The Animal Health Scientific Community in particular those that work in African Swine Fever are living sad days due to the irreparable loss of our dear friend and colleague Cristiana Patta.

On February 17th died prematurely in Sassari, Sardinia, our dear Cristiana after a long battle against cancer. All who were fortunate to know and work with her can never forget. It was a great pleasure to work with her. Its elegant and great sympathy leadership made the long and sometimes difficult meetings were productive while very encouraging and positive.

Cristiana was one of the researchers most vital in the fight against African Swine Fever, a disease to which she devoted most of his professional life, first as a specialist in diagnosis and later as head of the control and eradication program in Sardinia. A happy and lively woman, tireless and tenacious, with great qualities for communication and human relations. We lost a great professional and a dear and close friend.

In this sad time we must remember specially and send all our love to her partner Giuseppe, to her mother and all her friends and colleagues of the Istituto Sperimentale della Sardegna Zooprofilattico.

Rest in Peace forever dear and unforgettable friend. 

SUAT-UCM Group

On February 8th and 9th, Dr. José Manuel Sánchez-Vizcaíno and D. Victor Rodríguez Prieto participated in the first edition with the communication: Emerging diseases in sheep: Blue Tongue & Schmallenberg.

Badajoz program (Spanish text)
Caceres program (Spanish text) 

With the recent detection of Schmallenberg virus using metagenomics techniques, many doubts have appeared about that method. Prof Jose Manuel Sánchez -Vizcaíno and Consuelo Rubio answer all these questions in a divulgative paper published by the Official College of Veterinarians of Madrid.

Available online (in Spanish): Metagenomics, a tecnique to identify new viruses

 Prof. Jose Manuel Sanchez-Vizcaino will give a lecture entitled "Epidemiological situation of the new disease of Schmallenberg. Risk for Spain" at Murcia University.

Where? Assembly hall School of Veterinary Medicine.
When? February 7th, 2012. 11:30 am. 

Presentation "Epidemiological situation of the new disease of Schmallenberg. Risk for Spain" (Spanish)
New in the media: La Verdad de Murcia (Spanish)

Complete and updated review of the origin, epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis and control of virus Schmallemberg (VSB) and an assessment of current risk of occurrence of the same our country, published by the Official College of Veterinarians of Madrid and conducted by Jose Manuel Sanchez Vizcaino and Victor Rodriguez-Prieto.

Full text: Notes on Schmallenberg disease (Spanish text)