Causes of Death in Stray Cat Colonies of Milan: A Five-Year Report.

The presence of cats in urban environments has a long history. In Italy, stray cats are protected by national and regional laws, and programs of neutering and reintroduction to colonies are ongoing. Colony cats have been widely studied from a behavioral perspective, while surveys regarding their causes of death are limited, although they may provide relevant information related to public health and cat welfare. This retrospective study provides pathological descriptions and statistical analyses of the causes of death of 186 cats from 100 colonies in the city of Milan. Inflammatory processes represent the primary cause of death (37.7%) and include common feline infectious diseases such as feline panleukopenia (67.5%), particularly in kittens, and feline infectious peritonitis (32.5%), most common in adult cats. Trauma was found to be a common cause of death of young/adult cats (14%) with a generally good body condition, while severe parasitosis was less represented (2.6%). The death of old cats was statistically associated with organ failure (24.7%), particularly renal failure, and tumors (11.8%). Knowledge of the most common causes of death of colony cats could make an important contribution to the health monitoring of these cats and sanitary control of their habitats and provide information on possible related emerging animal welfare concerns.

Parasitic and Bacterial Infections of Myocastor coypus in a Metropolitan Area of Northwestern Italy.

Coypus (Myocastor coypus) are widespread throughout Europe. In northern Italy, they are abundant in the flatland areas, and their high population densities can cause economic loss and ecosystem damage. We examined 153 coypus for selected parasitic and bacterial infections. We found Strongyloides myopotami (63.4% prevalence), Trichostrongylus duretteae (28.1%), Eimeria coypi (86.3%), and Eimeria seideli (6.8%), but did not find Giardia duodenalis or Cryptosporidium spp. We also isolated Staphylococcus aureus (10.1%), Escherichia coli (4.5%), and Streptococcus spp. (3.4%) from lung samples; no Salmonella spp. were isolated from fecal samples. Coypus had antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii (28.9%) and to four serovars of Leptospira interrogans (44.9%); Australis/Bratislava was the serovar most frequently detected. It is clear that coypu can be infected with pathogens of human and veterinary importance.

Toxoplasma gondii in small ruminants in Northern Italy - prevalence and risk factors.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the survey was to evaluate Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in small ruminants and possible risk factors associated with the infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sera from 474 goats and 502 sheep reared on 42 farms in northern Italy were collected and tested for IgG antibodies to T. gondii by IFAT (indirect immunofluorescence antibody test). To identify risk factors, a binary logistic regression analysis of the variables was performed. An audit form about farm management was used. RESULTS: Antibodies to T. gondii were found in 96.6% of goat farms and in 87.5% of sheep farms; 41.7% goats and 59.3% sheep resulted positive. Seroprevalence was significantly higher in sheep than in goats. Seroprevalence values were similar in goats from eastern and western areas, whereas goats from the southern area were at lower risk of infection. Saanen goats presented the lowest seroprevalence (30.7 %), whereas cross-breed exhibited the highest rate (48.7%). Goats from farms housing both sheep and goats had an infection risk 1.39 times higher than goats from farms that did not house sheep. Animals bred on intensive farms showed lower prevalence (22.1%) in comparison with those from extensive (45.6%) or semi-intensive farms (60%). Sampling area was one of the strongest predictors of T. gondii infection in sheep flocks. Transhumant flocks showed a higher risk of infection by T. gondii compared with semi-intensive farms (66.8% vs. 38.4%). CONCLUSIONS: The highest T. gondii seroprevalence values were registered in transhumant flocks of sheep and in family businesses rearing goats. As these traditional activities represent an important resource for the conservation of the territory and its economy, management practices for a better control of the disease should be improved.

Besnoitia besnoiti among cattle in insular and northwestern Italy: endemic infection or isolated outbreaks?

BACKGROUND: Bovine besnoitiosis, caused by the apicomplexan Besnoitia besnoiti, is a chronic and debilitating disease considered as emerging in Europe. In Spain, Portugal and France it is endemic and foci of infection were recorded in Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Greece and Italy. In Italy, cases of bovine besnoitiosis were registered both in imported and autochthonous cattle, and mostly in central regions; high seroprevalence was also revealed by an epidemiological survey performed in the southern part of the country. Aiming to update information on the disease in northwestern and insular areas of Italy, where data on bovine besnoitiosis were missing, a serosurvey was designed for the present study. METHODS: Three thousand one hundred and forty bovine blood samples from both dairy and beef farms (n = 126) were collected in northwestern regions (Lombardy, Piedmont and Liguria) and in the island of Sardinia. Samples were analyzed by a standardized in-house ELISA and those resulted positive were re-tested by Western Blot (WB) for confirmation. On results obtained by both ELISA and WB, apparent (AP) and true prevalence (TP) were calculated at individual and herd levels. Further, a panel of sera resulted positive to ELISA was analyzed by IFAT. RESULTS: A total of 712 animals (AP = 22.7%; TP = 18.8%) and 109 farms (AP = 86.5%; TP = 88.2%) showed a positive reaction in ELISA. Only ten (AP = 0.3%; TP = 0%) specimens proceeding from five farms (AP = 3.9%; TP = 1.7%) from Lombardy were confirmed positive to the WB, corresponding to two Holstein Friesian cows and eight beef cattle. IFAT showed a low sensitivity (44.4%) scoring positive in only four samples out of 9 positive to WB. CONCLUSIONS: The survey demonstrated that bovine besnoitiosis cannot still be considered endemic in whole Italy. In fact, independent foci of infection were registered only in Lombardy region. Therefore, a sanitary strategy aimed to increase control measures and to organize monitoring plans, by adequate diagnostic tools is necessary to avoid overestimation of B. besnoiti in Italy.

Absence of the CD1 molecule up-regulates antitumor activity induced by CpG oligodeoxynucleotides in mice.

The role of NKT cells on antitumor activity of CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) was evaluated by peritumoral injections of CpG-ODNs in s.c. melanoma-bearing mice of strains differing in the number of NKT cells (athymic nude mice, recombination-activating gene(-/-)/transgenic V(alpha)14/Vbeta8.2 mice that generate NKT cells; J(alpha)281(-/-) mice and CD1(-/-) mice, which both have a strongly reduced number of NKT cells; and C57BL/6 wild-type mice). Tumor growth was significantly inhibited in strains enriched or depleted of NKT cells. The two murine strains having a reduced number of NKT cells differed significantly in the CpG-dependent tumor growth inhibition: in J(alpha)281(-/-) mice this inhibition was superimposable to that observed in C57BL/6 mice, while in CD1(-/-) mice the inhibition was dramatic. The increased tumor inhibition in CD1(-/-) correlated with a significantly higher ratio of IFN-gamma-IL-4 production in response to CpG as compared with C57BL/6 and J(alpha)281(-/-) mice. Experiments in which preparations of APCs and lymphocytes of the three strains were mixed showed that in the presence of APCs not expressing CD1, the production of CpG-ODN-induced type 1 cytokines was higher. Phenotype analysis of IFN-gamma- and IL-4-producing cells revealed that the differences between CD1(-/-) and C57BL/6 in the production of these two cytokines were mainly due to CD3(+) T lymphocytes. These data point to a regulatory role for the CD1 molecule in antitumor activity induced by danger signals, independently of V(alpha)14 NKT cells. The identification of a CD1-dependent suppressive subpopulation(s) might have important implications for the study of tolerance in the context of cancer, autoimmunity, and transplantation.