In winter 2016/2017, the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N8 was detected in backyard poultry in Serbia for the first time. The second HPAI outbreak case in backyard poultry was reported in 2022, caused by subtype H5N1. This is the first study that documents the laboratory identification and pathology associated with highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry in Serbia during the first and second introduction waves. In both cases, the diagnosis was based on real-time reverse transcriptase PCR. The most common observed lesions included subepicardial hemorrhages, congestion and hemorrhages in the lungs, and petechial hemorrhages in coelomic and epicardial adipose tissue. Histologically, the observed lesions were mostly nonpurulent encephalitis accompanied by encephalomalacia, multifocal necrosis in the spleen, pancreas, and kidneys, pulmonary congestion, and myocardial and pulmonary hemorrhages. In H5N8-infected chickens, immunohistochemical examination revealed strong positive IHC staining in the brain and lungs. Following these outbreaks, strict control measures were implemented on farms and backyard holdings to prevent the occurrence and spread of the disease. Extensive surveillance of birds for avian influenza virus did not detect any additional cases in poultry. These outbreaks highlight the importance of a rapid detection and response system in order to quickly suppress outbreaks.

Peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNSTs) comprise a heterogeneous group of neoplasms originating from the elements of the nerve sheath. They are divided into two forms: benign and malignant PNST. Both benign and malignant PNSTs are not very common in domestic animals but they are reported in different animal species. Histologically, PNSTs are composed predominantly of spindle cells arranged in bundles, whorls and sheets, with a different number of pleomorphic cells and mitotic figures. The aim of this study was a reclassification of 17 dog tumor samples initially diagnosed with peripheral nerve sheath tumors using histopathological analysis. The main criterion for reclassification was immunohistochemical positivity for various antigens. PNSTs are often histologically very similar to other spindle cell tumors and immunohistochemistry is required for differential diagnosis. PNSTs generally express vimentin, S-100 protein, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), collagen IV and laminin. Four tumor samples were positive to muscular marker α-SMA and vimentin and negative for S-100 protein and desmin. The spindle cells whirling around some blood vessels were observed in these tumors so they were reclassified as perivascular wall tumors (PWTs). The other 13 tumors were S-100 protein and vimentin positive and α-SMA and desmin negative, thus classified as PNST. The use of the immunohistochemical panel is necessary for distinguishing PNSTs from PWTs in routine diagnostics.

Swine respiratory diseases represent one of the most frequent health issues in pig production worldwide. Despite the great progress that has been made in the field of diagnostics, control and prophylaxis, respiratory diseases still remain the most challenging health problem in modern commercial pig production. The list of infectious agents that cause respiratory diseases in swine is extensive and includes both, bacterial and viral pathogens. In Serbia, more than fifteen years after the introduction of modern vaccines, the list of bacterial pathogens related to swine respiratory infections still include Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae , Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae , Haemophilus parasuis and Pasteurella multocida . On the other hand, most commonly involved viral pathogens are Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus, Swine influenza virus, Porcine circovirus type 2 and Pseudorabies virus. The morphological features of pneumonia where several agents are involved, depend on the predominant etiological agent. Expanding knowledge of the main pathogens associated with swine respiratory diseases and the effects of their interactions on the disease outcome is important for further investigations of lung diseases and implementation of control strategies in commercial pig populations in Serbia. This review discusses the latest findings on swine respiratory disease and current trends in Serbian pig production.

Although the incidence of neoplasms increases with age, some tumors occur more commonly in younger dogs. Still, little information is available on the occurrence of neoplasms in dogs up to the age of 24 months. This study is a retrospective review of histopathological diagnoses of neoplasia at our laboratory during the last seven years (2017–2023) in two groups of dogs: group up to the age of 12 months and group from 13 to 24 months. In a total of 3704 neoplasms found in different dog tissues, 74 (2.00%) were identified in dogs up to 12 months and 135 (3.64%) in dogs aged 13 to 24 months. Canine cutaneous histiocytoma was the most frequent in both groups:41 cases (54.41%) in dogs up to 12 months, followed by 39 cases (28.89%) in those up to 24 months. In the present analysis of the group up to 12 months, 82.43% of tumors (n = 61) were benign, and 17.57% (n=13) were malignant, followed by 68.15% (n=92) benign neoplasms, and 31.85% (n=43) malignant in dogs aged from 13 to 24 months. French bulldogs and mixed-breed dogs were the most frequently affected. These data provide valuable epidemiological information on neoplasms in young dogs in the Republic of Serbia.

Histopathological examination, grading, immunohistochemical staining and molecular genetic examinations are the proposed criteria that should be used for cutaneous mast cell tumors (CMCTs) classification. The presence of aberrant CD117 expression and mutations of the c-kit proto-oncogene could be an indicative parameter for final histological grading. Determination of the connection between the localization of KIT receptor expression and the histological grade of CMCTs without c-kit proto-oncogene mutations was the main goal of this study. The study included twenty four CMCTs and six control skin samples from 30 dogs of different ages, breed and sex. Formalinfixed and paraffin-embedded tissue samples were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and toluidine blue and immunohistochemically tested for CD117 expression. DNA was extracted from the same paraffin blocks and subsequent polymerase chain reaction amplification was performed using PE1 and PE2 primers. Degree of malignancy was determined based on the presence of mitotic figures, multinucleated cells, bizarre nuclei and karyomegaly in 10 high power fields. Based on histological features, fourteen of 24 CMCTs were of a high histological grade, while ten were classified as a lowgrade malignancy. CD117 cytoplasmic expression was observed in nine of fourteen high-grade malignancy CMCTs, which confirms the link between the aberrant CD117 expression and increased cell proliferation.

Scrapie is an infectious neurodegenerative disease affecting the central nervous system of sheep and goats that belongs to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. The disease is caused by the accumulation of proteinase-resistant isoform of the prion protein. The sheep predisposition to scrapie is associated with polymorphisms of the PrP gene. Genetic susceptibility to scrapie is mainly related to codons 136, 154, and 171. ARR sheep are strongly scrapie resistant and VRQ genotype is the most susceptible. Many countries have scrapie eradication programs based on using rams with resistant genotype. The eradication program has not yet been implemented in the Republic of Serbia. To examine the genetic makeup of sheep in Serbia related to scrapie, we optimized TaqMan probes of real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technique for three codons. Blood samples from 100 sheep were analyzed by qPCR and the majority of the examined sheep were AA homozygous for the 136 codon. For codon 154 the most frequent genotype was RR and for codon 171 the most frequent genotype was QQ.