Brucellosis in Cattle and Buffalo in Southern Italy Provinces: Trends in Presence of Territory-Specific One Health Measures

Alessandra Mazzeo¹Celestina Mascolo^2,3*Lucia Maiuro^1*Marco Esposito³Carlo Ferrara²Nicola Rossi⁴Vincenzo Di Chiro⁴Sebastiano Rosati^1,5*Elena Sorrentino¹

• ¹Department of Agriculture, Environmental and Food Science, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy
• ²Department of Prevention, Complex Structure Animal Health, Local Health Agency of Caserta, Italy, Caserta, Campania, Italy
• ³General Directorate for Health Protection and Coordination of the Regional Health System - Unit of Prevention and Veterinary Public Health, Naples, Campania, Italy
• ⁴Department of Prevention, Complex Structure Animal Health, Regional Health Agency of the Molise Region (ASReM), Campobasso, Italy
• ⁵Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Food Sciences, School of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, University of Turin, Turin, Piedmont, Italy

Brucella spp. Infections in livestock continue to pose significant threats to public and animal health, as well as to local economies. In the European Union, Brucella abortus, which primarily affects cattle and buffaloes, has been successfully eradicated in some Member States and across northern and central Italy through mandatory eradication and control programmes. However,some provinces in southern Italy, including Caserta and Salerno (Campania Region), remain affected, while in other provinces, as in Isernia (Molise Region), brucellosis has temporarily reemerged. The study examines brucellosis outbreaks occurring between 2019 and 2023 in these territories, focusing on livestock that play a key role in the milk value chain, anessential pillar for economic sustainability, environmental protectionand cultural heritage preservation.In Isernia, a mountainous area where cattle ranching and traditional herding are widespread and culturally significant, brucellosis re-emerged in the period 2019-2021, when 30 outbreaks arose, 50% of outbreaks were linked to grazing practices. Outbreaks were promptly extinguished through veterinary intervention due to the low density of farms, which typically house only a few animals and new cases have not been detected since 2022.The provinces of Caserta and Salerno present a different scenario, as they are major hubs for water buffalo breeding. The stringent tailored control measures, implemented in these provinces through a regional programme, led to a gradual decline in the prevalence of buffalo brucellosis outbreaks in Caserta, that involved 8,766 heads in 2019 and 6,164 heads in 2023, and in the eradication in Salerno, with 369 positive heads in 2019 brought to 0 since 2022. The Caserta programme specificallyaddresses the province’s particular vulnerabilities, which include frequent flooding events and the presence of the largest and most densely concentrated water buffalo population in Italy. The resultshighlight the fundamental importance of a One Healthapproach, which includes targeted interventions adapted to the specific context in which they are applied. This approach must actively involve key stakeholders, including farmers, researchers, public health authorities, and policymakers, and be supported by financial investments. Key components include strengthening biosecurity measures, implementing advanced animal traceability systems, continuous professional trainingprograms (including for farmers), expert-led information-sharing technologies, andpromoting voluntary serological self-monitoring practices.