Feline leishmaniosis (FeL) is still considered an emerging and neglected disease. Cats, once considered accidental hosts, are now recognized as adjunctive reservoirs of the disease, especially in areas where canine (CanL) and human (HumL) leishmaniosis are widespread. Although often asymptomatic, infected cats could contribute to the transmission cycle of the parasite. Recent studies in Campania (Italy) have found a significant prevalence of feline infection, indicating the need to implement diagnostic and surveillance protocols to prevent the spread of the disease. The aim of the study was to outline the current scenario by studying the prevalence of FeL in Campania to identifying the potential zoonotic risk and in addition to validate the Immunofluorescence Antibody Test (IFAT) method for the diagnosis of leishmaniosis in cats. The study involved initially 702 cats; for each cat, a clinical record was compiled, including identification data, anamnesis, and clinical findings. Due to incomplete information, statistical analysis was performed only on a subset of 601 cats. A blood sample was collected to obtain serum/plasma specimens. When feasible, a lymph node fine-needle aspiration was performed. The observed seroprevalence rate was 32.1% (193/601), with a higher seroprevalence in outdoor cats and the presence of asymptomatic seropositive animals (28.0%;54/193), suggesting that felines may act as silent reservoirs of Leishmania infantum. An excellent result was obtained for the validation and standardization of the analytical IFAT method for the diagnosis of feline leishmaniasis; therefore, an inter-laboratory test has been carried out to establish the dilution cut-off at ≥1:80 as compatible with infection. Furthermore, a xenodiagnosis examination was conducted on a cat that was infected to more accurately evaluate the possibility of asymptomatic cats acting as carriers of the infection; however, this test resulted negative.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between consumers' experience of COVID-19 and changes in their food purchasing decisions during the lockdown as a result of their risk perception. An online questionnaire was created to analyze consumer purchasing behavior and awareness during the pandemic. At the end of the online administration period, the replies collected were downloaded. A descriptive analysis of the data was carried out through the construction of tables of individual variables; for each variable, the patterns, frequencies, and percentages with which they occurred were determined. Subsequently, a multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) was conducted; this is one of the most widely used statistical techniques for the “multiple” analysis of qualitative or mixed data collected through questionnaires. The final extraction of the completed questionnaires returned the replies of 114 individuals. In the MCA, not all the variables of the matrix were considered, as they were not proportional to the number of individuals. We considered 7 active variables and 1 supplementary variable, which contributed to the formation of factors. The most notable pattern was that those people who were most worried about the risk of contagion not only sanitized their purchases but also reduced their online purchases and deliveries, believing that these measures could reduce the risk of contagion.

The aim of this research was to investigate the effects of the prolonged use of the broad-spectrum antimicrobial widely used in animal husbandry. By means of a mouse model, a translational study was carried out on immunocompetent mice (with a complete immune system). This study highlighted the effect of antimicrobial residues taken in with food on the growth time of cancer and on alterations to the gut microbiota. This project considered the fight against antimicrobial resistance from a One Health perspectivethrough collaboration between human medicine and veterinary medicine. Regarding food safety, antimicrobial residues in products of animal origin are rarely detected; they therefore constitute a negligible factor in determining colorectal cancer.

Presence of fistulas in Crohn’s disease (CD) is an indicator of poor prognosis; 20% of CD patients suffer from perianal fistula. There are few studies specifically designed to assess treatment outcomes in complex perianal fistula (CPF) in CD. This retrospective chart review study describes the outcomes of patients with CPF in CD in five European countries after medical and/or surgical treatment. Adult patients with CD receiving treatment for a new episode of CPF during the eligibility period (September 2011 to September 2014), in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, were included. Index date was defined as date of any medical or surgical CPF treatment initiation. Data was collected from CD diagnosis to at least 3 years after index date (except for deceased or lost to follow-up patients) to describe patient characteristics and treatments used for all CPF episodes since CD diagnosis. Effectiveness outcomes were measured as remission rates based on Fistula Drainage Assessment (FDA) recorded in medical charts for fistula reported at index date (index fistula). Remission rates are expressed as percentage rates on patient level after 6- and 12-months follow-up period. For calculation of treatment outcomes, the most recent FDA prior to the respective timepoint was used. A total of 372 patients (51% male) with a mean (SD) age of 38 (13) were included by 31 sites. Median time since CD diagnosis was 7 years, and median length of follow-up was 6 years. A total of 498 CPFs were presented at index date and during FU period. Out of the 498 CPFs, 94% were treated with at least one surgical intervention (most frequent: 61% long-term seton placement, 51% surgical drainage) and 82% with at least one medical treatment (most frequent: 40% anti-TNFs, 33% antibiotics, 16% immunosuppressants). After 6 months the remission rate at patient level for index fistula was 28% and after 12 months 35%. Current standards of care achieved remission in one third of patients with CPF in CD over a period of one year. Improved therapeutic strategies and new treatment options are required to improve outcomes in this manifestation of CD.

Neoplastic disease in dogs and humans has many similarities, including similar clinical manifestations, metastatic potential, and genomic instability. However, tumor latency is shorter in dogs, which may serve as a sentinel for the identification of carcinogenic environmental exposures. This study aims to describe the data collected in the Animal Tumor Registry (RTA) of the Campania Region in the period 2018-2022, with particular attention to the incidence rates of malignant tumors in dogs, divided by province. RTA tumor cases received by the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno were analyzed; out of a total of 885 tumors, 70% were malignant, with a higher frequency in female dogs. The crude and standardized incidence rate of malignant tumors in dogs was calculated on a provincial basis. Caserta showed the highest incidence rate for both malignant tumors [incidence rate: 135.07 per 100,000; 95% confidence interval (CI): 135.01-135.13] and mammary tumors (incidence rate: 52.75 per 100,000; 95% CI: 52.69-52.80). The results highlight the importance of tumor monitoring in dogs as an indicator of potential environmental risk factors and underline the value of the RTA for the collection of data useful for the prevention and study of neoplastic diseases, as well as in humans.