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Brucellosis is a contagious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella, which can affect different animal species. Dogs may occasionally be infected with B. abortus, B. melitensis or B. suis, or by the endemic form of the disease, caused by B. canis. Among the brucellosis‑affecting domestic animals, that of the dog is certainly the least frequent, but also the least studied. Canine brucellosis due to B. canis represents the dog‑specific brucellosis, both because it is the main susceptible animal species, and because it constitutes its fundamental reservoir of infection. The disease can also affect humans, although its course does not assume the characteristics of severity typical of the infection determined by the ‘classical’ species of the genus Brucella. In Italy, there are frequent imports of dogs from countries where the disease is present, often with non‑controlled movements and without sanitary controls. Considering that the zoonotic potential of the disease can be favored by the close cohabitation between man and dog, which occurs especially in urban environments, canine brucellosis has to be regarded as a public health problem susceptible to introduction and spread in the Italian territory.

In order to study the capability of a Bluetongue virus serotype 2 (BTV‑2) field isolate to cross the placental barrier, 2 groups of 5 pregnant ewes were infected with a field BTV‑2 Italian strain (Group A) or with the same strain passaged once in Culicoides cells (Kc) (Group B). Following infection, EDTA‑blood and serum samples were collected weekly and tested for the presence of BTV RNA/infectious virus and anti‑BTV‑2 antibodies, respectively. At lambing, precolostral EDTA‑blood and serum samples were collected from lambs and tested as before. The lambs were then sampled as scheduled for the dams. All sheep seroconverted on day 12 post‑infection (pi) and remained seropositive throughout the sampling period (day 68 pi). BTV was isolated from day 7 pi to day 14 pi in animals of Group A and from day 5 pi to day 12 pi in animals of Group B. None of the 14 lambs born had pre‑colostral antibodies. Three lambs born from two ewes of Group B were viraemic at birth and in one lamb infectious virus was isolated from blood up to 11 days of age. This study proved for the first time that a single passage of BTV‑2 field strain in Kc cells is able to give to BTV the ability to cross the placenta barrier and infect foetal tissues.

To evaluate the immunological response following vaccination, 40 WNV serologically negative horses were selected and divided in two groups of 20 animals. One group was vaccinated (booster after 28 days) with a whole inactivated viral strain and the second group with a live recombinant canarypox virus expressing the genes coding for the WNV preM/E viral proteins. IgM, IgG and neutralizing antibodies were monitored by class specific ELISAs and serum neutralization assay for 360 days. In both groups, IgM antibodies were first detected 7 days post vaccination (dpv). However, in the group vaccinated with inactivated vaccine, IgM antibodies were detected until day 42 pv, whereas in the group vaccinated with the recombinant vaccine, they were detected up to day 52 pv. A similar (P > 0.05) proportion of horses showed IgM antibodies after vaccination with either recombinant [30%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 14.59%-52.18%] or inactivated (32%; 95% CI: 15.39-54.28%) vaccine. Both vaccines induced in vaccinated horses a detectable IgG antibody response starting from day 7 pv and lasting till the end of the trial. Analogously, both products elicited WNV specific neutralizing antibodies. The response induced by the live canarypox virus-vectored vaccine was higher (mean titres 1:298 vs 1:18.9) and lasted longer than did that induced by the killed-virus vaccines. In fact, one year after the vaccination, neutralizing antibodies were still detectable in the horses which received the canarypox virus-based vaccine but not in the group vaccinated with the killed product. The use of vaccines is a valuable tool to prevent WNV disease in horses and the availability of different products facilitates the control of the disease in endemic areas.

This paper reports that Bluetongue virus serotype 1 (BTV-1) infected blood collected during the 2006 Sardinia (Italy) epidemic from a ewe with clinical disease and stored at ~ 5°C for 10 years, caused Bluetongue (BT)-like clinical disease and death when inoculated into a susceptible Sarda breed ram. Anatomo-histopathological examination and Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase PCR (Real-Time RT-PCR) confirmed the presence of BTV-1 in several tissues proving that the BTV-1 2006 isolate has maintained its infectivity and virulence.

In recent years, rapid spread of Culicoides-borne pathogens such as bluetongue (BT) and Schmallenberg viruses have been reported in Europe. In this study we examined the Culicoides populations in farms with wild and domestic ruminants in Eastern Slovakia with the aim to confirm the presence of biting midges serving as potential vectors of important pathogens. The main vector complexes were the Obsoletus complex (54%; n=4,209) and the Pulicaris complex (23%; n=1,796). To estimate the relative abundance of the cryptic species of the Obsoletus complex (Culicoides obsoletus, Culicoides scoticus and Culicoides montanus), we performed the multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based on ITS-2 and ITS-1 segments, on 125 midges randomly sampled. The relative abundance of C. obsoletus ranged from 5.26% in the farm with wild ruminants to 85.71% in another farm with cattle and sheep. A total of 112 pools of parous and gravid females belonging to the Obsoletus and Pulicaris complexes were tested for virus detection by the real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for BT virus, as well as for the Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease Virus (EHDV), with negative results.

This article analyses the distemper outbreak that affected the population of Apennine wolves (Canis lupus) in Italy during 2013. Distemper, as rabies, is a well-known viral infectious disease that concerns the canine population worldwide and represents a threat for wild species too. Implementation of vaccination and legislation for compulsory vaccination strategies should be achieved in areas with endangered wild species.

West Nile Virus lineage 1 (WNV lin1) emerged in North-Eastern Italy in 2008 and, since then, it has been detected in animals, humans and mosquitoes. Three years later, in the same area, a lineage 2 (lin2) strain of WNV was found in birds and vectors. On August the 21st, during the 2012 WNV entomological surveillance plan, a WNV lin2 strain was detected by RT-PCR in a pool of Culex pipiens mosquitoes captured in Veneto region. According to the alignment of the partial sequences of the NS5 and NS3 genes, no differences between this Italian lineage 2 strain and the Nea Santa-Greece-2010 WNV isolate (Gr-10) were observed. Similarly to the Gr-10 strain, the putative NS3 aminoacid sequences of the Italian strain showed proline in position 249 instead of histidine (H249P). Although proline in position 249 has been suggested to increase the virulence of WNV strains, neither human nor veterinary cases associated to this strain have been reported in the region. A prompt mosquito disinfestation was organized to avoid the spread of this potential threatening virus. The simultaneous circulation of both WNV lineage 1 and 2 confirms North-Eastern Italy as a high risk area for WNV emergence and highlights the need for a continuous surveillance.

Ovine sera collected in the Prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate in the Northern Japan were examined for the presence of antibodies against Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), bovine Herpesvirus type 1 (infectious bovine rhinotracheitis: IBR) and Parainfluenza virus type 3 (PIV3) using serum neutralisation (SN) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests. Twenty-three animals (11.73%) out of the 196 tested were sero-positive to PIV3. Sixteen animals (8.69%) out of the 184 tested reacted to RSV. No animals were positive to IBR antigen. Sero-conversions to PIV3 were detected in Hokkaido and Iwate (14.92% and 8.82%, respectively). Antibodies against RSV were detected in Hokkaido (9.23%) and Aomori (14.28%). Although no diagnostic measures were in place, the infections did not appear to be related to any reduction in sheep productivity.

West Nile virus (WNV) is one of the most serious public health threats that Europe and the Mediterranean countries are currently facing. In Italy, WNV emerged in 1998 and has been circulating since 2008. To tackle its continuous incursions, Italian national and regional institutions set up a surveillance program, which includes the serological screening of sentinel horses, sentinel-chickens and backyard poultry flocks and the surveillance on all equine neurological cases, resident captured and wild dead birds, and vectors. This communication aims to assess the importance of the entomological surveillance program as an early warning system for WNV circulation. In the province of Modena, the circulation of WNV lineage 2 strains was first detected in pools of Culex pipiens on July the 3rd, 42 days prior to the onset of the first 2013 human WNV neuroinvasive case reported in the same province. Similarly in Veneto, WNV was first detected on July 3rd in a pool of Cx. pipiens collected in the province of Venezia. The first human neuroinvasive case in this region occurred in the Rovigo province on July the 24th, seven days after the detection of WNV lineage 2 in a mosquito pool collected in the same province. Up to the end of July 2013, WNV circulation was further detected in several other pools of Cx. pipiens mosquitoes collected in Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Lombardia. According to the NS3 partial sequence alignments including all recent European and Italian Lineage 2 strains, the new circulating WNV lineage 2 strains share high nt homology with the Hungarian and with the previous lineage 2 strains isolated in Veneto and Sardegna in 2011 and 2012. These data provide a clear and practical demonstration of the relevance of a reliable entomological surveillance program to early detect WNV in Italy.

A seven-year-old horse was euthanised after exhibiting a severe and rapidly progressive neurological disorder. Tissue samples were despatched to the Italian Reference Centre for Animal Foreign Diseases (Istituto 'G. Caporale' in Teramo) for diagnosis. All laboratory tests for equine neurotropic viruses gave negative results. Scattered perivascular inflammatory infiltrates and several parasites that were morphologically classified as Halicephalobus gingivalis, were seen within the brain upon microscopic examination. Pathological findings led to the diagnosis of parasitic meningo-encephalitis caused by H. gingivalis. This case report confirms that halicephalobosis should be taken into account in the differential diagnosis of equine encephalopathy and it also highlights the value of a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving in veterinary medicine.

Un cavallo di 7 anni è stato abbattuto dopo aver manifestato una grave sindrome neurologica a rapida evoluzione. Campioni tessutali sono stati inviati al Centro Studi Malattie Esotiche dell’Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale” (Istituto G. Caporale) per gli accertamenti diagnostici del caso. Gli esami per le più comuni virosi neurologiche equine non hanno evidenziato la presenza di infezioni in atto. Istologicamente, si è osservata a livello encefalico la presenza di manicotti perivascolari e numerosi corpi parassitari, morfologicamente riferibili a Halicephalobus gingivalis. Il rinvenimento ha consentito di formulare la diagnosi di meningo-encefalite da H. gingivalis. Il caso riportato conferma che le encefaliti parassitarie devono essere annoverate nella diagnosi differenziale delle encefalopatie equine e sottolinea l’utilità dell’approccio diagnostico multidisciplinare.

Following two consecutive years of West Nile virus (WNV) circulation in Italy, new foci of infection were observed in August 2010 in Sicily and Molise in southern and central Italy, respectively. These incidents were far from the previous infected area in northern Italy, thereby confirming the ability of WNV to spread to new areas and affect new host populations.

Dopo due anni di consecutiva circolazione del virus della West Nile, nuovi focolai d'infezione sono stati rilevati ad Agosto 2010 in Sicilia ed in Molise. Questi nuovi focolai sono fenomeni distinti rispetto a quanto già osservato nel Nord Italia, confermando una volta di più la capacità del virus di colonizzare nuove nuove aree geografiche e nuove popolazioni animali.

I Norovirus rappresentano una delle maggiori cause di gastroenterite acuta virale nell’uomo spesso associate a tossinfezioni alimentari attraverso il consumo di molluschi crudi. Lo scopo del lavoro è stato di valutare l’efficacia dei sistemi di depurazione attualmente in uso per la purificazione dei molluschi bivalvi nei confronti dei Norovirus. Un totale di 96 campioni di molluschi bivalvi sono stati esaminati attraverso RT-PCR: 58 campioni di cozze (Mytilus galloprovincialis) di cui 11 depurati, 35 campioni di vongole veraci (Tapes decussatus), di cui 15 depurati e 3 campioni di ostriche (Crassostrea gigas) tutti depurati. I risultati ottenuti hanno evidenziato presenza di RNA virale in uno dei 67 campioni non depurati (1.5% intervallo di confidenza 95%, 0.36-7.92%) e in uno dei 29 campioni sottoposti a depurazione (3.4% intervallo di confidenza 95%, 0.82-17.22%). L’elaborazione statistica dei dati ha dimostrato che non esiste differenza statisticamente significativa tra campioni sottoposti a depurazione e quelli non depurati e quindi che i sistemi attualmente proposti non sono in grado di purificare i molluschi bivalvi dalla presenza di norovirus.

Noroviruses are the most common viral agents of acute gastroenteritis in humans and are often associated with the consumption of either fresh or undercooked live bivalve molluscs. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of the water depuration systems in the presence of Norovirus contamination A total of 96 shellfish samples was examined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, as follows: 58 mussel samples (Mytilus galloprovincialis), 35 Manila clam samples (Tapes decussatus) and 3 Pacific oyster samples (Crassostrea gigas). Of these, 67 were collected before and 29 following depuration. Viral RNA was detected in one of the 67 non-depurated samples examined (1.5%; 95% confidence interval: 0.36-7.92%) and in one of the 29 depurated samples (3.4%; 95% confidence interval: 0.82-17.22%). There were no statistically significant differences between depurated and non-depurated samples which indicated that the purifying systems in place were not able to remove Norovirus contamination from the live bivalve molluscs.

African horse sickness is a vector-transmitted viral disease that affects equidae. The authors report cases of disease that occurred in Namibia between 2006 and 2008. These were recorded by staff of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’ and the Central Veterinary Laboratory in Windhoek. All cases described were confirmed by laboratory testing. This study received the support of Namibian state and private veterinarians and horse breeders.

La peste equina è una malattia virale degli equidi trasmessa da vettori. Scopo di questo lavoro è di riferire su casi di malattia verificatisi in Namibia nel corso degli anni 2006-2008, osservati dal personale dell'Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale” e del Central Veterinary Laboratory di Windhoek, Namibia e confermati dagli esami di laboratorio. Il lavoro è stato possibile anche grazie alla fattiva collaborazione stabilitasi con i veterinari pubblici, privati e allevatori Namibiani.

A major gastroenteritis outbreak was reported in a vacation resort in Central Italy in 2003. A total of 183 cases were identified. The case-control study identified a statistically significant correlation between the disease and sea bathing, use of sanitary facilities in bungalows and of common showers. Stool samples taken from people affected were found positive for Norovirus (68%, 13 of 19 samples), Rotavirus (38%, 1 of 14 samples) and Campylobacter (7%, 3 of 8 samples). Environmental investigations revealed serious faecal contamination of the groundwater and the presence of Norovirus in the seawater near the resort. The mixing of groundwater and seawater with the non-drinking water system - which was also found to be connected to the drinking water system - had a primary role in the onset and spread of infection within the village. The complete absence of any gastroenteritis epidemics among the site guests since 2006 demonstrates the effectiveness of the environmental corrective measures taken.

‘If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change’"Se vogliamo che tutto rimanga come è, bisogna che tutto cambi"(Il gattopardo, Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa)It is now few months that I have been appointed as new editor in chief of the Veterinaria Italiana and first of all I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to Ferdinando Arnolfo, the Director of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’, and his staff for the honour they have bestowed on me. It is for me a very new and exciting challenge. I firmly believe the journal has the potential to turn into a successful and important voice in the scientific veterinary community. As you might be aware, Veterinaria Italiana is an indexed journal that recently received the impact factor, thus acquiring international recognition alongside major scientific journals.In view of this, it is only right and proper to acknowledge the previous team for their collective work for bringing the journal to its the current position. First of all, I would like to thank the previous director, Vincenzo Caporale, who has always strongly believed in Veterinaria Italiana, putting in a great deal of effort and resources when others doubted the success of this initiative. Special thanks are also due to the previous associate editor, Gill Dilmitis, who has been one of the pillars of the journal taking care of all author needs always with extreme enthusiasm and competency. I am afraid that Mariarosaria Taddeo, the new associate editor, and I will have the daunting task of meeting their high standards and level of competence; even more so because we realise that, as in numerous other activities, it is easy to start but it is always harder to maintain the status quo. Nonetheless, if on one hand we know that it is a difficult task, on the other hand we are sure that we and the other team members will do our best to improve the current position of the journal. We have already created a new and modern format for Veterinaria Italiana so that it may compete with other international and better known scientific journals. Soon Veterinaria Italiana will be provided with an electronic platform and the DOI (Digital Object Identifier). Both, I am sure will be extremely beneficial to editors, referees, and authors alike. Many other innovations will be introduced to improve the readability and quality. All these changes, however, will not distract from our main purpose which is to provide information about new research results on veterinary and public health field, ensuring their reliability and integrity through relevant, strong and comprehensive proofs. Veterinaria Italiana will still represent the voice of authors who do not have the opportunity of disseminating their results widely, of course, being the Italian journal in Veterinary field with the highest impact factor, it is privileged to have the opportunity of publishing the results of the best Italian research teams on public and animal health. For myself, I know that a journal is a powerful educational tool. I will try to ensure independence of editorial work and good editorial practice as defined by international editorial organizations, bearing in mind that the work invested in a journal is never wasted as it stimulates and provokes research and culture of scientific communication.