Publications by authors named "Matteo Crotta"

In accordance with the EFSA Strategy 2027 outlining the need for fit-for-purpose protocols for EFSA generic scientific assessments, the EFSA Panel on Plant Health (PLH Panel) developed standard protocols to harmonise the problem formulation process and outputs for mandates addressing recurrent scientific questions. Three types of recurring EFSA plant health mandates require generic scientific assessments: (i) pest categorisation; (ii) commodity risk assessment for the purpose of derogation to provisions of the EU plant health law and (iii) quantitative pest risk assessment. The three standard protocols are tailored to the appropriate level of detail and build on the existing guidance documents laying out the methods for conducting risk assessment in the plant health domain.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Plant Health performed a quantitative risk assessment for the EU of (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), a polyphagous pest occurring in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The current risk assessment focused on potential pathways for entry, the climatic conditions allowing establishment, the expected spread capacity and the impact considering a time horizon of 10 years (2023-2032). The Panel identified the import of apples, cut flowers and table grapes as the most relevant entry pathways.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Qualitative frameworks are widely employed to tackle urgent animal or public health issues when data are scarce and/or urgent decisions need to be made. In qualitative models, the degree of belief regarding the probabilities of the events occurring along the risk pathway(s) and the outcomes is described in nonnumerical terms, typically using words such as Low, Medium, or High. The main methodological challenge, intrinsic in qualitative models, relates to performing mathematical operations and adherence to the rule of probabilities when probabilities are nonnumerical.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Nontyphoidal Salmonella is one of the major causes of self-limiting diarrheal disease and the most common foodborne pathogen worldwide. It is an important contributor to the burden of foodborne illness in South America, including Peru, where chicken and pork are important vehicles for Salmonella infection. Salmonella infections are underreported, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where concerted action tackling Salmonella along the chicken and pork chains, from primary production to retail, is urgently needed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Plant Health performed a quantitative risk assessment for the EU of (Mayet) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), a polyphagous thrips, regarded as a tropical/subtropical pest occurring in several countries of Africa, South America, Asia and in the EU in Cyprus. The current risk assessment focused on potential pathways for entry, the climatic conditions allowing establishment, the expected spread capacity and the impact considering a time horizon of 10 years (2023-2032). The Panel identified the import of cut roses, persimmons, table grapes, as well as plants for planting of the genera and from third countries and those of (avocado) from Israel as the most relevant entry pathways to consider.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Plant Health performed a quantitative pest risk assessment to assess whether the import of cut roses provides a pathway for the introduction of (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) into the EU. The assessment was limited to the entry and establishment steps. A pathway model was used to assess how many individuals would survive and emerge as adults from commercial or household wastes in an EU NUTS2 region climatically suitable in a specific season.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Johne's disease (JD) is a chronic disease of ruminants endemic in the UK and other countries and responsible for large economic losses for the dairy sector. JD is caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), which typically infects calves that remain latently infected during a long period, making early detection of infection challenging. Cow to calf transmission can occur in-utero, via milk/colostrum or faecal-orally.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7, a significant food and waterborne pathogen, was first isolated in Peru’s Central Highlands using standardized culture and PCR methods.
  • The pathogen was found in 3.5% of beef samples and 6% of dairy calves, indicating a potential health risk in the area, especially due to the presence of virulence genes.
  • Increased surveillance in livestock and related products is necessary to assess the impact of STEC O157:H7 and address its role in past outbreaks reported to the Peruvian Ministry of Health between 2010 and 2020.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Plant Health performed a risk assessment of the citrus fruit midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), an oligophagous species, which feeds on fruits of spp., and is reported from China. The pest was temporarily regulated in October 2022 (Regulation (EU) 2022/1941, under Art.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Invasive Alien Species (IAS), i.e. species introduced by humans outside their natural geographic range, may act as host or vectors of pathogens of both human and animal health relevance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Increases in temperature and extreme weather events due to global warming can create an environment that is beneficial to mosquito populations, changing and possibly increasing the suitable geographical range for many vector-borne diseases. West Nile Virus (WNV) is a flavivirus, maintained in a mosquito-avian host cycle that is usually asymptomatic but can cause primarily flu-like symptoms in human and equid accidental hosts. In rare circumstances, serious disease and death are possible outcomes for both humans and horses.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

High-pressure processing (HPP) is a non-thermal treatment in which, for microbial inactivation, foods are subjected to isostatic pressures (P) of 400-600 MPa with common holding times (t) from 1.5 to 6 min. The main factors that influence the efficacy (log reduction of vegetative microorganisms) of HPP when applied to foodstuffs are intrinsic (e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Seroprevalence data for Toxoplasma gondii and Hepatitis E virus (HEV) in wild boar (Sus scrofa), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), red deer (Cervus elaphus), mouflon (Ovis aries/musimon) and chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) hunted/culled in northern Italy were used to fit seroprevalence distributions describing the exposure and co-exposure of the species to the two pathogens. The higher proportion of T. gondii and HEV seropositive animals was observed in wild boars with point estimate seroprevalence of 49% (N = 331) and 15% (N = 326) respectively.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The 2011 EFSA opinion on was updated using more recent scientific data. The relative risk reduction in EU human campylobacteriosis attributable to broiler meat was estimated for on-farm control options using Population Attributable Fractions (PAF) for interventions that reduce flock prevalence, updating the modelling approach for interventions that reduce caecal concentrations and reviewing scientific literature. According to the PAF analyses calculated for six control options, the mean relative risk reductions that could be achieved by adoption of each of these six control options individually are estimated to be substantial but the width of the confidence intervals of all control options indicates a high degree of uncertainty in the specific risk reduction potentials.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Taenia saginata cysticercus is the larval stage of the zoonotic parasite Taenia saginata, with a life-cycle involving both cattle and humans. The public health impact is considered low. The current surveillance system, based on post-mortem inspection of carcasses has low sensitivity and leads to considerable economic burden.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) models are extensively applied to inform management of a broad range of food safety risks. Inevitably, QMRA modeling involves an element of simplification of the biological process of interest. Two features that are frequently simplified or disregarded are the pathogenicity of multiple strains of a single pathogen and consumer behavior at the household level.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Foodborne disease as a result of raw milk consumption is an increasing concern in Western countries. Quantitative microbial risk assessment models have been used to estimate the risk of illness due to different pathogens in raw milk. In these models, the duration and temperature of storage before consumption have a critical influence in the final outcome of the simulations and are usually described and modeled as independent distributions in the consumer phase module.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: fopen(/var/lib/php/sessions/ci_sessionfk1vh0hu33escq3r45lanm8l3l0vb5kv): Failed to open stream: No space left on device

Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php

Line Number: 177

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: session_start(): Failed to read session data: user (path: /var/lib/php/sessions)

Filename: Session/Session.php

Line Number: 137

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once