First morphological and molecular isolation of Talaromyces marneffei in beech marten (Martes foina) in Portugal.

Talaromyces marneffei is a zoonotic fungus that mostly infects immunocompromised individuals. For the first time, this fungus was isolated in an adult beech marten (Martes foina) hit by a car, found dead in Penamacor, Portugal. During the necropsy, different samples (skin, fur, lymph nodes, lung, spleen, kidneys, and brain) were collected and processed for microbiology (including mycology) and molecular biology. T. marneffei was identified through its mycological characteristics and confirmed by PCR in hair samples. No other lesions or alterations were reported, except a concomitant presence of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis in lung, kidney and brain samples. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first description of this fungus beech marten, as well as the first case of co-infection with M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis in wildlife fauna. These results suggest a sylvatic life-cycle of T. marneffei, involving beech martens, in Portugal.

An Integrated, Tentative Remote-Sensing Approach Based on NDVI Entropy to Model Canine Distemper Virus in Wildlife and to Prompt Science-Based Management Policies.

Changes in land use and land cover as well as feedback on the climate deeply affect the landscape worldwide. This phenomenon has also enlarged the human-wildlife interface and amplified the risk of potential new zoonoses. The expansion of the human settlement is supposed to affect the spread and distribution of wildlife diseases such as canine distemper virus (CDV), by shaping the distribution, density, and movements of wildlife. Nevertheless, there is very little evidence in the scientific literature on how remote sensing and GIS tools may help the veterinary sector to better monitor the spread of CDV in wildlife and to enforce ecological studies and new management policies in the near future. Thus, we perform a study in Northwestern Italy (Aosta Valley Autonomous Region), focusing on the relative epidemic waves of CDV that cause a virulent disease infecting different animal species with high host mortality. CDV has been detected in several mammalian from Canidae, Mustelidae, Procyonidae, Ursidae, and Viverridae families. In this study, the prevalence is determined at 60% in red fox (Vulpes vulpes, n = 296), 14% in wolf (Canis lupus, n = 157), 47% in badger (Meles meles, n = 103), and 51% in beech marten (Martes foina, n = 51). The detection of CDV is performed by means of real-time PCR. All the analyses are done using the TaqMan approach, targeting the chromosomal gene for phosphoprotein, gene P, that is involved in the transcription and replication of the virus. By adopting Earth Observation Data, we notice that CDV trends are strongly related to an altitude gradient and NDVI entropy changes through the years. A tentative model is developed concerning the ground data collected in the Aosta Valley region. According to our preliminary study, entropy computed from remote-sensing data can represent a valuable tool to monitor CDV spread as a proxy data predictor of the intensity of fragmentation of a given landscape and therefore also to monitor CDV. In conclusion, the evaluation from space of the landscape variations regarding the wildlife ecological corridors due to anthropic or natural disturbances may assist veterinarians and wildlife ecologists to enforce management health policies in a One Health perspective by pointing out the time and spatial conditions of interaction between wildlife. Surveillance and disease control actions are supposed to be carried out to strengthen the usage of geospatial analysis tools and techniques. These tools and techniques can deeply assist in better understanding and monitoring diseases affecting wildlife thanks to an integrated management approach.

The eyeworm Thelazia callipaeda in Portugal: Current status of infection in pets and wild mammals and case report in a beech marten (Martes foina).

Ocular thelaziosis is caused by nematodes of the genus Thelazia (Spirurida, Thelaziidae), which inhabit the surface of the eyes and associated tissues. Thelazia callipaeda affects a range of mammal species, including humans, and in the last two decades has been reported in multiple European countries, being classified as an emergent vector-borne pathogen. In Portugal T. callipaeda is endemic in north-eastern areas, where it has been reported in domestic dogs, cats, red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and wild European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). We report, for the first time, T. callipaeda in a beech marten (Martes foina) from Portugal and highlight the presence of haplotype 1 as the only one found in Europe, irrespective of the host species and geographical area of provenience.

Molecular evidence for the presence of Dirofilaria repens in beech marten (Martes foina) from Slovakia.

Herein we present the first finding of Dirofilaria repens, agent of the subcutaneous form of dirofilariosis, in Martes foina. Molecular analyses from the spleen of 3 individuals originated from Tatra National Park, Northern Slovakia, confirmed the presence of D. repens in one of them. Finding of D. repens in beech marten instigates to more intense research on free living carnivores as the potential source of Dirofilaria parasites.

Systemic AL amyloidosis in a Beech Marten (Martes foina).

A wild Beech Marten (Martes foina), was referred for necropsy to the Department of Animal Pathology of the University of Turin (Italy). At gross examination, whitish and firm masses, 10-mm in diameter, were found on the heart and in the kidney. Spleen showed lighter color and greater consistency, and the cut surface of the liver appeared scattered with whitish-yellow coalescing foci homogeneously distributed. Amyloid deposits were present in the perivascular and intercellular spaces of the visceral organs, such as the heart, liver, and kidneys. Amyloid stained positively with Congo red with and without 5% potassium permanganate pretreatment and showed green birefringence observable under polarized light. A diagnosis of systemic AL amyloidosis was made. This is the first description of systemic AL amyloidosis in a wild Stone Marten.