Impact of intensive agriculture and pathogens on honeybee (Apis mellifera) colony strength in northwestern Italy.

Honeybee colony survival has significantly decreased in many countries over recent decades, which has been associated with multiple factors including pathogens, parasites, resource availability, and environmental stressors, with agricultural intensification playing a key role. This study assessed the effects of Varroa destructor mite infestation, viral prevalence and load, and agrochemical concentrations in the hive matrix on colony strength in two apiaries located in different agricultural contexts (intensive vs traditional) in Northwestern Italy from March to September 2021. The results revealed that colonies in the intensively managed area exhibited lower colony strength and higher mortality rates.

Abundance Trends of Immature Stages of Ticks at Different Distances from Hiking Trails from a Natural Park in North-Western Italy.

Hiking trails may act as hotspots at the wildlife-human interface, posing an acarological risk for people and their pets. Ticks that are maintained in the environment by wild animals may quest on people walking along the trails. Assessing the risk of tick bites for people involved in outdoor activities is a further step in mitigating the risk of tick-borne diseases.

Relating Wildlife Camera Trap Data to Tick Abundance: Testing the Relationship in Different Habitats.

The increase in acarological risk of tick bites is significantly driven by profound changes in landscape, which alter the density and distribution of wildlife that support tick populations. As a result of habitat shifts and land abandonment, which create environments conducive to tick proliferation, the risk of disease transmission to humans and animals is increasing. In this context, it is important to explore tick ecology by applying a comprehensive methodology.

The Role of Hunters in Wildlife Health Research and Monitoring: Their Contribution as Citizen Scientists in Italy.

In Italy, there are hundreds of research, monitoring, and surveillance activities targeting emerging and re-emerging pathogens. These activities heavily rely on hunters for sample collection and early identification of morbidity/mortality events. The objective of this review is to describe and quantify the contribution of hunters in the context of disease research, monitoring, and surveillance in wild populations.

Causes of Admission, Mortality and Pathological Findings in European Hedgehogs: Reports from Two University Centers in Italy and Switzerland.

European hedgehogs () are nocturnal insectivores frequently found in urban areas. In the last decades, their population has declined in various European countries and human activities have emerged as significant contributors to this trend. While the literature has mainly focused on trauma as the major cause of mortality, few authors have considered pathological findings.

Insect live larvae as a new nutritional model in duck: effects on gut health.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Hermetia illucens (Black soldier fly-BSF) and Tenebrio molitor (Yellow mealworm-YMW) live larvae as a new nutritional model on duck's gut health, considering gut histomorphometry, mucin composition, cytokines transcription levels, and microbiota. A total of 126, 3-days-old, females Muscovy ducks were randomly allotted to three dietary treatments (6 replicates/treatment, 7 birds/pen): (i) C: basal diet; (ii) BSF: C + BSF live larvae; (iii) YMW: C + YMW live larvae. BSF and YMW live larvae were administered on top of the basal diet, based on the 5% of the expected daily feed intake.

Meteorological, demographic, and environmental risk factors for Leishmania infantum in wildlife.

Leishmania infantum is an important and neglected vector-borne zoonotic protozoa endemic in the Mediterranean basin. Several wild and domestic mammals can contribute to maintaining its circulation but their importance as effective reservoirs is still under discussion and varies depending on local ecological communities. By combining environmental, climatic, and individual information, this study assessed the presence of L.

Efficacy of a combination of esafoxolaner, eprinomectin and praziquantel (NexGard Combo) against Thelazia callipaeda in naturally infected cats.

This clinical study assessed the efficacy of a topical combination of esafoxolaner, eprinomectin and praziquantel (NexGard Combo) in treating cats naturally infected with the eyeworm Thelazia callipaeda (Nematoda, Thelaziidae). On Study Day (SD) 0, sixteen client-owned cats with eyeworm infection were allocated to an untreated control group (G1, 8 cats) or to a NexGard Combo treated group (G2, 8 cats) and subjected to ocular examination. Cats in G2 received the treatment as per label recommendations.

How abundant is a species at the limit of its distribution range? Crested porcupine and its northern population.

The crested porcupine () is a rodent present in Africa and southern Europe (Italy exclusively). The Italian population is expanding from the centre to the north and south, but little is known about the species' abundance. Reliable population density estimates are important for monitoring trends in wildlife populations and for developing effective conservation and management strategies.

Development of a qPCR Duplex Assay for simultaneous detection of Fascioloides magna and Galba truncatula in eDNA samples: Monitoring beyond boundaries.

Parasites constitute a significant economic burden and highly impact environmental, public, and animal health. The emergence of many parasitic diseases is environmentally mediated and they share the same biogeography with humans and both domestic and wild animals. American liver fluke, Fascioloides magna - a trematode parasite of domestic and wild ungulates - is an example of the anthropogenic introduction of an "invasive alien species" in Italy and Europe.

For birds and humans: challenges and benefits of rat eradication from an inhabited island (Ventotene, central Italy).

Background: Rat eradication from islands is a very effective tool that can free entire ecosystems from the pressure of alien predators. In this study we present the case study of Ventotene (Ponziane Archipelago, central Italy), which to date is the island with by far the greatest number of human inhabitants ever freed from the negative implications of rats. Rat eradication was carried out in the framework of the Life PonDerat project, co-financed by the European Union.

Development of LuxIA, a Cloud-Based AI Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Tool Using a Single Color Fundus Image.

Purpose: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of vision impairment in working-age adults. Automated screening can increase DR detection at early stages at relatively low costs. We developed and evaluated a cloud-based screening tool that uses artificial intelligence (AI), the LuxIA algorithm, to detect DR from a single fundus image.

Zoonotic Microparasites in Invasive Black Rats () from Small Islands in Central Italy.

Invasive species have a detrimental impact on native populations, particularly in island ecosystems, and they pose a potential zoonotic and wildlife threat. Black rats () are invasive species that disrupt native flora and fauna on islands and serve as potential competent reservoirs for various pathogens and parasites. Microparasites screening was conducted in rat populations from small islands in central Italy (the Pontine Islands and Pianosa) with the aim of assessing the role of rats in maintaining infections, particularly in cases where key reservoir hosts were scarce or absent.

Predicting the distribution of Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus in Europe: a comparison of climate niche modelling approaches.

Background: The ticks Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus are two of the most important vectors in Europe. Climate niche modelling has been used in many studies to attempt to explain their distribution and to predict changes under a range of climate change scenarios. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of different climate niche modelling approaches to explain the known distribution of I.

Early Age of Onset Is an Independent Predictor for a Worse Response to Neoadjuvant Therapies in Sporadic Rectal Cancer Patients.

The incidence of rectal cancer (RC) is increasing in the population aged ≤ 49 (early-onset RC-EORC). EORC patients are more likely to present with locally advanced disease at diagnosis than late-onset RC (LORC; aged ≥ 50) patients. As a consequence, more EORC patients undergo neoadjuvant therapies.

The Dangerous Side of Being a Predator: and in Birds of Prey.

and are apicomplexan protozoa of major concern in livestock and is also considered one of the major threats and a public health concern. These protozoa have a wide range of intermediate hosts, including birds. The present work aimed to assess the prevalence of these cyst-forming parasites in migratory and sedentary birds of prey.

Congenital transmission of in wild ungulates and foxes.

Introduction: is one of the main causes of abortion in cattle. In wildlife, the occurrence and relevance of vertical infection have not been yet clearly evaluated. The aim of this study was to verify the possibility of vertical transmission of in three wild species extensively distributed in Europe, namely roe deer , wild boar and red fox .

Artificial intelligence-based fluid quantification and associated visual outcomes in a real-world, multicentre neovascular age-related macular degeneration national database.

Aim: To explore associations between artificial intelligence (AI)-based fluid compartment quantifications and 12 months visual outcomes in OCT images from a real-world, multicentre, national cohort of naïve neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treated eyes.

Methods: Demographics, visual acuity (VA), drug and number of injections data were collected using a validated web-based tool. Fluid compartment quantifications including intraretinal fluid (IRF), subretinal fluid (SRF) and pigment epithelial detachment (PED) in the fovea (1 mm), parafovea (3 mm) and perifovea (6 mm) were measured in nanoliters (nL) using a validated AI-tool.

Evaluation of an Artificial Intelligence-Based Detector of Sub- and Intraretinal Fluid on a Large Set of Optical Coherence Tomography Volumes in Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Diabetic Macular Edema.

Introduction: In this retrospective cohort study, we wanted to evaluate the performance and analyze the insights of an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm in detecting retinal fluid in spectral-domain OCT volume scans from a large cohort of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME).

Methods: A total of 3,981 OCT volumes from 374 patients with AMD and 11,501 OCT volumes from 811 patients with DME were acquired with Heidelberg-Spectralis OCT device (Heidelberg Engineering Inc., Heidelberg, Germany) between 2013 and 2021.

Neurodynamic Treatment Promotes Mechanical Pain Modulation in Sensory Neurons and Nerve Regeneration in Rats.

Background: Somatic nerve injuries are a rising problem leading to disability associated with neuropathic pain commonly reported as mechanical allodynia (MA) and hyperalgesia. These symptoms are strongly dependent on specific processes in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Neurodynamic treatment (NDT), consisting of selective uniaxial nerve repeated tension protocols, effectively reduces pain and disability in neuropathic pain patients even though the biological mechanisms remain poorly characterized.

Automated foveal location detection on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in geographic atrophy patients.

Purpose: To develop a fully automated algorithm for accurate detection of fovea location in atrophic age-related macular degeneration (AMD), based on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) scans.

Methods: Image processing was conducted on a cohort of patients affected by geographic atrophy (GA). SD-OCT images (cube volume) from 55 eyes (51 patients) were extracted and processed with a layer segmentation algorithm to segment Ganglion Cell Layer (GCL) and Inner Plexiform Layer (IPL).

Serology for spp. in Northwest Italy: A Climate-Matched 10-Year Trend.

Ticks are hematophagous parasites that can transmit a variety of human pathogens, and their life cycle is dependent on several climatic factors for development and survival. We conducted a study in Piedmont and Aosta Valley, Italy, between 2009 and 2018. The study matched human sample serologies for spp.