Ten Years Later: Molecular Detection and Circulation of Enteric Viruses in Italian Pig Herds
- 1Department of Food Safety Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health Istituto Superiore di Sanità Viale Regina Elena, 299 Rome 00161 Italy iss.it
- 2Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences University of Bologna Via Tolara di Sopra 50, Ozzano dell’Emilia Bologna 40064 Italy unibo.it
- 3Department of Veterinary Medicine University of Perugia Via San Costanzo 4 Perugia 06121 Italy unipg.it
Abstract
Enteric viral infections remain a major challenge for the swine industry, particularly in young animals, and represent a potential source of zoonotic risk. Ten years after a previous survey conducted in Italy, we performed a cross‐sectional study investigating mostly the same viruses to evaluate the persistence and circulation of different enteric viruses in Italian pig farms. A total of 240 pooled swine fecal samples from asymptomatic swine, collected from 12 pig farms in Northern and Central Italy, were analyzed for hepatitis E virus (HEV), porcine astrovirus (PAstV), porcine kobuvirus (PKoV), rotavirus A (RVA), caliciviruses (norovirus; NoV and sapovirus; SaV), and coronaviruses (CoVs). Overall, frequent circulation of enteric viruses was confirmed, with common codetection of multiple viruses within the same samples. PAstV and PKoV were each detected in 10 of 12 farms, followed by RVA in 9 farms, HEV in 6 farms, and caliciviruses in 1 farm; no CoV RNA was detected. PAstV, PKoV, HEV, RVA, and calicivirus RNA were detected in 70.0%, 51.2%, 27.1%, 19.6%, and 1.3% of pooled fecal samples, respectively, and 61.7% of pools contained RNA from two or more viruses. Caliciviruses were rarely detected, while no CoVs were identified, indicating either a limited circulation in the investigated farms or in fecal samples, being mostly associated with respiratory diseases. Associations between viral detection and pig age, supply‐chain affiliation, and herd size were assessed using generalized estimating equation (GEE) models accounting for within‐farm clustering. Although crude pool‐level detection frequencies differed among categories, no statistically significant associations were identified. Although comparison with previous studies should be interpreted cautiously because the sampled farms and some diagnostic assays were not identical, this study demonstrates the continued circulation of several enteric viruses in Italian pig farms. The result highlights the importance of molecular surveillance to safeguard animal health and assess risks of interspecies transmission.
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BibTeX
@article{bartolo2026years,
title = {{Ten Years Later: Molecular Detection and Circulation of Enteric Viruses in Italian Pig Herds}},
author = {Ilaria Di Bartolo and Fabio Ostanello and Giovanni Ianiro and Luca De Sabato and Chiara Settanni and Irene Berselli and David Ranucci and Marina Monini},
journal = {Transboundary and Emerging Diseases},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1155/tbed/4011873},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1155/tbed/4011873},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Ten Years Later: Molecular Detection and Circulation of Enteric Viruses in Italian Pig Herds
AU - Ilaria Di Bartolo
AU - Fabio Ostanello
AU - Giovanni Ianiro
AU - Luca De Sabato
AU - Chiara Settanni
AU - Irene Berselli
AU - David Ranucci
AU - Marina Monini
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Transboundary and Emerging Diseases
DO - 10.1155/tbed/4011873
UR - https://doi.org/10.1155/tbed/4011873
AB - Enteric viral infections remain a major challenge for the swine industry, particularly in young animals, and represent a potential source of zoonotic risk. Ten years after a previous survey conducted in Italy, we performed a cross‐sectional study investigating mostly the same viruses to evaluate the persistence and circulation of different enteric viruses in Italian pig farms. A total of 240 pooled swine fecal samples from asymptomatic swine, collected from 12 pig farms in Northern and Central Italy, were analyzed for hepatitis E virus (HEV), porcine astrovirus (PAstV), porcine kobuvirus (PKoV), rotavirus A (RVA), caliciviruses (norovirus; NoV and sapovirus; SaV), and coronaviruses (CoVs). Overall, frequent circulation of enteric viruses was confirmed, with common codetection of multiple viruses within the same samples. PAstV and PKoV were each detected in 10 of 12 farms, followed by RVA in 9 farms, HEV in 6 farms, and caliciviruses in 1 farm; no CoV RNA was detected. PAstV, PKoV, HEV, RVA, and calicivirus RNA were detected in 70.0%, 51.2%, 27.1%, 19.6%, and 1.3% of pooled fecal samples, respectively, and 61.7% of pools contained RNA from two or more viruses. Caliciviruses were rarely detected, while no CoVs were identified, indicating either a limited circulation in the investigated farms or in fecal samples, being mostly associated with respiratory diseases. Associations between viral detection and pig age, supply‐chain affiliation, and herd size were assessed using generalized estimating equation (GEE) models accounting for within‐farm clustering. Although crude pool‐level detection frequencies differed among categories, no statistically significant associations were identified. Although comparison with previous studies should be interpreted cautiously because the sampled farms and some diagnostic assays were not identical, this study demonstrates the continued circulation of several enteric viruses in Italian pig farms. The result highlights the importance of molecular surveillance to safeguard animal health and assess risks of interspecies transmission.
SN - 1865-1674
SN - 1865-1682
ER -