A Serological Survey on Swine Brucellosis Using Standard Procedures, Dot Blot, and Western Blot in Finisher Pigs in Central-North Italy

Bertelloni, Fabrizio; Forzan, Mario; Turchi, Barbara; Sagona, Simona; Mazzei, Maurizio; Felicioli, Antonio; Fratini, Filippo; Cerri, Domenico

doi:10.3390/vetsci5040086

Open AccessArticle

A Serological Survey on Swine Brucellosis Using Standard Procedures, Dot Blot, and Western Blot in Finisher Pigs in Central-North Italy

by

Fabrizio Bertelloni

^*,†

,

Mario Forzan

^†,

Barbara Turchi

,

Simona Sagona

,

Maurizio Mazzei

,

Antonio Felicioli

,

Filippo Fratini

and

Domenico Cerri

Department of Veterinary Science, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to the study.

Vet. Sci. 2018, 5(4), 86; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci5040086

Submission received: 24 July 2018 / Revised: 27 September 2018 / Accepted: 1 October 2018 / Published: 3 October 2018

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Abstract

In recent years, Brucella suis has been sporadically reported in Italy in domestic and wild swine. Since standard serological tests can determine false positive results, the development of alternative tests with improved sensitivity and specificity is rather essential. We analyzed 1212 sera collected at slaughterhouse from healthy pigs belonging to 62 farms of North-Central Italy. Sera were tested by Rose Bengal Test, Complement Fixation Test, and subsequently by a Dot Blot (DB) and Western Blot assays (WB). Only one serum resulted positive to all tests, indicating that swine brucellosis has a very limited spread. DB and WB could represent a support to the available serological tests; however, further studies to validate these tests are needed. In the presence of reemerging diseases, a prompt and continuous monitoring design is necessary to acquire epidemiological information for the subsequent application of specific health emergency plans.

Keywords: swine; brucellosis; serology; Dot Blot; Western Blot

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MDPI and ACS Style

Bertelloni, F.; Forzan, M.; Turchi, B.; Sagona, S.; Mazzei, M.; Felicioli, A.; Fratini, F.; Cerri, D. A Serological Survey on Swine Brucellosis Using Standard Procedures, Dot Blot, and Western Blot in Finisher Pigs in Central-North Italy. Vet. Sci. 2018, 5, 86. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci5040086

AMA Style

Bertelloni F, Forzan M, Turchi B, Sagona S, Mazzei M, Felicioli A, Fratini F, Cerri D. A Serological Survey on Swine Brucellosis Using Standard Procedures, Dot Blot, and Western Blot in Finisher Pigs in Central-North Italy. Veterinary Sciences. 2018; 5(4):86. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci5040086

Chicago/Turabian Style

Bertelloni, Fabrizio, Mario Forzan, Barbara Turchi, Simona Sagona, Maurizio Mazzei, Antonio Felicioli, Filippo Fratini, and Domenico Cerri. 2018. "A Serological Survey on Swine Brucellosis Using Standard Procedures, Dot Blot, and Western Blot in Finisher Pigs in Central-North Italy" Veterinary Sciences 5, no. 4: 86. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci5040086

APA Style

Bertelloni, F., Forzan, M., Turchi, B., Sagona, S., Mazzei, M., Felicioli, A., Fratini, F., & Cerri, D. (2018). A Serological Survey on Swine Brucellosis Using Standard Procedures, Dot Blot, and Western Blot in Finisher Pigs in Central-North Italy. Veterinary Sciences, 5(4), 86. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci5040086

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A Serological Survey on Swine Brucellosis Using Standard Procedures, Dot Blot, and Western Blot in Finisher Pigs in Central-North Italy

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