African Swine Fever (ASF), a hemorrhagic disease with a high mortality rate in suids, is transmitted via direct and indirect contact with infectious animals and contaminated fomites, respectively. ASF reached Europe in 2014, affecting 14 of the 27 EU countries including, recently, the Italian peninsula. The fast and unprecedented spread of ASF in the EU has highlighted gaps in knowledge regarding transmission mechanisms. Fomites, such as contaminated clothing and footwear, farming tools, equipment and vehicles have been widely reported in the spread of ASF. The absence of available vaccines renders biosecurity measures, cleaning and disinfection procedures an essential control tool, to a greater degree than the others, for the prevention of primary and secondary introductions of ASF in pig farms. In this review, available data on the virucidal activity of chemical compounds as disinfectants against the ASF virus (ASFV) are summarized together with laboratory methods adopted to assess the virucidal activity.

Mammalian Orthoreoviruses 3 (MRV3) have been described in diarrheic pigs from USA and Asia. We firstly detected MRV3 in Europe (Italy) in piglets showing severe diarrhea associated with Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea. The virus was phylogenetically related to European reoviruses of human and bat origin and to US and Chinese pig MRV3.

Swine play an important role in the ecology of influenza A viruses (IAVs), acting as mixing vessels. Swine (sw) IAVs of H1N1 (including H1N1pdm09), H3N2, and H1N2 subtypes are enzootic in pigs globally, with different geographic distributions. This study investigated the genetic diversity of swIAVs detected during passive surveillance of pig farms in Northern Italy between 2017 and 2020. A total of 672 samples, IAV-positive according to RT-PCR, were subtyped by multiplex RT-PCR. A selection of strains was fully sequenced. High genotypic diversity was detected among the H1N1 and H1N2 strains, while the H3N2 strains showed a stable genetic pattern. The hemagglutinin of the H1Nx swIAVs belonged to HA-1A, HA-1B, and HA-1C lineages. Increasing variability was found in HA-1C strains with the circulation of HA-1C.2, HA-1C.2.1 and HA-1C.2.2 sublineages. Amino acid deletions in the HA-1C receptor binding site were observed and antigenic drift was confirmed. HA-1B strains were mostly represented by the Δ146-147 Italian lineage HA-1B.1.2.2, in combination with the 1990s human-derived NA gene. One antigenic variant cluster in HA-1A strains was identified in 2020. SwIAV circulation in pigs must be monitored continuously since the IAVs’ evolution could generate strains with zoonotic potential.

International audienceIn mid January 2006, an outbreak of avian influenza in domestic birds was recorded in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The virus responsible for the outbreak was characterised as a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 (A/chicken/Nigeria/641/06), belonging to the Qinghai lineage. The index case occurred in a premise containing mixed avian species including free-range birds. Clinical signs and mortality were observed in chickens, geese and ostriches. The present paper describes the clinical, pathological and virological findings of this outbreak

Canine parvovirus Type 2 (CPV-2) is a worldwide distributed virus considered the major cause of viral gastroenteritis in dogs. Studies on Italian CPV-2 are restricted to viruses circulating until 2017. Only one study provided more updated information on CPV-2 but was limited to the Sicily region. No information regarding the circulation and genetic characteristics of CPV-2 in Northeast Italy has been made available since 2015. The present study investigated the genetic characteristics of CPV-2 circulating in the dog population of Northeast Italy between 2013 and 2019. The VP2 gene of 67 CPV-2 was sequenced, and phylogenetic analysis was performed to identify patterns of distribution. Phylogenetic and molecular analysis highlighted unique characteristics of Northeast Italian CPV-2 and interestingly depicted typical genetic clustering of the Italian CPV-2 strains, showing the existence of distinct CPV-2 genetic groups. Such analysis provided insights into the origin of some Italian CPV-2 genetic clusters, revealing potential introductions from East European countries and the spread of CPV-2 from South/Central to North Italy. This is the first report that describes the genetic characteristics of recent Italian CPV-2. Tracking the genetic characteristics of CPV-2 nationally and globally may have impact on understanding the evolution and distribution of CPV-2, in particular in light of the current humanitarian emergency involving Ukraine, with the massive and uncontrolled movement of people and pet animals.