Maria Luisa Menandro

Study on Ticks and Tick-Borne Zoonoses in Public Parks in Italy

A survey on tick density and on tick‐borne zoonoses was carried out in four public parks in the outskirts of Imola (northern Italy) from June to October 2006. All stages of Ixodes ricinus and only larvae of Riphicephalus sanguineus were recovered by dragging, performed on 100‐m transects. Almost all ticks (99%) were harvested in one park. I. ricinus density (nymphs/100 m2) ranged from 0 in park L to 6.3 in park F. Nymphs and adults of I. ricinus were subjected to PCR for Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Bartonella spp., Borrelia burgdorferi s. l. and Rickettsia spp. The observed prevalences were 38.3% for Bartonella henselae, 5.2% for Bartonella clarridgeiae, 10.4% for B. burgdorferi s. l., 2.6% for Rickettsia helvetica and 13% for Rickettsia monacensis, respectively. No DNA of A. phagocytophilum was found. Acarological risks (AR) were calculated as probabilities of collecting at least one infected nymph per transect. The AR values calculated for the various zoonotic agents were 11.4% for R. helvetica, 27.7% for B. clarridgeiae, 49.7% for B. burgdorferi s. l., 57.2% for R. monacensis and 90.4% for B. henselae, respectively. In this study, B. clarridgeiae was for the first time identified in I. ricinus ticks.

Detection of Bartonella bovis in a cattle herd in Italy.

BACTERIA of the genus Bartonella are Gram-negative, pleomorphic, fastidious and are transmitted by bloodsucking arthropods. These microorganisms are intracellular parasites of erythrocytes and endothelial cells and can cause persistent bacteraemia in human beings and animals. Currently, 20

Transition cow: non-specific immune response.

The immune system of all vertebrates, including bovines, consists of cells and their products, whose prime function is the protection of the host against pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses and parasites; it can also act as an accommodation device to facilitate the development of relatively peaceful associations with foreign organisms which, in some instances and especially in ruminants, could be or could become symbiotic (Morrison, 1986; Halliwell and Gorman, 1989; Poli and Cocilovo, 1996). The defence of the body against pathogens can be divided into innate and adaptive; both play specific roles in host defence and are essential for health. Pathogens encountered daily during the life of a normal healthy individual are detected and destroyed within hours by defence mechanisms that are not antigen-specific: these are the mechanisms of innate immunity. Only if a pathogen can breach these early lines of defence will an adaptive immune response ensue, with the generation of humoral and cell-mediated antigen-specific effector cells that specifically target the pathogen, and memory cells that prevent subsequent infection with the same pathogen (Morrison, 1986; Halliwell and Gorman, 1989; Poli and Cocilovo, 1996). The innate immune system, or non-specific immune response consists of physical barriers, humoral factors, and cellular response. The non-antigen-specific defence mechanisms tend to be highly conserved in vertebrates, and these mechanisms in cattle are basically similar to those observed in other species, although they are characterized by some unique aspects (Goodeeris, 1996; Poli and Cocilovo, 1996). The physical barriers consist of skin and mucosae, which provide obstructions to the penetration of pathogens. Humoral factors are an integral and important part of the innate immune system. Plasma proteins of the complement system, some enzymes like lysozyme, interferons, and the acute-phase proteins, such as haptoglobin, are some of the essential elements (Halliwell and Gorman, 1989; Poli and Cocilovo,

Salmonella Typhimurium phage type DT160 infection in two Moluccan cockatoos (Cacatua moluccensis): clinical presentation and pathology.

Abstract This paper reports on two fatal cases of Salmonella Typhimurium phage type DT160 infection in Moluccan cockatoos (Cacatua moluccensis) from a zoological collection in Italy. No previous clinical signs were observed in birds before death, except for anorexia and mild diarrhea in one bird. At post mortem, necrotic foci surrounded by a hyperemic halo were observed in lungs, heart, liver, spleen, kidneys, and intestine. Microscopically, heterophils and macrophages with rare lymphocyte infiltration associated with gram-negative, rod-shaped bacteria aggregates were detected in necrotic foci. Bacteriology confirmed the presence of Salmonella Typhimurium phage type DT160 in the tissues of birds. The source of Salmonella Typhimurium in these birds remains unknown, but the authors emphasize the need to better control salmonella infections in these avian species because they are important zoonotic agents and responsible for disease in animals and humans. This is the first documentation of Salmonella Typhimurium phage type DT160 infection in Moluccan cockatoos.

Anaplasma, Ehrlichia and rickettsial pathogens in ixodid ticks infesting cattle and sheep in western Oromia, Ethiopia.

Although ticks are widely distributed in all agro-ecological zones of Ethiopia, information on tick-borne pathogens is scarce. This study was conducted to determine the presence of Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., and Rickettsia spp. in Rhipicephalus evertsi and Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus collected from cattle and sheep at Bako, western Oromia, Ethiopia, using polymerase chain reaction and sequencing. Anaplasmaovis and Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichiaruminantium and Ehrlichia spp. were detected in Rh. decoloratus, whereas only A. ovis was detected in Rh. evertsi. Both tick species were found to harbor DNA belonging to Rickettsia spp., and Rickettsiaafricae. Our findings highlight the risk of infection of animals and humans with these zoonotic tick-borne bacteria in Ethiopia.