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Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an important cause of acute viral hepatitis in humans worldwide. The food-borne transmission of HEV appears to be a major route in Europe through the consumption of pork and wild boar meat. HEV epidemiology in wild boars has been investigated mainly in Northern and Central Italian regions, whilst information from Southern Italy is limited. We investigated the occurrence of HEV in wild boar in the Apulia and Basilicata regions (Southern Italy). Thirteen (10.4%) out of one hundred and twenty-five wild boar samples tested positive for HEV using a quantitative reverse transcription PCR. HEV prevalence was 12% in Apulia and 9.3% in Basilicata. Seven samples were genotyped, and different subtypes (c, f, m) of genotype 3 were identified. The complete genome of a 3m strain was determined, and the virus showed the highest nucleotide identity to a human HEV strain identified in France in 2017. These findings demonstrate the substantial circulation of HEV in the wild boar population in Italian Southern regions. Gathering information on the HEV strains circulating in different geographical areas is useful for tracking the origin of HEV outbreaks and assessing the epidemiological role of wild boar as a potential virus reservoir for domestic pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trichinella pseudospiralis is a non-encapsulated species infecting both mammals and birds. In Italy, this species has been reported so far only in central regions (two nocturnal birds of prey, one red fox, and one wild boar) and in northeast regions (four wild boars). In November 2020, Trichinella sp. larvae were isolated by enzymatic digestion from muscle tissues of a red kite (Milvus milvus) specimen belonging to a population residing in the Basilicata region (Southern Italy). The parasite was identified as T. pseudospiralis by multiplex PCR, and the sequencing of the expansion segment V (ESV) region of the nuclear large subunit ribosomal DNA showed, in the microsatellite region, the polymorphism characteristic of the Palearctic population. This represents the first record of T. pseudospiralis in a red kite and the first report of this parasite in Southern Italy. The isolation of the parasite in a resident bird confirms that T. pseudospiralis is present, even if at low prevalence, in the Italian avifauna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report biomolecular evidence of dolphin morbillivirus in 4 wild Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) from southern Italy; 2 animals showed simultaneous immunohistochemical reactivity against morbilliviral antigen. These cases add further concern and support to the progressively expanding host range of dolphin morbillivirus in the western Mediterranean Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In this study we report the detection of Toxocara cati larvae in the muscle tissue of two birds of prey, a red kite (Milvus milvus) and a common buzzard (Buteo buteo), received in our laboratory as part of the Wildlife Monitoring and Control Plan of the Basilicata Region (Italy). To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of identification of T. cati larvae in these two species. Toxocara cati is a common parasite of wild and domestic felines, and presents a cosmopolitan distribution. Adult parasites localize in the gut of the definitive host giving rise to the infection, which usually runs asymptomatic. These worms produce eggs that are excreted with feces into the environment, where they become a source of infection for paratenic hosts, such as mammals, birds, and invertebrates. In this brief communication, we report the detection of T. cati larvae in a common buzzard (Buteo buteo) and a red kite (Milvus milvus), in the Basilicata Region of Italy. This result may be important to define new pathways of spread and survival of T. cati in the wild. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthrax is a disease of humans and animals caused by the encapsulated, spore-forming Bacillus anthracis. In Italy, anthrax is normally a sporadic disease. During the summer 2004, anthrax broke out in the Basilicata, in southern Italy, a region with a low prevalence of anthrax in which vaccination had been suspended since 1998. The disease involved several animals in few weeks and in a large area. Over 41 days, 81 cattle died, as well as 15 sheep, 9 goats, 11 horses and 8 deer. The Multiple-locus Variable-Number Tandem Repeats Analysis (MLVA) showed that all the 53 isolates belonged to the Cluster Ala, genotype 1. The results of the Single Nucleotide Repeats (SNRs) Analysis showed that 48/53 B. anthacis strains belonged to a single clonal lineage, the sub-genotype sgt - eB. Two sporadic mutants, sgt - eB,m1 and sgt - eB,m2, were isolated, only one managing to infect other herds. Factors that could have contributed to the spread of infection, such as the transmission of spores by insect vectors and the favourable weather conditions were evaluated.