Molecular survey on the occurrence of arthropod-borne pathogens in wild brown hares ( Lepus europaeus ) from Central Italy

Rocchigiani, Guido; Ebani, Valentina Virginia; Nardoni, Simona; Bertelloni, Fabrizio; Bascherini, Alice; Leoni, Alessandro; Mancianti, Francesca; Poli, Alessandro

doi:10.1016/j.meegid.2018.02.005

Cited by 30 publications

(16 citation statements)

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“…A lower seroprevalence of L. infantum (0.9% compared with 12.4% in our study) was reported in L. europaeus in Italy (Ebani et al 2016). Molecular studies have revealed 56.3% L. infantum infection in Spain (Ruiz-Fons et al 2013), and more recent studies have revealed 1.9% L. infantum infection in central Italy (Rocchigiani et al 2018). In northern Greece, the L. infantum DNA prevalence reported for 2007-2011 was 23.49% (Tsokana et al 2015), which is consistent with our findings in the same region (20%) ( Table 1).…”

Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 57%

Serological and molecular investigation of selected parasitic pathogens in European brown hare (Lepus europaeus) in Greece: inferring the ecological niche of Toxoplasma gondii and Leishmania infantum in hares

et al. 2019

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The occurrence of infection or exposure to Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum, and Leishmania infantum was investigated in European brown hares (Lepus europaeus, EBH) hunter-harvested over two consecutive hunting seasons in northern and central Greece. Geographical information system was used along with the ecological niche model to define the geographical distribution of seropositive hares relative to environmental parameters and to identify high-risk areas for hare exposure. Molecular analysis showed that 3.8% and 9.6% of the examined hares were infected with N. caninum and L. infantum, respectively, while, 5.7%, 0.95%, and 12.4% of the hares tested positive for the presence of antibodies against T. gondii, N. caninum, and L. infantum respectively. None of the examined hares was polymerase chain reaction-positive for T. gondii. Mixed exposure against both T. gondii and L. infantum was found in 2.9% of the hares examined. Rainfall indices and land uses significantly influenced the exposure of hares to T. gondii and L. infantum. This is the first molecular and serological survey of protozoan pathogens in EBH in Greece. Furthermore, we report the environmental parameters related to hare seropositivity and present a risk map for hare exposure to T. gondii and L. infantum in northern and central Greece. The ecological niches of T. gondii and L. infantum in the hares presented herein could be applied to other regions with similar environmental and climatic conditions.

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Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 57%

Serological and molecular investigation of selected parasitic pathogens in European brown hare (Lepus europaeus) in Greece: inferring the ecological niche of Toxoplasma gondii and Leishmania infantum in hares

et al. 2019

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“…On the basis of previous epidemiological studies in mammals and data relative to human infections, F. tularensis seems to not be largely present in Italy (Pascucci et al, 2015; Ebani et al, 2016, 2017; Graziani et al, 2016; Rocchigiani et al, 2018), thus the negative results of the tested waterfowl could reflect the true epidemiological status. F. tularensis has been proven to be able to infect different avian species, thus birds could be cause of infection for humans.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Molecular survey on the occurrence of avian haemosporidia, Coxiella burnetii and Francisella tularensis in waterfowl from central Italy

Ebani

Nardoni

Giani

et al. 2019

International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife

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The aim of the present study was to evaluate the occurrence of some avian Haemosporidia, Coxiella burnetii and Francisella tularensis in waterfowl from Tuscany wetlands. One-hundred and thirty-three samples of spleen were collected from regularly hunted wild birds belonging to 13 different waterfowl species. DNA extracted from each sample was submitted to PCR assays and sequencing to detect the pathogens. Thirty-three samples (24.81%) were positive with PCR for at least one pathogen: 23 (17.29%) for Leucocytozoon spp., 6 (4.51%) for Plasmodium spp., 4 (3%) for C. burnetii , 2 (1.5%) for Haemoproteus spp. No specific F. tularensis amplifications (0%) were detected. To the best of our knowledge, this study firstly reports data about haemosporidian and C. burnetii infections in waterfowl from Italy.

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“…DNA was extracted from 200 µL of buffy coat by blood/cultured cells genomic DNA extraction mini kit (Trevose, PA, USA) and all samples were submitted to PCR assay. For detection of Leishmania DNA, the ITS1 gene was selected as PCR target, as previously described [13]. PCR amplifications were performed in 50 μL of reaction mixture, containing 200 μM of deoxynucleoside triphosphates, 0.5 μM of each primer, 1.25 U of Taq polymerase (Lucigen Corporation, Middleton, Wisconsin, USA), and 2 μL of genomic DNA.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, rodents such as black rats [10] and hares [11,12,13] have previously been described as being infected. Moreover, bovine [14] and horses were proven to be affected by cutaneous leishmaniosis in both Central [15,16] and Southern Europe [17,18,19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serological and Molecular Findings of Leishmania Infection in Healthy Donkeys (Equus asinus) from a Canine Leishmaniosis Endemic Focus in Tuscany, Italy: A Preliminary Report

et al. 2019

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Leishmania parasites are considered to be emergent zoonotic pathogens, which is a new concept regarding their epidemiology and the identification of novel animal hosts. The present study is the first in Italy to evaluate anti Leishmania seroprevalence, and the first in Europe to detect parasite DNA in donkeys’ blood. The study was performed on jennies living in a Leishmania infantum endemic area of Central Italy. One hundred and ten blood samples were obtained from 67 healthy lactating Amiatina jennies that were semi-extensively reared in Tuscany. When possible, more than one sample was subsequently obtained from the same subject. All samples were processed by immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). For the results, 11 out of 30 animals (36.7%) showed positive scores under IFAT. In addition, 22 out of the other 37 jennies had positive scores, also. The animals showed titers ranging from 40 to 320. Furthermore, 2 subjects that were submitted for 2 and 3 blood samplings, both had more than one positive score. Moreover, 2 seropositive animals were positive for Leishmania DNA. Donkeys are considered to be a preferred source for a sandfly blood meal, even if clinical leishmaniosis has never been reported in Europe for this animal species. In the view of these facts, our preliminary findings would suggest the role of donkey as a potential reservoir for this protozoan agent. Additional studies would be welcome to elucidate the role of the donkey in Leishmania epidemiology of CanL endemic areas and to confirm the preliminary findings and the hypothesis proposed here.

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Molecular survey on the occurrence of arthropod-borne pathogens in wild brown hares ( Lepus europaeus ) from Central Italy

Cited by 30 publications

References 50 publications

Serological and molecular investigation of selected parasitic pathogens in European brown hare (Lepus europaeus) in Greece: inferring the ecological niche of Toxoplasma gondii and Leishmania infantum in hares

Serological and molecular investigation of selected parasitic pathogens in European brown hare (Lepus europaeus) in Greece: inferring the ecological niche of Toxoplasma gondii and Leishmania infantum in hares

Molecular survey on the occurrence of avian haemosporidia, Coxiella burnetii and Francisella tularensis in waterfowl from central Italy

Serological and Molecular Findings of Leishmania Infection in Healthy Donkeys (Equus asinus) from a Canine Leishmaniosis Endemic Focus in Tuscany, Italy: A Preliminary Report

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