Education
-December 2011: Specialisation Diploma in “Technology and pathology of poultry, rabbit and game species”- Veterinary Medicine Faculty, University of Milan
-December 2008: “Doctor in Philosophy” (PhD) in “Epidemiology and Zoonosis Control” - Veterinary Medicine Faculty, University of Bologna
-October 2005: Doctor in Veterinary Medicine (DVM) - Veterinary Medicine Faculty, University of Bologna
Positions and Work experience
- December 2011- December 2021: Assistant professor at the Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences of the University of Bologna (Academic discipline: VET/05 Infectious Diseases of Domestic Animals),
- June 2010-December 2011: Technical staff of the Department of Veterinary Public Health and Animal Pathology-Faculty of Veterinary Medicine - University of Bologna (Italy)
- March 2009-March 2010: Grant Holder at Department of Veterinary Public Health and Animal Pathology - Veterinary Medicine Faculty - University of Bologna (Italy)
- June 2006-January 2009: Temporary research fellow at the Department of Veterinary Public Health and Animal Pathology - Veterinary Medicine Faculty - University of Bologna (Italy)
Visit To Foreign Research Laboratory
- August-Novembre 2006-January-February 2011-June 2012: Research work in the Department of Veterinary Pathology – University of Liverpool (UK) under the supervision of Dr. Clive Naylor..
Major research/professional interests
The major research fields focused on diseases of domestic birds, in particular concerning epidemiology, diagnosis, pathogenesis, vaccines and vaccination. Topics of interest are correlated to avian respiratory and immunosuppressive viral agents. Studies performed on these subjects, has involved: field molecular epidemiology studies; vaccines reversion to virulence; field strains evolution avoiding vaccine-induced immunity; development and testing of aMPV reverse genetics system for the expression of surface heterologous protein (in collaboration with Liverpool University); in vivo pathogenicity trials and tissue distribution; clinical and pre-clinical studies of efficacy and safety of live vaccines (regulatory studies) and new generation vaccines.
Scientific associations
Since 2005 member of the Italian Branch (SIPA) of the World Veterinary Poultry Association
REFEREE FOR SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS
Archives of Microbiology
Avian Pathology
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
British Poultry Science
Folia Microbiologica
Infection Ecology and Epidemiology
Vaccine
Veterinary Microbiology
Veterinary Record
Topic Editorial Board Member of OA Journals Vaccines
INVITED SPEAKER
- 2017: National meeting organized by MSD Animal Health “Increment the protection, improve the productivity” with a presentation entitled “Gumboro Disease: still a challenge for the poultry industry?”; Erbusco (BS), 5 December 2017
SPEAKER AT NATIONAL MEETINGS
-2007 II National Workshop of Veterinary Virology. “Development of an infectious clone of Avian metapneumovirus cofing GFP protein”
-2010 XLVIX National meeting of the Italian Society of Avian Pathology. “Rapid discrimination between vaccinal and vaccines strains of Avian metapneumovirus using RFLP”
-2012 LI National meeting of the Italian Society of Avian Pathology. “Development of Avian metapneumovirus as a recombinant vaccine vector for the espression of immunogenic protein of Infectious Bronchitis Coronavirus”
-2015 LIV National meeting of the Italian Society of Avian Pathology. ”Epidemiological survey on the circulation of the new IBDV ITA genotype”
-2016 I Scientific Symposium of the Italian Society of Avian Pathology. “Pathogenicity of Infectious Bursitis virus genotype ITA”
SPEAKER AT INTERNATIONAL MEETING
-2007 XV World Veterinary Poultry Congress, Beijing (China) “In vitro antiviral activity of Chestnut (Castanea spp.), Quebracho (Schinopsis spp.) and Tara (Caesalpinia spinosa) extracts against avian reovirus and metapneumovirus)”
-2008 7th International Symposium on Turkey Diseases, Berlin (Germany) “Construction of a green fluorescent protein (GFP) avian metapneumovirus (AMPV) recombinant lacking the small hydrophobic (SH) protein gene shows that giant syncytial formations are not a result of the reduction in genome size
- 2008 XXIII World’s Poultry Congress, Brisbane (Australia) Title of the presentation “In vitro antiviral activity of Chestnut and Quebracho wood extracts”
-2009 VI International Symposium on Avian Corona and Pneumovirus and Complicating Pathogens, Rauischholzhausen (Germany) “Construction of GFP recombinant lacking the small hydrophobic protein gene”
-2012 VII International Symposium on Avian Corona and Pneumoviruses and Complicating Pathogens, Rauischholzhausen, (Germany) “Epidemiology and control of Avian metapneumovirus infections in Italian layers”
-2013 XVII World Veterinary Poultry Association Congress, Nantes (France) “The pigeon (Columba livia) is not sensitive to avian metapneumovirus subtype B and is highly unlikely to play any relevant role in virus spread”
PARTECIPANTS of the International Working Group COST ACTION FA1207 "Towards Control of Avian Coronaviruse: for Diagnosis, Surveillance and Vaccination". Working groups: WG2 "Serology and immunology", WG3 "Clinic and Pathology". (2013-2017)
ACADEMIC TEACHING at the University of Bologna
From A.Y. 2011/2012 to A.Y. 2012/2013 “Prophylaxis and Bio-Safety in Poultry and Rabbit Husbandry” in the degree course of Animal Production and Control of Wildlife
A.Y. 2012/2013 “Special Course on Avian Diseases” in the Internship on Avian Diseases, in the degree course of Veterinary Medicine
From A.Y. 2013/2014 to present “ Biomolecular Techniques Applied to Transmissible Diseases-Gene Delivery” in the degree course of Animal Biotechnology
A.Y. 2015/2016 “ Health Management of Wild Animals” in the first cycle degree programme in Animal production and wildlife management
From A.Y. 2017/2018 to present “ Veterinary Epidemiology” in the Bachelor in Aquaculture and Fish Production Hygiene
SUPERVISOR of 4 graduation thesis and CO-SUPERVISOR of 9 graduation thesis University of Bologna
member of the "Working Group of Documentation" in charge of revision of general procedures, as a part of accreditation to international standard ISO 9001: 2008 of the Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna (from February 2015 to present)
member of the committee of the teachers and supervisors of the PhD course in "Veterinary Sciences”, University of Bologna (from November 2017 to present)
