Veterinary public health

TOPIC

Veterinary public health

Veterinary public health

The complex relationship between human health, animal populations and the environmental contexts in which they intersect, directly or through the food chain, is the cornerstone of the veterinary public health (Sanità Pubblica veterinaria, SPV) activity and the areas of veterinary medicine which contribute most to human health and well-being.

It covers multiple aspects of the human / animal relationship, such as: animal health and welfare, the development and management of veterinary drugs, veterinary intervention in the event of disasters, veterinary urban hygiene, health management of wildlife. Therefore, the SPV is a decisive component of the unitary vision of the concept of health which takes the name of One Health, a modern conception of the relationships between human, animal and environmental health.

Zoonoses, or diseases communicable from animals to humans, are one of the most consolidated areas of SPV. Over 70% of emerging human diseases have a zoonotic origin. They range from "historical" diseases such as rabies and salmonellosis, to diseases that have emerged in recent decades (ebola, SARS, HIV / AIDS, resulting from the monkey immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis E, prion diseases). The interdisciplinary approach of One Health is crucial for the study and management of zoonoses.

Priority activities of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS, the National Institute of Health in Italy) are research on the etiology, pathogenesis and epidemiology of zoonoses, in particular of those with food and vector transmission, and integrated medical-veterinary surveillance systems, also in collaboration with experimental zooprophylactic institutes. Important aspects of the ISS activity in the SPV are also the integrated approach to antibiotic resistance and the safety of veterinary drugs and feed, on which the healthiness of food of animal origin depends.

Other activities concern animal experimentation and its alternatives with the development of innovative experimental models, also in accordance with the principle of 3R (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) and the technical-scientific evaluation activity regarding the welfare of the animals being tested.



Back Proficiency tests on detection, identification and typing methods for STEC

Proficiency tests on detection, identification and typing methods organized by the EURL-VTEC, are conducted for the NRLs for E. coli. The anonymized overall results of the studies are available in the final reports published on the Proficiency Tests section of the website. Participants can download their own individual reports directly from the Restricted Area of the EURL-VTEC website. The EU DG SANCO has access to the results of the single EU NRLs.
In the same section is also available the procedure named EURL-VTEC Evaluation of the NRL performance in the identification of the virulence genes of pathogenic E. coli.

The section is divided in:

PTs on the identification and typing of pathogenic E. coli strains

The PT scheme on the identification and typing of pathogenic E. coli strains aims at evaluating and improving the capability of the NRLs to identify the main virulence genes and serogroups of STEC and other pathogenic E. coli strains. All the Laboratory methods employed in the PT schemes are provided to the participating laboratories and are also available in the dedicated section of the website.

PTs on the detection of pathogenic E. coli in food and related matrices

The PT scheme on the detection of pathogenic E. coli aims at evaluating and improving the capacity of the NRLs to detect the presence of STEC and other pathogenic E. coli in food and related matrices. The Laboratory methods employed include the ISO methods for the detection of STEC, ISO/TS 13136:2012, as well as other methods developed by the EURL and available in the dedicated section of the website.

PTs on molecular typing of pathogenic E. coli strains

The PT scheme on molecular typing of pathogenic E. coli strains aims at evaluating and improving the capacity of the NRLs to perform molecular typing of the isolates, to best accomplish the duty of contributing to the upcoming European database of molecular typing data managed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). From 2018, these PT schemes include methods based on NGS.

The PT reports are all available online.
 


Dipartimenti/Centri/Servizi

Departments Food safety, nutrition and veterinary public health

Target

Healthcare professional

Content type

Document

Topics

Nutrition and food safety Food-borne diseases Microbiological food safety Veterinary public health Zoonoses


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