RESUMO
A survey to determine the presence of Mycobacterium spp. in the Abruzzo and Molise regions was conducted by testing samples from 124 badgers found dead or road-killed during the 2013-2021 period. Head lymph nodes were collected from all carcasses, as well as mediastinal lymph nodes from 20 of them, for bacteriological and molecular tests; tissues were inoculated onto a set of solid egg-based Lowenstein-Jensen media and in a liquid culture system (BACTEC) and were analyzed by polymerase chain reactions (PCRs). Organs and lymph nodes from 31 carcasses were collected for histological tests. During post-mortem examinations, macroscopic lesions consistent with a Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) and with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections were not detected. Mycobacteria were isolated from four animals (3.22%). M. avium subsp. avium was isolated by head lymph nodes from two badgers (1.61%), M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis (0.80%) from one, and Mycobacterium spp. from another (0.80%). The significance of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in wildlife hosts in the absence of clinical signs and gross pathology has yet to be assessed. The most critical aspect came from isolates belonging to the Mycobacterium avium complex infection in wildlife due to the possible interference with tuberculin skin tests in cattle.
RESUMO
Despite Klebsiella pneumoniae being widely recognized as a nosocomial pathogen, there is a critical lack in defining its reservoirs and sources of infections. Most studies on risk factors have focused on multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates and clinically-oriented questions. Over a two-year period, we sampled 131 wild animals including mammal and bird species from three regions of Central Italy. All typical colonies isolated from the analytical portions were confirmed by real-time PCR and identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). All confirmed K. pneumoniae isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility to 29 antimicrobials and subjected to whole genome sequencing. Typical colonies were detected in 17 samples (13%), which were identified as K. pneumoniae (n = 16) and as K. quasipneumoniae (n = 1) by MALDI-TOF MS. The antimicrobial susceptibility profile showed that all the isolates were resistant to ß-lactams (ceftobiprole, cloxacillin, cefazolin) and tetracycline; resistance to ertapenem and trimethoprim was observed and nine out of 16 K. pneumoniae isolates (56.2%) were classified as MDR. Genomic characterization allowed the detection of fluoroquinolone resistance-associated efflux pumps, fosfomycin and ß-lactamase resistance genes, and virulence genes in the overall dataset. The cluster analysis of two isolates detected from wild boar with available clinical genomes showed the closest similarity. This study highlights the link between humans, domestic animals, and wildlife, showing that the current knowledge on this ecological context is lacking and that the potential health risks are underestimated.
RESUMO
In Europe wildlife animals such as the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) are considered the main reservoir for Angiostrongylus vasorum as well as a potential threat for domestic dog infection. Though this parasite is endemic in fox populations, data on A. vasorum infection in wolves (Canis lupus italicus) are still scant, having only recently been described in Northwestern Spain, in Italy, in Croatia and in Slovakia. Based on the rising number of cases of canine lungworm infection in Central Italy (Abruzzo region), the aim of the present study was to investigate the infection by A. vasorum in fox and wolf populations sharing the same geographical area of dogs. From October 2008 to November 2019, A. vasorum specimens were collected, through routine post-mortem examination, from 56 carcasses (44 foxes and 12 wolves). Adult parasites were searched for in the right side of the heart and in pulmonary artery of all carcasses. First stage of larvae (L1) was searched in faeces using the Baermann technique and in lungs by tissue impressions. Overall, 230 adult specimens were collected and identified on a morphological basis. To confirm the morphological identification, 4 adult specimens (n = 3 from fox, n = 1 from wolf) were molecularly identified as A. vasorum by amplification of partial fragment of nuclear 18S rRNA (~1700 bp) genes. The anatomo-pathological and parasitological examinations indicated the presence of A. vasorum in 33 foxes (75%) and in 8 wolves (66.7%). The level of prevalence of infested wolves was higher than the previous one reported in other European countries. Interestingly, the prevalence of infection in foxes herein recorded was higher than that described in dogs (8.9%) living in the same geographical area. This result may confirm the hypothesis that the spread of canine angiostrongylosis is linked to fox populations infection.
