Electrical Potential Distribution within the Inner Ear: A preliminary study for vestibular prosthesis design

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Introduction into Italy of Gryon pennsylvanicum (Ashmead), an egg parasitoid of the alien invasive bug Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann

Leptoglossus occidentalis (Heteroptera, Coreidae), a Nearctic species, was accidentally introduced into Northern Italy in the late 1990s, from where it has spread throughout Europe. The bug causes abortion of immature cones of Pinus pinea L., with economic impact on the pine-nut industry. As part of a pest control research program, the egg parasitoid Gryon pennsylvanicum Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae) was collected from British Columbia, Canada, and legally introduced to a quarantine climatic chamber in Florence, Italy. The egg parasitoid will be tested against native non target heteropterans, an environmental impact assessment will be conducted, and a mass rearing method will be developed if appropriate. The ultimate goal is to release G. pennsylvanicum into Italian P. pinea forests for classical biological control of L. occidentalis

A Case Study of Malignant Edema in Postpartum Mediterranean Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis)

The paper describes for the first time four cases of postparturient malignant edema in water buffaloes due to Clostridium septicum (Cl. septicum). The study was carried out on four primiparous buffaloes that showed swelling of perineal and perivulvar areas, fever and agalactia a few hours after calving. Two of them died within 20 hours after calving. The other two developed edema in the skeletal muscles of one leg and were treated with sulfadiazine-trimethoprim for 10 days. The clinical signs completely resolved. Culture and molecular investigations identified the pathogen isolated from exudate taken from the vulva as Cl. septicum. The isolate showed multi-drug resistance. In the management of infection due to Cl. septicum, timely diagnosis and the chirurgic curettage, associated with a broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, were found to be sufficient for the survival and recovery of the infected animals

Disease gradient of the anthracnose agent Apiognomonia quercina in a natural oak stand

Patterns of spore dispersal of the fungal pathogen Apiognomonia quercina and its anamorph Discula quercina were investigated over two consecutive growing seasons in a natural mixed stand of Quercus cerris and Q. pubescens trees located in a inland area of Tuscany, at an altitude of 400 m a.s.l. To measure spore dispersal, a transect was laid out in the stand to serve as an inoculum source. The rate of inoculum dispersal (conidia and ascospores) was quantifi ed by means of spore traps positioned at 10, 100, 500 and 1000 m from the southern end of the transect. The disease gradient was also assessed by determining the disease incidence on selected trees at the same distances from the transect. The amount of inoculum detected decreased steeply with the distance from the transect. Disease incidence was inversely correlated with the disease gradient, i.e. with the distance from the inoculum source, and it was much higher at the shorter distances. The level of spore dispersal was related to both the distance from the infection foci and the sporulation time. The experimental approach constituted a valid means for describing and understanding the dynamics of windborne diseases in forests

Disease gradient of the anthracnose agent Apiognomonia quercina in a natural oak stand

Patterns of spore dispersal of the fungal pathogen Apiognomonia quercina and its anamorph Discula quercina were investigated over two consecutive growing seasons in a natural mixed stand of Quercus cerris and Q. pubescens trees located in a inland area of Tuscany, at an altitude of 400 m a.s.l. To measure spore dispersal, a transect was laid out in the stand to serve as an inoculum source. The rate of inoculum dispersal (conidia and ascospores) was quantifi ed by means of spore traps positioned at 10, 100, 500 and 1000 m from the southern end of the transect. The disease gradient was also assessed by determining the disease incidence on selected trees at the same distances from the transect. The amount of inoculum detected decreased steeply with the distance from the transect. Disease incidence was inversely correlated with the disease gradient, i.e. with the distance from the inoculum source, and it was much higher at the shorter distances. The level of spore dispersal was related to both the distance from the infection foci and the sporulation time. The experimental approach constituted a valid means for describing and understanding the dynamics of windborne diseases in forests

Tracing the dispersal route of the invasive Japanese beetle Popillia japonica

The Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica, is a highly polyphagous Scarabaeidae native to Japan that colonized North America and Azores in the last century and has recently invaded Italy and Switzerland. Considering its economic impact on the horticulture and turfgrass industries, this species was ranked within the EU priority pests list in 2019. According to the EU Convention on Biological Diversity, the identification of invasion routes is a pivotal aspect in an effective management program aimed at controlling invasive alien species. To reconstruct the source of introductions of this pest, we investigated the genetic variability of P. japonica in its native and invaded areas worldwide by analyzing 9 microsatellite loci and two mitochondrial genes, COX I and CytB. In its native area, P. japonica is structured into two populations: one in the southern and another in the northern-central region of Japan. A limited area within central Japan was identified as the putative source of the North American outbreak. Moreover, the ABC inference and phylogeographic reconstruction suggest that two European populations originated from two independent introductions. The Azores Islands outbreak occurred approximately 50 years ago and originated from the southeastern region of North America (For simplicity, in this paper North America refers to Canada and the USA), while the second introduction, more recently, occurred in Italy and Switzerland and originated from northeastern region of North America

Evaluation of indigenous entomopathogenic nematodes as potential biocontrol agents against popillia japonica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Northern Italy

The natural presence of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) has been investigated in the Piedmont region (Northern Italy) in areas infested by the Japanese beetle Popillia japonica. Thirty-nine out of 155 soil samples (25.2%) were positive for EPNs. Most of the samples contained only steinermatids (92.3%), 5.1% contained heterorhabditids, and one sample (2.6%) contained both genera. All the recovered isolates were identified at species level both morphologically and molecularly. Steinernema carpocapsae was the most abundant and it was mainly distributed in open habitats, such as perennial meadows, uncultivated soils, and cropland, characterized by sandy loam soil texture and acidic pH. Steinernema feltiae has been found associated mainly with closed habitats such as coniferous and deciduous woodland, characterized by sandy loam-texture and extremely acidic soil. The three isolates of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora were collected only in open habitats (perennial meadows and uncultivated fields) characterized by strongly acidic soils with sandy loam texture. The virulence of all EPN natural strains was evaluated by laboratory assays against P. japonica third-instar larvae collected during two different periods of the year (spring, autumn). The results showed that larval mortality was higher for pre-wintering larvae than post-wintering ones. The five more promising EPN isolates were tested in the semi-field assay in which H. bacteriophora natural strains have been shown to be more efficient in controlling P. japonica grubs. All of these results are finally discussed considering the use of these natural EPNs as biological control agents against P. japonica, within an eco-friendly perspective of management

Epidemiological significance of the domestic Black Pig ( Sus scrofa) in the maintenance of Bovine Tuberculosis in Sicily

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is an emerging disease among wild animals in many parts of the world. Wildlife reservoir hosts may thus represent a potential source of infection for livestock and humans. We investigated the role played by the Sicilian black pig, an autochthonous free- or semi-free-ranging domestic pig breed, as a potential source of bTB infection in an area where bTB prevalence in cattle is high. We initially performed a preliminary field study to assess the occurrence of bTB in such animals. We sampled 119 pigs at abattoir and found 6.7% and 3.4% of them to be affected by gross tuberculous-like lesions (TBL) and Mycobacterium bovis culture positive, respectively. We then proceeded to investigate the dissemination and characteristics of lesions in a second field study performed on 100 animals sampled from infected herds. Here, tissues collected at the abattoir were examined macroscopically, microscopically, and by culture tests. Most pigs with TBL showed generalized lesions in both gross and histological examinations (53% and 65.5%, respectively). Head lymph nodes were the most frequently affected in both localized and generalized TB cases observed macroscopically and microscopically. M. bovis was the most frequently isolated etiologic agent. The molecular characterization of isolates from both field studies by spoligotyping and analysis of 12 mycobacterial interspersed repetitive-unit–variable number tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR) loci, followed by their comparison to isolates of cattle origin, suggested a potential transmission of mycobacteria from domestic animals to black pigs and vice versa. Our findings, along with ethological, ecological, and management considerations, suggest that the black pig might act as a bTB reservoir in the ecosystem under study. However, additional studies will be necessary to establish the true epidemiological significance of the Sicilian black pig