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Pseudorabies virus (PRV) or suid herpesvirus 1 (SHV-1) is the causative agent of Aujeszky's disease, a highly contagious viral infection which causes neurological fatal illness in mammals other than suids. Here we report a case of a young wolf (Canis lupus) of around 2 years found dead by a hunter in the province of Avellino, Campania Region. Necropsy showed pathological findings consistent with encephalitis and gastroenteritis. Organs were analysed by microbiological and molecular investigations following standard procedures to ascertain the possible cause of death. Real-time PCR revealed the presence of PRV in the brain and of canine parvovirus 2b in organs like intestine, liver, brain, kidney and pancreas. Death probably occurred very shortly after SHV-1 infection in an animal already weakened by parvovirosis.

ClassyFarm is an integrated system aiming at the categorization of the farms according to a risk assessment methodology (RA). It is an Italian innovation that allows to facilitate and improve the collaboration and the dialogue between the breeders and the competent authority, in order to raise the level of safety and quality of food of animal origin. ClassyFarm collects, gather and process data, referred to the following evaluation areas: biosecurity, animal welfare, health and production parameters, animal nutrition, antimicrobial usage, injuries detected at slaughterhouse. ClassyFarm can be applied to several livestock species, included buffalo farms. On the request of the Italian Ministry of Health, CreNbuf in collaboration with CReNBa, have develop a checklist (CL) for the animal welfare assessment in buffalo species, based on RA and included in the ClassyFarm system. The multiple-choice CL consists of 80 Items. Each Item is scored according to 3 choice categories: “insufficient”, “acceptable” and “excellent”. The assessment system includes non-animal based (N-ABMs) and animal-based measures (ABMs). N-ABMs are divided into 2 macro-areas: Area A (28 Items) “Management factors”; Area B (30 Items) “Housing factors”. ABMs are assessed in Area C (14 Items). The CL has been tested in 341 farms, with an average of 353 head (min10, max 2240). The average overall welfare value was 61.27% (on a scale of 0 to 100%). The values of the specific areas were: Area A 60.20%; Area B 41.34%; Area C 71.55%. At least one potential legislative non-compliance was recorded in 39.8% of the farms. These CL represent a functional and smart instrument to assign an animal welfare index to each farm, and to provide to veterinarians and breeders a tool for improving farm management and housing conditions by using the data collected in each Area, while respecting farm sustainability, giving answers to consumers and add value to farmers’ correct activities. The Italian Ministry of Health is promoting this system, unique in its kind, also in the European and international context, raising a wide and strong interest.

An expert opinion elicitation, based on a modified Delphi technique, was organized to collect the opinion of 14 Italian veterinarians with the aim of conducting a hazard and a welfare promoter characterization for defining and weighing a list of management and housing factors potentially associated with negative or positive welfare outcomes in buffalo kept in loose housing systems. In addition, the 14 experts judged a set of animal-based measures (ABMs), rating their appropriateness and the level of animal pain and suffering due to the welfare consequences they measure. Experts were asked to score 52 hazards, 45 welfare promoters and 14 ABMs. Management and housing hazards, that were determined to be associated with a very high negative impact on the welfare of buffalo, were: lack of water availability, uncorrected animal grouping strategy, dirty and unmanaged lying area, incorrect milking routine, poor maintenance of the milking system, lack of litter for calves, insufficient shaded lying area and/or lack of any cooling system and presence of inadequate or slippery floor in walking areas. Management and housing welfare promoters dealing with optimal buffalo comfort around resting obtained the highest ratings, in particular: housing free for all animals and the possibility for adult buffaloes to access a loafing area of at least 7 m²and/or to a pasture for at least 60 days a year; cleanleness of the calf boxes, a hospital pen of at least 8 m²/parturient animal. In addition, high scores were given to appropriate grouping, adequate temperature, humidity and ventilation, presence of experienced and trained stockpersons. As to ABMs, the highest rankings were given to mortality of calves and adult buffaloes, percentage of animals showing vaginal and/or uterine prolapses, body condition scoring and percentage of deformed claws in adult buffaloes. Our results represent the starting point for the development of the first protocol for the assessment of the welfare of buffalo farmed in loose housing systems.

European Legislation has fixed microbiological, chemical and biotoxicological limits for shellfish but no limits for viruses. In the present study we report the results of an investigation on Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Hepatitis A virus (HAV) and Norovirus (NoV) contamination in 59 bivalve shellfish collected during the years 2011-2012 in Southern Italy. All the samples of Mytilus galloprovincialis and of Solen marginatus were negative for HAV whereas 6.8% of them were positive for Norovirus GI (NoVGI) and 11.9% positive for Norovirus GII (NoVGII). Samples were also negative for Salmonella spp., while 16 of them (27%) were positive for E. coli. No correlation was found between E. coli and NoV contamination in bivalve molluscs. Moreover, the Competent Authorities are advised to take into serious consideration additional measures for the legislation in force in order to guarantee the consumer's health.

In the Rural Development Plan RDP 2007–2013, Misura 214, e2, project RARECa of Campania (Southern-Italy), three different Institutions (CNR, University of Naples and IZSM) are involved to study, characterize and valorise some autochthonous endangered animal breeds raised in Campania Region. In this report an up-data on the cytogenetic analyses we performed in horse (Napoletano, Salernitano and Persano breeds), cattle (Agerolese breed), pig (Casertana breed), sheep (Laticauda and Bagnolese breeds) and goat (Cilentana breed) are reported. Up to now, upon 63 Agerolese cattle four females (6.3 %) were found to be carriers of: (a) rob(1;29) (2 animals), (b) rcp(11;25) and (c) a case of partial monosomy and trisomy (2n=60,XX,t(11;25)(q11;q14-21). All examined horses (34 animals) from Napoletana (14) and Salernitana (20) breeds showed normal karyotypes. Concerning the Laticauda sheep (46 animals), two females were found to be carriers of two new reciprocal translocations while Bagnolese sheep breed (32 animals) and Cilentana goat breed (12 animals) showed normal karyotypes. Furthermore, in Casertana pig breed 52 animals were examined and resulted with normal karyotype.

Correlation coefficients were evaluated between the theoretical cheese yield (ThCY), the real yield at 4 (FCY) and 28 h (28CY), the curd dry matter (CDM) and the relationships with the percentage of proteins and milk characteristics. Milk samples were collected every 50 days from 60 buffaloes (326 samples) that were half-sibs (through paternal or maternal lineage ascertained by DNA test), bred in two farms. Positive correlations were found between FCY and 28CY and the enzymatic phase of coagulation and with the milk content in DM, proteins, casein and lipids. Negative correlations were found with lactose and urea milk content. These yields increased when the percentage of DM, proteins and hash of the curd were lower and that of lipids was higher. The 28CY is correlated with ThCY (r = 0.762; P < 0.01) and with the CDM (r = 0.809; P < 0.01). A high 28CY was also characterized by a high 28CY/% proteins ratio and CDM/% proteins ratio. The CDM was higher when the DM of milk and its content in proteins, casein and lipids were higher and when the content in lactose was lower. A correlation (r = 0.501; P < 0.01) was observed between the CDM and the DM percentage of the curd. For the other components the correlations found were the same as for the 28CY. The 28CY/% proteins enhanced at the increasing lipid content of the milk (r = 0.417; P < 0.01) and at decreasing content in urea (r = - 0.317; P < 0.01) and freezing point (r = - 0.123; P < 0.01). The CDM/% proteins was positively influences by fat (r = 0.596; P < 0.01) and lactose (r = - 0.341; P < 0.01). The ThCY/28CY was negatively influenced by "R" and by the pH value and positively correlated with the lipid content of milk.

Embryo development is linked to several factors, such as intrinsic defects within the embryo, an inadequate maternal environment or failure of the mother to respond appropriately to embryonic signals. Reproductive seasonality in buffalo species (Bubalus bubalis) is responsible of lower reliability of the pregnancy diagnosis by progesterone assay in the spring, probably due to high incidence of early embryo mortality (EEM) for hormonal causes. The aim of the study was to identify the causes of EEM in buffaloes inseminated during the spring period. Italian Mediterranean Buffalo cows (n=209) in a good status of health were synchronized using the Ovsynch-TAI Program and were inseminated 16 and 40 hours after the second administration of GnRH. Artificial inseminations were performed by the same technician. Ten to 20 days after the first insemination two blood samples were collected from each animal for assessing P4 levels by RIA. 24 and 40 days after the first insemination pregnancy diagnosis was assessed by rectal ultrasonography (Aloka SSD-500) with a 5 MHz sector scanner. In animals with EEM a uterine flushing was carried out and recovered fluid was analysed for the principal infectious agents. Microbiological analysis were carried out according to Clinical Veterinary Microbiology and a PCR analysis was performed only for BUHVI, Toxoplasma and Neospora. Statistical analysis was assessed by Student t test. The incidence of cyclic buffaloes after synchronization treatment (94%) and pregnancy rate at 40 days (34.4%) were similar to those reported in a previous study. EEM between 24 and 40 days was 45% and only in 9 buffaloes (15.3%) these results correlated with the presence of infectious agents (Streptococcus spp., Enteriobacteriacee spp., Proteus spp., Staphylococcus spp. and BUHVI). P4 levels on day 10 were higher (P