Livestock Health and Food Chain Risk Assessment.

The EUFORA fellowship programme 'Livestock Health and Food Chain Risk Assessment' was proposed by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), a British governmental institution responsible for safeguarding animal and plant health in the UK. The working programme, which was organised into four different modules, covered a wide range of aspects related to risk assessment including identification of emerging risks, risk prioritisation methods, scanning surveillance, food production exposure assessment and import risk assessment of animal and human infectious diseases. Over the course of the year, the Fellow had the opportunity to work for international projects with experts in these disciplines. This allowed for significant opportunities to 'learn-by-doing' the methods and the techniques that are employed to assess animal health and food safety risks. Moreover, he consolidated his knowledge by attending several training courses and academic lessons, submitting scientific papers to peer-reviewed journals and conferences, giving presentations and using modelling software.

Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of salmonella in European wild boar (Sus scrofa); Latium Region - Italy.

The prevalence of Salmonella spp. infection was determined in 499 wild boars harvested during the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 hunting seasons in the Latium Region of Italy. We conducted a microbiological assessment on faeces collected at slaughter and we examined serum samples for the presence of antibodies to Salmonella spp. by ELISA assay. Out of 383 serum samples examined, 255 (66.5%) were positive for Salmonella spp. antibodies. Overall, 10.8% (54/499) of the animals were positive by microbiological assessment. The Salmonellae most frequently isolated were S. enterica subsp. salamae II (24%), S. enterica subsp. Diarizonae III b (12.9%), S. enterica subsp. houtenae IV (11.1%) and S. Fischerhuette (7.4%); less common Salmonella isolates included S. Veneziana (5.5%), S. Napoli (5.5%), S. Kottbus (5.5%), S. Thompson (5.5%), S. enterica subsp. arizonae III a (3.7%), S. Toulon (3.7%), S. Burgas (1.8%), S. Tennelhone (1.8%), S. Ferruch (1.8%), S. choleraesuis (1.8%), S. Paratyphi (1.8%), S. Stanleyville (1.8%), S. Typhimurium (1.8%) and S. enterica subsp. enterica 4,5,12:1:- (1.8%). These isolates were tested against 16 antimicrobial agents and exhibited resistance to sulphonamides (92.5%), sulphonamides and thrimetroprim (14.8%), colistin (14.8%), streptomycin (18.5%), gentamycin (5.5%), tetracycline (5.5%), ceftiofur (3.7%), cefazoline (1.8%), cefotaxime (1.8%), nalidixic acid (1.8%), amoxicillin and clavulanic acid (1.8%) and ampicillin (3.7%). Our data, the first collected on this species in Italy, suggest that European wild boars are frequent carriers of antimicrobial-resistant Salmonellae and are likely involved in the transmission of antimicrobial resistance throughout the environment.

Giardia and Cryptosporidium in water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis).

A cross-sectional survey of Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium parvum infection in the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) was carried out in central Italy. A geographical information system (GIS) was constructed utilizing as data-layers the topographic base map and the digital aerial photographs of the study area, as well as the geo-referenced points of all the buffalo farms. The survey was conducted on a sample of 90 farms, selected using a grid approach followed by proportional allocation. For this purpose, a grid representing quadrants of 5 x 5 km was overlaid on the study area within the GIS. As a result, the study area was divided in equal quadrants, and the number of farms sampled in each quadrant was proportional to the total number of study population in that quadrant. On each farm, faecal samples were collected per rectum from three to five asymptomatic buffalo calves, aged from 1 to 9 weeks. The total number of faecal samples collected was 347. Each faecal sample was tested for the presence of copro-antigens of G. duodenalis and of C. parvum using two commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Out of the 90 farms, 27 (30.0%) resulted positive for G. duodenalis and 22 (24.4%) for C. parvum. Co-infection was found in ten (11.1%) farms. With respect to animals, out of the 347 faecal samples, 63 (18.1%) were found to have antigens of G. duodenalis and 51 (14.7%) of C. parvum. Co-infection was found in ten buffalo calves (2.9%). The results of the logistic regression models showed a positive association between the positivity to G. duodenalis and the presence of sheep on farm and between the positivity to C. parvum and the high number of buffaloes on farms. No significant co-infection between the two protozoa was found. In conclusion, the findings of the present study, derived from a systematic territorial survey planned with GIS, are noteworthy because they provided additional data on C. parvum and the first evidence of G. duodenalis infection in water buffaloes.

Presence of papillomavirus-like DNA sequences in cutaneous fibropapillomas of the goat udder.

Papillomatous lesions were isolated from the mammary skin of goats and examined for evidence of papillomavirus (PV) infection by various criteria, including gross morphology, histology and DNA hybridization. Although some lesions showed gross papillomatous morphological and histological features similar to those caused by papillomavirus in other species, no viral particles were detected. Reverse slot hybridization revealed cross-hybridization between DNA extracted from goat mammary papillomas and human papillomaviruses (HPV). Southern blot, using ovine papillomavirus (OPV) and bovine papillomavirus type 5 (BPV 5) DNA probes under conditions of reduced stringency (Tm -40 degrees C), detected homologous sequences in 40% of the biopsies. DNA fragments corresponding probably to a monomeric form (7000-8000 bp) of an unknown papillomavirus genome were detected. This study provides evidence for the existence of papillomavirus-like sequences in caprine mammary papillomas and suggests that a papillomavirus is likely to be involved in the development of precancerous lesions of goat mammary skin.

Occurrence of Salmonella in swine in the Latium Region (central Italy) from 1980 to 1989: a retrospective study.

An extensive survey was carried out on 849 biological samples (dead animals, organs and viscera, faeces, and rectal swabs) from pigs in the Latium Region (Central Italy) throughout the years 1980-1989. In total, 46 of the samples (5.4%) were found to be bacteriologically positive for salmonellae. Among dead animals, typical gross lesions were observed in 6 clinically infected animals. As far as serotypes are concerned, 11 different ones were isolated, with a predominance of Salmonella typhimurium (26.1%), S. anatum (21.7%), S. bovis-morbificans (15.2%), and S. heidelberg (10.8%). According to Kauffmann-White's classification scheme, 39.1% of the isolated strains belonged to serogroup B, 13% to serogroup C1, 17.4% tot serogroup C2, 6.5% to serogroup D, and 23.9% to serogroup E1. In conclusion, the authors speculate that the relatively low Salmonella isolation frequency (5.4%) reported in this study was not dependent upon the cultural procedures used, since different enrichment and plating methods were used, but rather upon the great number of rural-type herds which were investigated over the decade compared to industrial-type herds. Other factors such as stress conditions, which are particularly pronounced in industrial-type herds, and overall climatic situations, which tend to be characterised by warm, dry and long summers in the Latium Region, are also considered in this respect.