Molecular Detection of Babesia spp. (Apicomplexa: Piroplasma) in Free-Ranging Canids and Mustelids From Southern Italy.

Babesiosis is an emerging tick-borne disease caused by apicomplexan parasites with widespread geographical distribution and various wildlife species as reservoir hosts. The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence and assess the role of free-ranging canids and mustelids in the maintenance of Babesia spp. in southern Italy. PCR analysis of splenic samples targeting the 18S rRNA gene revealed the presence of Babesia spp. in 36 of 82 (43.9%) red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) including 29 (58%) from Campania region and seven (21.8%) from Calabria region, in seven of 13 (53.8%) Eurasian badgers (Meles meles), and in one of 13 (7.7%) gray wolves (Canis lupus). Samples from other host species including 9 Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra), 1 stone marten (Martes foina), 1 least weasel (Mustela nivalis), and 1 European polecat (Mustela putorius) tested Babesia spp. negative. Sequence analysis of the 18S rRNA gene demonstrated the presence of B. vulpes in the red fox and two sequence types of badger-associated Babesia spp. in the Eurasian badger. The Babesia sp. sequence detected in the gray wolf was identical to a badger-associated Babesia sp. This study shows that the number of Babesia spp. infecting free-ranging carnivores in Italy is higher than currently believed, and suggests that these hosts may play an important role in the maintenance of the sylvatic cycle of these parasites. It is the first report of badger-associated Babesia spp. in Italy and in a gray wolf

Parasite Load and STRs Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii Isolates From Mediterranean Mussels ( Mytilus galloprovincialis) in Southern Italy

oxoplasmosis is a zoonotic food-borne disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii, a land-derived protozoan parasite that infects a broad range of terrestrial and aquatic hosts. T. gondii may reach coastal waters via contaminated freshwater runoff and its oocysts may enter into the marine food web. Marine invertebrates as mussels being filter feeders are exposed and may concentrate T. gondii oocysts representing a potential source of infection for animals and humans. The present works investigated the prevalence, parasite burden and genotypes of T. gondii in the Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from southern Italy. We sampled a total of 382 individual Mediterranean mussels from May to August 2018 from seven production sites in the Gulf of Naples (Campania region). An additional sample including 27 farmed Mediterranean mussels was obtained in February 2018 from a mollusk depuration plant in Corigliano Calabro (Calabria region). T. gondii DNA was detected in 43 out of 409 (10.5%) Mediterranean mussels from seven out of eight sampling sites. The number of T. gondii copies/g in the digestive gland ranged from 0.14 to 1.18. Fragment analysis of Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) at 5 microsatellite loci was performed from 10 T. gondii PCR positive samples revealing the presence of five distinct genotypes including one corresponding to type I and four atypical genotypes. These findings suggest potential implications of epidemiological importance for human and animal health because both type I and atypical genotypes could be highly pathogenic

Link between geographical origin and occurrence of Brucella abortus biovars in cow and water buffalo herds

Sixty-three Brucella isolates from water buffaloes and cattle slaughtered within the Italian national plan for brucellosis control were characterized by multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA). Genotyping indicated a strong influence of geographic origin on the Brucella abortus biovar distribution in areas where brucellosis is endemic and highlighted the importance of rigorous management procedures aimed at avoiding inter- and intraherd spreading of pathogens