Margherita Turchetto

The use of bird feathers for the monitoring of cadmium pollution

The cadmium contamination mechanism in bird feathers was investigated using starlings fed with diets containing 10 and 50 ppm Cd for five months. The experiment started about two months before the beginning of the annual complete feather molt and lasted until most of the birds completed the molt of the primaries. Concentrations of Cd in liver, kidney, and uropygial gland were highly correlated, but uropygial gland concentration was about 100 times lower. Cadmium was found both in old and new feathers, in a dose-related manner. Old. feathers showed higher metal concentrations than new ones and primaries higher than secondaries. Feather Cd concentration correlated with Cd concentration in liver, kidney, and the uropygial gland. The use of bird feathers are, therefore, a reliable method for monitoring cadmium pollution, but differences between feather type and age must be considered to correctly interpret data collected in the field.

Genetic evidence for the existence of sibling species within Contracaecum rudolphii (Hartwich, 1964) and the validity of Contracaecum septentrionale (Kreis, 1955) (Nematoda: Anisakidae)

Specimens of Contracaecum rudolphii sensu lato (s.l.) (Nematoda: Anisakidae) from Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis from northeastern and central Italy were characterised genetically and compared with those from Phalacrocorax aristotelis from Galician coasts, Spain (identified as C. rudolphii A by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis) and with specimens of C. septentrionale from Alca torda from the Galician coasts, Spain. The first (ITS-1) and second (ITS-2) internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from individual nematodes and the amplicons subjected to single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis and/or sequencing. For each ITS region, C. septentrionale specimens were distinct from those of C. rudolphii (s.l.) and C. rudolphii A based on SSCP profiles and ITS sequences. Some specimens of C. rudolphii (s.l.) had the same SSCP profiles and ITS sequences as C. rudolphii A, whereas the others had distinct SSCP profiles and ITS sequences and were suggested to represent C. rudolphii B based on host and geographical origins and genetic similarity to C. rudolphii A. While no length or nucleotide variation in the ITS-1 and ITS-2 sequences was detected within each taxon, nucleotide differences of 1.8–5.5% (ITS-1) and 5.1–12.2% (ITS-2) were detected among them. The results support the hypothesis that C. rudolphii represents a complex of at least two sibling species and provide support for the validity of C. septentrionale as a separate species. The definition of genetic markers in the ITS rDNA provides opportunities for investigating the life cycles, transmission patterns and ecology of the anisakid nematodes studied herein.

Postmortem interval (PMI) determined by study sarcophagous biocenoses: three cases from the province of Venice (Italy)

This paper presents and discusses three cases of cadavers found, unburied, in the province of Venice, Northern Italy. In each case, all insect species playing some role in carrion decay processes, both sarcophagous and their predators, found on or in the bodies, were collected and determined. In one case, many larvae of the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens L. (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) were found and are reported, for the first time in Italy, as necrophagous. Experimental breeding of some fly species was also carried out in controlled temperature and humidity conditions. In particular, it was of interest to know how the Neotropical black soldier fly modified its life-cycle to adapt to a temperate climate. It was thus possible to establish the rate of larval growth and timing of pupation, emergence, oviposition and hatching in various external conditions. The postmortem interval (PMI) established by identifying the life-cycle stages of dipterofauna were later confirmed in all cases through police investigations and the results of forensic analyses.

Records of Chrysomya albiceps in Northern Italy: an ecological and forensic perspective.

Knowledge of the carrion-breeding insects present at a local level is important and necessary for defining the post-mortem interval. Climate changes and globalisation are affecting species ranges and population dynamics. In this note, we report the incidence of Chrysomya albiceps (Diptera: Calliphoridae) on dead human bodies and carrion in Northern Italy. These data confirm the spread of this species in the Northern regions. The partial sequencing of a 583-bp region of the cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene of an Adriatic population did not reveal any difference compared to the same genomic region in the African and South American populations of this species.

Effects and fate of sediment-sorbed linear alkylbenzene sulphonate (LAS) on the bivalve mollusc mytilus galloprovincialis Lmk

Abstract The toxicity of LAS on aquatic animals has been evaluated in particular relation to its concentration in water, although it is well known that sediments play an important role as repositories and sources of many contaminants, including surfactants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of sediment-sorbed LAS on the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis exposed to sediments drugged with 132 mg/kg dry weight of LAS mixtures. Four experiments were performed and some physiological parameters (filtration, oxygen uptake, nitrogen excretion) were measured on control and treated animals. In order to study uptake and release of sediment-sorbed LAS by mussels, quantification of weight, percentage of organic matter, LAS concentration and LAS homologue distribution on faeces were determined. Results showed no significant differences in physiological responses of treated mussels compared to controls, and the absence of a toxic action of LAS contaminated sediments. Moreover one notable aspect was that higher LAS concentrations were found in faeces than in uningested sediments recovered from water. This fact is tentatively explained either as the result of decreased desorption in the mussel intestinal tract with respect to circulating water, or as enrichment in fine particles by mussel filter feeding activity.

Climate Change and Forensic Entomology

We believe it is necessary to have a substantial section on climatology with the intent of providing a comprehensive picture that can be useful for the entomologist to explain the discovery of species or to observe communities that differ from those classically described. The most recent theories explaining the rise in global temperature, the consequences for flora and fauna, and the predictions concerning the climatic state in the forthcoming years should, in our view, become part of the knowledge of each forensic entomologist, who is often the first to pick up on and to indicate alien species or species that are changing their distributional areas, or phenology. Forensic entomologists, doctors, and veterinarians have more opportunities for chance encounters with species that are not included in the local checklists because the corpses and animal remains serve as substantial bait, attracting and concentrating in small areas rare species that previously had been scattered throughout the environment.

Induction of cytochrome P-450 and mixed function oxygenase activity by low concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls in marine fish Zosterisessor ophiocephalus (pall.)

Abstract The results of five experiments with the marine fish Zosterisessor ophiocephalus (Pall.) exposed to relatively low concentrations of PCBs (Aroclor 1254) in water and fed with uncontaminated and contaminated mussel tissues are reported. The data obtained indicate that PCBs accumulated in fish liver are responsible for induction of hepatic benzo[a]pyrene hydroxylase (BPH) activity as well as for the higher cytochrome P-450 content in PCB treated fish. It also appears that, when MFO activity is related to PCB liver content, the relationship seems to be relatively independent of exposure and/or administration modalities.

Naturally occurring levels of elements in fishes as determined by PIXE and XRF methods

Abstract Naturally occurring levels of S, Cl, K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Br, Sb, Sr and Pb were measured in the gills, liver and muscles of fishes (Zosterisessor ophiocephalus Pall) in the northwestern region of the Adriatic Sea. The overall performance of PIXE and XRF methods was tested by the analysis of standard reference materials. The mean concentration values for elements were calculated from the distribution of experimentally determined concentration values. The obtained data are discussed in the framework of metal metabolism and toxicology.

Forensic Entomology and the Archaeology of War

Abstract In the Pre-Alps and Alps of north-eastern Italy, where the First World War was fought, the discovery of human remains is not a rare event. In the past year, the skeleton of an Italian soldier was found at an altitude of 1000 m. The skeleton was almost complete, with the skull in the helmet. As in the majority of these discoveries, the absence of metallic identity tags and of personal effects makes it virtually impossible to identify the soldier. The integration between historical, anthropologic, military, entomological and genetic data could, however, be useful for dating and for identification. The results of the skeletal analysis indicated a man aged between 16 to 19 years old, and short of stature. Death was caused by shrapnel from a shell, which penetrated the head and the helmet. Several puparia and cuticle fragments were collected from the ammunition pouches and identified as Phormia regina, Protophormia terranovae and Fannia cannicularis. The phenology of the species collected suggests that colonisation most probably began during early summer. Discovery of insects associated with the remains of soldiers from WWI and WWII can provide a means to determine the season of death. Additionally, insect evidence can be used to determine if the body was exposed for a period of time following death or immediately hidden or buried. These facts are critical in narrowing down the list of potential individuals who may be finally identified and their remains, one day, buried under a gravestone with their name.

Myiasis by Megaselia scalaris (Diptera: Phoridae) in a Python Affected by Pulmonitis

ABSTRACT Myiases are caused by the presence of maggots in vertebrate tissues and organs. Myiases have been studied widely in humans, farm animals, and pets, whereas reports of myiasis in reptiles are scarce. We describe a case of myiasis caused by the Megaselia Scolaris (Loew) in an Indian python (Python molurus bivittatus, Kuhl) (Ophida: Boidae). The python, 15 yr old, born and reared in a terrarium in the mainland of Venice (Italy), was affected by diffuse, purulent pneumonia caused by Burkholderia cepacia. The severe infestation of maggots found in the lungs during an autopsy indicated at a myiasis.