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Article History

Received: 23 October 2015

Accepted: 28 February 2018

First Online: 14 March 2018

Ethics approval and consent to participate

: Blood samples were collected by the veterinary officers of the Regional Veterinary Services in the frame of approved national and regional animal disease plans. The veterinary officers daily operate on animal farms complying with the animal welfare procedures. When the study started (2008), in Italy there wasn’t any requirement for a research being approved by an institutional ethics committee or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. The goat owners were informed and they were consenting about the inclusion of their animal blood samples for research purposes.

: Not applicable

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