Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34477910›Full record

ArticleParasitology research2021

Bovine besnoitiosis in a cattle herd in Sicily: an isolated outbreak or the acknowledgment of an endemicity?

Ettore Napoli, Susana Remesar, Jairo Mendoza-Roldan, Giovanni De Benedetto, Stefania Di Giorgio, Alessandra Sfacteria, Gabriele Marino, Francesca Arfuso, Giuseppe Catone, Emanuele Brianti

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Parasitology research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 38% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Seropositivity and Risk Factors forAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026
    Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Ettore NapoliDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3172-8278
Susana RemesarDepartment of Animal Pathology, Investigación en Sanidad Animal: Galicia (Grupo INVESAGA), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8071-3806
Jairo Mendoza-RoldanDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9787-932X
Giovanni De BenedettoDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Stefania Di GiorgioDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Alessandra SfacteriaDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3671-3750
Gabriele MarinoDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6519-406X
Francesca ArfusoDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6139-2691
Giuseppe CatoneDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4733-9573
Emanuele BriantiDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy. ebrianti@unime.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5613-0144
University of Messina · ITUniversidade de Santiago de Compostela · ESUniversity of Bari Aldo Moro · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Bovine besnoitiosis is a debilitating infectious disease caused by Besnoitia besnoiti (Apicomplexa; Sarcocystidae). The disease is mainly characterized by cutaneous and systemic signs, infertility in bulls, and abortion in cows. The current study describes an autochthonous outbreak of bovine besnoitiosis in Sicily, Southern Italy, being the first report of B. besnoiti infection in the island so far. In a cattle farm located in Syracuse province, a 4-year-old Belgian blue bull born in Sicily displayed typical clinical signs of the sub-acute/chronic disease phase with thickening of the skin of the scrotum and testicular degeneration. Histological examination of scrotal biopsies revealed the presence of several tissue cysts of B. besnoiti. The serological analysis of the herd using a commercial ELISA revealed a high seroprevalence (45 out of 55; 82%) of antibodies against B. besnoiti. Few seropositive animals (5 out of 45; 11%) showed clinical signs, cysts in vestibulum vaginae (1 out of 31; 3.2%), and testicular degeneration (4 out of 14; 28.6%) assessed by ultrasonographic investigations. The paucity of clinical signs associated with the high seroprevalence in the farm led to hypothesize that bovine besnoitiosis is endemic in the area though further studies are needed. Local practitioners should be more aware of the disease to facilitate the early detection of cases, prevent the spread of infection, and avoid economic losses and animal health problem.

Indexed as

Cattle DiseasesCoccidiosisSarcocystidaeAnimalsCattleDisease OutbreaksFemaleMaleSeroepidemiologic StudiesSicilyBesnoitia besnoitiCattleClinical signsELISAHistologyHypofertility

Identifiers

PMID34477910
OpenAlexW3196724762

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.