Detection of Leishmania spp. in Chronic Dermatitis: Retrospective Study in Exposed Horse Populations

Leishmania infantum is a protozoan causing human zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (ZVL) and visceral–cutaneous canine leishmaniosis (CanL) in the Mediterranean Basin. L. infantum is able to infect a large number of wild and domestic species, including cats, dogs, and horses. Since the 1990s, clinical cases of equine leishmaniasis (EL), typically characterized by cutaneous forms, have been increasingly diagnosed worldwide. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the presence of clinical forms of EL in CanL-endemic areas in Italy, where exposure of equine populations was ascertained from recent serological surveys. For this purpose, formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded skin biopsies of 47 horses presenting chronic dermatitis compatible with EL were retrospectively selected for the study and subjected to conventional and q-PCR. A singular positivity for L. infantum was found; BLAST analysis of sequence amplicons revealed a 99–100% homology with L. infantum sequences. The histological examination revealed a nodular lymphoplasmacytic and histiocytic infil-trate; immunohistochemistry showed rare macrophages containing numerous positive amastigotes. The present retrospective study reports, for the first time, a case of a cutaneous lesion by L. infantum occurring in an Italian horse. Pathological and healthy skin samples should be investigated on a larger scale to provide information on the potential clinical impact of EL in the practice, and to define the role of horses in epidemiological ZVL and CanL scenarios

Seasonal monitoring of Aedes albopictus: practical applications and outcomes

The introduction of the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes (Stegomya) albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) into temperate regions poses serious concerns for the risk of the spreading of arboviral epidemics, as confirmed by the Chikungunya fever outbreak in Italy. This article describes the implementation and the results of a strategy for the pest management implemented over 4 years in Pesaro (a city in the Marche region, Italy). The strategy used 60 integrated wide- sized ovitraps for monitoring purposes. Twenty-day larvicide-based treatment cycles were implemented for the manholes of the urban area and also the inhabitants were involved in pest control relating to their own properties. It was observed that the weekly median of eggs laid decreased consistently from 2008 to 2011, indicating the good performance of the vector control and a reduction in the related epidemics risk

Seasonal monitoring of Aedes albopictus: practical applications and outcomes

The introduction of the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes (Stegomya) albopictus (Skuse, 1897) (Diptera: Culicidae) into temperate regions poses serious concerns for the risk of the spreading of arboviral epidemics, as confirmed by the chikungunya fever outbreak, in Italy. Integrated wide-sized ovitrap monitoring is a helpful tool in any good pest-control strategy. The Ae. albopictus population dynamics were monitored over a four-year period in the town of Pesaro (Marche, Italy), using 60 ovitraps. Twenty-day larvicide-based treatment cycles were implemented for the manholes of the urban area and also the inhabitants were involved in pest control relating to their own properties. The weekly median of eggs laid was reduced from 2008 to 2011, which indicated the good performance of the vector control and a reduction in the related epidemics risk. The monitoring system adopted is described here, and proposed as a cost-effective and available system for extensive vector surveillance