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In the present study, we investigated to what extent soybean was used in industrial and homemade sausage produced in Kosovo, as well as its potential impact on the fatty acid profile. In total, 63 samples, 42 industrial and 21 traditional sausages, were collected either from the market or the production site. All samples were tested by means of real-time PCR for the detection and quantification of soy content, as well as the GC-FID to determine the potential reflection in the fatty acid profile. The presence of soy DNA was detected in 54 out of 63 samples. In total, 41 out of 42 industrial sausage samples were positive for soy DNA, with an average ct value of 22.60 and a standard deviation (SD) of 4.28, whereas 13 out of 21 traditional sausage samples were positive for soy DNA, with a mean ct value of 23.36 and a standard deviation (SD) of 4.56. There was a statistically significant difference in means between industrial sausage and traditional sausage, with p ≤ 0.001 based on CT values (ANOVA test). We investigated the correlation between ct values in real-time PCR for soy DNA with each fatty acid content. There is a moderate correlation of soy DNA ct values with C16:0 palmitin (decrease), C18:0 stearic acid (decrease), C18:1 oleic acid (increase), and overall saturated fatty acids (decrease). With the exception of C14:0 Myristin, C18:1 oleic, and C20:0 Arachin acids and monosaturated fats, the ANOVA test reveals a significant difference in means between groups for the majority of the fatty acids between industrial sausages and traditional sausages. The current study demonstrates that the fatty acid composition of sausages is influenced by the amount of soy present in them. The extent to which other components affect the fatty acid profile is unknown. However, an increase in oleic acid and a decrease in stearic and overall saturated fatty acids are expected.

In this study, we report the first outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A H5N8, clade 2.3.4.4b in Kosovo on 19 May 2021. The outbreak consisted of three phases: May–June 2021, September–November 2021, and January–May 2022. In total, 32 backyards and 10 commercial holdings tested positive for the virus. Interestingly, the third and last phase of the outbreak coincided with the massive H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b epidemic in Europe. Phylogenetic analyses of 28 viral strains from Kosovo revealed that they were closely related to the H5N8 clade 2.3.4.4.b viruses that had been circulating in Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, and Russia in early 2021. Whole genome sequencing of the 25 and partial sequencing of three H5N8 viruses from Kosovo showed high nucleotide identity, forming a distinctive cluster and suggesting a single introduction. The results of the network analysis were in accordance with the three epidemic waves and suggested that the viral diffusion could have been caused by secondary spreads among farms and/or different introductions of the same virus from wild birds. The persistent circulation of the same virus over a one-year period highlights the potential risk of the virus becoming endemic, especially in settings with non-adequate biosecurity.

The objectives of this cross-sectional study were to detect the presence of small ruminant lentiviral infections in Kosovo and estimate the serological prevalence for the year of 2016 . A total of 5.272 sheep and 435 goats were tested using a commercially available indirect enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for Maedi-Visna/Caprine Arthritis-Encephalitis, giving an overall individual sero-prevalence in sheep of 34.8% (95% confidence interval 31.8% to 38.0%), and a flock prevalence of 85%, and in goats an overall individual sero-prevalence of 15.6% (95% confidence interval 7.2% to 25.6%) and flock prevalence of 35%. Sero-prevalence in sheep was higher in the South and West of Kosovo, whereas in goats was higher in the East and South. There were no statistically significant differences in sero-prevalence between sheep in different age groups