Prostasome-like particles in stallion semen.

Human semen contains membranous vesicles called prosta- somes. They are secreted by the prostate gland and contain large amounts of cholesterol, sphingomyelin, and Ca2. Prostasomes enhance the motility of ejaculated spermatozoa and are in- volved in a number of additional biological functions. No prostasome-like vesicles have been described in horse se- men up to now. We have demonstrated the presence of pros- tasome-like vesicles in the equine semen and characterized them as to size, morphology, and lipid composition; we have found that they are similar to human prostasomes in many re- spects. We propose that these vesicles might be important for the fecundity of horse semen. This is of interest since the success of artificial insemination is limited by the fact that stallion sperm barely survive cryopreservation

Molecular identification and characterization of a genotype 3 hepatitis e virus (HEV) strain detected in a wolf faecal sample, Italy

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is a major health problem worldwide. In developed countries, zoonotic transmission of HEV genotypes (Gt) 3 and 4 is caused by the ingestion of raw or undercooked meat of infected pigs and wild boars, the main reservoirs of HEV. However, additional animals may harbour HEV or HEV-related strains, including carnivores. In this study, we investigated the molecular epidemiology of orthohepeviruses in wild canids by screening a total of 136 archival faecal samples, collected from wolves (42) and red foxes (94) in Northwestern Italy. Orthohepevirus RNA was identified in a faecal specimen, collected from a wolf carcass in the province of La Spezia (Liguria Region, Italy). The nearly full-length (7212 nucleotides) genome of the strain HEV/81236/Wolf/2019/ITA (GenBank accession no. MZ463196) was determined by combining a sequence-independent single-primer amplification (SISPA) approach with the Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing platform. Upon phylogenetic analysis, the HEV detected in wolf was segregated into clade HEV-3.1, displaying the highest nucleotide (nt) identity (89.0–93.3%) to Gt3 strains belonging to subtype c. Interestingly, the wolf faecal sample also contained porcine astrovirus sequences, endorsing the hypothesis of a dietary origin of the HEV strain due to preying habits

Surveillance study of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in domestic and wild ruminants in northwestern Italy

In industrialized countries, increasing autochthonous infections of hepatitis E virus (HEV) are caused by zoonotic transmission of genotypes (Gts) 3 and 4, mainly through consumption of contaminated raw or undercooked pork meat. Although swine and wild boar are recognized as the main reservoir for Gt3 and Gt4, accumulating evidence indicates that other animal species, including domestic and wild ruminants, may harbor HEV. Herein, we screened molecularly and serologically serum and fecal samples from two domestic and four wild ruminant species collected in Valle d’Aosta and Piemonte regions (northwestern Italy. HEV antibodies were found in sheep (21.6%), goats (11.4%), red deer (2.6%), roe deer (3.1%), and in Alpine ibex (6.3%). Molecular screening was performed using different primer sets targeting highly conserved regions of hepeviruses and HEV RNA, although at low viral loads, was detected in four fecal specimens (3.0%, 4/134) collected from two HEV seropositive sheep herds. Taken together, the data obtained document the circulation of HEV in the geographical area assessed both in wild and domestic ruminants, but with the highest seroprevalence in sheep and goats. Consistently with results from other studies conducted in southern Italy, circulation of HEV among small domestic ruminants seems to occur more frequently than expected

Increasing the source/sink ratio in Vitis vinifera (cv Sangiovese) induces extensive transcriptome reprogramming and modifies berry ripening

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cluster thinning is an agronomic practice in which a proportion of berry clusters are removed from the vine to increase the source/sink ratio and improve the quality of the remaining berries. Until now no transcriptomic data have been reported describing the mechanisms that underlie the agronomic and biochemical effects of thinning.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We profiled the transcriptome of <it>Vitis vinifera </it>cv. Sangiovese berries before and after thinning at veraison using a genome-wide microarray representing all grapevine genes listed in the latest V1 gene prediction. Thinning increased the source/sink ratio from 0.6 to 1.2 m²leaf area per kg of berries and boosted the sugar and anthocyanin content at harvest. Extensive transcriptome remodeling was observed in thinned vines 2 weeks after thinning and at ripening. This included the enhanced modulation of genes that are normally regulated during berry development and the induction of a large set of genes that are not usually expressed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Cluster thinning has a profound effect on several important cellular processes and metabolic pathways including carbohydrate metabolism and the synthesis and transport of secondary products. The integrated agronomic, biochemical and transcriptomic data revealed that the positive impact of cluster thinning on final berry composition reflects a much more complex outcome than simply enhancing the normal ripening process.</p

Molecular detection of Aichi virus in raw sewage in Italy.

Aichi virus (AiV) is suspected to play a role in viral gastroenteritis in humans. In this study, we assessed the presence of AiV in untreated influent sewage samples collected at four wastewater treatment plants in central Italy. AiV was detected in 6 (12.5 %) of the 48 specimens and in all plants. All of the Italian strains showed the highest nucleotide and amino acid sequence identity to genotype B AiV detected recently in Asia, especially in China

In vitro inactivation of feline calicivirus (FCV) by chemical disinfectants: resistence variation among field strAINS

Several commercial products commonly used for disinfection against feline calicivirus (FCV) have been validated using the vaccine strain F9. However, little information is available regarding the resistance of field strains of FCV to chemical inactivation. In this study, disinfection experiments were performed either on two laboratory-adapted strains or on seven field isolates using three alcohol mixtures and one containing a chlorine compound. For each biocide tested, considerable variability was found among the strains in their susceptibility to inactivation, demonstrating that the effectiveness of disinfection depends not only on the type of chemical compound and exposure time, but also on the FCV strain

Molecular detection of porcine kobuviruses in Italian swine.

In this study, fecal specimens (n=260) collected from Italian healthy pigs aged between 6 and 10 months were screened by RT-PCR using generic kobuvirus primers. Porcine kobuviruses (PKVs) were detected in 3.85% of the samples tested. Based on the analysis of the partial 3D gene, the Italian sequences identified here were more closely related to PKVs previously identified in Japan, Thailand, Korea, China and Brazil than to the European PKVs recently detected in Hungary and in the Netherlands