Health monitoring of animals bred in the open farms of the Campania region

A recent review on the prevalence of zoonotic bacteria in organic and conventional farms of cattle, pigs and poultry in the United States and Europe showed no differences between the presence of zoonotic agents and the type of the farm management [1, 2]. This study was undertaken both to evaluate the presence of zoonotic infectious agents not included in the National Control Planes for the animals presents in Farms open to public (FoP) and, consequently, to emphasize the importance of the role of the veterinary doctor with training in interspecies relationship in this context. From September 2014 to July 2016 thirty-two FoP of Campania Region have been chosen basing on the size farm population (at least 25 subjects from three different species) and then sampled. In each farm, in respect of animal welfare, rectal and cloacal swabs were collected in order to isolate Salmonella spp., Shigatoxins producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and thermotolerant Campylobacter by cultural and molecular methods. A total of 800 animal divided in dogs (34), cats (45), horses (82), donkeys (91), cattle (127), sheep (62), goats (73), pigs (41), leporidae (173), henhouse (32) and "other samples" such as eggs and other animal species (40) were sampled. In our study, all farms were positive to STEC and/or thermotolerant Campylobacter, conversely they were all time negative for Salmonella spp. In particular, a total of 124/800 (15.5%) strains of STEC were isolated primarily from poultry and donkeys followed by other animal species. Finally, 127/800 (15.87%) strains of thermotolerant Campylobacter were isolated primarily from poultry followed by other animal species [48/127 (37.79 %) C. jejuni (mainly from donkeys) and 79/127 (62.20%) C. coli (mainly from poultry)]. All positive animals to STEC and thermotolerant Campylobacter were clinically healthy. The healthcare monitoring carried out in FoP of Campania region, where the animals are raised primarily for zooanthropological purposes, has provided interesting data increasing the international scientific literature in the field of zoonoses. In this study some of the major gastrointestinal zoonoses linked to animals in the FoP were considered as well as the role of the veterinary doctor in the prevention and control of zoonotic diseases and in health education of the operator in the FoP. In fact, both the operators and visitors (families, school groups, children, elderly etc.) often underestimates the potential health risks caused by contact with FoP animals.