Sequence-based genotyping was recently used to distinguish between the BVDV-1 and BVDV-2 species of the bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV). Quite recently, a new putative species, BVDV-3, was also detected. The phylogenetic analysis of the 5'-untranslated region (UTR) and Npro region has revealed at least 17 distinct subtypes for BVDV-1 to date. The aim of this study was to further investigate the genetic heterogeneity of BVDV-1 in Italy, by analysing 173 virus sequences from isolates collected over an 18-year period (1997-2014). Viral RNA was extracted from the original biological samples identified as BVDV-1-positive. Reverse transcription (RT) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays targeting a 288-base pair (bp) region of the 5'-UTR and a 428-bp region encoding the autoprotease Npro were performed, and the RT-PCR products were sequenced. The phylogenetic analysis of the 5'-UTR and Npro sequences re-confirmed the circulation of ten out of eleven subtypes previously discovered in Italy. Interestingly, four isolates differed significantly from all of the bovine pestiviruses identified so far, thereby providing evidence for the circulation of three novel subtypes that have not been documented so far. The growing number of reports on BVDV-1 heterogeneity, including the recent findings reported herein, raises concern related to the emergence and spread of new BVDV variants, with possible implications for animal health and disease control. This global issue needs to be addressed with the highest priority.

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Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs) are found in sheep in Germany and Iran. SRLVs have been classified into four genotypes: A-C and E. Genotype A has been subdivided into 20 subtypes. Previous studies suggested that, first, the ancestors of genotype A are those SRLVs found in Turkey, second, the evolution of SRLVs is related to the domestication process, and, third, SRLV infection was first observed in sheep in Iceland and the source of that infection was a flock imported from Germany. This study generated, for the first time, partial SRLV sequence data from German and Iranian sheep, enhancing our knowledge of the genetic and evolutionary relationships of SRLVs, and their associations with the domestication process. Based on 54 SRLV sequences from German and Iranian sheep, our results reveal: (1) SRLV subtypes A4, A5, A11, A16 and A21 (new) are found in German sheep and A22 (new) in Iranian sheep. (2) Genotype A has potentially an additional ancestor (A22), found in Iran, Lebanon and Jordan. (3) Subtype A22 is likely an old version of SRLVs. (4) The transmission routes of some SRLVs are compatible with domestication pathways. (5) This study found no evidence of Icelandic subtype A1 in German sheep.Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs), which comprise maedi-visna virus (MVV) and caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV), belong to the genus Lentivirus and the family Retroviridae. SRLVs can cause progressive multisystem disease in sheep involving lungs, joints, mammary gland and the central nervous system 1 . There is no cure or vaccine available against SRLV infection. SRLV-related diseases are distributed worldwide among sheep and goats, resulting in considerable economic losses 2 .Like in other lentiviruses, the SRLV genome includes three structural genes, coding for the group-specific antigens (gag), the polymerase (pol) and the envelope (env). The gag gene encodes the matrix (MA) protein (p17), capsid (CA) protein (p25) and nucleocapsid (NC) protein (p14) 3 . Both gag and pol genes are relatively conserved, and phylogenetic analyses of SRLVs have been established based on these two genes 4 . SRLV isolates can be classified into four genotypes, A-C and E 4-6 . Genotypes A and B are widespread and refer to MVV-like and CAEV-like viruses, respectively. MVV-like and CAEV-like strains have been first described in sheep and goats, respectively, and considered strictly host-specific for a long time. However, there are nowadays several studies indicating that most strains can cross the species barrier (reviewed by Minardi da Cruz et al. 7 ). Genotype A is the most heterogeneous group and has so far been subdivided into 20 subtypes, A1 to A20 4,8-15 . Two recently published studies have to be noted, one by Olech et al. 13 that defines SRLV subtype A18, and the other by Colitti et al. 15 that defines SRLV subtypes A18 and A19. In the present study, the SRLVs found by Colitti et al. 15 are renamed from ' A18' to ' A19' and from ' A19' to ' A20' . Genotype B contains three subtypes, B1 to B3 4,16 .

Pestivirus A or bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) type 1 is responsible for cosmopolitan diseases affecting cattle and other ruminants, presenting a wide range of clinical manifestations, with relevant impact on zootechnic production. The objective of the present study was to verify whether animals immunised with four commercial vaccines also developed a protective humoral immunity against other viral subgenotypes than those contained in each vaccine. Four groups of 25 bovines each were formed and vaccinated according to the manufacturer’s instructions of the commercial vaccines. On sera collected 28 days after the last vaccination, virus neutralisation tests (VNT) were performed using homologous and heterologous viruses and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods. Finally, the VNT results were comparatively evaluated through a statistical analysis. Serological results highlighted that, although with a different degree of efficiency, the four vaccines resulted in not developing a solid antibody-mediated cross-immunity against all the strains used.

In the last decade in Europe, the number of autochthonous cases of hepatitis E has significantly increased. Most of the cases arise from foodborne infections caused by the zoonotic hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotypes HEV-3 and HEV-4. Several human cases have been linked to consumption of raw or undercooked animal products of both pork (liver sausages) and wild boar meat. In this study, the occurrence of HEV infection was investigated in 611 livers and 88 paired lungs from wild boars collected during the hunting seasons of 2016-2020 in the Umbria-Marche Apennines (Central Italy). Using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, 15 liver samples (2.45%) and one lung sample were found to be positive for HEV RNA.