Massimo Scacchia

Bio: Massimo Scacchia is an academic researcher from University of Teramo. The author has contributed to research in topics: Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia & Mycoplasma mycoides. The author has an hindex of 13, co-authored 57 publications receiving 491 citations.

Bluetongue serotype 2 and 9 modified live vaccine viruses as causative agents of abortion in livestock: a retrospective analysis in Italy.

Abstract: SummaryThe recent outbreak caused by Schmallenberg virus, which affected sheep, goatsand cattle in Europe, highlighted the importance of having a robust surveillanceplan capable of monitoring abortions and malformations in the livestock off-spring In this context, bluetongue viruses (BTVs) represented and represent oneof the major threats to the European livestock industry Aiming to improve theunderstanding on BTV cross placental transmission and serotype involvement, inthis retrospective study foetal spleens and/or brains of 663 ovines, 429 bovines,155 goats and 17 buffaloes were tested for the presence of BTV by virus isolationBTV vaccine strains were isolated from 31 foetuses (24%; 95% CI: 17–34%): 24(36%; 95% CI: 24–53%) from ovine foetal tissues; 6 (14%; 95% CI: 06–30%)from bovine foetal tissues and 1 (06%; 95% CI: 02–35%) from the spleen of acaprine foetus All foetuses were from animals vaccinated with either BTV-2 orBTV-2, and BTV-9 modified live vaccines (MLVs) produced by OnderstepoortBiological Products (OBP), South Africa Among the 31 isolated vaccine strains,serotype 9 (n = 28) was more frequently isolated (P < 005) than serotype 2(n = 3) In two cases infectious vaccine strains were found in the foetal tissues2 months after the vaccine administration Other pathogens known to be causa-tive agents of abortion in ruminants were not detected nor isolated This studydemonstrates, for the first time, that BTV-2 and BTV-9 vaccine strains are able tocross the placental barrier of sheep, cattle and goats BTV-2 and BTV-9 vaccinestrains are able to infect foetuses and cause abortions or malformations dependingon the period of pregnancy at the time of vaccinationIntroductionBluetongue (BT) is an infectious vector-borne disease ofruminants caused by bluetongue virus (BTV), an RNA-virus which belongs to the family Reoviridae, genusOrbivirus (Verwoerd and Erasmus, 2004) At present, BTVofficially includes 24 distinct serotypes (Verwoerd andErasmus, 2004) based upon the immunological propertiesof the VP2 protein The putative 25th and 26th serotypeshave been proposed by Maan et al (2011) and Chaignatet al (2008) The disease is evident in sheep although clini-cal cases were reported in cattle (Toussaint et al, 2006)The recent European BTV-8 outbreaks demonstrated forthe first time the capability of the BTV-8 field strain tocross the placental barrier, causing the birth of viraemic off-spring (De Clercq et al, 2008) Before the BTV-8 outbreak,vertical transmission had been observed only for BTVvaccine or tissue culture-adapted strains All the reportedBTV foetal infections had been associated to BTV-1, BTV-10, BTV-11 and BTV-17 vaccine strains (Johnson et al,1992; Melville and Gard, 1992; MacLachlan et al, 2000;Kirkland and Hawkes, 2004) Since 2000, Italy has beenexperiencing the most severe outbreaks of BT everrecorded The Italian government starting from May 2002

Plasma levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-4 and IL-10 during a course of experimental contagious bovine pleuropneumonia

Abstract: Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP), caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides, is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. The current live vaccine T1/44 has limited efficacy and occasionally leads to severe side effects in the animals. A better understanding of the immune responses triggered by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides and their role in disease progression will help to facilitate the design of a rational vaccine. Currently, knowledge of cytokines involved in immunity and immunopathology in CBPP is rather limited. The aim of this study was to characterize the in vivo plasma concentrations of the cytokines TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-10 and the overall role of CD4+ T cells in the development of cytokine levels during a primary infection. Plasma cytokine concentrations in two groups of cattle (CD4+ T cell-depleted and non-depleted cattle) experimentally infected with Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides were measured and their relationship to the clinical outcomes was investigated. Plasma cytokine concentrations varied between animals in each group. Depletion of CD4+ T cells did not induce significant changes in plasma levels of TNF-α, IL-4, and IL-10, suggesting a minor role of CD4+ T cells in regulation or production of the three cytokines during the time window of depletion (1-2 weeks post depletion). Unexpectedly, the IFN-γ concentrations were slightly, but statistically significantly higher in the depleted group (p < 0.05) between week three and four post infection. Three CD4+ T cell-depleted animals that experienced severe disease, had high levels of TNF-α and IFN-γ. Only one severely diseased non-depleted animal showed a high serum concentration of IL-4 post infection. Comparison of most severely diseased animals, which had to be euthanized prior to the expected date, versus less severe diseased animals, irrespective of the depletion status, suggested that high TNF-α levels are correlated with more severe pathology in concomitance with high IFN-γ levels.

The persistence of Brucella melitensis in experimentally infected ewes through three reproductive cycles.

Abstract: The authors studied the persistence of infection in 46 ewes experimentally infected with Brucella melitensis biovar 3 and monitored through three subsequent reproductive cycles. The entire experimental period lasted for 151 weeks. Infection of ewes and elimination of Brucella in milk, or its presence in vaginal discharges, persisted throughout the duration of the trial, as demonstrated by recurrent elimination of Brucella in milk and vaginal discharges. Brucella melitensis was recovered from the tissues of one ewe killed at the end of the trial. The strain was recovered from vaginal swabs and milk following parturition in the third reproductive cycle from an ewe that had aborted in the first cycle but was not pregnant in the second cycle. From a public health point of view, the periodical recovery of Brucella from the milk during the entire trial period illustrated that brucellosis in sheep remains a continuous occupational risk and a significant public health problem for consumers of fresh milk and milk products. That risk may persist for at least 3 years following the initial infection of the flock. Lamb antibody titres became negative in all lambs within 5 months after birth. This suggested that serological tests on lambs may have no practical diagnostic significance if performed during the first 5 months of life. Nevertheless, the birth of three infected lambs suggested that the phenomenon of latent carrier state may represent another way for B. melitensis to persist in a flock.

SPAdes, a new genome assembly algorithm and its applications to single-cell sequencing ( 7th Annual SFAF Meeting, 2012)

Abstract: The lion's share of bacteria in various environments cannot be cloned in the laboratory and thus cannot be sequenced using existing technologies. A major goal of single-cell genomics is to complement gene-centric metagenomic data with whole-genome assemblies of uncultivated organisms. Assembly of single-cell data is challenging because of highly non-uniform read coverage as well as elevated levels of sequencing errors and chimeric reads. We describe SPAdes, a new assembler for both single-cell and standard (multicell) assembly, and demonstrate that it improves on the recently released E+V-SC assembler (specialized for single-cell data) and on popular assemblers Velvet and SoapDeNovo (for multicell data). SPAdes generates single-cell assemblies, providing information about genomes of uncultivatable bacteria that vastly exceeds what may be obtained via traditional metagenomics studies. SPAdes is available online ( http://bioinf.spbau.ru/spades ). It is distributed as open source software.

An essay towards solving a problem in the doctrine of chances. [Facsimil]

Abstract: Problem Given the number of times in which an unknown event has happened and failed: Required the chance that the probability of its happening in a single trial lies somewhere between any two degrees of probability that can be named. SECTION 1 Definition 1. Several events are inconsistent, when if one of them happens, none of the rest can. 2. Two events are contrary when one, or other of them must; and both together cannot happen. 3. An event is said to fail, when it cannot happen; or, which comes to the same thing, when its contrary has happened. 4. An event is said to be determined when it has either happened or failed. 5. The probability of any event is the ratio between the value at which an expectation depending on the happening of the event ought to be computed, and the value of the thing expected upon it’s 2 happening.

Trypanosoma evansi and Surra: A Review and Perspectives on Origin, History, Distribution, Taxonomy, Morphology, Hosts, and Pathogenic Effects

Abstract: Trypanosoma evansi, the agent of “surra,” is a salivarian trypanosome, originating from Africa. It is thought to derive from Trypanosoma brucei by deletion of the maxicircle kinetoplastic DNA (genetic material required for cyclical development in tsetse flies). It is mostly mechanically transmitted by tabanids and stomoxes, initially to camels, in sub-Saharan area. The disease spread from North Africa towards the Middle East, Turkey, India, up to 53° North in Russia, across all South-East Asia, down to Indonesia and the Philippines, and it was also introduced by the conquistadores into Latin America. It can affect a very large range of domestic and wild hosts including camelids, equines, cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, pigs, dogs and other carnivores, deer, gazelles, and elephants. It found a new large range of wild and domestic hosts in Latin America, including reservoirs (capybaras) and biological vectors (vampire bats). Surra is a major disease in camels, equines, and dogs, in which it can often be fatal in the absence of treatment, and exhibits nonspecific clinical signs (anaemia, loss of weight, abortion, and death), which are variable from one host and one place to another; however, its immunosuppressive effects interfering with intercurrent diseases or vaccination campaigns might be its most significant and questionable aspect.

The animal trypanosomiases and their chemotherapy: a review.

Abstract: Pathogenic animal trypanosomes affecting livestock have represented a major constraint to agricultural development in Africa for centuries, and their negative economic impact is increasing in South America and Asia. Chemotherapy and chemoprophylaxis represent the main means of control. However, research into new trypanocides has remained inadequate for decades, leading to a situation where the few compounds available are losing efficacy due to the emergence of drug-resistant parasites. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the current options available for the treatment and prophylaxis of the animal trypanosomiases, with a special focus on the problem of resistance. The key issues surrounding the main economically important animal trypanosome species and the diseases they cause are also presented. As new investment becomes available to develop improved tools to control the animal trypanosomiases, we stress that efforts should be directed towards a better understanding of the biology of the relevant parasite species and strains, to identify new drug targets and interrogate resistance mechanisms.