Small Ruminant Research 104 (2012) 191–194 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Small Ruminant Research jou rn al h om epa ge: www. elsevier.com/locate/smallrumres Short communication Health evaluation in the native Garfagnina goat F. Corrias a , G. Brajon a , F. Salari e , A. Dal Prà a , G. Ragona a , A. Lombardo a , M. Mari a , I. Altomonte e , G. Colombani b , P. Pedri c , B. Scotti d , M. Martini e,∗ a I.Z.S.L.T. Firenze, Italy b A.S.L. 2 Lucca, Italy c A.S.L. 1 Massa e Carrara, Italy d A.S.L. 12 Viareggio, Italy e Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiologiche, Università Pisa, Italy a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 10 March 2011 Received in revised form 13 October 2011 Accepted 14 October 2011 Available online 8 November 2011 Keywords: Garfagnina goat Health status a b s t r a c t A goat population named Garfagnina, from north-west Tuscany (Italy), was studied in order to evaluate the health status in an estimated population of 2500 animals. Data were col- lected from 31 rural farms and 320 animals. For each farm an anamnesis was collected and a clinical examination of animals was performed; sera and faecal samples were collected and tested for brucellosis, paratuberculosis, caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV), tularemia and gastro intestinal parasites. All the animals tested were clinically healthy; a moderate ecto-parasitism (Ixodidae) was present without any sign of illness or scrape; a good faecal-score was recorded. Faecal sample flotation showed a moderate prevalence for Eimeria spp. oocysts (29.7%); gastrointestinal strongyles were always present. Eggs per gram (EPG) and oocysts per gram (OPG) counts were low (OPG/EPG < 100). According to Italian norms, all the animals tested were brucellosis free; serodiagnosis showed a 6.58% seroprevalence of CAEV, 5.26% of paratuberculosis, and 0.5% of tularemia. The sanitary con- ditions of the population confirmed the healthy status of the animals: sporadic positiveness seems to be correlated with the presence of wild ungulate in the same area and should be investigated further. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Domestic livestock with a limited distribution are being increasingly recognized in the action plans of the European Union as a reason both for protecting rural land and to promote biodiversity and typical productions. The Italian Register of Native Populations with a Limited Distribution is an important tool for animal populations and native breeds without a dedicated genealogic register. Thus, it represents an important tool for the preservation of bio- diversity in Italy. In order to collect a database that could ∗ Corresponding author at: Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiologiche, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 PI, Italy. Tel.: +39 050 221897; fax: +39 050 2216901. E-mail address: mmartini@vet.unipi.it (M. Martini). be used be inserted in the register, a wide zootechnical overview was performed on Garfagnina goat, a native pop- ulation from north west Tuscany, Italy (Martini et al., 2010). This population is reared for milk and meat production and is registered in the Tuscan index of genetic resources as being at risk of extinction. The goat farms are located in the hills and mountains of the Tuscan Apennine area, and have a total of about 2500 animals. Semi-extensive farming is practiced in all the flocks. The goats graze in the morning (feed supplements are given mainly over the winter), and are housed over night. Some farms transfer the goats to mountain areas at the beginning of the spring and bring the animals back in late autumn. Flock management is of a family farm type. Goat breed- ing represents one of the main sources of income for the majority of breeders in this area, through the sale of kids, 0921-4488/$ – see front matter © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.smallrumres.2011.10.005