The recent reinforcement of CoV surveillance in animals fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic provided increasing evidence that mammals other than bats might hide further diversity and play critical roles in human infectious diseases. This work describes the results of a two-year survey carried out in Italy with the double objective of uncovering CoV diversity associated with wildlife and of excluding the establishment of a reservoir for SARS-CoV-2 in particularly susceptible or exposed species. The survey targeted hosts from five different orders and was harmonised across the country in terms of sample size, target tissues, and molecular test. Results showed the circulation of 8 CoV species in 13 hosts out of the 42 screened. Coronaviruses were either typical of the host species/genus or normally associated with their domestic counterpart. Two novel viruses likely belonging to a novel CoV genus were found in mustelids. All samples were negative for SARS-CoV-2, with minimum detectable prevalence ranging between 0.49% and 4.78% in the 13 species reaching our threshold sample size of 59 individuals. Considering that within-species transmission in white-tailed deer resulted in raising the prevalence from 5% to 81% within a few months, this result would exclude a sustained cycle after spillback in the tested species.
Enteric viruses are responsible for foodborne and waterborne infections caused by contaminated food products and water, affecting a large number of people. Among the foods an important role is played by shellfish, on the ground that they can be eaten raw or undercooked. Data on food and water viral contamination in South of Italy are scarce and fragmentary. As illnesses result from the failure to control an hazard, the aim of this study was to detect the main pathogenic human enteric viruses in the environment, for evaluating the presence of viral contamination in shellfish and water samples collected in South of Italy (Sicily). The survey was conducted over a period of five years (2012-2016) on 16 water samples (sea waters, pipe waters and torrent water), and 72 fresh and frozen shellfishes from harvesting areas, restaurants, and markets during regional official control or checked at Veterinary Border Inspection Posts. Hepatitis A virus (HAV), GI and GII genogroup Norwalk virus (NoVs), Adenovirus and Rotavirus were detected by nucleic acid amplification (end-point and Real Time PCR/RTPCR) and sequence analysis. The most frequently detected viruses in shellfish were GI NoV (16.7%) and HAV (18.0%). Of the 16 water samples 12.5% were positive for GII NoV and 6.2% for RoV. Molecular surveillance of water and shellfish clearly demonstrated that human pathogenic viruses are widely found in aquatic environments and confirmed the role of bivalve molluscs as main reservoirs.
Betanodavirus infection is widespread in a broad spectrum of fish species worldwide. In Italy, it is responsible for outbreaks of Viral Encephalo-Retinopathy (VER) that causes mortality and economic losses in sea fish farming. The infection is also widespread in wildlife, where there are generally no observed clinical manifestations. In this study we report the results obtained from the decennial activity of Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Sicily on the research of Betanodavirus infection in wild fish of Mediterranean Sea and in farmed fish. Among the fish species analyzed, Gobius niger (Linnaeus, 1758), Mullus barbatus (Linnaeus, 1758), and Trisopterus minutus capelanus (Lacepède, 1800) were found positive and these could be a reservoir in which the virus can survive for long periods of time. The Betanodavirus isolation from pelagic species such as Pagellus erythrinus (Linnaeus, 1758), Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum, 1792), Lepidopus caudatus (Euphrasen, 1788), Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe, 1834), Epinephelus aeneus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817) resulted interesting because these species could play a more significant epidemiological role, being able to move even at distances.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.