Lumpy Skin Disease virus (LSDV) is a Capripoxvirus that causes Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), a highly contagious disease of cattle transmitted primarily by blood-feeding arthropods, but also through direct contact and fomites. On 20 June 2025, an outbreak was reported in a beef cattle farm in Orani (Nuoro, Sardinia, Italy), where 21 of 131 animals showed typical clinical signs. Fourteen samples tested positive for LSDV by real-time PCR, and selected specimens underwent whole genome sequencing, generating three high-quality consensus sequences. Phylogenetic analysis placed the Sardinian strains within clade 1.2, closely related to a Nigerian isolate from 2018 and clearly distinct from vaccine-derived strains and those responsible for the Balkan outbreaks between 2012 and 2016. LSD outbreaks also occurred in North Africa during 2023-2024, but genomic data from those episodes are not yet available for comparison. The exact route of introduction into Italy therefore remains uncertain, with possible pathways including windborne dispersal of infected vectors or other anthropogenic activities. This first genomic characterization of LSDV in Italy highlights the need for strengthened genomic and entomological surveillance, data sharing, and integrated approaches to trace virus incursions and assess transboundary risks.

Between August and 28 October 2024, 199 autochthonous cases of dengue virus serotype 2 were notified in the city of Fano, central Italy. We describe the ongoing epidemiological and microbiological investigation and public health measures implemented to contain the outbreak. The high transmissibility and the extension of the outbreak suggest that dengue should be expected in temperate regions during favourable seasons, highlighting the need for heightened awareness among healthcare providers and the public to ensure timely detection and response.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a viral disease of cattle and water buffalo characterized by cutaneous nodules, biphasic fever, and lymphadenitis. LSD is endemic in Africa and the Middle East but has spread to different Asian countries in recent years. The disease is well characterized in cattle while little is known about the disease in buffaloes in which no experimental studies have been conducted. Six buffaloes and two cattle were inoculated with an Albanian LSD virus (LSDV) field strain and clinically monitored for 42 days. Only two buffaloes showed fever, skin nodules, and lymphadenitis. All samples collected (blood, swabs, biopsies, and organs) were tested in real-time PCR and were negative. Between day 39 and day 42 after inoculation, anti-LSDV antibodies were detected in three buffaloes by ELISA, but all sera were negative by virus neutralization test (VNT). Cattle showed severe clinical signs, viremia, virus shedding proven by positive real-time PCR results, and seroconversion confirmed by both ELISA and VNT. Clinical findings suggest that susceptibility in buffaloes is limited compared to in cattle once experimentally infected with LSDV. Virological results support the hypothesis of buffalo resistance to LSD and its role as an accidental non-adapted host. This study highlights that the sensitivity of ELISA and VNT may differ between animal species and further studies are needed to investigate the epidemiological role of water buffalo.

Background: Lumpy skin disease virus (Poxviridae family—Capripoxvirus genus) is the aetiological agent of LSD, a disease primarily transmitted by hematophagous biting, affecting principally cattle. Currently, only live attenuated vaccines are commercially available, but their use is limited to endemic areas. There is a need for safer vaccines, especially in LSD-free countries. This research aims to develop and test a safe and efficacious inactivated vaccine. Moreover, in this study, we used keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) as a positive marker to distinguish infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA). Methods: Lumpy skin disease virus was propagated on primary lamb testis cells and Madin–Darby bovine kidney cells (PLT and MDBK, respectively), and four inactivated vaccines were produced. The vaccines differed from each other with the addition or not of KLH and in cells used for virus propagation. To evaluate the safety and immunogenicity, the vaccines and two placebos were administered to six groups comprising six male calves each, and antibody response was investigated using both an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a serum neutralization (SN) test. In addition, the LSD/γ-interferon test and KLH (IgM-IgG) ELISA were performed on the collected samples. Furthermore, the use of KLH allowed us to distinguish vaccinated animals in the ELISA results, without any interference on the strength of the immune response against the LSDV. Finally, the efficacy of one of four vaccines was investigated through a challenge, in which one group of vaccinated animals and one animal control group were infected with a live field strain of LSDV. Results: Four out of the six control animals showed severe clinical signs suggestive of LSD, and, therefore, were euthanized for overcoming the predetermined limit of clinical score. By contrast, the vaccinated animals showed only mild symptoms, suggesting a reduction in severe disease notwithstanding the incapability of the vaccine in reducing the virus shedding. Conclusion: The vaccines produced were safe and able to elicit both a humoral and a cellular immune response, characteristics that, together with the demonstrated efficacy, make our vaccine a good candidate for countering the LSD spread in disease-free countries, thus also facilitating disease containment throughout the application of a DIVA strategy.

West Nile virus (WNV) (Flaviviridae, Flavivirus) infection is a mosquito-borne zoonosis able of causing disease and death in humans and animals. Over the past decade, WNV infections have been a significant public health concern in Europe, and Italy has been among the most affected countries since 2008. The 2022 vector season has been characterized by an intense and early circulation of WNV. This report describes cases of co-circulation of WNV L1 and of WNV L2 occurring at the end of the 2022 vector season in Sicily and Tuscany, regions where no strains had ever been sequenced. The phylogenetic analysis of the detected strains confirmed the peculiar WNV scenario that has characterized the Italian West Nile disease (WND) epidemic since its appearance. The circulation observed in Tuscany was in fact a consequence of the spread of endemic strains to new areas while the Sicilian episodes were linked to new introductions of WNV L1 and L2 strains likely from other European countries.

West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne pathogen that can infect humans, equids, and many bird species, posing a threat to their health. It consists of eight lineages, with Lineage 1 (L1) and Lineage 2 (L2) being the most prevalent and pathogenic. Italy is one of the hardest-hit European nations, with 330 neurological cases and 37 fatalities in humans in the 2021-2022 season, in which the L1 re-emerged after several years of low circulation. We assembled a database comprising all publicly available WNV genomes, along with 31 new Italian strains of WNV L1 sequenced in this study, to trace their evolutionary history using phylodynamics and phylogeography. Our analysis suggests that WNV L1 may have initially entered Italy from Northern Africa around 1985 and indicates a connection between European and Western Mediterranean countries, with two distinct strains circulating within Italy. Furthermore, we identified new genetic mutations that are typical of the Italian strains and that can be tested in future studies to assess their pathogenicity. Our research clarifies the dynamics of WNV L1 in Italy, provides a comprehensive dataset of genome sequences for future reference, and underscores the critical need for continuous and coordinated surveillance efforts between Europe and Africa.

We describe the detection of epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) serotype 8 in cattle farms in Sardinia and Sicily in October-November 2022. The virus has a direct origin in North Africa; its genome is identical (>99.9% nucleotide sequence identity) to EHDV serotype 8 strains detected in Tunisia in 2021.

1 Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise "G. Caporale" (IZS-Teramo) (ITALY)2 Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise "G. Caporale" (IZS-Teramo) (ITALY) / World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) SRR Brussels (BELGIUM)

West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne virus potentially causing serious illness in humans and other animals. Since 2004, several studies have highlighted the progressive spread of WNV Lineage 2 (L2) in Europe, with Italy being one of the countries with the highest number of cases of West Nile disease reported. In this paper, we give an overview of the epidemiological and genetic features characterising the spread and evolution of WNV L2 in Italy, leveraging data obtained from national surveillance activities between 2011 and 2021, including 46 newly assembled genomes that were analysed under both phylogeographic and phylodynamic frameworks. In addition, to better understand the seasonal patterns of the virus, we used a machine learning model predicting areas at high-risk of WNV spread. Our results show a progressive increase in WNV L2 in Italy, clarifying the dynamics of interregional circulation, with no significant introductions from other countries in recent years. Moreover, the predicting model identified the presence of suitable conditions for the 2022 earlier and wider spread of WNV in Italy, underlining the importance of using quantitative models for early warning detection of WNV outbreaks. Taken together, these findings can be used as a reference to develop new strategies to mitigate the impact of the pathogen on human and other animal health in endemic areas and new regions.

During November 2021-May 2022, we identified 37 clinical cases of Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus infections in central Italy. Epidemiologic investigations and whole-genome sequencing showed unpasteurized fresh dairy products were the outbreak source. Early diagnosis by using sequencing technology prevented the spread of life-threatening S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus infections.

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an emerging transboundary, mosquito-borne, zoonotic viral disease caused by a single serotype of a virus belonging to the Phenuiviridae family (genus Phlebovirus). It is considered an important threat to both agriculture and public health in endemic areas, because the virus, transmitted by different mosquito genera, leads to abortions in susceptible animal hosts especially sheep, goat, cattle, and buffaloes, resulting in severe economic losses. Humans can also acquire the infection, and the major sources are represented by the direct contact with infected animal blood, aerosol, consumption of unpasteurized contaminated milk and the bite of infected mosquitoes. Actually, the EU territory does not seem to be exposed to an imminent risk of RVFV introduction, however, the recent outbreaks in a French overseas department and some cases detected in Turkey, Tunisia and Libya, raised the attention of the EU for a possible risk of introduction of infected vectors. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop new therapeutic and/or preventive drugs, such as vaccines. In our work, we studied the immunogenicity of an inactivated and adjuvanted vaccine produced using a Namibian field strain of RVF virus (RVFV). The vaccine object of this study was formulated with Montanide Pet Gel A, a polymer-based adjuvant that has been previously reported for its promising safety profile and for the capacity to elicit a strong immune response. The produced inactivated vaccine was tested on six sheep and the level of IgM and IgG after the immunization of animals was evaluated by a commercial competitive ELISA, in order to assess the immunogenicity profile of our vaccine and to evaluate its potential use, as an alternative to the attenuated vaccines commercially available, in case of Rift Valley fever epidemic disease on EU territory. Following the administration of the second dose, 35 days after the first one, all animals seroconverted.

We describe the first detection in the European Union of the epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV). EHDV-8 has been detected in cattle farms in Sardinia and Sicily. The virus has a direct Northern African origin as its genome is identical (>99.9% nucleotide sequence identity) to EHDV-8 strains detected in Tunisia in 2021/2022.

As in 2018, when a large West Nile virus (WNV) epidemic occurred, the 2022 vector season in Italy was marked by an early onset of WNV circulation in mosquitoes and birds. Human infections were limited until early July, when we observed a rapid increase in the number of cases. We describe the epidemiology of human infections and animal and vector surveillance for WNV and compare the more consolidated data of June and July 2022 with the same period in 2018.

Fipronil is an insecticide which is not approved for use in any food-producing animal species in the European Union (EU). However, the inappropriate use of fipronil in mites' disinfestation products utilized in poultry farms in the Netherlands and other EU countries in 2017, led to the detection of residues of this pesticide in eggs across Europe. In Italy, a national monitoring plan was established to verify the possible misuse of fipronil in Italian laying hens. Out of 577 sampled farms, 23 eggs resulted contaminated (4.0%; 95% CI: 2.7%-5.9%). A higher prevalence of contamination was observed in flocks kept on cage (8.7%; 95% CI: 6.0% - 12.4%) than on ground (1.6%; 95% CI: 0.7% -3.7%); Chi-square = 16.1; P < 0.001). The results allowed developing a stochastic model for estimating the risk of fipronil ingestion through the consumption of contaminated table eggs for the Italian consumer. The probability that an individual ingests a dose of fipronil greater than the acute reference dose (ARfD, equal to 0.009 mg/kg body weight) was assessed as very low, ranging from values very close to 0 in people with more than 10 years of age and 0.0007 in infants less than 3 years.

In 2019, entomological survey on mosquitoes was carried out in Abruzzo and Molise regions in central Italy to obtain data on local mosquito fauna. Collection sites were selected based on a previous ecoregion classification of the territory. From 2019 to 2021 virological surveillance for West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) on mosquitoes was carried out in the same regions, selecting ecoregions where virus circulation and vector presence were more likely, all mosquitoes were collected and identified, and the female mosquitoes were sorted in 3046 pools and tested for the presence of WNV and USUV by Real-time PCR. All pools tested negative for WND, while USUV was detected in 7 pools of Aedes caspius collected in Molise region, 17 pools of Culex pipiens s.l. (2 collected in Molise, 15 in Abruzzo), and 1 pool of Culiseta longiareolata collected in Molise. These results suggests the presence of an USUV enzootic cycle, maintained by Culex pipiens s.l. and Aedes caspius in both Italian regions, as well as providing a useful picture in terms of species presence and abundance for both regions. Ecoregions proved to be a very valuable tool in determining high risk areas for vector borne diseases.

Novel SARS-CoV-2 variants with potential impacts on diagnostics, antivirals, and vaccines are spreading in Italy. In this editorial, we highlight the role that veterinary public health institutes may have in this global crisis, as their expertise in genomic/antigenic surveillance and animal studies are crucial to tackle SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Introduction. In May-June 2018, an outbreak of campylobacteriosis involved students and school staff from kindergartens and primary schools in Pescara, southern Italy.Aim. We present details of the epidemiological and microbiological investigation, and the findings of the analytical study, as well as the implemented control measures.Methodology. To identify possible risk factors associated with the observed outbreak, a case control study was conducted using a questionnaire to collect information on the date of symptoms onset, type and duration of symptoms, type of healthcare contact, school attendance, and food items consumed at school lunches during the presumed days of exposure. Attack rates were calculated for each date and school. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratios of being a case and the odds of illness by food items consumed, respectively. Moreover, we carried out a comparative genomic analysis using whole genome multilocus sequence typing (wgMLST) of Campylobacter jejuni strains isolated during the outbreak investigation to identify the source of the outbreak.Results. Overall, 222 probable cases from 21 schools were identified, and C. jejuni was successfully isolated from 60 patients. The meals in the schools involved were provided by two cooking centres managed by a joint venture between two food companies. Environmental and food sampling, epidemiological and microbiological analyses, as well as a case control study with 176 cases and 62 controls from the same schools were performed to identify the source of the outbreak. The highest attack rate was recorded among those having lunch at school on 29 May (7.8 %), and the most likely exposure was 'caciotta' cheese (odds ratio 2.40, 95 % confidence interval 1.10-5.26, P=0.028). C. jejuni was isolated from the cheese, and wgMLST showed that the human and cheese isolates belonged to the same genomic cluster, confirming that the cheese was the vehicle of the infection.Conclusion. It is plausible that a failure of the pasteurization process contributed to the contamination of the cheese batches. Timely suspension of the catering service and summer closure of the schools prevented further spread.

• Following the announcement on December 2020 about the emergence of a new variant (VOC 202012/01, B.1.1.7 lineage) in the United Kingdom, a targeted surveillance was put in place in the Abruzzo region (Italy), which allowed detection of 313 persons affected by lineage B.1.1.7, up to the 20th of February 2021. We investigated the results of RT-PCR on nasopharyngeal swabs tested from December 2020 to February 2021 to verify any difference on the viral load and persistence between people infected by lineage B.1.1.7 and others. Statistically significant lower values of CT associated with the detection of the N protein encoding gene (CT N) were observed in persons with lineage B.1.1.7 infection (median CT N = 15.8) in comparison to those infected by other lineages (median CT N = 16.9). A significantly longer duration of the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in nasopharyngeal swabs was observed in persons with lineage B.1.1.7 infection (16 days) in comparison to those infected by other lineages (14 days).

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has evolved rapidly, leading to viral lineages characterized by multiple mutations in the spike protein, which could potentially confer to the virus the ability to avoid the vaccine-induced immune response, making the vaccines less effective or ineffective. Here, we initially evaluated the neutralization capabilities in vitro by serum neutralization (SN) of six serum samples collected from recipients of the BNT162b2 vaccine against 11 SARS-CoV-2 isolates belonging to the major SARS-CoV-2 lineages that had been circulating in Italy. Then, we considered 30 additional serum samples by SN assay against the dominant B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant. A B.1 lineage isolate was used as a reference. In the first analysis, significant differences when compared with the reference strain (p > 0.05) were not evidenced; instead, when the panel of 30 sera was tested against the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant, a significant (p = 0.0015) 2.38-fold reduction in neutralizing titres compared with the reference after the first vaccine dose was demonstrated. After the second vaccine dose, the reduction was not significant (p = 0.1835). This study highlights that the BNT162b2 vaccine stimulates a humoral response able to neutralize all tested SARS-CoV-2 variants, thus suggesting a prominent role in mitigating the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in real-world conditions. Long-term follow-up is currently ongoing.

From 16 March to 15 December 2020, 132,357 naso-pharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs were collected in the province of Teramo, Abruzzo Region, Italy, and tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 genomic RNA by a commercially available molecular assay. A total of 12,880 swabs resulted positive. For 8212 positive patients (4.150 women and 4.062 men) the median age was statistically different between women (median: 49.55 ± 23.9 of SD) and men (median: 48.35 ± 23.5 of SD) while no differences were found in the comparison between the cycle threshold for the N protein-encoding gene (CT N) median values and gender. Differences were observed in the CT N gene median values of swabs collected from March to September as well as in the pairwise comparison between September and October and between November and December. The CT N gene median values observed in specific periods characterizing the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in 2020 were also compared with the incidence of COVID-19 cases; a strong inverse correlation was highlighted (Pearson correlation coefficient = −0.978). Our findings confirm the usefulness of the CT N values as an indirect detection parameter to monitor viral loads in the population.