6 research outputs found
On the effect of the temperature-humidity index on buffalo bulk milk composition and coagulation traits
Little is known about the effects of high levels of environmental temperature and
humidity on milk yield and quality in buffaloes since this species is known to be
more heat tolerant than cattle. However, the distribution of sweat glands and the
dark skin color can negatively affect heat tolerance. Moreover, due to increased global
temperatures, concerns regarding heat stress and thermoregulation in dairy animals,
including buffaloes, have been extended to the northern hemisphere. In this study,
the effects of both the temperature-humidity index (THI) and the maximum daily
temperature-humidity index (MTHI) were estimated on bulk milk traits, namely fat,
protein, lactose, urea content, pH levels, somatic cell score, coagulation properties, and
bacteria count. The dataset consisted of repeated data from 99 Mediterranean water
buffalo farms, and mixed models were used for the analyses. Supporting the negative
correlations observed, bulk milk fat, protein, and lactose content were significantly lower
when THI and MTHI were higher. Similarly, milk pH was lower when THI and MTHI were
high; however, high levels of THI or MTHI seemed to not be markedly associated with
the milk’s coagulation ability. According to both analysis of variance and correlations,
the somatic cell score was not significantly affected by the THI and MTHI. This is the
first study based on a large dataset that evaluates the impact of high temperature and
humidity in Italian buffalo milk and that provides correlations with traits of interest for the
dairy industry, i.e., milk acidity and coagulation ability. In general, findings show that the
effects of elevated THI and heat stress on bulk milk quality in buffalo is less evident than
in cattle. These preliminary results intend to open debate on the issue of heat stress
in dairy buffaloes that are reared in temperate regions. Further studies should focus on
individual milk and performance and should investigate the relationship between high THI
and buffalo fertility, behavior, and welfare
Use of <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> in Preventing Clinical Cases of American and European Foulbrood in Central Italy
American and European Foulbrood (AFB and EFB) are considered the most contagious infectious diseases affecting honeybees worldwide. New sustainable strategies need to be implemented for their prevention and control, and probiotics may represent one solution to investigate. In our study, we evaluated the efficacy of one strain of Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) isolated from northern Italy, orally administered to the bees for AFB and EFB prevention. From March to September 2014, a total of 979 honeybee colonies (9.6% of Viterbo province—Central Italy) were taken under observation from 22 apiaries. Overall prevalence of AFB was 5.3% in treated colonies and 5.1% in the untreated ones. On the contrary, EFB prevalence was lower in the treated colonies (2.5%) compared to the untreated ones (4.5%). L. plantarum showed a significant effect in reducing insurgence of cases of EFB up to 35 days after the end of the treatment (p-value: 0.034). Thanks to this study we could investigate the preventive efficacy of L. plantarum in controlling AFB and EFB, and obtain official data on their clinical prevalence in Central Italy
The importance of distinguishing pufferfish species (Lagocephalus spp.) in the Mediterranean Sea for ensuring public health: Evaluation of the genetic databases reliability in supporting species identification
Taxonomic identification of marine organisms is sometimes hindered by morphological similarities and utilization of wrong criteria. Therefore, the morphological approach often requires the support of molecular tools which usually rely on a comparison of DNA sequences available in free publicly-accessible databases. However, the process can be affected by wrongly deposited sequences which lead to specimens’ misidentification. This is the case of two toxic pufferfish species (Lagocephalus spadiceus and L. guentheri), both reported as Lessepsian invasive species, whose actual presence in the Mediterranean is debated within the scientific community. In this study, the reliability of the genetic databases GenBank and BOLD in supporting the discrimination of L. spadiceus and L. guentheri was assessed as it has been already debated in literature. Twenty Mediterranean specimens of L. guentheri were collected and morphologically identified. COI and cytb reference sequences were then produced and included in two separate analyses (one for each gene) together with corresponding online sequences of L. spadiceus and L. guentheri from all the available localities. A high percentage of sequences with non-valid taxonomic identification was observed, involving 32.5% of the COI and 43.7% of the cytb sequences from GenBank and 30% of the COI sequences from BOLD. The majority of sequences deposited under L. spadiceus, mostly of Mediterranean origin, were genetically confirmed to be misidentified L. guentheri. Outcomes highlighted two main shortcomings: i) a low taxonomic accuracy of official databases due to the presence of sequences attributed to wrong species; (ii) a significant underestimation of L. guentheri presence in the Mediterranean Sea. This study, therefore, underlines the necessity to improve the databases accuracy in term of deposited sequences reliability. In this specific case, accuracy is even more important, considering the involved toxic species and the potential concern for public health associated with their accidental entering in the seafood chain
Emerging risks in the European seafood chain: Molecular identification of toxic Lagocephalus spp. in fresh and processed products
Pufferfish may be responsible for human intoxications due to the accumulation of a potentially lethal
neurotoxin, called tetrodotoxin (TTX). While traditionally some species of pufferfish are consumed in
Japan, their marketing is banned in the EU. However, their illegal presence in mislabelled products has
been reported. Moreover, some species of the genus Lagocephalus spread in the Mediterranean Sea
during the last decades due to the Lessepsian migration phenomenon and they may represent a significant
emerging risk within the European seafood chain. This study aimed at finding a suitable molecular
marker for quickly identifying Lagocephalus species in fresh and processed products. All available
sequences of COI and cytb mitochondrial genes were used to create different length datasets (long and
short fragments) to be used to produce NJ trees depicting genetic relationships for Lagocephalus spp. On
the basis of its higher variability, cytb gene was selected as the molecular target and 17 new complete
sequences of 6 Lagocephalus species, deriving from reference samples, were produced and included in
the datasets. Then, a primer pair for amplifying a 130bp cytb polymorphic fragment from all of the
Lagocephalus spp. was designed for identifying sixteen mislabelled commercial products containing
pufferfish with degraded DNA. Cytb dataset's phylogenetic analysis supported the most recent species
classification of the Lagocephalus genus and highlighted the presence of toxic L. spadiceus in the products.
The analysis of the proposed short fragment could represent a reliable tool to protect European consumers
from the emerging risk associated to toxic Lagocephalus spp
Climate change and food safety: investigation on toxic fish species in the Tyrrhenian sea
Climate change and food safety: citizen science for monitoring the presence of toxic alien fish species in Italian waters
Global warming is transforming the Mediterranean Sea
as a result of the increase of the sea water temperature.
Exotic tropical species, originating from the Indo-Pacific area
and entering via the Suez Canal (“Lessepsian” migration) are
spreading (tropicalization). Some of these “alien” species, such as those belonging to the family Tetraodontidae, or
“puffer fish”, are toxic, as they are able to accumulate a
potentially lethal neurotoxin. According to the available
reports, 3 species of puffer fish are now present in Italian
waters: Lagocephalus sceleratus, Lagocephalus lagocephalus
and Sphoeroides pachygaster. The project
“Climate change and food safety: molecular, microbiological
and toxicological analysis on toxic fish species in the
Tyrrhenian Sea” led by the Istituto Zooprofilattico
Sperimentale of Lazio and Tuscany in partnership with
FishLab, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of
Pisa and the Veterinary Services and Animal Health, Ministry
of Agriculture & Rural Development, Israel, is funded by the
Ministry of Health. It aims to monitor the occurrence of toxic
fish species along the Tyrrhenian Sea coast and to characterize
them under a molecular, microbiological and toxicological
profile. The first part of the project was dedicated to dissemination
activities using dedicated informational brochures
and posters, a report form, a Facebook page and a specific
section on the FishLab site, in addition to newspaper articles,
TV interviews and meetings with fishermen, divers and control
authorities. All these activities were aimed at creating a
network for the collection of reports and samples, to update
the presence and toxicity of these species, allowing a better
assessment of the associated risk