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Despite the ecological significance of the relationship between reef-building corals and intracellular photosynthetic dinoflagellates of the genus Symbiodinium, very little is known about the molecular mechanisms involved in its establishment. Indeed, microarray-based analyses point to the conclusion that host gene expression is largely or completely unresponsive during the establishment of symbiosis with a competent strain of Symbiodinium. In this study, the use of Illumina RNA-Seq technology allowed detection of a transient period of differential expression involving a small number of genes (1073 transcripts; <3% of the transcriptome) 4 h after the exposure of Acropora digitifera planulae to a competent strain of Symbiodinium (a clade B strain). This phenomenon has not previously been detected as a consequence of both the lower sensitivity of the microarray approaches used and the sampling times used. The results indicate that complex changes occur, including transient suppression of mitochondrial metabolism and protein synthesis, but are also consistent with the hypothesis that the symbiosome is a phagosome that has undergone early arrest, raising the possibility of common mechanisms in the symbiotic interactions of corals and symbiotic sea anemones with their endosymbionts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Loggerhead sea turtle ( Caretta caretta ) is a marine reptile belonging to a monophyletic group of chelonians. As these animals are long-lived, they have the ability to accumulate pollutants., Aim: To collect epidemiological data on toxic metals in marine Loggerhead sea turtles., Materials and Methods: Forty Loggerhead sea turtles comprising 25 males and 15 females stranded freshly dead between 2013 and 2018 along the coasts of Sicily, Southern Italy, were examined for arsenic, cadmium, and lead accumulation in muscle and adipose tissues by means of a validated ICP-MS method. A modified K index as a growth condition factor, namely Fulton's K index, was used. Samples were tested in duplicate. A Wilcoxon rank sum test was carried out to evaluate metal contents differences between muscle and adipose tissues and between genders., Results: The Fulton's K index suggested a good body condition of the C. caretta recovered with mean values of 5.34 ± 3.40 ( n  = 40; ±SD). Detectable concentrations of lead were found in 70% of the samples analysed with mean values of 0.65 ± 1.67 mg/kg wet weight and 0.51 ± 1.29 mg/kg wet weight in muscle and adipose tissues, respectively. No significant differences in arsenic, cadmium, and lead were detected between genders. In addition, no significant correlation was found between modified K index and concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, and lead., Clinical Relevance: Findings on muscle and adipose tissues suggest chronic exposure of Caretta caretta to high concentrations of especially lead which might negatively affect health and welfare of these marine turtles although body condition was good.

Calonectris diomedea is a Procellariforms seabird having a very representative colony in Linosa Island (Southern Italy). The adult forms of C. diomedea produce a pasty oil from their proventriculus to feed their chicks during the rearing period. In this work, we examined the fatty acids composition of the stomach oil of C. diomedea from Linosa Island by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID). The samples were collected at 20 and 70 days after hatching. Twenty different fatty acids (FAs) were identified. Saturated fatty acids (SFA) were the most abundant in percentage (41.6%) at day 20 followed by polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA, 38.7%) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA, 19.7%). MUFAs were the most abundant in samples collected at day 70 (53.8%), followed by SFAs (36.6%) and PUFAs (9.8%). Oleic acid (C18:1ω9) in the samples on day 70 was 4 times higher than that in the samples on day 20. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) verified a clear separation of the stomach oil samples in two groups, according to the day of sampling. The results obtained confirm the role of FAs analysis of stomach oil to understand the ecology and breeding behaviour of C. diomedea , highlighting a resemblance with signatures recorded in marine organisms of Linosa Island.

Calonectris diomedea is a colonial Procellariiform breeding on Mediterranean islands. The stomach oil produced during chick rearing is a peculiar trait of this species. The composition of the stomach oil is likely to reflect the composition of the prey ingested and might reveal the contaminants uptake with prey becoming a possible tool for the marine pollution monitoring. We examined the concentration of 15 trace elements by ICP-MS and direct mercury analyser. The principal component analysis revealed a heterogeneous pattern of metal concentration, showing a significant separation between samples collected 20 and 70 days after hatching. The data obtained in this work give preliminary information on the feeding habits and breeding ecology of Linosa's colony of Scopoli's shearwater. The trace metals variability found suggest that the stomach oil may have a role as trophic markers to understand predator-prey relationships and to have evidence on the accumulation of pollutants in the latter., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Sanitary management and population control of feral pigs remains a major problem in public health, particularly in natural parks where hunting is prohibited and the extensive farming of livestock is common. Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus is a zoonotic parasite species with a worldwide distribution of which the natural definitive hosts are primarily pigs and wild boars ( Sus scrofa ). The present study describes the main anatomo-pathological and parasitological findings in the first case of M. hirudinaceus in feral pigs in the Madonie park in Sicily (Southern Italy). Overall, 52 acanthocephalans were collected from the small intestine of four infected feral pigs. The prevalence among the 36 examined animals was 11.1% with a mean Abundance (mA) and mean Intensity (mI) of 1.4 and 13, respectively. Pathological examination revealed grossly visible nodules on the external surface of the intestines, corresponding to the proboscis of M. hirudinaceus attached deeply into the intestinal wall. In these sites, severe inflammatory reactions in the tissue involved and the destruction of normal intestinal architecture, as well as necrosis and ulceration in the mucosa, submucosa, and part of the muscolaris mucosae were described. This is the first official report of this neglected zoonosis in Italy, in particular in a natural park where the extensive farming of domestic pigs is practiced. This could favor the spread of this parasite in domestic animals and the environment, increasing the accidental risk of infection in human residents of these areas., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Migliore, Puleio, Gaglio, Vicari, Seminara, Sicilia, Galluzzo, Cumbo and Loria.)

This study reports on the health status of the edible dormouse ( Glis glis ) living in Nebrodi Park (Sicily, Italy), responsible for nut crop damage in the area. In the frame of a monitoring campaign for potential zoonotic risk involving 30 dormice, rectal and conjunctival swabs and fur and nest content were collected for bacteriological and parasitological examinations, respectively. A large presence of fleas belonging to Monopsyllus sciurorum was found. Necropsy of a dead dormouse revealed an infection of Mesocestoides lineatus , whose cysts were found in the abdomen cavity and on the liver; this is the first report of this in this species. Further studies are necessary to identify their role in the environment, considering the limited knowledge of this species in Italy.

The marine environment is being increasingly modified by the construction of artificial structures, the impacts of which may be mitigated through eco-engineering. To date, eco-engineering has predominantly aimed to increase biodiversity, but enhancing other ecological functions is arguably of equal importance for artificial structures. Here, we manipulated complexity through habitat structure (flat, and 2.5 cm, 5 cm deep vertical and 5 cm deep horizontal crevices) and seeding with the native oyster (Saccostrea glomerata, unseeded and seeded) on concrete tiles (0.25 m × 0.25 m) affixed to seawalls to investigate whether complexity (both orientation and depth of crevices) influences particle removal rates by suspension feeders and colonisation by different functional groups, and whether there are any ecological trade-offs between these functions. After 12 months, complex seeded tiles generally supported a greater abundance of suspension feeding taxa and had higher particle removal rates than flat tiles or unseeded tiles. The richness and diversity of taxa also increased with complexity. The effect of seeding was, however, generally weaker on tiles with complex habitat structure. However, the orientation of habitat complexity and the depth of the crevices did not influence particle removal rates or colonising taxa. Colonisation by non-native taxa was low compared to total taxa richness. We did not detect negative ecological trade-offs between increased particle removal rates and diversity and abundance of key functional groups. Our results suggest that the addition of complexity to marine artificial structures could potentially be used to enhance both biodiversity and particle removal rates. Consequently, complexity should be incorporated into future eco-engineering projects to provide a range of ecological functions in urbanised estuaries., (Crown Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Wild environments and wildlife can be reservoirs of pathogens and antibiotic resistance. Various studies have reported the presence of zoonotic bacteria, resistant strains, and genetic elements that determine antibiotic resistance in wild animals, especially near urban centers or agricultural and zootechnical activities. The purpose of this study was the analysis, by cultural and molecular methods, of bacteria isolated from wild animals in Sicily, Italy, regarding their susceptibility profile to antibiotics and the presence of antibiotic resistance genes. Bacteriological analyses were conducted on 368 wild animals, leading to the isolation of 222 bacterial strains identified by biochemical tests and 16S rRNA sequencing. The most isolated species was Escherichia coli , followed by Clostridium perfringens and Citrobacter freundii . Antibiograms and the determination of resistance genes showed a reduced spread of bacteria carrying antibiotic resistance among wild animals in Sicily. However, since several wild animals are becoming increasingly close to residential areas, it is important to monitor their health status and to perform microbiological analyses following a One Health approach.

Abstract: In total, 4,615 fresh and processed fish samples collected from 2010 to 2015 were analyzed for histamine by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. Histamine levels were detected in 352 (7.6%) samples, with a maximum of 4,110 mg kg-1 and mean values of 908.9 ± 1,226.79 and 344.01 ± 451.18 mg kg-1 for fresh and processed fish samples, respectively. No histamine levels were found in canned tuna and smoked fish samples in contrast to most of the data reported in the literature. A low percentage (2.79%) of noncompliant samples was found. The highest mean values were found during 2011 and 2015 for fresh and processed fish samples, respectively, showing a significant (P < 0.05) difference between the sampling years. The histamine contents found in fresh fish samples were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those of processed samples. Most of the positive samples came from street vendors, suggesting the need to improve inspection measures in these commercial categories to ensure fish product safety., (Copyright ©, International Association for Food Protection.)

This study describes the effects of temperature on the respiration of brooded larvae of scleractinian corals, and evaluates the implications of these effects relative to seawater temperature when peak larval release occurs. Respiration rates of larvae from Pocillopora damicornis, Seriatopora hystrix and Stylophora pistillata were quantified in darkness as oxygen uptake during 1-3 h exposures to five temperatures between 26.4 and 29.6°C. To assess the biological significance of these experiments, the temperature of the seawater into which larvae of P. damicornis and S. hystrix were released was measured for 32-34 months over 5 years between 2003 and 2008. Mean respiration varied from 0.029 to 0.116 nmol O(2) larva(-1) min(-1), and was related parabolically to temperature with a positive threshold at 28.0°C. The temperature coefficients (Q(10)) for the ascending portion of these relationships (Q(10)=15-76) indicate that the temperature dependency is stronger than can be explained by kinetics alone, and probably reflects behavioral and developmental effects. Larval release occurred year-round in synchrony with the lunar periodicity when seawater temperature ranged from 21.8 to 30.7°C, and more than half of the sampled larvae were released at 27.5-28.9°C. The coincidence on the temperature scale of peak larval release with the thermal threshold for respiration suggests that high metabolic rates have selective value for pelagic coral larvae. The large and rapid effects of temperature on larval respiration have implications for studies of the effects of climate change on coral reproduction, particularly when seawater temperature exceeds ∼28°C, when our results predict that larval respiration will be greatly reduced.

In this report we have investigated the frequencies of HLA-A, B, C, DR, MT, and MB markers in 26 Sicilian subjects affected by recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) and in 84 healthy controls. Our data show that the frequency of HLA-DR7 antigen is significantly increased in RAS-affected persons (61.5% versus 21.4%; pc less than 0.0025), whereas the B5 antigen frequency is decreased significantly (absent in patients versus 27.3% in controls; pc = 0.04). Thus, present results suggest that HLA-linked genetic factors may play a role in the development of RAS.

To investigate whether genetic factors linked to the human leukocyte antigens (HLA) might influence individual resistance to recurrent herpes labialis (RHL), we studied the frequencies of HLA-A, -B, and -C antigens in a sample of Sicilian population. The frequency of HLA-B35 was significantly decreased in the patient group (p corrected = 0.018). Consequently, the relative risk of development of RHL in a subject positive for HLA-B35 was 20 times smaller than in a subject who does not bear B35. Furthermore, a study was made of the possible relationship between the presence of HLA-B35 antigen and antibody titers to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in 62 persons affected or not by RHL. Significantly elevated titers to HSV-1 were found in the diseased group (p less than 0.001), but the geometric mean of antibody titers in HLA-B35 positive subjects was not different from that of B35 negative subjects either of RHL-affected or in healthy persons. These data are in a good agreement with the hypothesis that humoral immune responses play a marginal role in the protection from HSV-1 recurrences.

The frequencies of HLA-A, B, C, DR, and DQ lymphocyte alloantigens were determined in 31 Sicilian patients with recurrent herpetic lesions (RHL) and compared to frequencies observed in normal individuals. A significant negative association was found for HLA-B35 (pc = 0.049). The relationships between HLA and immune responses to viral infections are discussed in light of the results revealed by the present investigation suggesting that HLA-linked genetic factors may play a role in the pathogenesis of RHL. The results seem to indicate that genes in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are influential against developing RHL.