The Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Giuseppe Caporale is a public health institute with administrative and managerial autonomy, which operates as a technical and scientific arm of the state and the Abruzzo and Molise Regions for matters within their respective competences, performing analytical work for the public veterinary services and providing the technical and scientific collaboration necessary to enable them to carry out their functions in the field of Veterinary Public Health.

The principal services defined by the legislation are as follows:

• experimental research on the aetiology and pathogenesis of infectious and contagious diseases of domestic and wild animals;
• hygiene of farms and livestock production;
• laboratory tests for diagnosing animal diseases, including zoonoses, for microbiological and chemical safety of foods of animal origin destined for human consumption, and of livestock feeds;
• epidemiological surveillance in the fields of animal health, livestock production and foods of animal origin;
• production of vaccines, reagents and immunological products for the prophylaxis and diagnosis of animal diseases;
• consultancy, technical assistance and information to livestock rearers for upgrading health standards and improving hygiene in livestock production;
• providing training and refresher courses for vets and other operators in veterinary public health.

Certain specific competences are recognized by the Ministry of Health, which has designated the Institute a National Reference Centre and National Reference Laboratory. These units represent an operational tool of high competence in the fields of animal health, food hygiene and livestock hygiene. These are true centres of excellence which perform specific activities for the entire national health system and for the international organizations with which they collaborate.

The G. Caporale Institute in Italy holds the following positions:

• National Reference Centre for the study and verification of Foreign Animal Diseases (CESME);
• National Reference Centre for veterinary epidemiology, programming, information and risk analysis (COVEPI - Operational Veterinary Centre for Epidemiology, Programming and Information);
• National Reference Centre for Brucellosis;
• National Reference Laboratory for Campylobacter;
• National Reference Laboratory for Listeria monocytogenes;
• National Reference Laboratory for Dioxins (PCDDs/PCFFs) and Polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) in animal feeds and food destined for human consumption.