Publications by authors named "Virginia Mattioda"

Cetacean brains are uniquely adapted to diving, but can be affected by diseases and exposure to toxins, triggering neurodegenerative processes that may cause stranding. Some species exhibit a significant post-reproductive lifespan (PRLS), increasing the likelihood of observing cumulative and age-related pathology. Immunohistochemistry against amyloid-β and hyperphosphorylated tau proteins is increasingly implemented to assess Alzheimer's Disease-like neuropathology in cetaceans, but comparisons between geographically distinct populations, animals of different age groups, sex, and with concomitant pathologies are lacking.

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Herpesvirus (HV) is widely distributed among cetacean populations, with the highest prevalence reported in the Mediterranean Sea. In this study, a comprehensive analysis was conducted, including epidemiological, phylogenetic, and pathological aspects, with particular emphasis on neuropathology, to better understand the impact of HV in these animals. Our results show a higher presence of HV in males compared to females, with males exhibiting a greater number of positive tissues.

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Neurobrucellosis is a shared condition of cetaceans and humans. However, the pathogenesis and immune response in cetacean neurobrucellosis has not been extensively studied. In this multicentric investigation, 21 striped dolphin () neurobrucellosis () cases diagnosed over a 10-year period (2012-2022) were retrospectively evaluated.

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is the etiological agent of the listeriosis. Here, we described three draft genome sequences of isolated in Italy from stranded individuals of the striped dolphin . All the genomes have been molecular typed through the multilocus sequence typing to identify the phylogenetic lineage, clonal complex, sublineage, and serogroup.

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infections have been increasingly reported in cetaceans. In this study, we analyzed all cases of infection detected in striped dolphins stranded along the Italian coastline between 2012 and 2021 ( = 24). We focused on the pathogenic role of through detailed pathological studies, and ad hoc microbiological, biomolecular, and serological investigations, coupled with a comparative genomic analysis of the strains.

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Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) has caused several outbreaks, unusual mortality events, and interepidemic single-lethal disease episodes in the Mediterranean Sea. Since 2012, a new strain with a northeast (NE) Atlantic origin has been circulating among Mediterranean cetaceans, causing numerous deaths. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of CeMV in cetaceans stranded in Italy between 2018 and 2021 and characterize the strain of CeMV circulating.

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Plastic is a polymer extremely resistant to degradation that can remain for up to hundreds or thousands of years, leading to the accumulation of massive amounts of plastic waste throughout the planet's ecosystems. Due to exposure to various environmental factors, plastic breaks down into smaller particles named microplastics (1-5000 μm) and nanoplastics (<1 μm). Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous pollutants but, still, little is known about their effects on human and animal health.

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Article Synopsis
  • * A study analyzed tissue samples from stranded cetaceans along the Italian coast from 2020-2021 to assess SARS-CoV-2 presence and the expression of ACE2 and CD68 markers, using techniques like real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry.
  • * No SARS-CoV-2 was found in the samples, but ACE2 was detected variably in the lungs, indicating differences based on age, sex, and species; furthermore, ACE2 and CD68 were more closely associated in macrophages during
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