In pigs, lymphoma is documented only sporadically in literature. Compared with other livestock species, such as cattle, lymphoma in pigs has a significantly lower incidence. The low number of reported cases may be due in part to underdiagnosis related to the production environment in which these animals are raised, together with the sporadic and non–virus-associated nature of the disease. Although rare, lymphomas represent the most frequent form of hematopoietic tumor in this species with different sites of development. To date, there are no clear reports of primary tonsillar lymphoma in pigs in the literature. This case report describes a rare case of tonsillar lymphoma with liver and kidney metastases in an intensively reared male castrated Danish pig. The animal, apparently in good health, was found dead at the age of 4 months (120 days), without any premonitory clinical signs. On necropsy, enlargement of the tonsils of the soft palate, with firm consistency and red color and multiple white-to-gray nodules in the liver and kidneys were observed, and considered consistent with a round cell tumor. Histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses identified a T cell lymphoma with primary tonsillar localization and metastatic spread. Compared with other livestock species, such as cattle, lymphoma in pigs has a significantly lower incidence and this report contributes to expanding knowledge about the anatomical distribution and biological behavior of lymphomas in pigs. This case highlights the importance of including histologic examination of the tonsils in postmortem investigations, especially in the presence of metastatic lesions of uncertain origin. It also suggests the usefulness of implementing systematic reporting systems for neoplastic lesions in pigs to improve health surveillance and deepen the epidemiology of neoplasms in the swine species. Increased awareness among farm veterinarians, inspectors, and diagnosticians can help refine early diagnosis and health management on the farm.
Abstract This data paper presents a curated, georeferenced dataset of the frequencies of the two main target site mutations (V1016G and F1534C) associated with resistance to pyrethroid insecticides in Aedes albopictus in Italy. Populations were collected in 102 out 107 Italian provinces between 2023 and 2025. Specimens were sampled by members of the Mosquito Insecticide Resistance Italian Network (MosqIRIT) as part of RN2 activities within the INF-ACT project. Genotyping was performed on 3,517 individuals by specific allele-specific PCR assays. Each record includes metadata on sampling site, administrative location, developmental stage, collection method, and mutation-specific genotype frequencies. To support spatial analysis modelling effort, the dataset integrates geographic, eco-climatic, and demographic data. This resource will support mosquito control programs, pyrethroid resistance monitoring and managing, as well as ecological modelling, and is compliant with the FAIR data program.
The diagnosis of CanL can be challenging due to its broad clinical spectrum and frequent occurrence of subclinical infections in endemic areas. Molecular methods, particularly qPCR, have become pivotal in CanL diagnosis. The study aimed to compare the diagnostic performance of digital PCR (dPCR) and qPCR, which is currently considered the gold standard for the quantitative detection of L. infantum DNA. Skin biopsies from 37 dogs living in CanL-endemic areas were selected based on histopathological criteria. DNA was extracted from FFPE tissue and Leishmania detection was performed using both qPCR and dPCR with a Leishmania-specific assay. Immunohistochemistry was additionally performed on samples in which Leishmania DNA was detected, provided that sufficient material was available. Different statistical tests were used to compare the performance and agreement between dPCR and qPCR. dPCR demonstrated excellent technical performance, with an average of ∼25,000 partitions per sample, and detected significantly more copies than qPCR, especially in samples with low DNA concentrations. While quantitative agreement was substantial (Lin's CCC = 0.86), dPCR systematically measured higher values. At a detection threshold of 1 copy/μL, dPCR achieved 100% sensitivity, highlighting a superior detection capability. However, the specificity decreased to 62%, likely reflecting the detection of additional low-level positives. Cohen's κ indicated moderate categorical agreement (0.54) between the two methods. Overall, the results show that dPCR represents a novel and promising quantitative molecular technique for the detection of Leishmania DNA in FFPE skin samples.
The misuse of beta-agonist drugs as growth promoters in livestock production, highlighted by the cases of intoxication in Europe in the 1990s, has resulted in strict regulations in the European Union. These restrictions have required the development of increasingly sensitive analytical methods. In June 2022, the European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL BVL Berlin) released the Guidance Document on Minimum Method Performance Requirements (MMPRs), a technical guidance for analytical methods in residue control. The MMPRs represent the minimum concentrations that official laboratories should be able to reliably identify to analyze prohibited substances in different animal matrices. In this work, a qualitative screening method for 21 beta-agonists at half of MMPRs was developed and validated in animal lung and liver by UPLC-MS/MS technique according to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/808 requirements. With regard to detection capability CCβ, the results obtained permitted the qualitative determination of 11 clenbuterol-like beta-agonists (Clenbuterol, Bromchlorbuterol, Brombuterol, Cimaterol, Cimbuterol, Clenpenterol, Clenproperol, Hydroxymethylclenbuterol, Mabuterol, Mapenterol, Tulobuterol) at 0.05 μg/kg and for 10 salbutamol-like beta-agonists (Carbuterol, Isoxsuprine, Clencyclohexerol, Ractopamine, Ritodrine, Salbutamol, Terbutaline, Zilpaterol, Fenoterol, Salmeterol) at 0.25 μg/kg. The method was validated for lungs and livers of different animal species (cattle, chicken, sheep, and swine): following the requirements of the above-mentioned Regulation. The method was found to be robust and specific.
RATIONALE:Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, degenerative, autoimmune-mediated disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Although its pathogenesis is not fully understood, inflammation involving both T and B cells is considered an essential factor. Cladribine induces targeted lymphocyte depletion in the peripheral and central nervous system, potentially lowering inflammation and slowing disease progression. OBJECTIVES:To assess the short- and long-term benefits and harms of cladribine compared to no intervention, placebo, or any other disease-modifying drugs (DMDs) in people with any form of multiple sclerosis (MS). SEARCH METHODS:We searched the Cochrane MS and Rare Diseases of the CNS Trials Register (part of CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, LILACS, major trials registries, and conference abstracts up to 3 February 2025. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs), their open-label extension trials (OLEs), the first phase of cross-over trials, and non-randomised studies of interventions (NRSIs) that investigated cladribine, alone or in combination, at any dose or duration versus no intervention, placebo, or any other DMDs. Participants had a confirmed diagnosis of MS or clinically isolated syndrome according to accepted criteria. We excluded retrospective studies and studies without a comparison group. OUTCOMES:Critical outcomes Number of participants at the end of follow-up: with at least one serious adverse event (SAE), free from disability worsening, with no evidence of disease activity (NEDA), who withdrew from treatment, and with cognitive impairment; and quality of life. Important outcomes Number of participants at the end of follow-up with: at least one advert event, at least one new relapse, and new gadolinium-enhancing positive T1-weighted (Gd+ T1) or new/enlarging T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lesions. RISK OF BIAS:We used the Cochrane risk of bias tools RoB 2 (for RCTs and OLEs) and ROBINS-I (for NRSIs). SYNTHESIS METHODS:We conducted random-effects meta-analyses to calculate risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), assessing RCTs, OLEs, and NRSIs separately. We assessed the certainty of evidence using GRADE. INCLUDED STUDIES:We included 15 studies: nine RCTs (follow-up 52-96 weeks; 2571 participants), two medium-term follow-up OLEs (24-96 weeks; 915 participants), two long-term follow-up OLEs (9.5-11.4 years), one NRSI with one year of follow-up (37 participants in cladribine group vs 599 in interferon beta [IFN-β], fingolimod, and natalizumab groups), and one NRSI with three years of follow-up (633 participants in cladribine group vs 2842 in fingolimod, dimethyl fumarate, and teriflunomide groups). Three reports assessed MRI outcomes. No studies reported quality of life or cognitive impairment. SYNTHESIS OF RESULTS:Randomised controlled trials Cladribine compared to placebo may have little to no effect on the risk of SAEs (RR 1.08, 95% CI 0.80 to 1.45; 8 studies, 2495 participants) and treatment withdrawal (RR 1.43, 95% CI 0.77 to 2.66; I² = 76%; 8 studies, 2503 participants), but the evidence for both outcomes is very uncertain. Cladribine may have little to no effect on the number of people remaining free from disability worsening up to 24 months (RR 1.05, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.16; 3 studies, 1549 participants; low certainty). Cladribine compared to placebo may increase the risk of any adverse events, but the evidence is very uncertain (RR 1.14, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.28; 8 studies, 2405 participants). Cladribine likely reduces the risk of new relapses (RR 0.53, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.62; 2 studies, 1498 participants; moderate certainty), and it may reduce the risk of new Gd+ T1 MRI lesions, although the results are heterogeneous and the evidence is very uncertain (RR 0.30, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.47; I² = 79%; 4 studies, 2153 participants). Open-label extension trials With follow-up beyond two years, cladribine compared to placebo may have little to no effect on the risk of SAEs (RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.60 to 1.33; 2 studies, 915 participants), freedom from disability worsening (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.11; 1 study, 806 participants), and treatment withdrawal (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.08; 2 studies, 915 participants), but the evidence is very uncertain for all three outcomes. Cladribine may increase the proportion of people with NEDA at four years (RR 1.63, 95% CI 1.23 to 2.16; 2 studies, 662 participants; low certainty). Cladribine compared to placebo may have little to no effect on the risk of any adverse events (RR 1.04, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.12; 2 studies, 916 participants) and may reduce relapses at long-term follow-up (RR 0.68, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.79; 2 studies, 662 participants), but the evidence is very uncertain for both outcomes. In one study, cladribine reduced new Gd+ T1 MRI lesions, but the evidence is very uncertain (RR 0.68, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.88; 806 participants). Non-randomised studies of interventions Observational comparisons (1 study) showed reductions in relapse over three years with cladribine versus: • dimethyl fumarate (RR 0.57, 95% CI 0.38 to 0.88; low certainty); • teriflunomide (RR 0.30, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.47; moderate certainty); and • fingolimod (RR 0.51, 95% CI 0.36 to 0.74; moderate certainty). However, the evidence is very uncertain for the effect of cladribine on relapse over 12 months versus: • fingolimod (RR 1.05, 95% CI 0.52 to 2.10; very low certainty); • natalizumab (RR 1.25, 95% CI 0.58 to 2.71; very low certainty); and • interferon beta (RR 0.65, 95% CI 0.26 to 1.62; very low certainty). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS:Cladribine is an oral treatment for adults with MS requiring few monitoring visits and only short courses over two years, thereby reducing treatment burden, with a safety profile that appears acceptable based on very low-certainty evidence. Evidence from RCTs suggests cladribine likely reduces new relapses, may reduce new Gd+ T1 MRI lesions (although the evidence is very uncertain), but may have little to no effect on slowing disability progression. Results from OLEs showed cladribine may increase the proportion of people with NEDA at four years. Benefits in subgroups and for some critical outcomes remain uncertain due to the paucity of studies. Further high-quality controlled trials and patient-centred pragmatic registries are needed to strengthen the evidence base. FUNDING:This Cochrane review had no dedicated funding. REGISTRATION:Protocol available via https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD013524.
