Long-term persistence of neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in pets.

We monitored the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 antibody response in seven dogs and two cats by using two multispecies ELISA tests, plaque reduction neutralisation test and virus neutralization. SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in pets persisted up to 10 months since the first positive testing, thus replicating observations in COVID-19 human patients.

Identification and characterization of Orf viruses isolated from sheep and goats in Southern Italy.

Orf virus (ORFV; Family: Poxviridae) is the causative agent of contagious ecthyma, or Orf disease in sheep, goats and other domestic or wild ruminants with a worldwide distribution. The disease is endemic in Italy, but few data are available about its distribution and epidemiology. In the present study we analysed 32 clinical samples, obtained from crusted scab lesions of 5 goats and 27 sheep, from 19 suspected outbreaks of contagious ecthyma in Apulia and Basilicata regions between 2012 and 2014.

Identification and genetic characterization of equine hepaciviruses in Italy.

Viruses similar to human hepatitis C virus, hepaciviruses, have been identified in various animal species. Equine hepacivirus (EqHV) is the closest relative of human hepaciviruses. Although detected worldwide, information on EqHV epidemiology, genetic diversity and pathogenicity is still limited.

Development of a TaqMan assay for sensitive detection of all pestiviruses infecting cattle, including the emerging HoBi-like strains.

A real-time RT-PCR assay based on the TaqMan technology was developed for rapid and sensitive detection of pestiviruses infecting cattle, i.e., bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) 1, BVDV-2, and the emerging HoBi-like pestiviruses.

Mucosal disease-like syndrome in a calf persistently infected by Hobi-like pestivirus.

A calf persistently infected with Hobi-like pestivirus displayed severe clinical signs and subsequently died. Gross lesions and histopathological changes were suggestive of hemorrhagic and necrotic inflammation involving several tissues. A Hobi-like pestivirus pair was isolated from the dead calf, i.

Persistent infection caused by Hobi-like pestivirus.

A calf persistently infected by Hobi-like pestivirus was monitored for about 6 months, displaying clinical signs typical of bovine viral diarrhea virus persistent infection and shedding the virus through all body secretions, with maximal titers detected in urine. This report provides new insights into the pathogenesis of the emerging pestivirus.

Equine meningo-encephalitis caused by Halicephalobus gingivalis: a case report observed during West Nile disease surveillance activities.

A seven-year-old horse was euthanised after exhibiting a severe and rapidly progressive neurological disorder. Tissue samples were despatched to the Italian Reference Centre for Animal Foreign Diseases (Istituto 'G. Caporale' in Teramo) for diagnosis.

Comparison of the cross-antibody response induced in sheep by inactivated bovine viral diarrhoea virus 1 and Hobi-like pestivirus.

Hobi-like pestivirus, a new tentative species within genus Pestivirus, was firstly detected in foetal bovine serum batches and later associated to respiratory distress and reproductive failures in cattle. In the present study, the cross-antibody response between bovine viral diarrhoea virus 1 (BVDV-1) and the emerging pestivirus was evaluated in the sheep model. Ten sheep were immunised against BVDV-1 or Hobi-like pestivirus using inactivated preparations and the induced antibody responses were evaluated against the homologous and heterologous viruses.

An outbreak of equine influenza virus in vaccinated horses in Italy is due to an H3N8 strain closely related to recent North American representatives of the Florida sub-lineage.

In December 2005, equine influenza virus infection was confirmed as the cause of clinical respiratory disease in vaccinated horses in Apulia, Italy. The infected horses had been vaccinated with a vaccine that contained strains representatives from both the European (A/eq/Suffolk/89) and American (A/eq/Newmarket/1/93) H3N8 influenza virus lineages, and the H7N7 strain A/eq/Praga/56. Genetic characterization of the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes of the virus from the outbreak, indicated that the isolate (A/eq/Bari/2005) was an H3N8 strain closely related to recent representatives (Kentucky/5/02-like) of the American sub-lineage Florida, that was introduced in Italy through movement of infected horses from a large outbreak described in 2003 in United Kingdom.

Identification of a feline coronavirus type I strain from a cat with feline infectious peritonitis by RT-pCR and phylogenetic analysis.

A case of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) in an 11-month-old European shorthair cat is reported. The infected cat displayed loss of weight, respiratory distress, ascitis, anemia and died within 15 days after the first appearance of clinical signs. Lesions typical of a mixed form (effusive and non-effusive) of FIP were observed and by RT-PCR a feline coronavirus (FCoV) type I strain was detected in several tissues.

Genotype-specific fluorogenic RT-PCR assays for the detection and quantitation of canine coronavirus type I and type II RNA in faecal samples of dogs.

Two genotype-specific fluorogenic RT-PCR assays were developed for the detection and quantitation of canine coronavirus (CCoV) type I and type II RNA in the faeces of dogs with diarrhoea. Both the fluorogenic assays showed high specificity, sensitivity and reproducibility, allowing a precise quantitation of CCoV type I and type II RNA over a linear range of about eight orders of magnitude (from 10(1) to 10(8) copies of standard RNA). Comparison with genotype-specific gel-based RT-PCR assays revealed that the fluorogenic assays were more sensitive and more rapid than conventional amplifications, with a large increase in throughput.