Su di un\'interessante associazione malacologica della Puglia meridionale

EnThe AA. give some data about an interesting terrestrial molluscs community in S. Apulia (S. Italy). A member of this community, Ovatella myosotis salentina morpha nova, is de-scribed and picture.ItGli AA. descrivono un'associazione a molluschi terrestri rinvenuta nei pressi di S. Matria di Leuca (LE). Uno dei membri di questa associazione e riconosciuto come nuova forma: Ovatella myosotis salentina m.n.

Occurrence of Coxiella burnetii in goat and ewe unpasteurized cheeses: Screening and genotyping

Q fever is a zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii which infects humans as well as several animal species; sheep, goats and cattle are the primary animal reservoir. The main route of human exposure to Coxiella burnetii is inhalation of contaminated aerosols from excreta, especially birth products, while the role of unpasteurized dairy products in the transmission of Q fever to humans remains still controversial. The aim of this work was to evaluate the presence of Coxiella burnetii in unpasteurized cheese samples (n=84) by PCR and to genotype the circulating strains by Multispacer sequence typing (MST) analysis. Coxiella burnetii DNA was detected in 27/84 (32.14%) cheeses and positivity rate of handicraft cheeses reached 17.24%, while positivity rate of non-handicraft cheeses reached 65.38%. In addition, the MST profile of Coxiella burnetii detected in 5 cheese samples have shown the circulation of ST12 and ST32 genotypes in Tuscany

New mitochondrial and nuclear primers for the Mediterranean marine bivalve Pinna nobilis

Pinna nobilis is the largest endemic Mediterranean marine bivalve. During past centuries, various human activities led to the regression of its populations. As a consequence of stringent standards of protection, demographic expansions are currently reported in many sites. We designed a set of four mitochondrial- and two nuclear- specific PCR-primers with the aim to provide molecular tools to gather new insights into the genetic variability of this species. A total of 54 specimens were sampled from 25 Mediterranean localities in order to evaluate the level of polymorphism of these markers in P. nobilis. The most variable molecular markers identified were the mitochondrial Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I (COI), NADH dehydrogenase subunit 3 (nad3), and 16S ribosomal DNA (16S). Positive results, in terms of good amplifications and scorable sequences, were also obtained in the co-generic Pinna rudis. The molecular markers identified in this study, and the PCR-protocols provided, represent a useful tool for future researches devoted to infer the genetic variability of P. nobilis populations thus allowing the development of effective conservation measures

Contribution of soft-bodied meiofaunal taxa to Italian marine biodiversity

Meiofauna includes an astonishing diversity of organisms, whose census is far from being complete. Most classic ecological studies have focused on hard-bodied Ecdysozoan taxa (notably Copepoda and Nematoda), whose cuticle allows determination at species-level after fixation, rather than soft-bodied, Spiralian taxa, which most often lose any diagnostic feature in fixed samples. Yet, metabarcoding studies have recently revealed a species-richness of softbodied taxa comparable, and in cases superior, to that of Copepoda and Nematoda together. However, given objective difficulties inherent to their study, which necessarily has to be performed on living individuals, and their limited utilisation for ecological and applicative research, taxonomic expertise on soft-bodied organisms has declined over the years, and diversity of these phyla in most areas of the world is presently completely unknown. Here we present an expert-based survey of current knowledge on the composition and distribution of soft-bodied meiofaunal taxa in Italy, with special references to the predominantly or exclusively meiobenthic phyla Gastrotricha, Gnathostomulida, Platyhelminthes, Rotifera, Xenacoelomorpha, and macrofaunal taxa with conspicuous meiofaunal representatives (Annelida, Mollusca and Nemertea). A total of 638 described species have been reported from Italian coasts; furthermore, the existence of a large number of undescribed species is mentioned. Knowledge of Annelida, Gastrotricha, and Rotifera appears particularly detailed, placing Italy among the best-known country worldwide. In contrast, knowledge of Platyhelminthes and Xenacoelomorpha appears patchy, and limited to few areas. Sampling effort has been uneven, with most species recorded from the Tyrrhenian Sea, while large sections of the Adriatic and Ionian seas have been poorly explored. Results highlight the role that Marine Biological Stations, notably the Zoological Station “Anton Dohrn” in Naples, have had in promoting the study of soft-bodied taxa in Ital

Impact of Gravel Dredging Operations on Surface Water Quality in Streams in the Upper Cumberland Basin

This is a report to the USEPA, Kentucky Division of Water and the Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, focused on the biologic and morphological impacts of gravel mining in the upper Cumberland basin

Dyes from the Ashes: Discovering and Characterizing Natural Dyes from Mineralized Textiles

Vesuvius eruption that destroyed Pompeii in AD 79 represents one of the most important events in history. The cataclysm left behind an abundance of archeological evidence representing a fundamental source of the knowledge we have about ancient Roman material culture and technology. A great number of textiles have been preserved, rarely maintaining traces of their original color, since they are mainly in the mineralized and carbonized state. However, one outstanding textile sample displays a brilliant purple color and traces of gold strips. Since the purple was one of the most exclusive dyes in antiquity, its presence in an important commercial site like Pompeii induces us to deepen the knowledge of such artifacts and provide further information on their history. For this reason, the characterization of the purple color was the main scope of this research, and to deepen the knowledge of such artifacts, the SERS (Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering) in solution approach was applied. Then, these data were enriched by HPLC-HRMS analyses, which confirmed SERS-based hypotheses and also allowed to hypothesize the species of the origin mollusk. In this context, step-by-step integrated approach resulted fundamental to maximize the information content and to provide new data on textile manufacturing and trade in antiquity

Simple oxidation of pyrimidinylhydrazones to triazolopyrimidines and their inhibition of Shiga toxin trafficking

The oxidative cyclisation of a range of benzothieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine hydrazones (7a–j) to the 1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-c]pyrimidines (8a–j) catalysed by lithium iodide or to the 1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidines (10a–j) with sodium carbonate is presented. A complementary synthesis of the 1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidines starting from the amino imine 11 is also reported. The effect of these compounds on Shiga toxin (STx) trafficking in HeLa cells and comparison to the previously reported Exo2 is also detailed

Human access impacts biodiversity of microscopic animals in sandy beaches

Whereas most work to understand impacts of humans on biodiversity on coastal areas has focused on large, conspicuous organisms, we highlight effects of tourist access on the diversity of microscopic marine animals (meiofauna). We used a DNA metabarcoding approach with an iterative and phylogeny-based approach for the taxonomic assignment of meiofauna and relate diversity patterns to the numbers of tourists accessing sandy beaches on an otherwise un-impacted island National Park. Tourist frequentation, independently of differences in sediment granulometry, beach length, and other potential confounding factors, affected meiofaunal diversity in the shallow “swash” zone right at the mean water mark; the impacts declined with water depth (up to 2 m). The indicated negative effect on meiofauna may have a consequence on all the biota including the higher trophic levels. Thus, we claim that it is important to consider restricting access to beaches in touristic areas, in order to preserve biodiversity