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. 2022 Jan 20;11(2):122.
doi: 10.3390/pathogens11020122.

Investigation of an Autochthonous Outbreak of Bovine Besnoitiosis in Northwestern Sicily

Veronica Cristina Neve  1   2 , Miriana Coltraro  2 , Alessandro Stamilla  3 , Filippo Spadola  1 , Roberto Puleio  2 , Guido Ruggero Loria  2 , Francesco Antoci  2 , Giuseppe Cascone  2 , Felice Salina  2
Affiliations

Investigation of an Autochthonous Outbreak of Bovine Besnoitiosis in Northwestern Sicily

Veronica Cristina Neve et al. Pathogens. .

Abstract

Bovine besnoitiosis is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Besnoitia besnoiti, leading to infertility in bulls and abortions in cows. In Italy, it is considered an emerging disease, recently introduced by the importation of animals from Spain and France. In the last decade, many outbreaks have been reported and confirmed in native cattle, mostly in northern and central Italy. This study reports on an autochthonous outbreak of bovine besnoitiosis in two nearby farms located in northwestern Sicily. A 15-month-old Limousine bull born on the farm showed typical clinical signs of the chronic disease phase, such as edema of the scrotum with subsequent hyperkeratosis associated with eschars and thickening of the skin. A histopathological examination revealed the presence of Besnoitia tissue cysts containing bradyzoites in the eyes, tendons, testicles, dermis, and nictitating membrane. A serological investigation using a commercial ELISA kit revealed a high seroprevalence of the antibody anti-B. besnoiti (79.2% for the farms in this study). Clinical disease showed low prevalence (1.5%) despite the high seroprevalence of specific antibodies in the herd, confirming that bovine besnoitiosis is an emergent endemic pathogen in Sicily, but its clinical behavior still remains sporadic.

Keywords: Besnoitia besnoiti; Sicily; bovine besnoitiosis; cattle; histopathology; protozoa; serology; skin disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chronic skin lesions in the 15-month-old bull of farm B: (a) alopecia, scabs, and scleroderma in ear, snout, and periocular region; (b) edema and eschar of the hind limbs; (c) edema and hyperkeratosis of the scrotum; (d) ocular–conjunctival mucous membrane cyanosis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Histological section. Multiple Besnoitia spp. cysts (A–D) in dermis with parasitophorous vacuole lined by a capsule containing thousands of banana-shaped zoites. Note: x denotes monocytic infiltrates; (E) tissue cyst in eye; (F) in tendon; (G) in testicle; (H) in nictitating membrane.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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