Zoonotic Microparasites in Invasive Black Rats (Rattus rattus) from Small Islands in Central Italy.

Invasive species have a detrimental impact on native populations, particularly in island ecosystems, and they pose a potential zoonotic and wildlife threat. Black rats (Rattus rattus) are invasive species that disrupt native flora and fauna on islands and serve as potential competent reservoirs for various pathogens and parasites. Microparasites screening was conducted in rat populations from small islands in central Italy (the Pontine Islands and Pianosa) with the aim of assessing the role of rats in maintaining infections, particularly in cases where key reservoir hosts were scarce or absent. We focused on microparasites of zoonotic and veterinary relevance. A total of 53 rats was kill-trapped and target tissues were analysed with molecular techniques. We observed the absence or very low prevalence of Anaplasma spp., while Babesia was found in rats from all locations, marking the first recorded instance of Babesia divergens in wild rats. Data from Pianosa strongly suggest the presence of an autochthonous Leishmania infantum cycle in the Tuscan archipelago islands. Neospora caninum was absent from all islands, even in areas where dogs, the main reservoirs, were present. Toxoplasma gondii was only recorded on the Pontine Islands, where genotyping is needed to shed light on infection dynamics. This study confirms that invasive species, such as rats, may be responsible for maintaining an increased parasitological threat to fauna and human communities in certain ecosystems.

Bombus terrestris terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758) and hybrids with the endemic Bombus xanthopus spotted on Capraia Island (Tuscan Archipelago, Italy): some conservation management implications.

Expansion of wild and managed allochthonous species leads to potential negative consequences for the endemic wildlife, such as resource competition, pathogens spread, hybridization and native species replacements. On Capraia Island, the last sighting of Bombus terrestris terrestris dates back to 1917. All subsequent surveys carried out on the island only reported the presence of B. xanthopus and B. pascuorum melleofacies with B. t. terrestris apparently no longer existing in the area. In 2021 B. t. terrestris was again detected on the island raising two main hypotheses: (i) B. t. terrestris has always been present with a low population density, such as not to be detected in previous investigations, or (ii) its presence is the result of a more recent recolonization. The recolonization event may be promoted by either intentional or unintentional introduction or it may be the result of a natural migration from the mainland or surrounding islands. Hybridization between B. t. terrestris × B. xanthopus on Capraia Island has been also ascertained by the detection of hybrid queens, workers and males. These new finding provides insight on the distribution range of B. t. terrestris in the Tuscan Archipelago and raise concern on the conservation of the endemic B. xanthopus population.

Ovariectomy in Mouflons (Ovis aries) in the Field: Application of Innovative Surgical and Anaesthesiological Techniques.

This report describes an innovative technique of ovariectomy useful for the birth control in the mouflon population. Thirteen female mouflons in reproductive age were submitted to ovariectomy via midline and left flank, using the AESCULAP CAIMAN® Seal and Cut device. The CAIMAN® was useful for clamping the ovary, stapling the vessels, and cutting in one stroke, thus reducing the surgery times. The day after the gonadectomy all animals were mobilized to another enclosure. In this study, no intraoperative and post-operative complications were observed, and all animals were gonadectomized without side effects. This study sets the guidelines for the surgical sterilization of mouflons in the field using anesthetic protocols and high-quality surgical procedures.

Impacts of the Invasive Alien Carpobrotus spp. on Coastal Habitats on a Mediterranean Island (Giglio Island, Central Italy).

Carpobrotus acinaciformis and C. edulis are well-known invasive alien plants native to South Africa, whose detrimental effects on native communities are widely documented in the Mediterranean basin and thus largely managed in coastal ecosystems. Most of the literature on these species focuses on their impacts on habitats of sandy coastal dunes, while the effects of Carpobrotus spp. invasion on other habitats such as rocky cliffs and coastal scrubs and garrigues are almost neglected. We present a study case conducted on a small Mediterranean island where Carpobrotus spp. invaded three different natural habitats listed within the Habitat Directive 92/43/CEE (Natura 2000 codes 1240, 1430, and 5320). We surveyed the presence and abundance of native species and Carpobrotus spp. on 44 permanent square plots of 4 m2 in invaded and uninvaded areas in each of the three habitats. We found impacts on plant alpha diversity (intended as the species diversity within each sampled plot) in all the habitats investigated in terms of a decrease in species richness, Shannon index, and abundance. Invaded communities also showed a severe change in species composition with a strong homogenization of the floras of the three habitats. Finally, the negative effect of invasion emerged even through the analyses of beta diversity (expressing the species diversity among sampled plots of the same habitat type), with Carpobrotus spp. replacing a large set of native species.

Helminth biocoenosis of Lepus europaeus meridiei (Hilzheimer, 1906) from Pianosa island, Italy.

Pianosa is a 10 km2 Italian island in the Tyrrhenian Sea which is part of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park. In this island lives a brown hare population which, according to the literature, belongs to the ancestral taxon Lepus europaeus meridei that offers a unique opportunity to observe how the parasite biocoenosis shapes in condition of isolation, limited space availability and high population density. The aim of this work is to describe the helminth component community of a non-managed, isolated, and dense hare population, evaluating host-parasite relationship and parasite community structure. All 26 analyzed hares (13 males and 13 females) were in good physical conditions, and all of them harboured exclusively the nematode Protostrongylus oryctolagi only. This is the first report of this lungworm species in Italy. The estimated overall abundance was 48.15 worms per examined hare (range 3-258, median 50) and the parasites were unevenly distributed across host population, with few hosts having most parasites (aggregated or overdispersed distribution). No significant relationship was detected between the number of isolated parasites and hare sex and weigh. The effect of the isolation of Pianosa's hare population seems to have acted reducing parasite richness, while the high host density is probably the cause of the high prevalence and abundance of the single helminth species collected. In conclusion, despite the low impact of parasites confirmed also by the overdispersed parasite distribution, the low diversity of the studied parasite community sounds a warning for the management of the hare population and the whole Pianosa's ecosystem.

Widespread occurrence of the non-pathogenic hare calicivirus (HaCV Lagovirus GII.2) in captive-reared and free-living wild hares in Europe.

The Lagovirus genus comprises both pathogenic viruses as European brown hare syndrome virus (EBHSV- GII.1) and rabbit hemorrhagic disease viruses (RHDV-GI.1 and RHDV2-GI.2), that principally infect European brown hares (Lepus europeaus) and European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), respectively, causing severe necrotic hepatitis, spleen enlargement and disseminated haemorrhage. This genus includes also non-pathogenic agents, such as rabbit calicivirus (RCV-E1 - GI.3) and the non-pathogenic hare Lagovirus, provisionally named hare calicivirus (HaCV - GII.2). The latter had been identified for the first time in 2012 in the gut contents and faeces of healthy young hares raised in a breeding farm. In this study, we further investigated the presence of HaCV by testing the intestinal tract of 621 wild hares collected between 2010 and 2018 in Northern and Central Italy, and in 2011 in Austria, Germany and Spain. These wild hares were found dead for causes other than EBHS or were healthy hares shot during the hunting season. Forty-three out of 322 hare samples from Italy and 14 out of 299 samples from Austria and Germany were positive for HaCV-GII.2 by RT-PCR using universal primers for lagoviruses and primers specific for HaCV. Sequence analysis of the full capsid protein gene conducted on 12 strains representative of different years and locations indicated that these viruses belong to the same, single cluster as the prototype strain initially identified at the hares' farm (HaCV_Bs12_1). The relatively high level of genetic variation (88% nt identity) within this cluster suggests HaCVs may have been circulating widely in Europe for some time.

Molecular Evidence of Bartonella spp. in Rodents: A Study in Pianosa Island, Italy.

Wild rodents are reservoirs of several Bartonella species that cause human bartonellosis. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of Bartonella spp. DNA in wild rodents in Pianosa island, Italy. Rats (Rattus spp.; n = 15) and field mice (Apodemus spp.; n = 16) were captured and spleen DNA tested for the presence of Bartonella spp. by means of an initial screening using a qPCR amplifying a short segment of the 16S-23S rRNA gene intergenic transcribed spacer region (ITS, ~200 bp) followed by conventional PCR amplification of a longer ITS fragment (~600 bp) and of a citrate synthase (gltA, ~340 bp) gene segment. A total of 25 spleen DNA samples obtained from 31 rodent carcasses (81%) yielded positive qPCR results. Bartonella genus was confirmed by amplicon sequencing. By conventional PCR, eight out of 25 samples (32%) yielded bands on gels consistent with ITS segment, and 6/25 (24%) yielded bands consistent with the gltA locus. Amplicon sequencing identified B. henselae and B. coopersplainsensis in 1/25 (4%), and 4/25 (16%) samples, respectively. Moreover, 5/25 (20%) of Bartonella spp. positive samples showed gltA sequences with about 97% identity to B. grahamii. These results provide support to recently published observations suggesting that B. henselae circulates in wild rodent populations.

Religiousness and spirituality in patients with bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND: Religiousness and spirituality (R/S) are often neglected features among psychiatric patients but important both for quality of life and coping strategies for mental disorders. In patients affected by bipolar disorder (BD), R/S can sometimes be confused with symptoms related to the psychiatric disorder. This study aimed to perform a clinical review of the relationship between R/S and BD. METHODS: Data sources included Medline (OvidSP), CINAHL (Ebsco), EMBASE (Ovid), PsychINFO (Ebsco), Angeline, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Database of Abstract of Reviews of Effects, searching for pertinent Keywords: 'religiousness', 'spirituality' and 'bipolar disorder'. RESULTS: Nine works were found but only five used homogeneous samples with BD patients. R/S were important when facing symptoms and relapses in the lifeworld. These beliefs influenced the relationship with psychiatrists and spiritual figures of reference. CONCLUSIONS: R/S play a role as a psychosocial variable in the course of BD. However, the hypothesis that the R/S factor can be relevant both in terms of providing a protective effect as well as a provocative element in depressive or hypomanic phases was not fully supported at the moment.

Defensive functioning in MtF and FtM transsexuals.

In spite of the potential clinical utility of defense mechanisms in the assessment of gender identity disorder patients as candidates to sex reassignment surgery, there is paucity of research in this field. The aim of the present study is therefore to ascertain whether the defensive profile of MtF and FtM transsexuals seeking sex reassignment surgery can be defined more primitive, immature and maladaptive than that of the two control groups. We compared the defensive profiles as assessed through the REM-71 (Steiner et al., 2001) of 104 MtF transsexuals, 46 FtM transsexuals and two control groups of males and females. Our results show that MtF transsexuals present an overall more primitive defensive array than that of both control groups, while FtMs show a profile not dissimilar from that of both control groups. Our results support the hypothesis that MtF transsexuals are characterized by higher proneness to psychopathology than the general population and show a more immature level of psychological functioning than FtM transsexuals.