Ivermectin is a macrocyclic lactone widely used in veterinary medicine for its broad-spectrum antiparasitic properties. It has been proven to be effective and safe. The purpose of this study was to develop a high-performance liquid chromatography method with a diode array detector for ivermectin screening in feed and water for animal consumption. Furthermore, the objective was to quantify ivermectin levels that were higher than 0.5 mg/kg in solid matrixes and 0.1 mg/kg in water. Doramectin was used as process standard. Samples were extracted using solid phase extraction with silica and C-18 columns. The method involved the use of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a diode array detector (DAD). The results were interpreted using a calibration curve built with ivermectin standards at multiple concentrations (0.5, 1, 2, 5, and 12.5 mg/kg). Statistical evaluation of data was done using ANOVA. The data analysis showed that the linear regression was highly significant ( ), the intercept values were not significantly different from zero, and the correlation coefficient values (>0.999) indicated excellent linearity. Further tests demonstrated that this method is also useful when studying soil matrixes. The soil was dried and analyzed in the same way as feed; the same recoveries were realized on the spiked samples. The method is easy, inexpensive, precise, and repeatable; it requires very small amounts of sample.

Tetracyclines are a group of antibiotic substances largely administered through medicated feed to control diseases in food-producing animals. Fine dosing of antibiotics contained in medicated feed is crucial for the success of the treatment as well as minimising potential threats such as the spread of antimicrobial resistance and the transfer of antibiotic residues in food. A rapid analytical method based on HPLC with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) was developed to quantify oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline and doxycycline in medicated feed. The reported method underwent in-house validation and was found to be suitable for the quantification of three target tetracyclines within the concentration range of 40-1000 mg kg-1 in official routine analysis. The method was applied to 103 official samples in the framework of the Italian National Plan on animal feed during the years 2021-2023 and nine non-compliant concentrations were identified in swine and fish feed samples.

Ivermectin is a widely used broad-spectrum antiparasitic agent employed in both companion animals and livestock. While generally safe for mammals, its acute and chronic toxicity has been proven in many nontarget fish and insect species at low concentrations. The present study aimed to develop, validate, and test a more accurate method for ivermectin detection in various matrices (feces, soil, and sewage) for environmental studies. The method was validated using the Eurachem network. The applicability of the method was established at 1.5-500 μg/L for feces and 1.5-15 μg/L for sewage and soil. No dilution effect was observed at 5000 μg/L. The limit of detection was 0.66, 0.54, and 0.36 μg/kg for feces, soil, and sewage, respectively. The limit of quantification was set at 1.5 μg/kg and verified experimentally. Overall recovery was 92.27 ± 12.01% for feces and 96.19 ± 13.78% in soil, reaching a linearity of at least 0.99. The present method was successfully applied to 228 feces, 20 sewage, and 105 soil samples. This validated method enables the precise detection and quantification of ivermectin in the tested matrices, thereby envisaging potential applications in environmental monitoring studies with improved sensitivity and specificity.

Antimicrobials are frequently administered for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes in companion animals. Their use is closely monitored as related to antimicrobial resistance both in human and veterinary medicine. This retrospective study aimed to describe antimicrobial prescription by different clinical services in cats visited at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the University of Parma (VTH-UP) between January 2021 and December 2023. The antibiotic classes were divided according to the categorization of antibiotics adopted by the European Medicines Agency (EMA); EMA categories A and B were classified as Critically Important Antimicrobials (CIAs). Overall, 43.8%, 35.0%, and 35.0% of visited cats received an antimicrobial prescription in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. Most of the prescriptions were Category C “Caution” antibiotics (49.0%, 54.0%, and 55.0% in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively). Category B “restrict” antibiotics represented 13.0%, 12.0%, and 11.0% of the total antimicrobials prescribed in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. Penicillins associated with beta-lactam inhibitors were the most common antibiotics prescribed each year at the VTH-UP (32.0%, 31.3%, and 23.7% of total prescriptions in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively). Among CIAs, quinolones were the most common, with 12.1%, 11.2%, and 10.1% of the total prescriptions in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. Culture and sensitivity tests (CSTs) were performed for 18.1% (85/470), 17.4% (73/420), and 23.0% (96/417) of the total prescriptions in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. Considering only CIA prescriptions, CSTs were performed in 70.0% (49/70), 66.7% (38/57), and 70.9% (39/55) of CSTs in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. Antimicrobial use varies considerably depending on the clinical service. The use of “restrict” antibiotics was very limited, and attention should be given to therapeutic and prophylactic use.

Triclosan is a chlorinated biphenolic with a broad spectrum of antiseptic activities used in cosmetics and hygiene products. Continuous exposure can lead to absorption and bioaccumulation of this substance with harmful health effects. In fact, previous studies have shown that Triclosan acts as an endocrine-disrupting chemical on reproductive organs, with consequent negative effects on reproductive physiology. Therefore, to assess potential adverse impacts on fertility, we tested Triclosan on swine granulosa cells, a model of endocrine reproductive cells. We examined its effects on the main features of granulosa cell functions such as cell growth (BrdU incorporation and ATP production) and steroidogenesis (17-β estradiol and progesterone secretion). Moreover, since oxidant–antioxidant balance plays a pivotal role in follicular function, redox status markers (superoxide, hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide production, enzymatic and non-enzymatic scavenging activity) were studied. Our results show that Triclosan significantly inhibits cell growth (p < 0.001), steroidogenesis (p < 0.001), superoxide and nitric oxide production (p < 0.001), while it increases (p < 0.05) enzymatic defense systems. Collectively, these data suggest a disruption of the main granulosa cell functions, i.e., proliferation and hormone production, as well as an imbalance in redox status. On these bases, we can speculate that Triclosan would impair granulosa cell functions, thus exerting negative effects on reproductive function. Further studies are needed to explore lower Triclosan concentrations and to unravel its mechanisms of action at gene level.