An outbreak of bovine besnoitiosis in beef cattle born in central Italy

Abstract

An outbreak of bovine besnoitiosis in three female, 15-18 months old beef cattle in central Italy is here described. All the animals were born in central Italy without any recent contact with imported animals. The animals were in poor body conditions and showed symptoms and clinical signs consistent with chronic besnoitiosis. The diagnosis was confirmed by histopathologic examinations of skin biopsies and whole body at necropsy, showing typical 50-100 μ cysts engulfing superficial dermis in skin and lamina propria in mucosae; lesions were confined to skin and respiratory mucosae, and cysts were not seen in any other tissue. Bovine besnoitiosis is rapidly spreading among European countries and in our case the affected animals were born in the farm and not recent admission was referred, so it is likely to consider this as an autoctone outbreak of the disease in Italy. This case, taken together with other recently reported ones, suggest to consider Italy among potentially endemic areas for bovine besnoitiosis.