Spatial and temporal explorative analysis of sarcoptic mange in Alpine chamois (Rupicapra r. rupicapra)

The sarcoptic mange epizootic affecting chamois in the Dolomites Alps since 1995 has risen considerable concern in a management and conservation perspective, due to its strong impact on chamois and ibex populations. A remarkable amount of data has been collected by different wildlife research and management institutions, in order to analyze mange patterns and develop possible strategies to control the disease. The present study is aimed at providing a population-related figure of the spatial and temporal dynamics of clinical sarcoptic mange in alpine chamois, proposing an approach in which relevant basic concepts and parameters, as the definition of the epidemic front and its spreading speed, can be estimated and framed. The epidemic front was referred to the different mountain massifs, corresponding to well established management units of the chamois in the study area; moreover, the mange-related mortality peak at the massif level was used (in substitution of the index case/s) for temporal analysis of the disease spreading. Two speeds of the front have been estimated: a first raw average speed of about 3.38 km/year, and a second refined speed of 4.64 +/- 3.12 Km/year, more consistent to the variability in the field. The time series analysis showed that the impact of mange increases over the late winter months, reaching a peak in early spring. Our results strengthen the conclusions of previous studies, proposing a new frame to include other studies in progress on the Alpine chamois-Sarcoptes interaction

Description of a Sarcoptic Mange Outbreak in Alpine Chamois Using an Enhanced Surveillance Approach

Since 1995, the Alpine chamois (Rupicapra r. rupicapra) population of the Dolomites has been affected by sarcoptic mange with considerable management concerns. In this study, 15 years (2006–2020) of passive surveillance and demographic data were analyzed in order to describe a mange outbreak. Furthermore, an enhanced passive surveillance protocol was implemented in order to evaluate the efficiency of ordinary vs. enhanced surveillance protocol in identifying dead chamois in the field and in reaching a correct diagnosis. Our results confirm the role of mange as a determining factor for chamois mortality, while stressing the importance of a wider view on the factors affecting population dynamics. The enhanced passive surveillance protocol increased the probability of carcass retrieval and identification of the cause of death; however, its adoption may be too costly if applied for long periods on a wide scale. Passive surveillance, in both ordinary and enhanced surveillance protocol, should encompass the use of other strategies in the future to study the eco-epidemiology of the disease in wild Caprinae

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Monitoring macroparasites in wild ruminants populations: utility and limitations

Although the role of macroparasites in regulating wildlife populations is generally accepted (Tompkins DM et al, 2002. In: The ecology of wildlife diseases. Oxford University Press: 45-62), their sanitary impact is difficult to detect, due to numerous factors that can influence and/or mask host-parasite interactions. This is particularly evident in the case of the helminths, which are consistently present in wild ruminant populations worldwide and have in general a subclinical impact. Notwithstanding, sanitary evidences observed in the past and recent years suggest an importance of macroparasites even from a sanitary perspective. In our opinion, monitoring macroparasites in wild animal populations might have two basic aims: i) to enlighten the role and/or possible impact of such agents on their host populations and ii) to detect if selected parasitological indices can be useful as indicators of the population health status. The former scope involves both ecological and sanitary implications, while the latter appear mainly involved in a management perspective. Some experiences performed in alpine wild ruminant populations have suggested that helminths could exert a negative impact in host populations. In particular, negative correlation between abomasal parasitic burdens and body condition indices was found in roe deer Capreolus capreolus (Zaffaroni E et al, 1997, Parassitologia 39: 313-317). Moreover, investigations in alpine chamois Rupicapra rupicapra showed negative correlation between selected abomasal helminth species and blood protein level (Sala M et al, 2000, Parassitologia 42 (S1): 76). These findings suggest the hypothesis of a role of parasites mainly in reducing body resources. Actually, it appears that macroparasites could participate in making the population less able to cope with different pathogens and disease complexes (Wobeser GA, 1994, Investigation and management of disease in wild animals, Plenum Publishing Corporation, 265 pp.; Citterio CV et al, 2003, Vet. Rec. 153: 592-596). However, the impact of parasites cannot be considered as a constant in every situation, since it is mediated by different factors which can vary among different contexts and even in the same context in relation to the ecological and epidemiological correlates of parasitic patterns, to the effective pathogenic potential of parasites and to the factors that can influence it. In order to evaluate the factors above, a wide sanitary monitoring appears to be necessary, and informations about parasite and host's life histories are needed. Moreover, selected risk factors, such as interactions between different host populations and environmental factors should be considered. As an example, interactions for selected abomasal helminth species, such as Haemonchus contortus, between domestic and wild ruminants have been evidenced as a sanitary risk factor for alpine wild ruminant populations, due to the lack of an inherent equilibrium in the parasite communities of these hosts, which appear to be isolationist (Zaffarom E et al, 1996, Suppl. Ric. Biol. Selvaggina 24: 53-68; Zaffaroni E et al, 1999, Parassitologia 41: 567-572), and to the low host-specificity and high pathogenic potential of such species (Zaffaroni E et al, 2000, Vet. Parasitol. 90: 221-230). Moreover, the life history and pathogenic action of gastrointestinal helminths can be related to other factors, such as food shortage and/or low diet quality (Gulland FMD, 1992, Parasitology 105: 493-503; Ezenwa VO, 2004, Int. J. Parasitol. 34: 535-542). Considering all above, a wide-range monitoring could lead to a better understandig of the parasitic impact on hosts. At the same time, the simple parasitic counts appear inadequate as indices of population health (P\ue9rez JM et al, 2003, J. Parasitol. 89: 315-318), since they can widely vary, even not depending on the health of their host population and without any sanitary impact. Thence, it arises that an evaluation of such an impact should imply considerable efforts in collecting and analyzing data, which should be extended in time

Effect of the aggregate morphology on the dispersability of MWCNTs in polymer melts

Polystyrene nanocomposites filled with multi-walled carbon nanotubes have been prepared through a masterbatch melt mixing method and subjected to morphological, rheological and dielectrical analyses. The role of the structure of the initial aggregates has been investigated by comparing commercially available and synthesized MWCNTs prepared through fluidized bed chemical vapor deposition method and purified through a scalable one-pot route. Electron microscopy analyses reveal a less compact structure of the synthesized particles, in which the nanotubes are arranged in less entangled bundles. This reduces the strength of the initial agglomerates, thus enhancing their dispersability inside the host polymer by means of melt compounding as confirmed by both rheological and dielectrical measurements

Ticks are more suitable than red foxes for monitoring zoonotic tick-borne pathogens in northeastern Italy

Abstract Background Northeastern Italy is a hotspot for several tick-borne pathogens, transmitted to animals and humans mainly by Ixodes ricinus. Here we compare the results of molecular monitoring of ticks and zoonotic TBPs over a six-year period, with the monitoring of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in an endemic area. Results In the period 2011–2016, 2,578 ticks were collected in 38 sites of 20 municipalities of Belluno Province. Individual adults (264), pooled larvae (n = 330) and nymphs (n = 1984) were screened for tick-borne encephalitis virus, Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.), Rickettsia spp., Babesia spp., Anaplasma phagocytophilum and “Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis” by specific SYBR green real-time PCR assays and sequencing. The spleens of 97 foxes, culled in the period 2015–2017 during sport hunting or population control programs, were also screened. Overall, nine different pathogens were found in I. ricinus nymph and adult ticks: Rickettsia helvetica (3.69%); R. monacensis (0.49%); four species of the B. burgdorferi (s.l.) complex [B. afzelii (1.51%); B. burgdorferi (s.s.) (1.25%); B. garinii (0.18%); and B. valaisiana (0.18%)]; A. phagocytophilum (3.29%); “Candidatus N. mikurensis” (1.73%); and Babesia venatorum (0.04%). Larvae were collected and screened in the first year only and two pools (0.6%) were positive for R. helvetica. Tick-borne encephalitis virus was not found in ticks although human cases do occur in the area. The rate of infection in ticks varied widely according to tick developmental stage, site and year of collection. As expected, adults were the most infected, with 27.6% harboring at least one pathogen compared to 7.3% of nymphs. Pathogens with a minimum infection rate above 1% were recorded every year. None of the pathogens found in ticks were detectable in the foxes, 52 (54%) of which were instead positive for Babesia cf. microti (also referred to as Babesia microti-like, “Theileria annae”, “Babesia annae” and “Babesia vulpes”). Conclusions The results show that foxes cannot be used as sentinel animals to monitor tick-borne pathogens in the specific epidemiological context of northeastern Italy. The high prevalence of Babesia cf. microti in foxes and its absence in ticks strongly suggests that I. ricinus is not the vector of this pathogen

Assessing Red Fox (<i>Vulpes vulpes</i>) Demographics to Monitor Wildlife Diseases: A Spotlight on <i>Echinococcus multilocularis</i>

The assessment of red fox population density is considered relevant to the surveillance of zoonotic agents vectored by this species. However, density is difficult to estimate reliably, since the ecological plasticity and elusive behavior of this carnivore hinder classic methods of inference. In this study, red fox population density was estimated using a non-invasive molecular spatial capture-recapture (SCR) approach in two study areas: one in a known hotspot of the zoonotic cestode Echinococcus multilocularis, and another naïve to the parasite. Parasitological investigations on collected samples confirmed the presence of the parasite exclusively in the former area; the SCR results indicated a higher fox population density in the control area than in the hotspot, suggesting either that the relationship between fox density and parasite prevalence is not linear and/or the existence of other latent factors supporting the parasitic cycle in the known focus. In addition, fox spotlight count data for the two study areas were used to estimate the index of kilometric abundance (IKA). Although this method is cheaper and less time-consuming than SCR, IKA values were the highest in the areas with the lower molecular SCR density estimates, confirming that IKA should be regarded as a relative index only