Severe Streptococcus equi Subspecies zooepidemicus Outbreak from Unpasteurized Dairy Product Consumption, Italy.

During November 2021-May 2022, we identified 37 clinical cases of Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus infections in central Italy. Epidemiologic investigations and whole-genome sequencing showed unpasteurized fresh dairy products were the outbreak source. Early diagnosis by using sequencing technology prevented the spread of life-threatening S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus infections.

The Determination of the Prohibited Herbicide 4,6-Dinitro-Ortho-Cresol (DNOC) in Poisoned Domestic and Wild Animals in Italy.

This study reports the determination of DNOC in the baits and gastric contents of poisoned dogs and wild canids collected in the Abruzzo region between 2014 and 2022. A total of 663 samples of the baits and carcasses of domestic and wild animals were analyzed for the determination of DNOC through GC-MS. DNOC was found to be present in 58 cases from 663 analyzed samples, with 49 poison baits and nine gastric content samples from dogs and red foxes. This study confirms for the first time that the banned pesticide DNOC still poisons both domestic and wild animals in the Abruzzo region. It should be considered that this study was carried out on a population of animals from a regional geographical area, and more detailed country-wide studies need to be carried out to obtain the incidence of poisoning from this herbicide in Italy. Furthermore, these findings emphasize the importance of considering this chemical in differential diagnosis during toxicological investigations of animal poisoning.

Domestic dogs as environmental sentinel in comparative toxicologic pathology: Assessment of metals and rare earth elements concentrations in healthy and neoplastic mammary glands.

Quantification of trace element concentrations in human and animal tissues has acquired great importance in the last few years, considering the pivotal role of these elements in several physiological and pathological processes. Variations in their concentrations appear to have a role in the development and advancement of diseases in both humans and animals, for example, cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the concentration of rare earth elements and metals in healthy and neoplastic Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) mammary gland tissue of dogs. All samples were processed to have a quantitative determination of inorganic elements including metals of known toxicological interest such as Pb, Cd, Tl, As, Hg, the trace elements Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, and other elements including Cr, V, Mo, Ni, Sb, W, Sn. Moreover, rare earth elements (REEs) (Sc, Y, Lu, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb) were also investigated. Cu and Mo concentrations in mammary cancerous tissue were greater than those in normal mammary glands (p < 0.05). In non-neoplastic tissue increased concentrations of Cd, Co, Ni, Tl, and V were also reported (p < 0.05). The mammary tissue of healthy individuals had greater concentrations of REEs than the neoplastic mammary glands (p < 0.05). The results of our study confirmed differences in mammary inorganic element concentrations between healthy and neoplastic groups, highlighting the potential relevance of these fluctuations in toxicologic pathology.

Coxiella burnetii: A Brief Summary of the Last Five Years of Its Presence in the Abruzzo and Molise Regions in Italy.

Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of Q fever. The main reservoirs for this bacterium, which can lead to human infection, in our region are typically cattle, goats, and sheep. In animals, C. burnetii infection is often detected due to reproductive problems. European Member States are required to report confirmed cases annually, but the lack of uniform reporting methods makes the data rather inconsistent. The Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise is involved in official controls to identify the causes of abortions, monitor suspected or positive herds, evaluate suspected infections in pets and humans, monitor the spread in wildlife, etc. In this paper, we summarize the presence of C. burnetii over the last five years (2019-2023). Additionally, a detailed overview of C. burnetii infection in wild and domestic animals is provided. Five hundred sixty animals-including cattle; goats; sheep; wild animals, such as deer, boars, wolves, roe deer, owls, and otters; buffalo; dogs; horses; cats; and a donkey-and six human samples were tested by real-time PCR on the transposase gene IS1111 to detect C. burnetii. The MST profile was identified in some of the samples. Outbreaks of C. burnetii occurred in four herds. In one of them, it was possible to follow the outbreak from inception to eradication by evaluating the effect of vaccination on real-time PCR Ct values. A total of 116 animals tested positive for C. burnetii, including 73 goats, 42 sheep, and one bovine. None of the other samples tested positive. The strains for which the ST was performed were identified as ST79, a strain that has been present in the area for more than ten years. The effect of vaccination on the reduction of positive samples and the variation of real-time PCR Ct values was evaluated in strict correlation.

Identification of the Novel Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus Sequence Type 525 in Donkeys of Abruzzo Region, Italy.

Streptococcus equi sub. zooepidemicus (SEZ) is described as a commensal bacterium of several animal species, including humans. Growing evidence supports the potential role of SEZ in the onset and progression of severe clinical manifestations of diseases in horses and other animals. In the present communication, we describe the diagnostic procedure applied to characterize the streptococcal infections caused by a novel SEZ sequence type (ST525) in donkeys raised on a farm in Abruzzo, Italy. The diagnostic process began with anamnesis and anatomopathological analysis, which revealed a severe bacterial suppurative bronchopneumonia associated with systemic vascular damage and haemorrhages. Then, SEZ infection was confirmed by applying an integrative diagnostic strategy that included standard bacterial isolation techniques, analytical tools for bacteria identification (MALDI-TOF MS), and molecular analysis (qPCR). Furthermore, the application of the whole-genome sequencing approach helped us to identify the bacterial strains and the virulence factors involved in animal diseases. The novel SEZ-ST525 was identified in two cases of the disease. This new sequence type was isolated from the lung, liver, and spleen in Case 1, and from retropharyngeal lymph nodes in Case 2. Moreover, the presence of the virulence gene mf2, a virulence factor carried by prophages in Streptococcus pyogenes, was also found for the first time in an SEZ strain. The results of the present study highlight the need to apply an integrated diagnostic approach for the identification and tracking of pathogenic strains of SEZ, shedding new light on the re-evaluation of these bacteria as a causative agent of disease in animals and humans.