Cattle In Italy Research Articles

Seroprevalence and associated risk factors of neosporosis in beef and dairy cattle in Italy

A cross-sectional serological survey for Neospora caninum was carried out on beef and dairy cattle in southern and northern Italy. A total of 111 herds and 1140 animals were tested using an ELISA assay (CHEKIT ®- Neospora) to detect anti- N. caninum antibodies. Management and individual data were collected and analysed both by linear and logistic multiple-regression models in order to find good predictors of the cattle seroprevalence and anti- N. caninum antibody level. At least one seropositive animal was found in 49 herds (44.1%), of which 31 (39.7%) from southern Italy and 18 (54.5%) from northern Italy. A total of 126 head of cattle (11%) were found to be seropositive and the seroprevalence was lower in southern (8.7%) than in northern Italy (16%). One of the best predictors of neosporosis seroprevalence in this study was the practice of self-rearing replacement heifers. Further risk factors were linked to higher stocking density, i.e. animals farmed in large herds and with no summer or permanent grazing practices were more likely to be seropositive than others. Farms with two or more dogs had higher herd seropositivity than farms with one or no dogs and this factor interacted significantly with the farm size and presence of poultry. Among individual characteristics, seropositivity was higher in animals sampled in mid- or late-pregnancy compared to animals either in early pregnancy or not pregnant. There was a significant interaction between the factors for pregnancy status and grazing practices. None of the epidemiological data recorded was a good predictor of the anti- N. caninum antibody level.

Use of polymerase chain reaction to identify Brucella abortus strain RB51 among Brucella field isolates from cattle in Italy.

Brucella abortus strain RB51, a rough mutant of the B. abortus 2308 virulent strain, was recently approved in the United States as the official vaccine for brucellosis in cattle. Following recent evidence of unauthorized use of RB51 vaccine in Italy, where the use of vaccines for brucellosis is no longer allowed, the suitability of an RB51-specific polymerase chain reaction assay for identifying the RB51 strain among Brucella field isolates from cattle in Italy was investigated. The oligonucleotide primers used in this study, belonging to a six-primer cocktail for Brucella species previously described by other authors, allowed the amplification of a 364-base pair (bp) fragment specific for RB51 and its parent strain 2308, and a 498-bp product specific for B. abortus. In addition, unresolved bands ranging from 600 to 700 bp were observed from RB51 strain. Brucella abortus biovars 1, 2 and 4 have only one specific sensitive 498-bp band. The B. abortus biovars 3, 5 and 6 did not give any signal. The 498-bp product from a reference Brucella strain was sequenced and submitted to EMBL with the accession number AJ271969 while the 364-bp fragment from RB51 strain was submitted to EMBL database with accession number AJ271968. The sequence studies confirmed the specificity of the detected fragments. No amplification was obtained by testing DNA from strains antigenically related to Brucella, such as Yersinia enterocolitica O:9, Escherichia coli O:157, Salmonella urbana and Pasteurella multocida. The results of this study indicate that this technique, in combination with specific serological tests, could be a useful diagnostic method to verify the use of RB51 vaccine and can contribute to the creation of a databank of circulating strains.

Use of Polymerase Chain Reaction to IdentifyBrucella abortusStrain RB51 among Brucella Field Isolates from Cattle in Italy

Brucella abortusstrain RB51, a rough mutant of theB. abortus2308 virulent strain, was recently approved in the United States as the official vaccine for brucellosis in cattle. Following recent evidence of unauthorized use of RB51 vaccine in Italy, where the use of vaccines for brucellosis is no longer allowed, the suitability of an RB51‐specific polymerase chain reaction assay for identifying the RB51 strain amongBrucellafield isolates from cattle in Italy was investigated. The oligonucleotide primers used in this study, belonging to a six‐primer cocktail forBrucellaspecies previously described by other authors, allowed the amplification of a 364‐base pair (bp) fragment specific for RB51 and its parent strain 2308, and a 498‐bp product specific forB. abortus. In addition, unresolved bands ranging from 600 to 700 bp were observed from RB51 strain.Brucella abortusbiovars 1, 2 and 4 have only one specific sensitive 498‐bp band. TheB. abortusbiovars 3, 5 and 6 did not give any signal. The 498‐bp product from a referenceBrucellastrain was sequenced and submitted to EMBL with the accession number AJ271969 while the 364‐bp fragment from RB51 strain was submitted to EMBL database with accession number AJ271968. The sequence studies confirmed the specificity of the detected fragments. No amplification was obtained by testing DNA from strains antigenically related toBrucella,such asYersinia enterocoliticaO:9,Escherichia coliO:157,Salmonella urbanaandPasteurella multocida. The results of this study indicate that this technique, in combination with specific serological tests, could be a useful diagnostic method to verify the use of RB51 vaccine and can contribute to the creation of a databank of circulating strains.

Integrated molecular diagnosis of Theileria and Babesia species of cattle in Italy.

A reverse line blot hybridization (RLB) test was developed to specifically identify six Theileria spp. (T. annulata, T. parva, T. mutans, T. velifera, T. taurotragi, and T. buffeli/orientalis) and three Babesia spp. (B. bovis, B. bigemina, and B. divergens). No cross reaction was observed with other livestock pathogens (such as Anaplasma marginale, A. centrale, A. ovis, Cowdria ruminantium, Trypanosoma brucei, T. congolense, and T. vivax). This method was used to test bovine blood samples collected in Sicily in April and November, 1998. Preliminary results indicated that T. annulata and T. buffeli/orientalis were the main species observed in cattle blood. Babesia species represented 1.8% and 23.5% in April and November, respectively.

Thelazia gulosa Railliet & Henry, 1910 and T. skrjabini Erschow, 1928 infection in southern Europe (Italy).

The occurrence of Thelazia gulosa and T. skrjabini in cattle in Italy, together with an update of the prevalence of Thelazia spp. in the southern Italy, is reported. On 764 slaughtered native cattle, fifty-five (7.2%) bovines were infected by Thelazia spp: T. rhodesi was found in 44 (80%) animals, T. gulosa was found in 19 (34.5%) cattle and only one (1.8%) cattle harboured T. skrjabini. This is the first report of T. gulosa and T. skrjabini in Southern Europe.

First report of Theileria sergenti and T. buffeli/orientalis in cattle in Italy.

First report of Theileria sergenti and T. buffeli/orientalis in cattle in Italy.

Atypical strains of verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 in beef cattle at slaughter in Veneto region, Italy.

Cattle arriving for slaughter at abattoirs in the Veneto region of N. Italy were examined for intestinal carriage of Escherichia coli O157. Rectal swabs were cultured in modified buffered peptone water and E. coli O157 was concentrated by an immunomagnetic separation technique; the magnetic beads were cultured onto cefixime tellurite sorbitol MacConkey agar. Sorbitol non-fermenting E. coli O157 was isolated from 15 (3.6%) of 419 feedlot cattle but not from 437 veal calves or 65 culled cows. All strains of E. coli O157 hybridized with DNA probes specific for the VT1 or VT2 genes, but two strains did not produce toxin detectable by Vero cell assay. Six different plasmid profiles were observed with all strains harbouring the large 93 kb plasmid characteristic of VTEC. Six strains produced urease but otherwise strains were biochemically typical of E. coli O157. One strain was resistant to streptomycin, tetracycline and sulphonamides but the remainder were sensitive to all antimicrobials tested. This is the first description of the isolation of verocytotoxin-producing E. coli O157 from cattle in Italy. As the contamination of bovine carcasses with E. coli O157 during slaughter and processing has been demonstrated, the risk of transmission of this organism from beef cattle to the human population in the Veneto region, through foods of bovine origin or by other routes, should not be overlooked.

On the effects of castration and ovariotomy upon sheep

It is well known that castration, when performed in early life and before sexual maturity has been reached, has a marked effect not only in inhibiting the development of the accessory male organs, but in changing the general conformation of the body. Thus in castrated guinea-pigs, oxen, and capons, as well as in eunuchs, the bones of the limbs tend to be abnormally long, this result depending upon an arrest in the ossification of epiphyses. The secondary male characters are also in many cases suppressed, so that there is an apparent approximation to the female type. Thus in red deer if the testes are removed in quite immature animals the antlers fail to make their appearance, and in fallow deer castration at birth limits the horn formation to the development of single dugs. Secondary sexual characters, however, are not always correlated with the presence of the essential reproductive organs, even in mammals. Thus the withers in the gelding resemble those of the horse rather than those of the mare, in which the witheres are lower. Moreover, in certain varieties of cattle in Italy, the horns in the ox, if castraction has been carried out young, are far longer than those of either the bull or the cow. Ovariotomy in the female is often said to lead to the assumption of male characters, but there is little experimental evidence that this is actually the case. In the human female complete removal of the ovaries, if carried out in early life, besides preventing the onset of puberty and the occurrence of menstruation, produces effects on the general form and appearance, individuals so operated upon being said, in some cases, to show resemblances to men. Abnormalities in the ovaries have been described as producing similar results. Thus, Rörig records three cases in which female deer possessed horns, and were shown on dissection to have had abnormal ovaries. Darwin states that female deer in old age have been known to acquire horns. It Wallace says that in old mares the neck tends to acquire an arch as in the stallion. The occasional growth of hair on the face in old women is a phenomenon of the same kind. Similar observations have been made upon birds, especially ducks, poultry, and game birds. Darwin mentions the case of a duck which, when 10 years old, acquired the plumage of the drake. Other cases are those of hens which in old age assumed secondary male characters and started to crow. Hunter mentions a hen pheasant which had male plumage associated with an abnormal ovary. Numerous other instances have been described, but it is not apparent that such an acquirement of male characters by female individuals is always correlated with an abnormality in the reproductive organs. According to Gurney the assumption of male plumage is generally associated with sterility in female gallinaceous birds, but not, as a rule, in female passerine birds. Thus Gurney describes a hen chaffinch with male plumage and a number of developing eggs.