Publications by authors named "Prosperi A"

West Nile virus (WNV) is one of the most threatening mosquito-borne pathogens in Italy where hundreds of human cases were recorded during the last decade. Here, we estimated the WNV incidence in the avian population in the Emilia-Romagna region through a modelling framework which enabled us to eventually assess the fraction of birds that present anti-WNV antibodies at the end of each epidemiological season. We fitted an SIR model to ornithological data, consisting of 18,989 specimens belonging to Corvidae species collected between 2013 and 2022: every year from May to November birds are captured or shot and tested for WNV genome presence.

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is diffused worldwide, and subsp. is spread worldwide with many serovars associated with the infection of domestic bovines. The most spread are .

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Article Synopsis
  • Salmonellosis in dairy cattle is rising in Italy, impacting public and animal health, yet there's currently no control plan for dairy farms.
  • A study focused on a Bredeney outbreak in a dairy farm detailed the infection spread, environmental contamination, and management measures taken, revealing that 48% of calf samples and 33% of environmental samples tested positive.
  • The implementation of a health management plan helped control the outbreak, resulting in all follow-up samples being negative, showcasing the effectiveness of collaboration and indirect prophylactic measures in managing Salmonella outbreaks in complex farming environments.
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In recent years, the growth of wild ungulates has increased the focus on their health monitoring. In particular, the health status of wild boars is relevant for the economic impact on the pig industry. The Emilia-Romagna region activated a wildlife monitoring plan to better evaluate the health status of the wild boar population.

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is one of the most spread foodborne pathogens worldwide, and infections in humans still represent a global health burden. The main source of infections in humans is represented by contaminated animal-derived foodstuffs, with pork products being one of the most important players. infection in swine is critical not only because it is one of the main causes of economic losses in the pork industry, but also because pigs can be infected by several serovars, potentially contaminating the pig meat production chain and thus posing a significant threat to public health globally.

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Paratuberculosis is a notable infectious disease of ruminants. Goats appear to be particularly susceptible. The survey aimed to investigate the spread of paratuberculosis in Italian goat farming and evaluate whether the presence of the disease could be influenced by welfare and biosecurity deficiencies.

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Background: Riboflavin deficiency can lead to premature farrowing, stillborn piglets, weak-born piglets and neonatal death. Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is considered essential for reproductive function. The longer the period on riboflavin-deficient diets, the more severe the clinical signs become.

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Background: Nowadays, body and tail lesions and respiratory disease are some of the greatest problems affecting the health and welfare of pigs. The aim of the study was to measure the prevalence of pleurisy, bronchopneumonia (enzootic pneumonia like lesions) and lesions on tail and body of heavy pigs subjected or not to tail docking through the inspection in Italian abattoirs. Additionally, the effect of tail docking and season was investigated on carcass quality (weight, % of lean meat, and Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) classification).

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Influenza A viruses (IAV) have been repeatedly demonstrated to circulate in wild suid populations. In this study, serum samples were collected from 2618 free-ranging wild boars in a protected area of Northern Italy between 2007 and 2014, and firstly screened by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the presence of antibodies against IAV. The ELISA-positive samples were further tested by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assays performed using antigen strains representative of the four major swine IAV (sIAV) lineages circulating in Italy: avian-like swine H1N1, pandemic-like swine H1N1, human-like swine H1N2 and human-like swine H3N2.

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(group B Streptococcus, GBS) is a causative agent of mastitis in dairy cattle, mainly causing a subclinical disease associated with a high somatic cell count (SCC), and a consequent decrease in production yield and quality of milk. GBS has been almost eradicated in many Northern European countries, but there are warnings of its re-emergence as a zoonotic threat. In Italy, only two regions carry out a GBS control program: Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna.

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A systematic surveillance against influenza A viruses (IAVs) in the population is essential, considering their role as IAV mixing vessels. However, the viral circulation in wild species is poorly investigated in comparison to the knowledge of IAV infection dynamics in domestic pigs. This study investigated the circulation and the genetic diversity of wild boars' IAVs detected in the Emilia-Romagna region (2017-2022).

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Article Synopsis
  • - Swine are crucial for the ecology of influenza A viruses, acting as mixing vessels for various strains, with H1N1, H3N2, and H1N2 being prevalent globally.
  • - A study in Northern Italy analyzed 672 IAV-positive samples from pig farms (2017-2020) and found high genetic diversity in H1N1 and H1N2 strains, while H3N2 showed stability in its genetic patterns.
  • - Notable changes included increasing variability in HA-1C strains and the discovery of an antigenic variant cluster in HA-1A strains in 2020, highlighting the need for ongoing surveillance due to the potential zoonotic risks of these evolving viruses.
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(group B , GBS) is one of the most important agents of bovine mastitis and causes remarkable direct and indirect economic losses to the livestock sector. Moreover, this species can cause severe human diseases in susceptible individuals. To investigate the zoonotic potential of , 203 sympatric isolates from both humans and cattle, isolated in the same time frame (2018) and in the same geographic area (Emilia Romagna region, Northern Italy), were characterized by molecular capsular typing (MCT), pilus island typing (PI), and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST).

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  • A cauliflower-like lesion was removed from a sheep's udder and identified as a papilloma through histological examination.
  • The presence of bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1) was confirmed using PCR and Next Generation Sequencing, although no papillomavirus particles were detected through electron microscopy.
  • The findings highlight that BPVs can infect different species and cause distinct lesions, differing from those seen in sarcoids.
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  • * An investigation into bTB outbreaks occurred among three dairy herds in Parma, Italy, which is officially free of bTB, revealing no positive animals in routine tests conducted every three years.
  • * Finding tubercular lesions during post-mortem examinations of slaughtered cattle underscores the necessity of veterinary inspections, highlighting the risk of undetected infections even in regions claimed to be free of bTB.
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  • Influenza D virus (IDV) has been increasingly found globally, with cattle being the primary carriers and three genetic clusters identified: D/OK, D/660, and D/Japan.
  • A study in Northern Italy from early 2018 to mid-2019 detected IDV in 74 out of 725 bovine farms, revealing the presence of the D/660 strain, which was previously unknown in Europe.
  • A unique reassortant strain was also found, indicating diverse IDV genetic patterns, emphasizing the importance of ongoing monitoring to understand IDV's spread and impacts on cattle health.
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Antimicrobial resistance is increasing within the porcine industry with consequential high impact on human health, leading to a need for new antimicrobials. Lately, the scientific community has turned its interest towards natural compounds, and different essential oils have been tested on spermatozoa for preliminary assessment of toxicity before considering them as good substitutes for standard antibiotics. The aim of the present work was to investigate the potential antimicrobial effect of Melaleuca alternifolia and Rosmarinus officinalis essential oils, already evaluated for toxicity, on swine artificial insemination doses deprived of spermatozoa and stored at 16 °C for 5 days.

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Pestiviruses are distributed worldwide and are responsible for a variety of economically important diseases. They are not very host-specific, and thus sheep can be infected by well-known pestiviruses like bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) and border disease virus (BDV), as well as by other recently discovered pestivirus species. The aim of this study is to describe the isolation and characterization of four pestivirus strains detected in aborted lamb fetuses from a single farm in the Brescia province (Northern Italy).

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Interest in bat-related viruses has increased considerably during the last decade, leading to the discovery of a rising number of new viruses in several bat species. are a large, diverse family of DNA viruses that can infect a wide range of vertebrates and invertebrates. To date, only a few documented detections of poxviruses have been described in bat populations on three different continents (America, Africa, and Australia).

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Adenoviruses are important pathogens of humans and animals. Bats have been recognized as potential reservoirs of novel viruses, with some viruses being regarded as a possible zoonotic threat to humans. In this study, we report the detection and analysis of adenoviruses from different bat species in northern Italy.

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  • This study examined the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in 481 dogs across four rural veterinary clinics in South Africa, finding a 41.50% infection rate.
  • The main types of Campylobacter identified were C. jejuni (29.31%), C. upsaliensis (13.10%), and C. coli (5.41%), with some dogs carrying multiple species.
  • Factors like age and clinic location were linked to the occurrence of Campylobacter spp., with older dogs and Staffordshire bull terriers being at higher risk, suggesting these dogs could pose a health risk to nearby humans.
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In February 2019, following the annual taxon ratification vote, the order Mononegavirales was amended by the addition of four new subfamilies and 12 new genera and the creation of 28 novel species. This article presents the updated taxonomy of the order Mononegavirales as now accepted by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV).

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Porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV), belongs to the genus Alphacoronavirus in the family Coronaviridae and causes severe diarrhoea, vomiting, dehydration and high mortality in seronegative newborn piglets. Thus, a precise and rapid diagnosis of PEDV infection is important for the application of control measures to limit viral dissemination. In this investigation, a monoclonal antibodies (MAbs)-based competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detecting antibodies against PEDV was developed and validated.

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Background: Rhabdoviridae is one of the most ecologically diverse families of RNA viruses which can infect a wide range of vertebrates and invertebrates. Bats, among mammals, are pointed to harbor a significantly higher proportion of unknown or emerging viruses with zoonotic potential. Herein, we report the isolation of a novel rhabdovirus, detected in the framework of a virological survey on bats implemented in North Italy.

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After Publication of the article [1], it has been brought to our attention that an author's name has been spelt incorrectly. The correct spelling should be "Massimo Ciccozzi", but it was previously included as "Massimo Cicozzi". The original version has now been revised to reflect this.

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