97452 - Hygiene and Safety of Zootechnical Productions

Learning outcomes

The course of Hygiene and Safety of Zootechnical Productions is made up of module 1 "Veterinary Hygiene" and module 2 "Analysis of microbiological risk in zootechnical farms".

Module 1. At the end of the course, the student acquires basic notions relating to the most important infectious diseases for animal production, and in particular with reference to the interaction between the etiological agent, host and environment, to the immune response developed by the host, to the environmental risk and control and eradication plans. In particular, the student is able to collaborate with public and private veterinarians regarding: - the sanitary management of animal populations; - the control of agents transmissible from animals to humans; - to prevent the spread of infections in populations.

 

Module 2.

Module 2 aims to respond to some priorities defined by the EU Commission in terms of safety of livestock production, based on the so-called “One Health” approach. The learning objectives for the student are the following: 1) Adopt the risk ranking analysis to prioritize the risks of livestock production; 2) Subtyping foodborne microorganisms by traditional and molecular techniques; Acquire analytical skills for the evaluation of antibiotic resistance in bacteria responsible for diseases in livestock farms. At the end of the course the student acquires basic notions relating to the main health risks of livestock farms with reference to the most innovative analytical methods for their traceability, in order to prevent the spread of infectious diseases to humans

Course contents

The course of Hygiene and Safety of Zootechnical Productions is made up of module 1 "Veterinary Hygiene" and module 2 "Analysis of microbiological risk in zootechnical farms".

 

Module 1.

Program: infection, disease, zoonosis. Determinants of disease: host, agent, environment and their interaction. Epidemiology and pathogenesis of pathogen agents. Bacteria and viruses as pathogens. Antigen and antibody. Innate and adaptive immunity. Humoral and cell-mediated immune response. Natural and artificial, active and passive immunization. Vaccines. Direct and indirect prophylaxis. Control and elimination programs. Diseases and veterinary legislation. Vesicular Diseases. Paratubercolosis. Brucellosis. Mastitis. Respiratory infections. Aujeszky Disease. Blue Tongue. Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies. Welfare of pig breeding.

 

Module 2.

1) The concept of One health in livestock production; 2) The risk ranking in zootechnical productions; 3) phenotypic techniques for tracing foodborne microorganisms in livestock farms; 4) molecular techniques for tracing foodborne microorganisms in livestock farms (eg PFGE, MLST, MLVA); 5) The qualitative (antibiogram) and quantitative (MIC) evaluation of antibiotic resistance in bacteria responsible for infectious diseases in livestock farms; 6) Knowing how to find, analyze and discriminate useful information from the various written and digital sources of scientific literature and Regulations, Laws and Guidelines.

 

Readings/Bibliography

Both modules: slides uploaded by the teacher on the Virtuale platform.

Teaching methods

Module 1: Frontal lessons.

Module 2: Lectures, seminary with the intervention of experts in the sector and laboratory activities.

Assessment methods

Both modules: oral exam, aimed at evaluating the acquired knowledge. The exam topics will be specified to the students at the beginning of the course and will exclusively concern the didactic material uploaded on Virtual. The test involves a vote.

Evaluation criteria:

A very thorough knowledge of the topics addressed in the course, together with high skills of critical analysis, connection and a sure command of specific terminology will be evaluated with the maximum score (30-30L).

A thorough knowledge of the topics addressed in the course, together with good analytical and critical skills and the possession of a sure command of specific terminology will be evaluated with good marks (27-29).

A technically adequate preparation and a sufficient analytical capacity, even if not particularly articulated, expressed in a correct language, will produce fair evaluations (23-26).

Sufficient preparation and analytical skills, expressed in a language that is barely formally correct, will determine the sufficiency (18-22).

The final grade of the I.C. represents the weighted average of the final assessments of the two courses that make it up, taking into account the number of credits for each course. The assessments obtained in the various tests have no expiry date.

Students with DISABILITY or SLD who require adaptations to teaching during the lesson phase or in the final assessment phase, must contact the teacher by email, entering the reference staff of the appropriate DISABILITY or SLD service from which they followed.

Teaching tools

Both modules: audiovisival aids.

Office hours

See the website of Antonietta Di Francesco

See the website of Gerardo Manfreda