National Reference Centre for Foreign Animal Diseases (CESME)
The National Reference Centre supports the management and governance activities of the National Health Service, Directorate-General for Animal Health, in the event of epidemic emergencies resulting from outbreaks of emerging or re-emerging exotic diseases that may lead to epidemics.
The CESME conducts diagnosis and research on exotic animal diseases in laboratories equipped with advanced facilities, including high-security laboratories and high-containment animal housing, to provide rapid responses to the Ministry of Health, Directorate-General for Animal Health, in cases of suspected infection with exotic pathogens. It also produces diagnostic reagents for distribution to laboratories within the Istituti Zooprofilattici Sperimentali.
The Centre collaborates with national and international scientific institutions in research activities aimed at developing and validating innovative diagnostic methods based on genomic and proteomic knowledge. These efforts support the confirmation or exclusion of exotic disease suspicions, the understanding of exotic virus kinetics, immune responses in domestic animals, vector competence, and the development of effective vaccines to prevent exotic diseases in livestock.
It provides scientific and technical support to the National Centre for Animal Disease Control and Emergency Response of the Ministry of Health, contributing to the definition of strategies and actions for the prevention and control of exotic animal diseases, including vector-borne and zoonotic diseases.
Additionally, CESME promotes and strengthens the expertise of National Health Service (SSN) personnel in responding to epidemic emergencies and effectively managing outbreaks of exotic diseases.
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D.M. del 2 maggio 1991 "Inizio dell'attività del centro di referenza nazionale per le malattie esotiche presso l'Istituto zooprofilattico sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise, in Teramo" (CESME)(216 KB)
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Daniela Morelli
Head
She is Head of the Development and Territory Laboratory at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale” (IZS Teramo), where she is responsible for defining medium- and long-term objectives, planning human, technical and financial resources, and setting priorities in research, international cooperation, and technical assistance at both national and international level.
She is Head of the Development and Territory Laboratory at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale” (IZS Teramo), where she is responsible for defining medium- and long-term objectives, planning human, technical and financial resources, and setting priorities in research, international cooperation, and technical assistance at both national and international level.
She coordinates the diagnostic sections of IZS Teramo that provide diagnostic support, technical advice and assistance for the surveillance and control of animal diseases, as well as for the microbiological control of food of animal and plant origin, serving national health authorities, farmers, and other non-health-related institutions.
She also oversees the departments affiliated with the Laboratory, dedicated to the development and research of innovative biomolecular methods and to the bioinformatics analysis of next-generation sequencing data for the detection, identification and characterisation of pathogens responsible for animal diseases, zoonoses, and foodborne contamination.
Since 2017, she has been Head of the National Reference Centre for Foreign Animal Diseases (CESME), where she coordinates research and operational activities related to diagnostics, emergency plans, surveillance programmes, and operational protocols for the prevention and control of both existing exotic animal diseases in Italy and those at risk of introduction.
She holds a degree in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Perugia and a Master’s in Animal Health from the Royal Veterinary College in London, United Kingdom.
From 2017 to 2022, she served as Head of the National Reference Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology, Planning, Information and Risk Analysis (COVEPI) and from 2012 to 2018, she was Head of the FAO Reference Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology based at IZS Teramo.
From 1990 to 2022, her main area of work was research and development of surveillance systems to support the governance and implementation of veterinary activities at national and international level. She has designed and managed numerous training courses focused on the development and strengthening of zoonosis surveillance systems in Mediterranean countries.
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