Lessons Learned from Active Clinical and Laboratory Surveillance during the Sheep Pox Virus Outbreak in Spain, 2022-2023.

In September 2022, more than 50 years after its eradication from Spain, Sheep pox virus was confirmed by laboratory analysis in sheep showing characteristic lesions. This was the start of an outbreak that lasted 9 months and infected 30 farms dispersed over two different areas, Andalusia and Castilla-La Mancha. Early after the initial confirmation, an active surveillance based on clinical inspection with laboratory confirmation of sheep with clinical signs was started in restricted areas. This allowed the confirmation of Sheep pox in 22 out of 28 suspected farms, where limited numbers of sheep with mainly erythema and papules were found, indicative of early detection. Nevertheless, to improve active surveillance and stop the outbreak, clinical inspection was reinforced by laboratory analysis in all inspected farms, even when no clinically diseased sheep were detected. Although more than 35,000 oral swabs from 335 farms were analysed by real-time PCR in pools of five, only two out of six reported outbreaks in this period were detected by laboratory analysis before clinical signs were observed. Furthermore, additional insights were gained from the extensive laboratory surveillance performed on samples collected under field conditions. No evidence of Sheep pox virus infection was found in goats. Oral swabs proved to be the sample of choice for early detection in the absence of scabs and could be tested in pools of five without extensive loss in sensitivity; serology by ELISA was not useful in outbreak detection. Finally, a non-infectious genome of the virus could be detected months after cleaning and disinfection; thus, real-time PCR results should be interpreted with caution in sentinel animals during repopulation. In conclusion, the outbreak of Sheep pox virus in Spain showed that active clinical inspection with laboratory confirmation of clinically diseased sheep via oral swab testing proved a sensitive method for detection of infected farms, providing insights in laboratory surveillance that will be helpful for other countries confronted with Sheep pox outbreaks.

Autochthonous Wheat Grown in Organic and Conventional Systems: Nutritional Quality of Flour and Bread.

A growing interest in the recovery and enhancement of crops, particularly local varieties such as 'Caaveiro' wheat, has been observed. This study aims to investigate the impact of cultivation systems (organic versus conventional) on the nutritional quality of 'Caaveiro' flour and breads protected by the PGI "Pan Galego," employing two fermentation methods (sourdough versus sourdough and biological yeast). Organic flour exhibited significantly higher levels of moisture, fat, sucrose, phosphorus (P), sodium (Na), and copper (Cu) while also exhibiting a lower total starch and zinc (Zn) content. Organic bread, produced using both fermentation methods, demonstrated significantly higher protein, carbohydrate, total, resistant, and rapidly digestible starch, ash, Na, P, iron (Fe), and Cu content. Additionally, they contained less moisture compared to conventional bread. Despite variations in nutritional characteristics based on the cultivation system, the organic approach proved effective at producing high-quality products with a positive environmental impact, which is highly appreciated by consumers.

Element Content in Different Wheat Flours and Bread Varieties.

The most consumed cereal-based product worldwide is bread. "Caaveiro", an autochthonous variety with a recent growing interest, is one of the wheat varieties that fulfill the 25% local flour requirement in the PGI "Pan Galego" bread baking industry. The element content of the refined wheat flours used to make "Pan Galego" (''Caaveiro'', FCv; Castilla, FC; and a mixture of both, FM) was evaluated in ICP-MS. In addition, wholegrain flour (FWM) was included in the analysis. Loaves of bread were made with these flours (a, 100% FC; b, 100% FCv); and c, FM: 75% FC + 25% FCv) and their element content was analyzed. Wholegrain flour ranked the highest in almost all elements, highlighting the P (494.80 mg/100 g), while the FM and the FC presented the opposite behavior, with the highest Se values (14.4 and 15.8 mg/100 g, respectively). FCv was situated in an intermediate position regarding P, K, Mg, Mn, Zn, Fe and Na content, standing closer to FWM, although it presents the highest values for Cu (1076.3 µg/100 g). The differences observed in flour were maintained in bread. Hence, the local cultivar ''Caaveiro'' has an interesting nutritional profile from the point of view of the element content.