Dourine

19 May 2011

A stallion in Catania Province (Sicily) was positive to serological test for Dourine.

23 - 27 May 2011

Following the first serological evidence of Dourine infection on 19/05/2011 in one stallion in Catania province, the investigations conducted by the local veterinary services, in collaboration with personnel of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Sicily and the National Reference Centre for the study and verification of Foreign Animal Diseases (CESME), permitted to verify that:

• 4 adult horses and 2 foals were present in the farm,
• all other horses in the farms were serologically negative.

The positive animal was previously tested in the framework of the West Nile Disease (WND) national surveillance plan on 21/5/2010, 30/8/2010, 28/9/2010 and 18/4/2011. The examination of sera collected on 28/9/2010 and stored at the CESME's serum bank, gave a negative result, whereas the sample collected from the same animal on 28/9/2010 resulted positive by complement fixation test (CFT) at titer 1:640.

From the farmer's declarations it was verified that a mare of another farmer from Catania Province was hosted in the stable in the period between February and March 2011. The animal was traced back and its clinical examination highlighted an emaciated body status, nervous signs with locomotors incoordination. The mare was serologically positive at titer 1:2560 by CFT. The severe health conditions induced to euthanize the animal.

In the farm where the mare was kept, other 16 horses were present, which resulted negative by CFT.

30 May - 3 June 2011

The sick mare observed in Catania Province arrived in Italy from the Netherlands on 29/9/2009. The first destination in Italy was a farm in Caserta Province (Campania Region). This farm is now empty. From this farm it was moved into another stable in Napoli Province on 24/11/2009, where it remains until 7/2/2011 when introduced into the Sicilian farm.

Personnel from CESME, in collaboration with the local veterinary services and the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, visited the farm in Napoli Province and check all available documentation. The main findings were:

• on 31/5/2011 6 horses and 1 donkey were present in the farm; 2 stallions were positive by CFT (titers 1:5 and 1:40),
• on the basis of documentation and data on previous tests for Infectious Equine Anemia carried out in the farm, it was possible to identify other 7 farms in Napoli and Caserta Provinces epidemiologically linked with the farm.

6 - 10 June 2011

Additional controls in the epidemiologically linked farms permitted to detect 2 further positive stallions in another farm in Napoli Province. Further investigations on the origin of the infection are ongoing.

Considering the results of epidemiological investigations, the Department for Veterinary Public Health, Nutrition and Food Safety of Ministry of Health issued an order setting additional health control measures to be applied in 9 Regions of Central and Southern Italy.

13 - 16 June 2011

Further 5 horses resulted serologically positive by CFT in another farm in Napoli Province epidemiologically linked to the positive ones.

20 - 24 June 2011

Personnel from CESME in collaboration with the local veterinary services and the IZS del Mezzoggiorno visited the farm in Napoli Province.

The farm is authorized for intra-community movement of equidae. Further investigations are ongoing.

The examination of samples collected, confirmed the positive animals and add another positive sample (1:5).

27 June- September 2011

On June, 10 2011 the General Direction for Animal Health and Veterinary Medicines ordered additional serological controls for Dourine in central and southern Regions of Italy on:

• all stallion authorized for the 2011 mating season;
• all adult males and females in combination with Infectious Anaemia serological control.

On June, 30 2011 the controls were extended to all Regions of Italy. During surveillance controls two new cases were confirmed, one in Caserta Province (Campania Region) and one in Bari Province (Puglia Regions).

December 2011

Seven outbreaks of Dourine were confirmed in Italy during 2011.  The outbreaks were confirmed in Sicilia, Campania and Puglia Regions.  

Following the outbreaks table and map in Italy in 2011.