Death of captive-bred vultures caused by flunixin poisoning in Italy.

Among non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) diclofenac is considered the main cause for the decline of vulture populations in the Indian subcontinent since the '90 s. Chemical analysis showed high levels of flunixin (31,350 µg/kg) in beef which three captive Gyps vultures fed on, later dying with severe visceral gout. Levels in dead vultures' organs and tissues ranged from 4 to 38.5 µg/kg. The typical lesions and the concentrations found in beef indicate flunixin as the cause of death. This is the first observational study which correlates the concentration of flunixin in the meat ingested with that found in tissues of vultures.

Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma in a European Lynx (Lynx Lynx): Papillomavirus Infection and Histologic Analysis.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a common finding in domestic and wild felids. Only two cases of oral SCC have been reported in Lynx species (Lynx rufus and Lynx canadensis), at mandibular and gingival sites. In this study, we describe the first report of tongue SCC in a 15 years old female European lynx (Lynx lynx), along with viral investigations. Necropsy and histological analysis were performed and the presence of papillomavirus (PV) infection was investigated by ultrastructural and molecular methods. The lardaceous mass at tongue level was histologically diagnosed as moderately differentiated SCC. Typical microscopical features of SCC were also found in the retropharyngeal lymph node and at the pulmonary level. Neither viral DNA by PCR, nor viral particles by transmission electron microscopy were found. Despite that PV infection is associated with Felidae, this work reports the first description of tongue SCC in Lynx species, but no evidence of PV infection, suggesting that PV may not be involved in development of SCC in bobcat species.

Ethylene glycol toxicity: a retrospective pathological study in cats.

Ethylene glycol (EG) is a well known toxic compound, the assumption of which can be fatal to pet animals as well as to humans. Limited information is available on the pathological features of EG poisoning in pet animals, with special emphasis on cats. Twenty-five cats with histologically confirmed EG intoxication were retrospectively investigated, in order to define more precisely the gross pathological findings and improve the diagnostic process. Furthermore, a brief comparison with the lesions reported in EG-poisoned human patients and dogs was also made.

Angiostrongylus vasorum in wolves in Italy: prevalence and pathological findings.

BACKGROUND: Angiostrongylus vasorum is a nematode residing in the heart and pulmonary vessels of dogs and wild carnivores. In Europe the red fox is its reservoir, while only three records from wolves have been published. Angiostrongylus vasorum has a worldwide distribution, and many pieces of evidence demonstrate that it is spreading from endemic areas to new ones. In Italy, A. vasorum was reported with increasing frequency in dogs and foxes in the last decades, and now it is considered endemic throughout the country. Angiostrongylus vasorum can be asymptomatic or cause respiratory and circulatory disorders, at times causing severe disseminated infections. METHODS: Between February 2012 and December 2016, 25 wolves found dead in central Italy were submitted to the Istituto Zooprofilattico del Lazio e della Toscana for post-mortem examination. Samples of lungs, heart, liver, spleen, kidneys, mediastinic lymph nodes and brain were collected from each animal for histological examination. When adult and larval nematodes were microscopically seen in lungs, the other organs were processed, and five histological sections for each organ were examined. To confirm parasite identification, lung samples were submitted to a PCR-sequencing protocol targeting the ITS2 region of A. vasorum. RESULTS: Seven wolves (28.0%) harboured nematode larvae in lung sections. In two of the positive wolves, adult nematodes were visible in pulmonary arteries, in four animals larvae were also detected in other organs. DNA sequencing reactions confirmed parasite identification as A. vasorum in all the cases. CONCLUSIONS: As a result of the high prevalence of A. vasorum reported in wolves in the present study, a focus of high circulation could be hypothesised in central Italy. Nevertheless, the similarly high prevalence in foxes originating from the same areas were reported in previous papers. Histopathological evidence highlights the pathogenic potential of A. vasorum in the wolf, especially in juvenile animals.

Fatal Angiostrongylus dujardini infection in callitrichid monkeys and suricates in an Italian zoological garden.

This paper reports four fatal cases of metastrongylid nematode Angiostrongylus dujardini infection observed in a Saguinus oedipus and a Callimico goeldii monkey and in two suricates (Suricata suricatta). All animals were kept in captivity in a zoo of central Italy. The two monkeys died with no premonitory signs, while the two-month-old suricates showed malaise, anorexia and tachypnea for a few days prior to death. Cardiomegaly and/or granulomatous pneumonia were the major anatomo-pathological findings. Inflammatory lesions were observed in the liver, heart and kidney of the suricates at histology. A. dujardini diagnosis was confirmed through both morphological identification of adult worms recovered at necropsy and molecular characterization of larvae in tissue samples. Callitrichidae and suricates are active predators and maintain their hunting behaviour in captivity and it is then likely that they were exposed to infection by preying on parasitized gastropods, intermediate hosts of A. dujardini, entering zoo enclosures from the surrounding environment. This is the first report of A. dujardini in Italy and in S. suricatta.

Fatal infection with Taenia martis metacestodes in a ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) living in an Italian zoological garden.

A case of fatal infection caused by larval forms of Taenia martis in a ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) living in the Rome zoological garden is described. The animal, living in a semi-natural pen with other 15 conspecific individuals and being fed with fresh fruit and vegetables, yoghurt and eggs, was transported to the Istituto Zooprofilattico of Rome for post-mortem examination. The anamnesis included, ten days before the death, apathy, lack of appetite, abdominal distension and diarrhoea. A severe exudative fibrinous-purulent peritonitis with numerous adhesions between the abdominal wall and the bowel loops was detected. After intestine removal, two free and viable, 4 cm long, whitish, leaf-like parasitic forms were pinpointed. Macroscopic examination of the two parasites allowed their identification as larval stages of cestodes, identified via molecular analysis as T. martis metacestodes. This report represents the first record of T. martis infection in the host species and in a zoological garden and for the pathological relevance of the infection.

Pathological findings of Angiostrongylus vasorum infection in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from Central Italy, with the first report of a disseminated infection in this host species.

In Europe, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is considered the reservoir of Angiostrongylus vasorum, nematode residing in the pulmonary arteries and right heart of dogs and many species of wild carnivores. Italy is considered one of the European countries where this nematode is actually spreading. Between May 2007 and November 2013, 62 foxes found dead in Central Italy were necropsied. Right heart and pulmonary arteries were opened and checked for the presence of adult parasites. Impression smears from sectioned lungs were examined for the presence of first-stage larvae, and samples of lungs were processed for histological examination. In order to detect eventual disseminated infections, samples of heart, pulmonary lymph nodes, liver, kidneys, and brain of foxes positive for A. vasorum at necropsy or lungs histological examination were processed for histological examination. An overall prevalence of 43.5% was recorded. Light, mild, and severe lung lesions were detected in 33.3, 22.2, and 25.9% of infected animals, respectively. Severe lesions were more frequent in animals younger than 12 months. In five infected foxes (18.5%), no gross lesions were observed, while for three animals, angiostrongylosis was considered the cause of death. A case of disseminated angiostrongylosis was detected and another one was suspected. This is the firs report of disseminated angiostrongylosis in the fox.

Completeness of the dog registry and estimation of the dog population size in a densely populated area of Rome.

In most European countries, registration and identification of dogs is compulsory. In Italy, the national dog registry is composed of regional dog registries. Although dog registries have been established for many years, the issue related to completeness of data has not been addressed so far. The objective of this study was twofold: first to assess the completeness of data of the dog registry through telephone interview of a sample of dog owners drawn from the dog registry, then to estimate the total owned dog population in 4 boroughs of Rome. For the second objective, a capture-recapture method was applied using data from the dog registry and data from a face-to-face questionnaire submitted to people waiting in the sitting room of 5 points of access for booking and payment of primary and specialist care. Different scenarios are proposed to verify the assumptions of the estimation procedure and potential biases are discussed. The completeness of data of the dog registry was 88.9% (95% CI: 85.8-91.9%) and the owned-dog population was estimated at 26,244 dogs (95% CI: 24,110-28,383). The dog registry is an important source of information especially when it is properly updated and completeness of data is known.