First Report of Caseous Lymphadenitis by Corynebacterium pseudotubercolosis and Pulmonary Verminosis in a Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus Linnaeus, 1758) in Italy.

Caseous lymphadenitis is a chronic debilitating disease typical of small ruminants, but it is also noted in several other domestic and wild species. In this report, we present the first documented case in Italy of pseudotuberculosis in a roe deer (Capreolus capreolus, Linnaeus 1758) found dead in the mountains of Forlì-Cesena province, Emilia Romagna region. The carcass underwent necropsy according to standard protocols, revealing generalized lymphadenopathy and severe apostematous pneumonia with multifocal and encapsulated abscesses. Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis was isolated from the lung parenchyma, lymph nodes and abscesses. Additionally, severe parasitic bronchopneumonia of the caudal lobes and gastrointestinal strongyle infestation were detected. To our knowledge, this is the first documented case of CLA referable to C. pseudotubercolosis in a roe deer in Italy.

Prevalence of Different Salmonella enterica Subspecies and Serotypes in Wild Carnivores in Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy.

Salmonella is a pathogen of considerable health concern, given its zoonotic potential, and, in Italy, is the most frequently reported causative agent for foodborne outbreaks. Wild animals and in particular wild carnivores may be carriers of different Salmonella enterica subspecies and serotypes. Given their potential role as reservoirs, surveillance activities are necessary. This study aims to investigate the presence of different Salmonella subspecies and serotypes in wild carnivores in the Emilia-Romagna Region. A total of 718 fox (Vulpes vulpes), 182 badger (Meles meles) and 27 wolf (Canis lupus) carcasses, submitted between 2016-2022, were included for the present work. Gender and age data were collected along with geographical coordinates of carcass' discovery site. Contents of the large intestine were sampled and cultured according to ISO 6579-1 and both serogroup and serotype identification were performed according to ISO/TR 6579-3:2014. Salmonella was retrieved from 42 foxes (6%), 21 badgers (12%) and 3 wolves (12%), respectively. Isolated Salmonella enterica strains belonged to 4 different subspecies and 25 different serotypes. S. veneziana and S. typhimurium were the most frequent serotypes found (11/67 and 10/67, respectively). In conclusion, zoonotic serotypes were found in all these species of wildlife, thus confirming their potential role in the ecology of Salmonella spp.

Infectious Endometritis in Mares: Microbiological Findings in Field Samples.

Endometritis is a major cause of infertility and subfertility in the mare. Early diagnosis and identification of the pathogens involved in infectious endometritis are crucial to initiate correct treatments in time, in order to optimize fertility and reduce the risk of bacterial resistance development. In this retrospective study (from 2014 to 2018), 394 samples (uterine swabs and lavages) obtained from mares before breeding, regardless of clinical history of endometritis were analyzed. Our bacteriological procedure included the subculturing from the enrichment in Brain Heart Infusion Broth of the samples resulted negative after direct smearing. A total of 386 microorganisms were isolated from 230 positive samples (58%). At least one microorganism was isolated from 33% of the samples after direct smearing and from another 25% after enrichment. The results, obtained from both direct smearing and enrichment, also show a significative difference between positive uterine lavages (80%) and swabs (53%). The most frequently isolated bacteria were α-haemolytic Streptococcus (27%), Escherichia coli (27%), ß-haemolytic Streptococcus (26.1%) and Staphylococcus spp. (19.1%). In monoculture, the most common isolated microorganisms were α-haemolytic Streptococcus (13%), Staphylococcus spp. (12.2%), ß-haemolytic Streptococcus (11.4%) and Escherichia coli (9.8%). Focusing on the samples with a pure culture, Gram-negative bacteria grew preferably after direct smearing, while Gram-positive after enrichment. In conclusion, the present study shows that uterine lavage with high volume of fluid statistically significantly increased the sensitivity of the bacteriological examination and highlights the key role of the enrichment step in the routine bacteriological laboratory procedure by increasing the isolation rate.

Serologic Evidence of Occupational Exposure to Avian Influenza Viruses at the Wildfowl/Poultry/Human Interface.

Ecological interactions between wild aquatic birds and outdoor-housed poultry can enhance spillover events of avian influenza viruses (AIVs) from wild reservoirs to domestic birds, thus increasing the related zoonotic risk to occupationally exposed workers. To assess serological evidence of AIV infection in workers operating in Northern Italy at the wildfowl/poultry interface or directly exposed to wildfowl, serum samples were collected between April 2005 and November 2006 from 57 bird-exposed workers (BEWs) and from 7 unexposed controls (Cs), planning three sample collections from each individual. Concurrently, AIV surveillance of 3587 reared birds identified 4 AIVs belonging to H10N7, H4N6 and H2N2 subtypes while serological analysis by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay showed recent infections caused by H1, H2, H4, H6, H10, H11, H12, and H13 subtypes. Human sera were analyzed for specific antibodies against AIVs belonging to antigenic subtypes from H1 to H14 by using HI and virus microneutralization (MN) assays as a screening and a confirmatory test, respectively. Overall, antibodies specific to AIV-H3, AIV-H6, AIV-H8, and AIV-H9 were found in three poultry workers (PWs) and seropositivity to AIV-11, AIV-H13-still detectable in October 2017-in one wildlife professional (WP). Furthermore, seropositivity to AIV-H2, accounting for previous exposure to the "extinct" H2N2 human influenza viruses, was found in both BEWs and Cs groups. These data further emphasize the occupational risk posed by zoonotic AIV strains and show the possible occurrence of long-lived antibody-based immunity following AIV infections in humans.

Serological Evidence of Phleboviruses in Domestic Animals on the Pre-Apennine Hills (Northern Italy).

Phleboviruses are arboviruses transmitted by sand flies, mosquitoes and ticks. Some sand fly-borne phleboviruses cause illnesses in humans, such as the summer fevers caused by the Sicilian and Naples viruses or meningitis caused by the Toscana virus. Indeed, traces of several phleboviral infections have been serologically detected in domestic animals, but their potential pathogenic role in vertebrates other than humans is still unclear, as is the role of vertebrates as potential reservoirs of these viruses. In this study, we report the results of a serological survey performed on domestic animals sampled in Northern Italy, against four phleboviruses isolated from sand flies in the same area. The sera of 23 dogs, 165 sheep and 23 goats were tested with a virus neutralization assay for Toscana virus, Fermo virus, Ponticelli I virus and Ponticelli III virus. Neutralizing antibodies against one or more phleboviruses were detected in four out of 23 dogs, 31 out of 165 sheep and 12 out of 23 goats. This study shows preliminary evidence for the distribution pattern of phleboviral infections in different animal species, highlighting the potential infection of the Toscana virus in dogs and the Fermo virus in goats.

Dietary Protein Source Influences Brain Inflammation and Memory in a Male Senescence-Accelerated Mouse Model of Dementia.

Dementia is a pathological condition characterized by a decline in memory, as well as in other cognitive and social functions. The cellular and molecular mechanisms of brain damage in dementia are not completely understood; however, neuroinflammation is involved. Evidence suggests that chronic inflammation may impair cognitive performance and that dietary protein source may differentially influence this process. Dietary protein source has previously been shown to modify systemic inflammation in mouse models. Thus, we aimed to investigate the effect of chronic dietary protein source substitution in an ageing and dementia male mouse model, the senescence-accelerated mouse-prone 8 (SAMP8) model. We observed that dietary protein source differentially modified memory as shown by inhibitory avoidance testing at 4 months of age. Also, dietary protein source differentially modified neuroinflammation and gliosis in male SAMP8 mice. Our results suggest that chronic dietary protein source substitution may influence brain ageing and memory-related mechanisms in male SAMP8 mice. Moreover, the choice of dietary protein source in mouse diets for experimental purposes may need to be carefully considered when interpreting results.

Patients and caregivers' unmet information needs in the field of patient education: results from an Italian multicenter exploratory survey.

Patient education and empowerment (PEE) is aimed at improving competence of patients during their clinical path and enabling healthcare providers with specific communication strategies. We investigated the interest of Italian Cancer Research & Care Centers (CRCI) users (patients and caregivers) in being involved in PEE activities. An anonymous questionnaire addressed to users was distributed between June 2013 and February 2014. The questionnaire gathered information on the following: health-related topics; 13 different PEE initiatives/modalities of learning already active at CRCI; personal demographic data; the willingness to be more involved in the organization of health services provided and in which context; and five preferred info-educational activities. Frequency distribution and chi-square analysis were computed. Statistical significance (p value) was set at < 0.05. A total of 875 (29%) users responded to the 3000 distributed questionnaires. The first three priorities of interest were "early diagnosis" (18%), "prevention" (17%), and "diagnosis explanation" (13%). The first three priorities on informational activity were as follows: "classes on cancer-related topics with healthcare professionals" (28%); "cancer information service" (22%); "drug information point" (7%). Forty-nine percent of the respondents stated that they would like to be involved in the organization of PEE activities, particularly caregivers and users older than 55 years of age. The preferred educational activities were "classes on cancer-related topics with healthcare professionals" and "cancer information service" on a face-to-face modality. Patients were more interested than caregivers in "prevention." The extension of PEE programs to all CRCI users into routine care will be the next step of the present research.

Cross-cultural validation of health literacy measurement tools in Italian oncology patients.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric characteristics of four Health Literacy (HL) measurement tools, viz. Newest Vital Sign (NVS), Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (STOFHLA), Single Item Literacy Screener (SILS) and Single question on Self-rated Reading Ability (SrRA) among Italian oncology patients. METHODS: The original version of the tools were translated from the English language into Italian using a standard forward-backward procedure and according to internationally recognized good practices. Their internal consistency (reliability) and validity (construct, convergent and discriminative) were tested in a sample of 245 consecutive cancer patients recruited from seven Italian health care centers. RESULTS: The internal consistency of the STOFHLA-I was Chronbach's α=0.96 and that of NVS-I was α=0.74. The STOFHLA-I, NVS-I, SILS-I and SrRA-I scores were in a good relative correlation and in all tools the discriminative known-group validity was confirmed. The reliability and validity values were similar to those obtained from other cultural context studies. CONCLUSION: The psychometric characteristics of the Italian version of NVS, STHOFLA, SILS and SrRA were found to be good, with satisfactory reliability and validity. This indicates that they could be used as a screening tool in Italian patients. Moreover, the use of the same cross-cultural tools, validated in different languages, is essential for implementing multicenter studies to measure and compare the functional HL levels across countries.