Detection of Brucella canis in a dog in Italy.

Brucella spp. is a worldwide zoonotic pathogen. Infection by Brucella canis in dogs is endemic in the Southern USA and in Central and South America, but it appears sporadically in other parts of the world, including Europe. Tissue samples from a dog with chronic prostatitis, discospondylitis and locomotor problems were subjected to clinical and laboratory examinations. B. canis was detected by PCR in biological fluids and tissues of the animal, while antibodies to B. canis were found in the serum, providing additional strong evidence for the circulation of B. canis in Italy.

Methicillin-resistant coagulase negative staphylococci isolated from horses.

A methicillin-resistant (MR) Staphylococcus epidermidis strain was isolated from a saddle horse affected by osteolysis. MR coagulase-negative staphylococci (MRCNS) were isolated from 11 of 14 (78.8%) horses housed in the same riding club. By typing of the SCCmec region, almost the strains displayed a non typeable (NT) pattern and possessed the ccr type 2. Altogether, the high prevalence of MRCNS and the detection of NT SCCmec types support the hypothesis that horses may represent a reservoir of MRCNS for humans and that equine MRCNS may act as potential source of resistance genes for other staphylococci.

Detection and molecular characterization of a canine norovirus.

We identified a novel calicivirus in a pup with enteritis. The isolate was related genetically (90.1% aa identity in the capsid protein) to a lion norovirus strain.

Respiratory disease associated with bovine coronavirus infection in cattle herds in Southern Italy.

Four outbreaks of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) associated with bovine coronavirus (BCoV) infection in Italian cattle herds were reported. In 3 outbreaks, BRD was observed only in 2-3-month-old feedlot calves, whereas in the remaining outbreak, lactating cows, heifers, and calves were simultaneously affected. By using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), BCoV RNA was detected in all outbreaks without evidence of concurrent viral pathogens (i.e., bovine respiratory syncytial virus, bovine herpesvirus type 1, bovine viral diarrhea virus, bovine parainfluenza virus). Common bacteria of cattle were recovered only from 2 outbreaks of BRD: Staphylococcus spp. and Proteus mirabilis (outbreak 1) and Mannheimia haemolytica (outbreak 4). A recently established real-time RT-PCR assay showed that viral RNA loads in nasal secretions ranged between 3.10 x 10(2) and 7.50 x 10(7) RNA copies/microl of template. Bovine coronavirus was isolated from respiratory specimens from all outbreaks except outbreak 1, in which real-time RT-PCR found very low viral titers in nasal swabs.

Long-term immunogenicity and protection against Mycoplasma agalactiae induced by an oil adjuvant vaccine in sheep.

The long-term protective immunity of an inactivated mineral-oil adjuvanted Mycoplasma agalactiae vaccine was evaluated in sheep. The antigen suspension was emulsified with a mixture of three mineral oils (Montanide ISA-563, Marcol-52, Montane-80 at the ratio of 30%, 63%, and 7%, respectively). Twenty-two animals were divided in 2 groups (A and B) and immunised with two doses of the vaccine (group A, n=14) or used as unvaccinated control (group B, n=8). Five months after the second vaccination, seven animals of group A and four animals of group B were challenged by nasal route with M. agalactiae. The remaining seven vaccinated and four control animals were challenged intranasally eight months after vaccination. The vaccine was able to induce a full-protective immunity preventing the clinical signs of contagious agalactia and the infection by M. agalactiae in all groups of animals irrespective of the time of challenge after booster administration.