping and antimicrobial resistance.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Salmonella along the slaughter line and to identify possible critical control points in one slaughterhouse facility located in the city of Belgrade.

Methodology: In total, 700 samples were tested: two swabs from both sides of carcass were taken from each of 100 pigs. In this way, 200 pig skin swab samples were taken after stunning, 200 after processing and 200 after chilling.

Prevalence of Bovine herpesvirus type 4 in aborting dairy cows.

Bovine herpesvirus type 4 (BHV-4) is related to many different conditions: infertility, postpartal metritis, vulvovaginitis, mastitis, encephalitis, calf pneumonia, keratoconjunctivitis, cutaneous lesions, digital dermatitis and abortion. In this study a retrospective PCR examination of 100 extracted DNA samples from aborting cows was performed in order to determine: prevalence of BHV-4 in abortive cattle, whether coinfections BHV-4 with other abortifacient pathogens are present in the same sample and to determine the month of gestation when BHV-4 associated abortions were detected. Out of 100 examined samples, the BHV-4 genome was detected in 21 samples (21%).

Retrospective Analysis of Bacterial and Viral Co-Infections in Pneumocystis spp. Positive Lung Samples of Austrian Pigs with Pneumonia.

Aim of this study was the retrospective investigation of viral (porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), torque teno sus virus type 1 and 2 (TTSuV1, TTSuV2)) and bacterial (Bordetella bronchiseptica (B. b.), Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M.

Association between Pneumocystis spp. and co-infections with Bordetella bronchiseptica, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and Pasteurella multocida in Austrian pigs with pneumonia.

In this retrospective study, 218 pig lung tissue samples were analyzed to examine a possible association between Pneumocystis spp. using in situ hybridization, Bordetella bronchiseptica (B.b.