ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Food Microbiology
Viral RNA detections of enteric pathogens from caprine raw milk in Central Italy
Gianluigi Ferri 1
Aurora Astolfi 1
Filiberto Malatesta 2
Luca Pennisi 1
Alberto Vergara 1
1. Post-Graduate Specialization School in Food Inspection “G. Tiecco”, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, Via Strada Provinciale 18, 64100, Piano d’Accio, Teramo, Italy, Teramo, Italy
2. Food and Health Veterinarian Consulting, 64100 Teramo, Italy, Teramo, Italy
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Abstract
Among primary productions, unpasteurized milk could be responsible for transmission of many foodborne and zoonotic pathogens. Among them, viruses can also represent public health concerns. In this study, 383 caprine raw milk samples were evaluated from goats farmed in six different sites (F1-F6) located in L’Aquila province (Abruzzo region, Italy). Molecular assays, such as real time RT-qPCR and nested RT-PCR were performed to amplify RNA sequences belonging to astrovirus (AstV), hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis E virus (HEV), norovirus genogroups I and II (NoV-GI and NoV-GII), and rotavirus (RV). Results showed that 15.40% (59/383) of tested specimens were positive at least to one pathogen, and 3.39% (13/383) of them co-detected AstV, HEV, and/or NoV-GI with special regards to the samples collected from goats farmed in F5 and F6. Among the considered viruses, HEV RNA was amplified from all farms representing the 7.57% (29/383), followed by AstV 6.00% (23/383), and NoV-GI 5.74% (22/383). Although most of the considered viruses have been amplified from faecal samples in previous studies, this study provides original data in caprine unpasteurized milk in Italy
Summary
Keywords
Food Safety, Goats, Unpasteurized milk, viral foodborne pathogens, Zoonoses
Received
04 November 2025
Accepted
19 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Ferri, Astolfi, Malatesta, Pennisi and Vergara. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Gianluigi Ferri
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