Veterinaria Italiana (Journal)
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Using scenario tree modelling to evaluate the probability of freedom from Enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL) in Italy and Slovenia
Get PDFDocumented freedom from disease is paramount for international free trade of animals and animal products. This study describes a scenario tree analysis to estimate the probability of freedom from Enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL) in Italy and Slovenia using information gathered via the data collection tool developed in the COST action project SOUND-control. Data on EBL control programmes (CPs) from 2018 to 2021 were used to build the models. Since animals are only sampled on the farm, one surveillance system component (SSC) was considered. The posterior probability of freedom (PostPfree) was estimated in time steps of one year, from 2018 to 2021. After each year, the calculated from the previous year, combined with the probability of introduction, was used as a prior probability for the next year. The herd level design prevalence was set to 0.2% in accordance with the Council Directive 64/432/EEC and the within herd design prevalence was set to 15%. As Slovenia implemented a risk-based surveillance, targeting the herds importing cattle, in its model the design herd prevalence was combined with an average adjusted risk to calculate the effective probability of a herd importing cattle being infected. The models were run for 10,000 iterations. Over the study period the mean estimates were: i) for Italy both the surveillance system sensitivity ( SSe) and PostPFree 100%, with no differences between simulations and years, ii) for Slovenia the SSe was 50.5% while the PostPFree was 81.6%
Being prepared for an avian influenza epidemic with a One Health approach: a cartographic study to identify animal carcasses burial sites in central Italy
Get PDFDuring epidemics, pandemics, or animal disease outbreaks, the large-scale disposal of carcasses presents greater environmental and biosecurity challenges. In Europe, disposal through a rendering plant is the preferred option, but the on-site carcasses burial may be authorised due to logistical and economic advantages. This study utilised a comprehensive GIS-based approach and focuses on the challenges and strategies for large-scale carcass disposal, particularly in the context of avian influenza outbreaks in the Lazio Region of Italy. Integrating data from official geospatial sources regarding presence of environmental restrictions and regulations, factors affecting susceptibility to groundwater contamination, factors affecting soil stability over time, potential burial sites were identified. The resulting map provides decision-makers with valuable information for prompt and efficient response during disease outbreaks. The study underscores the importance of a multidisciplinary approach involving veterinarians, epidemiologists, GIS experts, and geologists. Further research and international consensus are essential to standardize the selection of geographic variables/layers to use in similar projects. This study significantly contributes to the preparedness of environment, health and animal/human interface events. 
Computing metrics to inform selection of candidate areas for a regionalized approach to bovine tuberculosis eradication in Ireland.
Get PDFWe describe the computation of metrics to inform the selection of areas for a regionalised approach to bovine tuberculosis eradication in Ireland. Our aim was not to recommend suitable regions but to elucidate the criteria used in metric selection and comment on the diversity of metric values amongst regions. The 26 counties of Ireland were compared using 20 metrics, grouped into five categories: region size and cattle population, herd fragmentation, cattle movement, bovine TB testing, badger population and control. Fragmentation metrics, measuring the proportion of herds with land in at least two counties, varied considerably by county, from 1% to 24 %. Between 25 % and 92 % of moves into herds came from a different county, illustrating the likely disruption in trade that a regionalized approach could entail. Cattle movement networks were combined with a risk model to calculate the proportion of moves which would be deemed risky under a risk-based trading regime and these results were compared to a more traditional approach based on the herd type and test history of each herd, with many fewer moves potentially restricted using the latter approach. We show how correlation between region size and some of the metrics complicates their interpretation
GeoVet 2023 Special Issue
Get PDFFrom 19 to 21 September 2023, the city of Silvi Marina, in the province of Teramo, hosted GeoVet2023, continuing a tradition that, since 2001, has positioned the conference as a global reference for interdisciplinary research at the intersection of geospatial science and veterinary medicine. With the theme “Expanding Boundaries: Interdisciplinary Geospatial Research for the One Health Era”, GeoVet2023 gathered experts from diverse fields to address critical challenges, including the impacts of climate change, human activities, and interactions between domestic and wild animals on veterinary and public health, as well as food safety. GeoVet2023 continued the trajectory set by GeoVet2019, which explored how emerging technologies and data-driven approaches in the Big Data era redefined spatial analysis in animal and public health. The 2023 edition expanded these discussions by incorporating practical applications of real-time data science, artificial intelligence, and decision-making tools, along with social network data, citizen science, and advanced spatio-temporal methods to address challenges posed by climate change and the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. Another key aspect of the conference was the dialogue between scientists and international organizations, pointing out the crucial role of effective communication in bridging research and policymaking. Indeed, in his opening keynote, Marius Gilbert shared lessons from managing the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium, highlighted the challenges related to public communication and underscoring the need for health science literacy, trust, and structured scientific debate.
The scientific program of GeoVet2023 included five keynotes, eight senior presentations, 43 engaging talks, and 50 informative posters, representing 106 research projects in total. The relationships established and the knowledge shared during this conference not only reflect its innovation but also provide a roadmap to guide the progress of interdisciplinary geospatial research and One Health strategies in the years to come.
This special issue of Veterinaria Italiana captures the innovation, integration, and practical applications that characterized the GeoVet2023 conference discussions. Presenting 12 selected studies, it showcases the latest development in spatial epidemiology and geospatial tools, providing solutions for pressing issues such as disease surveillance, antimicrobial resistance, and the impacts of environmental changes on health systems. These studies provide concrete examples of how geospatial research improves veterinary and public health within the One Health framework
Diagnostic evaluation of nested PCR and microscopy for Cryptosporidiosis in goats: can COWP gene based qRT-PCR be useful in assessment of active Cryptosporidial infections?
Get PDFThe present research delved into the transmission patterns, diagnostic methods, molecular traits, and phylogenetic analysis of Cryptosporidium species. The research was undertaken to enhance comprehension of the epidemiology and the potential for zoonotic transmission. A total of 80 goat-kid samples were tested, 7 were confirmed positive by mZN microscopy and 12 by nested-PCR. By PCR, 18SSUrRNA, HSP70, and GP60 amplicons were tested for Cryptosporidium. The restriction enzymes viz., SspI, VspI and MboII were used to genotype 12 Cryptosporidium positive samples by which C. parvum and C. bovis mixed infections were detected. Quantitative reverse transcription real-time PCR was used to transcriptionally screen the COWP-subunit genes to assess the severity of the infection in goat-kids, which showed upregulation of COWP6 and COWP4, while COWP9 and COWP3 genes were downregulated. A silent mutation was found at the codon CCA→CCC, which is being reported for the first time in goat field isolates. Phylogenetic and sequencing analyses confirmed the presence of the anthropozoonotic IIe subtype
Bovine tuberculosis in San Luis Potosi, Mexico: spatial analysis and risk factors
Get PDFA better understanding of the bovine tuberculosis (bTB) spatial distribution and the factors associated with increased risk is required to implement more effective control measures in Mexico. A cross-sectional study based on bTB testing on >1,600 herds in two regions of San Luis Potosi state, Altiplano and Huasteca, during 2018-2021 was conducted for the identification of spatial clustering and of bTB risk factors using the spatial scan statistic test and multivariable logistic regression models. The proportion of herds with at least one reactor was 17.9% in Altiplano and 38.6% in Huasteca, with one high risk cluster (HRC) present in each region. Larger herds (>20 animals) and those included in the HRC were exposed to a significantly increased risk of having at least one reactor in both regions. Given bTB caudal fold test limitations, herd disease freedom median posterior probability was calculated in an empirical Bayesian framework, classifying herds as “likely free” (> 94%) or “inconclusive”, the cluster and regression analysis was repeated, finding similar outcomes. Results demonstrated that certain herds are exposed to higher risk depending on their size and location in both regions, suggesting similar patterns of transmission; these findings can be used to further investigate how the disease spreads in San Luis Potosi
Communication Breakdown – Of Disease Clusters, a Trillium and One Health
Get PDFOne health is based on an interdisciplinary collaboration across professions using a common language. Geographic epidemiology is the study of spatial patterns of population health in a study area. Such spatial patterns (trend, cluster and clustering) require clear definition to be meaningful in science communication. However, the term “disease cluster” has been defined in the literature in various and rather different ways. When geographic epidemiology is unable to make sense of its own concepts it is questionable how respective research results can benefit one health. The goal of this study was to clarify the disease cluster concept.Examples of disease cluster definitions from the literature were used for illustration. The epidemiological triangle of causation (agent, host and environment) was used to conceptualize geographic epidemiological data analysis. The term disease cluster was distinguished from related concepts (clustering, high-risk area, hot spot and outbreak) additionally the semantics and statistical meaning of expectation and prediction were reviewed to further identify the cluster concept as a statistical outlier.The new paradigm of the geographic epidemiological trillium is proposed here and embedded within the spatial generalized linear mixed model to clarify concepts of spatial patterns and guide epidemiological research and teaching
Farm fragmentation in Ireland
Get PDFFarm fragmentation refers to spatial disaggregation of farms into smaller, often highly separated parcels of land. This can create a number of problems; administrative, economic, environmental and epidemiological. Ireland has a high proportion of fragmented farms, although this an issue not unique to Ireland. From a epidemiological perspective, where a farm is heavily fragmented, there is uncertainty in assigning a location to where livestock have spent time on that farm. We explore techniques to quantify the extent and regional variation in fragmentation and the between-fragment distances of fragmented farms in Ireland with the aim of reducing this uncertainty. The findings, which have made available as an online resource, allow for more precision in spatial analyses of bovine populations and help enhance surveillance and field epidemiology
IL PRIMO RILEVAMENTO MOLECOLARE DI ESCHERICHIA COLI PRODUTTORE DI SHIGA TOSSINA IN CANI DELLA SERBIA: UNA POTENZIALE MINACCIA PER LA SALUTE UMANA?
No full textShiga toxin‑producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are considered one of the most significant E. coli pathotypes transmitted by food, causing life‑threatening conditions in children and elderly people. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and determine the prevalence of STEC in dogs in Serbia by conventional PCR method, targeting three major virulence genes (stx1, stx2, and eae). The overall percentage of positive samples was 12.87% (13/101), with the stx2 gene, the more potent of the two toxins, found in all the positive samples. The finding of eae gene in combination with stx genes (8/13) within the same genetic pool implies the potential presence of enterohemorrhagic E. coli or the potential emergence of these strains, considering an efficient mechanism of horizontal transfer of three major virulence genes. Our results also highlight dogs’ lifestyle as a risk factor for STEC colonisation. These E. coli strains, according to our results, are more likely to be found in dogs living outdoors than those kept in house. Due to significant prevalence of STEC in dogs determined in this research and due to close contact between dogs and humans, dogs could be considered a source of human infections
Parassiti gastrointestinali e respiratori nei mammiferi in cattività dello zoo di Rabat, con la prima registrazione di Capillaria spp. nella volpe Fennec (Vulpes zerda)
No full textThe aim of the present study was to broaden the understanding of parasitism in captive wild mammals in Morocco. For this purpose, an investigation on gastrointestinal and respiratory parasites in African mammals from Rabat Zoo was carried out. A total of 47 fecal samples were collected from 30 species from November 2021 to March 2022 and examined macroscopically and microscopically. Parasites were detected in 21 species at a prevalence of 70%, with a parasite positivity rate of 89% in artiodactyls, 50% in perissodactyls, 67% in both carnivores and primates. No parasitic infection was detected in proboscideans. The most frequent infection was by nematodes with a percentage of 50%, followed by both protozoa and mixed infection with a prevalence of 10%. In conclusion, the results demonstrated that parasite prevalence remains high, even in enclosed spaces like zoos. Therefore, in order to ensure animal welfare and staff safety, sanitary measures should be implemented in such facilities, including routine diagnostic tests followed by appropriate treatment