On 24 September 2019, the Ministry of Health issued an explanatory circular containing clarifications on the implementation methods of the National Improvement Plan for the application of Legislative Decree 122/2011. The Plan states that “In all farms where weaning or fattening pigs are raised and in breeding farms which wean piglets (excluding those for self-consumption), a risk assessment is carried out by the veterinarian on the basis of three levels: insufficient, room for improvement and optimal”. ClassyFarm, a risk assessment tool for livestock farming, is applied in Italy to evaluate the level of welfare and management of animals from a variety of points of view. Essentially, the categorization risk introduced by ClassyFarm in pig farming depended on the obligation stated by the EU in Decree 122/2011 to avoid tail docking in piglets and, at the same time, to reduce the stressor aspects able to induce aggressive behavior among pigs, improving the welfare and health status of animals. Since ClassyFarm evaluates many aspects of the management of animal farming, our aims in this review are to discuss the topic from an environmental point of view: (1) to frame the indications of ClassyFarm to make a farm risk assessment based on pigs’ welfare; (2) to review environmental quality assessment in pig farms, and its repercussions on animal health and welfare; (3) to describe the most used sampling techniques of air pollutants measurements.

In this study, the effects of photo-electrocatalysis (PEC) were evaluated as an innovative application of conventional photocatalysis (PC) to remediate water in a recirculating system for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) culture, in relation to fish welfare and health, with a multidisciplinary approach. Three tanks were employed, equipped with conventional biological filters as a control system, and three tanks equipped with the PEC purification system. The concentrations of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate ions in water were monitored, and the fish’s oxidative damage and stress response were evaluated in parallel. The water of the PEC-treated experimental group showed lower ammonia (TAN) and nitrite concentrations and higher nitrate concentration, possibly deriving from TAN oxidation through PEC, also leading to gaseous N₂. Histological analysis did not reveal any pathological alteration in the gills and liver of both groups. The superoxide dismutase (sod1), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx1), and Tumor necrosis factor (TNFα) gene expressions were significantly higher in the control group than in the PEC-treated group, while the Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) expression did not show any difference in the two groups. These results indicate that the use of PEC filters has a positive effect on water quality, compared to the use of conventional biological filters, inducing a high level of welfare in O. mykiss.

Ixodes ricinus, the most common tick species in Northern Europe, plays a significant role as a vector of several pathogens, with its geographical distribution expanding in recent years. In Southern Sweden, particularly in Region Skåne County (referred to as Skåne), the favorable climate and landscape conditions support extensive proliferation of I. ricinus. Despite Lyme borreliosis being common in this region and few annual cases of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) being reported, data on the circulation of tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) remain limited. This study molecularly investigated the presence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia spp., Borrelia spp., and TBE virus (TBEV) in I. ricinus ticks (n = 1000). In detail, questing ticks (82 adults and 196 nymphs) were collected from vegetation in forest and meadow areas, while 581, 80 and 8 feeding adults were collected from 39 roe deer, 6 fallow deer and 1 moose, respectively. Additionally, 53 feeding adults were removed from domestic animals (42 from four dogs and 11 from one cat). The molecular analyses detected Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia spp., and Babesia spp. in 54 %, 24 %, 3.2 % of host-feeding ticks and in 0.40 %, 35 %, 3.6 % of questing ticks, respectively. In detail, for Borrelia and Babesia genera, the following species were detected: Borrelia miyamotoi, Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia garinii, Borrelia burgdorferi s.s., Babesia microti and Babesia venatorum. TBEV was not detected. Moreover, the relationship between the feeding duration of the roe deer-collected ticks and their PCR-positivity for Borrelia spp. and A. phagocytophilum was also modeled. The results showed a reduction in the probability of tick infection with Borrelia spp. as attachment time increased, supporting evidence that roe deer serum exerts a borreliacidal effect. This study highlights the presence of several zoonotic TBPs in Skåne, emphasizing the need for a structured monitoring plan and preventive strategies within a One Health framework.

The Island of Asinara (Sardinia, Italy) is a unique protected ecosystem in the Mediterranean basin. Its climate provides a favorable environment for a wide variety of flora and fauna, including ticks and tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) of medical and veterinary importance. In this context, wild donkeys (Equus asinus), i.e. the Sardinian grey donkey and the characteristic white Asinara donkey, serve as hosts for several tick species. This study aimed to increase the knowledge of the TBPs circulating on the Island of Asinara by assessing the seroprevalence and risk factors for Babesia caballi and Theileria equi infections in donkeys and the molecular prevalence of the aetiological agents of piroplasmosis, anaplasmosis, and rickettsiosis in ticks collected from donkeys. In this study, 110 wild donkeys and 197 adult ticks (Rhipicephalus bursa, Haemaphysalis punctata, Hyalomma marginatum) from the Asinara National Park were tested for the presence of TBPs. Serological analysis in donkeys revealed a seroprevalence of 23.6% for B. caballi and 39.1% for T. equi, with 11.8% of individuals showing co-infections. The likelihood of protozoan infection was associated with tick infestation for B. caballi and land cover type for T. equi. Molecular analysis of ticks detected T. equi in 15.7% of the samples and Babesia spp. in 3.5% of the samples. Rickettsia spp., including the zoonotic R. aeschlimannii, were identified in 8.1% of the ticks. No Anaplasma spp. positives were detected. In addition, 2% of ticks showed co-infections with multiple pathogens, highlighting the potential for co-transmission. An association with tick species and sex was demonstrated for Rickettia spp. infection. These findings confirm the circulation of piroplasms and zoonotic agents within the Asinara National Park, underscoring potential health risks for both animals and humans, particularly in a tourist-attractive area, and thus emphasize the need for integrated “One Health” surveillance strategies to monitor and manage TBPs.

Equine asthma (EA) is a respiratory syndrome associated with the increase of different leukocyte populations in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Its pathogenetic mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the associations between the mRNA expression of different cytokines in the BALF, different EA subtypes and lung function. Fifteen horses underwent physical examination, airway endoscopy, BALF cytology and lung function testing (8/15). One horse did not have evidence of EA and was used as healthy reference, while the others were classified as affected by neutrophilic or mixed granulocytic EA. Cells isolated from the residual BALF were used for IL-1β, IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-17A genes expression by quantitative RT-PCR., Cytokine expression was compared between groups, and their correlations with BALF leukocyte and lung function were evaluated. IL-1β expression was positively correlated with BALF neutrophils count (p=0.038, r=0.56) and with increased expiratory resistance (p=0.047, r=0.76). IFN-γ was correlated with BALF mast cells (p=0.029, r=0.58). IL-4 was higher in horses with mixed granulocytic EA than neutrophilic (p=0.008), positively correlated with BALF mast cells (p=0.028, r=0.59) and inversely with whole-breath (p=0.046, r=-0.76) and expiratory reactance (p=0.003, r=-0.93). Finally, IL-17A was inversely correlated with expiratory reactance (p=0.009, r=-0.92). These results support that multiple immune responses are involved in EA pathogenesis; innate, Th2, and Th17 responses. Innate immunity appeared associated with neutrophilic inflammation, and Th2 response with increased mast cells. The role of Th1 response in EA remains questionable.

A feeding trial with alternative protein sources was conducted in gilthead seabream ( Sparus aurata , L.) broodstock fed a control diet and two diets with 5% or 10% inclusion levels of a blend of novel ingredients. The blend is composed of 40% insect ( Hermetia illucens ), 10% duckweed ( Lemna minor ), 45% Nannochloropsis gaditana , and 5% Alaria esculenta meal dry biomass. The animals were reared in a recirculating aquaculture system and administered the experimental diets 3 months before spawning and for a total of 7 months. Fertilized eggs were incubated until hatching and newly hatched larvae were monitored until the yolk sac absorption stage. High inclusion (HI; 10%) of novel ingredients to broodstock resulted in a significantly higher hatching rate, while both groups fed novel ingredients produced offspring with significantly higher survival until the end of the yolk sac stage compared to offspring from parents fed the control diet ( p < 0.05). The inclusion of the protein blend at any level did not produce differences in larval growth. Morphological and histometric analyses in larvae revealed hypertrophic growth during the yolk sac stage. The expression of genes involved in muscle development and growth indicated no differences in growth potential in larvae between groups. Overall, broodstock feeds for gilthead seabream can have an inclusion of novel ingredients without a negative impact on larval performance and growth. Further studies are needed to study the long‐term effects of broodstock diet on offspring quality.