Publications by authors named "Francesco Severini"

Introduction: Mosquitoes represent a way of spreading infectious diseases, as vectors of pathogens. Many types of ultrasonic devices have recently been promoted as effective and suitable alternatives to the use of biocides known as toxic to humans and environment.

Materials And Methods: Four ultrasonic mosquito repellers have been analysed and tested on females of two species, Culex pipiens and Aedes albopictus, in laboratory conditions.

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Migratory birds reach Europe from sub-Saharan Africa, and some avian species may harbor and transport infected ectoparasites, mainly ticks, native to the territories of departure. In 2022, a project focused on identifying the introduction of pathogens in Italy from Africa via migratory birds represented an important opportunity to investigate this particular route of tick dispersal. Among ticks collected from migratory birds on the island of Ventotene, Latium Region, we found one larva of a soft tick on a common whitethroat (Curruca communis) that was morphologically and molecularly identified to the species level as Argas (Persicargas) persicus (Oken 1818).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study evaluated the VECTRACK system, which integrates optical sensors and machine learning, for monitoring disease-vector mosquitoes, specifically Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens, in Italy.
  • The research focused on assessing the impact of the VECTRACK sensor on the performance of a commercial mosquito trap and the accuracy of its classification algorithm.
  • Results showed that the VECTRACK-equipped trap performed similarly to traditional traps, capturing a high percentage of Aedes albopictus and demonstrating excellent agreement between automated and manual identification methods.
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Migratory birds play an important role in transporting ixodid ticks and tick-borne pathogens between continents. During the Boreal spring, migratory birds reach Europe, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa or from northern African countries but not much is known about the diversity and ecology of the ticks they spread. From 2017 to 2022, in the framework of two consecutive projects focused on sampling migratory birds from Africa to Europe, a total of 27 immature Amblyomma ticks were collected from migratory birds, belonging to 8 species, captured on the Island of Ventotene, an important stop-over site in the Mediterranean Sea.

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Background: Anopheles sacharovi, a member of the Anopheles maculipennis complex, was a historical malaria vector in Italy, no longer found since the last report at the end of 1960s. In September 2022, within the Surveillance Project for the residual anophelism, a single specimen of An. maculipennis sensu lato collected in Lecce municipality (Apulia region) was molecularly identified as An.

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The frequency of locally transmitted dengue virus (DENV) infections has increased in Europe in recent years, facilitated by the invasive mosquito species , which is well established in a large area of Europe. In Italy, the first indigenous dengue outbreak was reported in August 2020 with 11 locally acquired cases in the Veneto region (northeast Italy), caused by a DENV-1 viral strain closely related to a previously described strain circulating in Singapore and China. In this study, we evaluated the vector competence of two Italian populations of compared to an lab colony.

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Early detection of pathogens in vectors is important in preventing the spread of arboviral diseases, providing a timely indicator of pathogen circulation before outbreaks occur. However, entomological surveillance may face logistical constraints, such as maintaining the cold chain, and resource limitations, such as the field and laboratory workload of mosquito processing. We propose an FTA card-based trapping system that aims to simplify both field and laboratory phases of arbovirus surveillance.

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Theobald, 1903, considered a competent vector of parasites, is a mosquito species widely distributed in the Mediterranean area but rare in Northern and Central Europe. The disappearance of its suitable breeding sites in Italy is having a detrimental effect on the occurrence of this species once common along the Southern coasts and on the islands. Recently, molecular investigations have renewed interest in this species, highlighting a genetic heterogeneity among European populations.

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As in 2018, when a large West Nile virus (WNV) epidemic occurred, the 2022 vector season in Italy was marked by an early onset of WNV circulation in mosquitoes and birds. Human infections were limited until early July, when we observed a rapid increase in the number of cases. We describe the epidemiology of human infections and animal and vector surveillance for WNV and compare the more consolidated data of June and July 2022 with the same period in 2018.

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Malaria still represents a potential public health issue in Italy, and the presence of former vectors and cases imported annually merit continuous surveillance. In areas no longer endemic, the concurrent presence of gametocyte carriers and competent vectors makes re-emergence of local transmission possible, as recently reported in Greece. In October 2017, due to the occurrence of four suspected introduced malaria cases in the province of Taranto (Apulia region), entomological investigations were performed to verify the involvement of local anopheline species.

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This study reports on the health status of the edible dormouse () 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 was found.

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Background: On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak to be a pandemic. As the mosquito season progressed, the understandable concern that mosquitoes could transmit the virus began to increase among the general public and public health organisations. We have investigated the vector competence of Culex pipiens and Aedes albopictus, the two most common species of vector mosquitoes in Europe, for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

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Plasmodium vivax has been considered for years as responsible for a mild form of malaria, due to the absence in the majority of its infections of the severe form of the disease, typical instead of the deadly human parasite P. falciparum. In the last decade, studies on vivax malaria have had a partial step ahead especially after the completion of the whole genome project, but there is still a gap of knowledge in the biology of this parasite.

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Background: The European region achieved interruption of malaria transmission during the 1970s. Since then, malaria control programs were replaced by surveillance systems in order to prevent possible re-emergence of this disease. Sporadic cases of non-imported malaria were recorded in several European countries in the past decade and locally transmitted outbreaks of Plasmodium vivax, most probably supported by Anopheles sacharovi, have been repeatedly reported from Greece since 2009.

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In 2017, a chikungunya outbreak in central Italy later evolved into a secondary cluster in southern Italy, providing evidence of disease emergence in new areas. Officials have taken action to raise awareness among clinicians and the general population, increase timely case detection, reduce mosquito breeding sites, and promote mosquito bite prevention.

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Background: Aedes mosquitoes are vectors of arboviral diseases of great relevance for public health. The recent outbreaks of dengue, Zika, chikungunya and the rapid worldwide spreading of Aedes albopictus emphasize the need for improvement of vector surveillance and control. Host antibody response to mosquito salivary antigens is emerging as a relevant additional tool to directly assess vector-host contact, monitor efficacy of control interventions and evaluate risk of arboviral transmission.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study conducted in Viterbo, Italy, during 2012-2013 aimed to identify tick species and detect tick-borne pathogens across seven sites, including farms and a military area.
  • A total of 255 ticks were analyzed, revealing a high prevalence of infections, with 71% being infected with at least one pathogen, including several bacterial agents like Borrelia and Coxiella.
  • Coinfections were common, particularly among certain tick species, highlighting the need for further research to understand the risks these pathogens pose in the region.
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Aedes aegypti, the main arbovirus vector of the Yellow fever, Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika viruses, is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical areas throughout the world. Preventive control efforts have been implemented worldwide aimed at reducing its impact on human health. The recent reduction of chemicals available for vector control due to their negative impact on the environment and human health and the increase in mosquito resistance to insecticides have driven the research community to identify and evaluate sustainable alternatives to synthetic insecticides.

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During blood feeding haematophagous arthropods inject into their hosts a cocktail of salivary proteins whose main role is to counteract host haemostasis, inflammation and immunity. However, animal body fluids are known to also carry miRNAs. To get insights into saliva and salivary gland miRNA repertoires of the African malaria vector Anopheles coluzzii we used small RNA-Seq and identified 214 miRNAs, including tissue-enriched, sex-biased and putative novel anopheline miRNAs.

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Background: The highly invasive mosquito species Aedes albopictus has become a major health concern in temperate areas due to its role as vector of exotic arboviruses. Pyrethroid insecticides represent the main tools for limiting the circulation of such mosquito-borne viruses. The present work aim to extend previous reports on phenotypic pyrethroid-resistance in European Ae.

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We compared the vector competence of an Italian population of for two strains of chikungunya virus (CHIKV), with and without E1:A226V mutation, responsible for outbreaks in 2007 in the Emilia Romagna region and 2017 in the Lazio and Calabria regions, respectively. showed similar vector competence for both viral strains indicating that E1:A226V mutation is not exclusively responsible for ability of CHIKV to replicate well in this mosquito species.

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Background: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an emerging arbovirus, belonging to the Togaviridae family, Alphavirus genus, transmitted by Aedes spp. mosquitoes. Since 2007, two different CHIKV strains (E1-226A and E1-226V) have been responsible for outbreaks in European countries, including Italy, sustained by Ae.

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Background: Aedes albopictus, a known worldwide vector of several mosquito-borne disease pathogens including dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses, was introduced into Europe in the late 1970s through global trade. First recorded in northern Italy in 1990, this mosquito species has rapidly spread throughout the country, where it was responsible for an outbreak of chikungunya in 2007 that affected more than 200 people. As part of the VectorNet project, which is aimed at improving preparedness and responsiveness for animal and human vector-borne diseases in Europe, a mosquito targeted study was carried out on the three southernmost Italian islands.

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Article Synopsis
  • An outbreak of chikungunya virus is happening near Anzio, a town close to Rome, with 86 confirmed cases as of September 20.
  • The virus found does not have the A226V mutation and is identified as an East Central South African strain.
  • Efforts to control the outbreak include mosquito control, increased monitoring, and restrictions on blood donations in the impacted areas.
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Background: In 2012-2013, an investigation was carried out in the Viterbo province, Lazio region, on ticks and tick-borne Apicomplexan protozoa of the Babesia and Theileria genera. This followed the reporting of high density of ticks by soldiers operating in a military shooting range, and the signaling by owners and local veterinary authorities of several cases of babesiosis among cattle.

Methods: A total of 422 ticks were collected from 35 heads, whereas 96 ticks were collected by dragging.

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