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: 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