Risk Factors Associated with the Alpine Multispecies Farming System in the Eradication of CAEV in South Tyrol, Italy.

South Tyrol has implemented, in 2007, a mandatory eradication program against Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Virus (CAEV), a virus known to cause economic losses related to decreases in milk production and milk quality in goats, along with poor animal welfare and premature death. After a great initial decrease in the seroprevalence, the program has reached a tailing phase with scattered positivities. Potential risk factors associated with the multispecies farming system, a traditional approach in South Tyrol, are evaluated in this study, in order to better understand some of the potential causes leading to the tailing phenomenon. A statistically significant number of farms was selected for the present study, based on the risk factors evaluated. Even though there is no statistically significant association between the practices evaluated and the incidence of infection, the authors believe that it is important to highlight potential risks that may threaten the outcome of this eradication program

Impact of emergency oral rabies vaccination of foxes in northeastern Italy, 28 December 2009-20 January 2010: preliminary evaluation.

Fox rabies re-emerged in northeastern Italy in 2008, in an area bordering Slovenia. In 2009, the infection spread westward to Veneto region and in 2010 to the provinces of Trento and Bolzano. Aerial emergency oral fox vaccination was implemented in the winter 2009-10. Since this vaccination was performed at altitudes below the freezing level, a statistical analysis was conducted to evaluate its impact. Of the foxes sampled following the vaccination campaign, 77% showed a rabies antibody titre of ≥0.5 IU/ml

A highly endemic area of Echinococcus multilocularis identified through a comparative re-assessment of prevalence in the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), Alto Adige (Italy: 2019-2020)

Surveillance of Echinococcus multilocularis at the edge of its range is hindered by fragmented distributional patterns and low prevalence in definitive hosts. Thus, tests with adequate levels of sensitivity are especially important for discriminating between infected and non-infected areas. In this study we reassessed the prevalence of E. multilocularis at the southern border of its distribution in Province of Bolzano (Alto Adige, northeastern Alps, Italy), to improve surveillance in wildlife and provide more accurate estimates of exposure risk. We compared the diagnostic test currently implemented for surveillance based on coproscopy and multiplex PCR (CMPCR) to a real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) in 235 fox faeces collected in 2019 and 2020. The performances of the two tests were estimated using a scraping technique (SFCT) applied to the small intestines of a subsample (n = 123) of the same foxes as the reference standard. True prevalence was calculated and the sample size required by each faecal test for the detection of the parasite was then estimated. True prevalence of E. multilocularis in foxes (14.3%) was markedly higher than reported in the last decade, which was never more than 5% from 2012 to 2018 in the same area. In addition, qPCR showed a much higher sensitivity (83%) compared to CMPCR (21%) and agreement with the reference standard was far higher for qPCR (0.816) than CMPCR (0.298) meaning that for the latter protocol, a smaller sample size would be required to detect the disease. Alto Adige should be considered a highly endemic area. Routine surveillance on definitive hosts at the edges of the E. multilocularis distribution should be applied to smaller geographic areas, and rapid, sensitive diagnostic tools using directly host faeces, such as qPCR, should be adopted

A pilot project of Cancer Patient Library in Italy: the results of a customer satisfaction survey and its products

The purpose of this study is to determine the degree of satisfaction of the users of the Cancer Information Point (CIP-LP), section of the Library for Patients (LP) active, since 1998, at the National Cancer Institute of Aviano, Italy. The CIP-LP is based on a skilled intermediary, adequate informational material and a specific location, within the Scientific Library of the Institute. Patients and Methods: A survey was developed to assess service functionality and quality from the users viewpoint. During a 6 month period, a questionnaire was mailed to 194 patients and relatives who previously used the CIP-LP, 113 (58%) were received and processed. Results: 91% of the respondents was pleased with the CIP-LP and 95% of them would recommend the service to other people. The information obtained contributed to a clearer understanding of the illness and treatment (45% as first answer) and to feel a better control of the situation (33%). 51% evaluated the informational material received as “good”, 42% “excellent”, 4% “sufficient quality”. Conclusion: This survey makes evident the appreciation and usefulness in the users’perception of a specific hospital library for cancer patients and their relatives providing an information service supplementary to doctor-patient communication

Evaluating sensitivity and specificity of three diagnostic tests when the “gold standard” is unavailable,

In the context diagnostic tests may be assessed through indicators of diagnosis reliability called specificity and sensitivity. In practice, these indicators can be estimated only if a “gold standard” test is available, meaning that its diagnosis is the most reliable one available as to the prevalence of an illness in a population.Starting from a real case study related to cattle Q fever disease in small ruminants, the aim of this work is to determine which of the three examined diagnostic tests is the best, taking into account the fact that there is neither any a priori information on the sensitivity and specificity of the three tests, nor a reference “gold standard” diagnostic test. Moreover, the incidence of the disease in the reference population is unknown.Our approach, which is mainly descriptive in nature, derived estimates of sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic tests from incidence of the disease. The estimates are obtained by minimizing the least squares and a performed simulation study shows that on average the method provides unbiased estimates of unknown parameters. The application of the method to a real case study make it possible to establish a hierarchy among the three diagnostic tests in question

Evaluating sensitivity and specificity of three diagnostic tests when the “gold standard” is unavailable,

In the context diagnostic tests may be assessed through indicators of diagnosis reliability called specificity and sensitivity. In practice, these indicators can be estimated only if a “gold standard” test is available, meaning that its diagnosis is the most reliable one available as to the prevalence of an illness in a population.Starting from a real case study related to cattle Q fever disease in small ruminants, the aim of this work is to determine which of the three examined diagnostic tests is the best, taking into account the fact that there is neither any a priori information on the sensitivity and specificity of the three tests, nor a reference “gold standard” diagnostic test. Moreover, the incidence of the disease in the reference population is unknown.Our approach, which is mainly descriptive in nature, derived estimates of sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic tests from incidence of the disease. The estimates are obtained by minimizing the least squares and a performed simulation study shows that on average the method provides unbiased estimates of unknown parameters. The application of the method to a real case study make it possible to establish a hierarchy among the three diagnostic tests in question

Eradication of caprine arthritis encephalitis virus in the goat population of South Tyrol, Italy: analysis of the tailing phenomenon during the 2016-2017 campaign.

Since 2007, the Autonomous Province of Bolzano-South Tyrol (Italy) has carried out a compulsory eradication program against caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV) in goats. A drastic seroprevalence reduction was achieved during the initial phase (2007-2011); however, a tailing phenomenon has been observed during the latest years, hampering the achievement of the final goal. CAEV belongs to a group of lentiviruses, called small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs), which are antigenically related and can infect both goats and sheep. We investigated the possible link between the tailing phenomenon in goats and the role of sheep as a virus reservoir by comparing serologic results between multispecies farms (where goats and sheep coexist) and monospecies farms (goats only). Goats on multispecies farms had a higher prevalence and seroconversion rate (even if to a rather moderate extent), higher antibody titers, and a higher probability of conclusive results in the genotyping analysis, with more frequent identification of SRLV genotype A (sheep-related) infections. Sheep can serve as a SRLV reservoir, thus contributing to scattered positive tests in goats, causing the tailing phenomenon

Avian influenza epidemiology in semi-intensive free ranging duck flocks of the Moyingyi Wetland in Bago East District, Myanmar

Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus subtype H5N1 first entered Myanmar in 2006 in the Mandalay District. Several H5N1 outbreaks followed and the one of Bago East District (2007) required post outbreak surveillance in the at-risk domestic duck population of the Moyingyi Wetland. A field epidemiological study based on a randomised prospective stratified study with five surveys provided the serological evidence that the avian influenza H5 subtype circulates in the domestic duck population and spreads to almost all the newly housed (and negative) flocks in the time span of a seasonal production cycle. Virological investigation was negative. The survival analysis showed that the probability of seroconversion increased rapidly over the study period, without significant difference among different agro-ecosystems. The analysis suggests that viral spread in the new cycle could be limited if control measures were adopted at the time new flocks are housed. The study recommends that future surveillance schemes for ducks are designed in a way to get as much information as possible from serological results which should drive virological sampling to determined farms