An extremely rare serovar of Salmonella enterica (Yopougon) discovered in a Western Whip Snake (Hierophis viridiflavus) from Montecristo Island, Italy: case report and review.

Reptiles, including snakes, can be asymptomatically infected with multiple pathogen microorganisms, including Salmonella spp., which is considered an important concern for public and animal health. Small and uninhabited isles are quite ecologically different from mainland and represent interesting fields of study, to discover unexpected biological and microbiological aspects of their wild inhabitants. This work reports the presence of the very rare Salmonella enterica serovar Yopougon, isolated in a carcass of a native wild snake (Hierophis viridiflavus) from an Italian uninhabited island of Mediterranean Sea, Montecristo. To our knowledge, S. enterica serovar Yopougon was previously isolated only once 34 years earlier in Ivory Coast, from a human fecal sample. In the present study, we present the genomic characterization of the new isolate, the phylogenetic comparison with the previously isolated S. enterica serovar Yopougon strain of human origin and with other sequences available in public databases. In addition, an extensive review of available data in the literature and from our case history is provided. Our finding represents an example of the ability of some pathogens to travel for very long distances within their hosts and then to infect others, even from different taxa.

Farms at risk from environmental pollution: a proposal for a risk ranking procedure.

OBJECTIVES: to produce a methodology for the risk ranking of farms located around proven or potential sources of contamination to prioritize the monitoring procedures in food production. DESIGN: environmental factors that can favour the risk of contamination of products of animal origin (POAO) around a pollutant source were identified. A scale of standardized scores was produced for each risk factor (RF) in order to obtain a risk-based classification. Subsequently, an algorithm was developed to obtain a relative risk assessment (RRA). SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: in order to validate the proposed methodology, data of 80 livestock farms in a polluted area, enrolled in a previous study, were subjected to the RRA. Results of RRA were compared with contamination data. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: seven RFs were included in a mathematical formula used to classify each farm. RESULTS: a scoring system was produced for each RFs and an algorithm was developed to obtain RRA which is an estimate of the farm probability of having POAO contamination in comparison to other farms located in the same area potentially affected by chemical pollution based exclusively on site-specific environmental characteristics. In the case study used for validation, a significant relationship between RRA and contamination data was found. CONCLUSIONS: the proposed methodology is a useful tool to support the authorities responsible for the food safety in carrying out the monitoring of POAO in areas subject to environmental risks. It helps to rationalize resources and make controls more effective.

Mapping the occurrence of Eustrongylides spp. in fish species caught from six lakes in Central Italy (Tuscany and Latium regions): Implications for local fishery supply chains.

In the present study, in order to expand the knowledge on the distribution of parasites of the genus Eustrongylides in never investigated Italian lacustrine areas of Tuscany and Latium, fish specimens from four Tuscan lakes (Bilancino, Chiusi, Montedoglio and San Cipriano) and two Latium lakes (Bolsena and Bracciano) were collected and analyzed. The parasitological analysis, consisting of a visual inspection followed by a chloro-peptic digestion, was performed on 1650 specimens belonging to 17 species: European perch (Perca fluviatilis), Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus), Pike-perch (Sander lucioperca), Largemouth black bass (Micropterus salmoides), Pike (Esox lucius), Big-scale sand smelt (Atherina boyeri), Tench (Tinca), European Whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus), Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), Chub (Squalius cephalus), Rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus), Common bleak (Alburnus alborella), South European roach (Sarmarutilus rubilio), South European nase (Protochondrostoma genei), Italian riffle dace (Telestes muticellus), Goldfish (Carassius auratus), and Freshwater bream (Abramis brama). Eustrongylides spp. larvae were only found in one specimen of European perch caught in Bracciano Lake and purchased from a local fishmonger (P = 3.3%; MI = 1; MA = 0.03). The only isolated Eustrongylides spp. larva was submitted to molecular analysis of the ITS gene region and identified as E. excisus. This finding adds Bracciano Lake to the list of the several Italian lakes in which nematodes belonging to this genus have been reported. Even if the observed prevalence is currently low, the presence of the parasite in this local freshwater fish supply chain requires FBOs to adopt risk management measures to prevent contaminated products from reaching final consumer. Moreover, future investigations will show if the parasite expands in these areas.

The Occurrence of Microplastics in Donax trunculus (Mollusca: Bivalvia) Collected along the Tuscany Coast (Mediterranean Sea).

Microplastics (MPs) (0.1 µm-5 mm particles) have been documented in oceans and seas. Bivalve molluscs (BMs) can accumulate MPs and transfer to humans through the food chain. BMs (especially mussels) are used to assess MPs' contamination, but the genus Donax has not been thoroughly investigated. The aim of this study was to detect and characterize MPs in D. trunculus specimens collected along the Tuscan coast (Italy), and to assess the potential risk for consumers. The samples (~10 g of tissue and intervalval liquid from 35 specimens) were digested using a solution of 10% KOH, subjected to NaCl density separation, and filtered through 5 µm pore-size filters. All items were morphologically classified and measured, and their mean abundance (MA) was calculated. Furthermore, 20% of them were analyzed by Raman spectroscopy and, based on the obtained results, the MA was recalculated (corrected MA) and the annual human exposure was estimated. In the 39 samples analyzed, 85 items fibers (n = 45; 52.94%) and fragments (n = 40; 47.06%) were found. The MA was 0.23 ± 0.17 items/grww. Additionally, 83.33% of the items were confirmed as MPs (polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate). Based on the correct MA (0.18 MPs/grww), D. trunculus consumers could be exposed to 19.2 MPs/per capita/year. The health risk level of MPs was classified as level III (moderate).

Detection of Salmonella Reservoirs in Birds of Prey Hosted in an Italian Wildlife Centre: Molecular and Antimicrobial Resistance Characterisation.

In the European Union, salmonellosis is one of the most important zoonoses reported. Poultry meat and egg products are the most common food matrices associated with Salmonella presence. Moreover, wild and domestic animals could represent an important reservoir that could favour the direct and indirect transmission of pathogens to humans. Salmonella spp. can infect carnivorous or omnivorous wild birds that regularly ingest food and water exposed to faecal contamination. Birds kept in captivity can act as reservoirs of Salmonella spp. following ingestion of infected prey or feed. In this paper, we describe the isolation of different Salmonella serovars in several species of raptors hosted in aviaries in an Italian wildlife centre and in the raw chicken necks used as their feed but intended for human consumption. Characterisations of strains were carried out by integrating classical methods and whole genome sequencing analysis. The strains of S. bredeney isolated in poultry meat and birds belonged to the same cluster, with some of them being multidrug-resistant (MDR) and carrying the Col(pHAD28) plasmid-borne qnrB19 (fluoro)quinolone resistance gene, thus confirming the source of infection. Differently, the S. infantis found in feed and raptors were all MDR, carried a plasmid of emerging S. infantis (pESI)-like plasmid and belonged to different clusters, possibly suggesting a long-lasting infection or the presence of additional undetected sources. Due to the high risk of fuelling a reservoir of human pathogens, the control and treatment of feed for captive species are crucial.

Foodborne Toxigenic Agents Investigated in Central Italy: An Overview of a Three-Year Experience (2018-2020).

Foodborne diseases (FBDs) represent a worldwide public health issue, given their spreadability and the difficulty of tracing the sources of contamination. This report summarises the incidence of foodborne pathogens and toxins found in food, environmental and clinical samples collected in relation to diagnosed or suspected FBD cases and submitted between 2018 and 2020 to the Food Microbiology Unit of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana (IZSLT). Data collected from 70 FBD investigations were analysed: 24.3% of them started with an FBD diagnosis, whereas a further 41.4% involved clinical diagnoses based on general symptomatology. In total, 5.6% of the 340 food samples analysed were positive for the presence of a bacterial pathogen, its toxins or both. Among the positive samples, more than half involved meat-derived products. Our data reveal the probable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of FBD investigations conducted. In spite of the serious impact of FBDs on human health and the economy, the investigation of many foodborne outbreaks fails to identify the source of infection. This indicates a need for the competent authorities to continue to develop and implement a more fully integrated health network.

A Familiar Outbreak of Monophasic Salmonella serovar Typhimurium (ST34) Involving Three Dogs and Their Owner's Children.

Salmonella is a Gram-negative enteric bacterium responsible for the foodborne and waterborne disease salmonellosis, which is the second most reported bacterial zoonosis in humans. Many animals are potential sources of salmonellosis, including dogs, cats, and other pets. We report the case of an outbreak of salmonellosis in a family in central Italy, affecting two children and involving their three dogs as carriers. One of the children needed medical care and hospitalisation. Isolation and analysis of stool samples from the sibling and the animals present in the house were carried out. Serotyping allowed the identification of S. enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium in its monophasic variant for all the isolates. The results of whole-genome sequencing confirmed that the strains were tightly related. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) test documented the resistance to ampicillin, sulfamethoxazole, and tetracycline. The origin of the zoonotic outbreak could not be assessed; however, the case study showed a clear passage of the pathogen between the human and non-human members of the family. The possibility of a transmission from a dog to a human suggests the need for further studies on the potential ways of transmission of salmonellosis through standard and alternative feed.

Mercury spikes as evidence of extended arc-volcanism around the Devonian-Carboniferous boundary in the South Tian Shan (southern Uzbekistan).

Recently, the end-Devonian mass extinction (Hangenberg Crisis, 359 Ma) was identified as a first-order mass extinction, albeit not one of the "Big Five" events. Many marine and terrestrial organisms were affected by this crisis. The cause of this mass extinction is still conjectural and widely discussed. Here we report anomalously high mercury (Hg) concentrations from the South Tian Shan (Uzbekistan), together with correlation using conodont biostratigraphic data. Hg enrichment (to 5825 ppb) was detected in marine deposits encompassing the Hangenberg Crisis. In the Novchomok section, the Hangenberg Crisis interval does not contain typical Hangenberg Black Shales; however, by means of inorganic geochemistry (enrichment of redox-sensitive elements such as Mo, V, and U) we detected an equivalent level despite the lack of marked facies changes. This is the first record of Hg and Hg/total organic carbon anomalies in marly shales, marls and carbonates that are totally independent of facies changes, implying that volcanism was the most probable cause of the Hangenberg Crisis. This conclusion is confirmed by the presence of a negative δ13C excursion, which may reflect massive release of isotopically light carbon from volcanogenic and thermogenic devolatilization likely combined with increased arc-volcanism activity worldwide at the end of the Devonian.

Paleotemperature record of the Middle Devonian Kacák Episode.

The Middle Devonian Epoch, ~ 393-383 million years ago, is known for a peak in diversity and highest latitudinal distribution of coral and stromatoporoid reefs. About 388 million years ago, during the late Eifelian and earliest Givetian, climax conditions were interrupted by the polyphased Kacák Episode, a short-lived period of marine dys-/anoxia associated with climate warming that lasted less than 500 kyr. Reconstruction of the seawater temperature contributes to a better understanding of the climate conditions marine biota were exposed to during the event interval. To date, conodont apatite-based paleotemperatures across the Eifelian-Givetian boundary interval have been published from Belarus, France, Germany and North America (10-36° S paleolatitude). Here we provide new δ18Oapatite data from the Carnic Alps (Austria, Italy) and the Prague Synform (Czech Republic). For better approximation of the paleotemperature record across the Kacák Episode, a latitude-dependent correction for Middle Devonian seawater δ18O is applied. Because δ18Oapatite data from shallow marine sections are influenced by regional salinity variations, calculated mean sea surface temperatures (SST) are restricted to more open marine settings (22-34° S paleolatitude). Water temperatures reach ~ 34 °C in the Prague Synform and ~ 33 °C in the Carnic Alps and suggest that SSTs of the southern hemisphere low latitudes were ~ 6 °C higher than previously assumed for this time interval.

Hyperproliferation in nasal polyposis tissues is not associated with somatic genomic instability.

BACKGROUND: Nasal polyps (NPs) are abnormal lesions that arise from any portion of the nasal mucosa or paranasal sinuses within the nasal cavities. They are characterized by the formation of inflammatory swellings of unstable respiratory mucosa, which protrude into the nasal cavity. The causes and the pathogenesis of NP development are not well understood. The current and principal hypothesis is that NPs result from allergy and inflammation, which cause an unstable respiratory mucosa with increased epithelial cell proliferation and epithelial morphologic changes. OBJECTIVE: To understand if epithelial cell hyperproliferation can lead to acquired genomic instability and if nasal polyposis is a consequence of acquired chromosomal alterations in hyperproliferative nasal epithelia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To test this hypothesis and to perform a survey of chromosomal aberrations in nasal polyps, we applied array comparative genome hybridization (aCGH; 1 Mb resolution, made of 2464 bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC), P1 derived artificial chromosome (PAC), and P1 clones spanning the whole human genome) to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) obtained from the NPs of nine patients. The patients recruited in this study had been analyzed for Ki-67 expression using the MIB-1 antibody as a marker of proliferation and were chosen to represent a wide range of hyperproliferative status. RESULTS: After data analysis, no chromosomal aberrations were detected by aCGH. CONCLUSIONS: Our data do not support the hypothesis that nasal polyposis is a consequence of acquired chromosomal alterations in hyperproliferative nasal epithelia.