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Listorti V, Accorsi A, Riina MV, Peletto S, Acutis PL, Carta V, Ferrari A, Corona C, Casalone C, Ercolini C, Guardone L, Brunelli F, Razzuoli E. First record of Aedes japonicus in Liguria region, Northwest of Italy. Vet Ital 2023; 59. [PMID: 38376828 DOI: 10.12834/vetit.3115.21678.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Aedes japonicus is an invasive Asian mosquito species, and to date it is widespread in many European countries. In Italy, it was first recorded in 2015 at the Austrian border and it then spread throughout the Northeast of the country. In 2019, it was also identified in Piedmont region, near the Swiss border. In the framework of the Italian program for prevention, surveillance, and response to Arboviruses, from June to November 2021, biweekly entomological surveillance was performed in the Liguria region (Northwest Italy). The collected mosquitoes were morphologically and genetically identified and molecularly analysed for the detection of West Nile and Usutu viruses. Six female mosquitoes, trapped on the 6th of July 2021 using a gravid trap in Albenga (Savona province), were morphologically identified as Ae. japonicus and the identification was genetically confirmed. The pool tested was negative for the presence of West Nile and Usutu viruses. The detection of Ae. japonicus was performed in a coastal area characterized by the presence of many floriculture activities. Considering the distance from the established Ae. japonicus mosquito populations in Italy and other European countries, this could represent an independent introduction in this country.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Listorti
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Italy.
| | - Annalisa Accorsi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Italy
| | - Maria Vittoria Riina
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Italy
| | - Simone Peletto
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Italy
| | - Pier Luigi Acutis
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Italy
| | - Valerio Carta
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Italy
| | - Alessio Ferrari
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Italy
| | - Cristiano Corona
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Italy
| | - Cristina Casalone
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Italy
| | - Carlo Ercolini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Italy
| | - Lisa Guardone
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Italy
| | - Francesco Brunelli
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Razzuoli
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Italy
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Vaccaro E, Ciccotelli V, Oliveri P, Battistini R, Capelli C, Lottici S, Melchiorre N, Smirnova E, Ferro M, Costa E, Betti B, Vivaldi B, Masotti C, Serracca L, Iacona F, Orlandi M, Ercolini C. Shellfish sanitation monitoring in La Spezia gulf: Chemometric evaluation of data from 2015 to 2021. Heliyon 2023; 9:e17032. [PMID: 37383211 PMCID: PMC10293677 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Shellfish sanitary controls are very important to guarantee consumer health because bivalve molluscs (BVM) are filter-feeders so they can accumulate pathogens, environmental contaminants and biotoxins produced by some algae, causing infections and food poisoning in humans after ingestion. The purpose of this work was to analyse with chemometric methods the historical data relating to routine analyses carried out by the competent authority (Liguria Local Health Unit, National Health Service) on the BVM reared in a shellfish farm located in the Gulf of La Spezia (Italy). Chemometric analysis was aimed at identifying any correlations between the variables, as well as any seasonal trends and similarities between the stations, in order to be able to provide further material for a more accurate risk assessment and to improve the monitoring organization for example by reducing sampling stations and/or sampling frequency. The dataset used included 31 variables classified as biotoxicological, microbiological and chemical variables, measured twice a week, monthly or half yearly respectively, for a total of 6 years (from 2015 to 2021), on samples of Mytilus galloprovincialis coming from 7 monitoring stations. The results obtained by the application of principal component analysis have shown positive alga-biotoxin correlations, as well as seasonal trends linked to algae growth, with a greater algal biomass and their toxins during the spring months. In addition, periods characterised by low rainfall were found to affect algal development, promoting especially species such as Dinophysis spp. Considering the microbiological and biotoxicological variables, significant differences between the monitoring stations were not found. However, stations could be distinguished on the basis of the nature of the predominant chemical pollutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica Vaccaro
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Valentina Ciccotelli
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Paolo Oliveri
- Dipartimento di Farmacia (DIFAR), Università degli Studi di, Genova, Italy
| | - Roberta Battistini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Erica Costa
- Liguria Local Health Unit-ASL5, Complex Unit of Hygiene of Food and Animal Origin, La Spezia, Italy
| | - Barbara Betti
- Liguria Local Health Unit-ASL5, Complex Unit of Hygiene of Food and Animal Origin, La Spezia, Italy
| | - Barbara Vivaldi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Chiara Masotti
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Laura Serracca
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Francesco Iacona
- Liguria Local Health Unit-ASL5, Complex Unit of Hygiene of Food and Animal Origin, La Spezia, Italy
| | - Mino Orlandi
- Liguria Local Health Unit-ASL5, Complex Unit of Hygiene of Food and Animal Origin, La Spezia, Italy
| | - Carlo Ercolini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
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Giugliano R, Musolino N, Ciccotelli V, Ferraris C, Savio V, Vivaldi B, Ercolini C, Bianchi DM, Decastelli L. Soy, Rice and Oat Drinks: Investigating Chemical and Biological Safety in Plant-Based Milk Alternatives. Nutrients 2023; 15:nu15102258. [PMID: 37242141 DOI: 10.3390/nu15102258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
During the last decades, plant-based milk has become very appreciated by consumers, becoming a staple ingredient, especially for alternative breakfasts. Milk contains lactose, which is a sugar hydrolysed by the lactase enzyme. Lactose intolerance and lactose malabsorption are very common food intolerances among individuals. However, a lot of consumers consider themselves as lactose intolerant on the basis of self-reported intolerance and start to avoid dairy products, ignoring that plant-based milk alternatives are not nutritionally comparable to animal milk, especially in terms of protein intake. The aim of this study is to grow folder knowledge of the security of plant-based drinks, helping competent authorities to issue a risk assessment and to apply national plans about consumer safety. Results show that proper sanitary practices, such as pasteurization, are necessary in plant-based milk alternatives as well as in dairy milk. Chemical analysis has highlighted that there are no pesticide risks for consumers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Giugliano
- National Reference Laboratory of Pesticides in Cereals and Feed (NRL), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria E Valle D'Aosta, Piazza Borgo Pila 39/24, 16129 Genoa, Italy
| | - Noemi Musolino
- National Reference Centre for the Detection of Substances and Products Causing Allergies or Intolerances in Food (CReNaRiA), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle D'Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy
| | - Valentina Ciccotelli
- National Reference Laboratory of Pesticides in Cereals and Feed (NRL), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria E Valle D'Aosta, Piazza Borgo Pila 39/24, 16129 Genoa, Italy
| | - Carla Ferraris
- National Reference Centre for the Detection of Substances and Products Causing Allergies or Intolerances in Food (CReNaRiA), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle D'Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy
| | - Valentina Savio
- National Reference Laboratory of Pesticides in Cereals and Feed (NRL), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria E Valle D'Aosta, Piazza Borgo Pila 39/24, 16129 Genoa, Italy
| | - Barbara Vivaldi
- National Reference Laboratory of Pesticides in Cereals and Feed (NRL), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria E Valle D'Aosta, Piazza Borgo Pila 39/24, 16129 Genoa, Italy
| | - Carlo Ercolini
- National Reference Laboratory of Pesticides in Cereals and Feed (NRL), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria E Valle D'Aosta, Piazza Borgo Pila 39/24, 16129 Genoa, Italy
| | - Daniela Manila Bianchi
- National Reference Centre for the Detection of Substances and Products Causing Allergies or Intolerances in Food (CReNaRiA), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle D'Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy
| | - Lucia Decastelli
- National Reference Centre for the Detection of Substances and Products Causing Allergies or Intolerances in Food (CReNaRiA), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle D'Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy
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Cozzi L, Vicenza T, Battistini R, Masotti C, Suffredini E, Di Pasquale S, Fauconnier ML, Ercolini C, Serracca L. Effects of Essential Oils and Hydrolates on the Infectivity of Murine Norovirus. Viruses 2023; 15:v15030682. [PMID: 36992391 PMCID: PMC10055854 DOI: 10.3390/v15030682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of natural substances with antiviral properties might reduce foodborne viral diseases. In this study, we evaluated the virucidal effect of Citrus limon and Thymus serpyllum essential oils (EOs) and of Citrus Limon, Thymus serpyllum and Thymus vulgaris hydrolates on murine norovirus (MNV), a human norovirus surrogate. To assess the virucidal effect of these natural substances, the reduction in viral infectivity was estimated by comparing the TCID50/mL of untreated viral suspension and the viral suspension treated with hydrolates and EOs at different concentrations. The results showed a natural loss of infectivity of the untreated virus after 24 h of approx. 1 log. The EO (1%) of T. serpyllum, and hydrolates (1% and 2%) of T. serpyllum and T. vulgaris immediately caused a reduction in MNV infectivity of about 2 log but did not provide a further significant decrease after 24 h. Instead, the EO (1%) and hydrolate (1% and 2%) of C. limon exerted an immediate reduction in the viral infectivity of about 1.3 log and 1 log, respectively, followed by a further reduction in infectivity of 1 log after 24 h for the hydrolate. These results will allow for the implementation of a depuration treatment based on the use of these natural compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loredana Cozzi
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Teresa Vicenza
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Roberta Battistini
- Department of La Spezia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via degli Stagnoni 96, 19100 La Spezia, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Chiara Masotti
- Department of La Spezia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via degli Stagnoni 96, 19100 La Spezia, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Suffredini
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Simona Di Pasquale
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Marie-Laure Fauconnier
- Laboratory of Chemistry of Natural Molecules, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Passage des Déportés 2, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Carlo Ercolini
- Department of La Spezia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via degli Stagnoni 96, 19100 La Spezia, Italy
| | - Laura Serracca
- Department of La Spezia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via degli Stagnoni 96, 19100 La Spezia, Italy
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Battistini R, Masotti C, Maurella C, Costa E, Orlandi M, Feletti M, Ercolini C, Serracca L. Study on the Effect of Relaying on Norovirus Reduction from Crassostrea gigas Oysters. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10122389. [PMID: 36557642 PMCID: PMC9783373 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10122389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Norovirus (NoV) is the most important cause of seafood-borne gastroenteritis worldwide, mainly associated with the consumption of raw oysters. NoV is often present in oysters that comply with existing control standards for shellfish. Therefore, the improvement of post-harvest treatments and practices can represent one of the main strategies to reduce the incidence of viral diseases related to shellfish. This study aimed to investigate long-term relays for the reduction of NoV levels in live oysters, during the high-risk cold months, by transferring the oysters from a more contaminated site to two sites with lower NoV levels. The efficacy of relaying was evaluated by analyzing oyster samples collected at days 0 (T0) and 30 (T30) for NoV levels using a real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The NoV level at the relay sites was consistently lower than at the harvest site. The relay process for 30 days in seawater with a lower NoV level resulted in a decrease in the NoV load compared to day 0 with significant reductions depending on the site and genogroup of NoV considered. These results suggest that long-term relaying of oysters to reduce NoV levels is promising and could help growers to improve oyster safety; however, further investigations are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Battistini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Turin, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Chiara Masotti
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Turin, Italy
| | - Cristiana Maurella
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Turin, Italy
| | - Erica Costa
- Liguria Local Health Unit-ASL 5, Complex Unit of Hygiene of Foods and Animal Origin, 19122 La Spezia, Italy
| | - Mino Orlandi
- Liguria Local Health Unit-ASL 5, Complex Unit of Hygiene of Foods and Animal Origin, 19122 La Spezia, Italy
| | - Mirvana Feletti
- Dipartimento Agricoltura, Turismo, Formazione e Lavoro Regione Liguria—Settore Politiche Agricole e Della Pesca, 16121 Genoa, Italy
| | - Carlo Ercolini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Turin, Italy
| | - Laura Serracca
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Turin, Italy
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Battistini R, Serracca L, Razzuoli E, Listorti V, Guardone L, Dellepiane M, Pussini N, Brunelli F, Peletto S, Beltramo C, Ercolini C, Masotti C. Hepatitis E Virus (HEV): Identification of Subtypes 3b and 3m in Wild Boar Population in Liguria Region, Italy. Pathogens 2022; 11:1236. [PMID: 36364986 PMCID: PMC9694157 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11111236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/22/2022] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The wild boar is an important natural reservoir for the zoonotic transmission of the hepatitis E virus (HEV) around the world. In particular, HEV genotypes 3 and 4 are an emerging problem in industrialized countries, as the number of wild boars has increased, and their territory is ever closer to farms and populated areas. This study describes the HEV prevalence and geographic circulation among wild boar populations in the Ligurian region (Italy) during the period 2019-2022. Liver samples from 849 wild boars were analyzed for HEV RNA using real-time RT-PCR; positive samples were then subjected to sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Overall, 6.7% of the wild boars were positive for HEV RNA; however, in the last two years, the percentage of positive animals almost doubled. Phylogenetic analysis showed that wild boar HEV sequences belonged to genotype 3 and clustered within subtypes 3a and 3c, and, for the first time in Italy, subtypes 3b and 3m were identified. Interestingly, 13 sequences could not be assigned to a recognized subtype. Furthermore, the results showed different circulations of identified subtypes across the territory. These findings increase the knowledge of HEV-3 heterogeneity in Italy and describe the role of wild boars in maintaining an active viral circulation in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Battistini
- Department of La Spezia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via degli Stagnoni 96, 19100 La Spezia, Italy
| | - Laura Serracca
- Department of La Spezia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via degli Stagnoni 96, 19100 La Spezia, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Razzuoli
- Department of Genoa, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Piazza Borgo Pila 39/24, 16129 Genoa, Italy
| | - Valeria Listorti
- Department of Genoa, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Piazza Borgo Pila 39/24, 16129 Genoa, Italy
| | - Lisa Guardone
- Department of Genoa, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Piazza Borgo Pila 39/24, 16129 Genoa, Italy
| | - Monica Dellepiane
- Department of Savona, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via Martiri 6, 17056 Savona, Italy
| | - Nicola Pussini
- Department of Imperia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via Nizza 4, 18100 Imperia, Italy
| | - Francesco Brunelli
- Department of Imperia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via Nizza 4, 18100 Imperia, Italy
| | - Simone Peletto
- Department of Turin, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy
| | - Chiara Beltramo
- Department of Turin, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy
| | - Carlo Ercolini
- Department of La Spezia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via degli Stagnoni 96, 19100 La Spezia, Italy
| | - Chiara Masotti
- Department of La Spezia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via degli Stagnoni 96, 19100 La Spezia, Italy
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Masotti C, Battistini R, Listorti V, Razzuoli E, Tramuta C, Decastelli L, Ercolini C, Serracca L. Evaluation of essential oils efficacy on antibiotic-resistant Salmonella strains. Access Microbiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1099/acmi.ac2021.po0052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background
The emergence of multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens has drawn attention to natural antimicrobial compounds, such as essential oils (EOs)
Methods
The aim of the present study was to investigate the inhibitory activity of three EOs against 15 Salmonella strains resistant to 16 commonly used antimicrobials. EOs of O. vulgare, T. serpyllum, and T. vulgariswere tested in triplicate for 15 bacterial strain by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method and broth microdilution method to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines with minor modifications.
Results
O. vulgare and T. serpyllum showed high antimicrobial activity compared to T. vulgaris in all tested antibiotic-resistant strains (P-value <0.01). The mean diameter of the bacterial growth inhibition zone was 18.7 mm for O. vulgaris, 19.2 mm for T. serpyllum, and 14.2 mm for T. vulgaris. The MIC and MBC mean values of O. vulgare were respectively 0.037% and 0.058%, for T. serpyllum 0.036% and 0.041%, for T. vulgaris 0.13% and 0.15%. All strains resulted resistant totrimethoprim-sulamethoxazoleand 14 strains resulted resistant to tetracycline, considered a highly important antimicrobial. Among Salmonella serovars tested the monophasic S. Typhimurium has exhibited the highest antimicrobial resistance to synthetic molecules while they were sensitive to EOs.
Conclusions
The EOs of O. vulgare and T. serpyllum, which contain carvacrol as the main constituent, showed the greatest antimicrobial effect against MDR Salmonella strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Masotti
- Istituto zooprofilattico del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Italy
| | | | - Valeria Listorti
- Istituto zooprofilattico del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Italy
| | | | - Clara Tramuta
- Istituto zooprofilattico del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Italy
| | - Lucia Decastelli
- Istituto zooprofilattico del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Italy
| | - Carlo Ercolini
- Istituto zooprofilattico del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Italy
| | - Laura Serracca
- Istituto zooprofilattico del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Italy
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Franzoni G, Ciccotelli V, Masiello L, De Ciucis CG, Anfossi AG, Vivaldi B, Ledda M, Zinellu S, Dei Giudici S, Berio E, Tiziana A, Dellepiane M, Zoppi S, Masotti C, Crescio MI, Oggiano A, Ercolini C, Razzuoli E. Cadmium and wild boar: environmental exposure and immunological impact on macrophages. Toxicol Rep 2022; 9:171-180. [PMID: 35145881 PMCID: PMC8819190 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2022.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Wild boar represents useful bioindicator for Cadmium environmental exposure. Cadmium can be absorbed by wild boar moMФ with subsequent cell viability decrease. Moderate cadmium concentration down-regulated IL-12p40, TNF-α expression in moMФ. Moderate cadmium concentration decreased antimicrobial molecules expression in moMФ. Moderate cadmium concentration down-regulated expression of several TLRs in moMФ.
Cadmium (Cd2+) is regarded as one of the most toxic heavy metals, which can enter the food chain through environmental contamination and be bioaccumulated. Its exposure in Ligurian wild boars was monitored between 2016–2020 and revealed high level of this heavy metal in different provinces. In one of these polluted area, 21 wild boars were additionally sampled and the relationship between hepatic and renal Cd2+ concentration suggested that majority of these animals presented chronic intoxication. Cd2+ exposure of wild boar might lead to an immunosuppression status, thus in vitro experiments on wild boar monocyte-derived macrophages (moMФ) were carried out. Effects of Cd2+ scalar doses were evaluated through viability and adsorption assays, ELISA, qPCR. Moderate doses of this environmental pollutant (20 μM) were absorbed by moMФ, with subsequent reduction of their viability. This heavy metal did not trigger release of either IFN- β, anti-inflammatory or pro-inflammatory cytokines by moMФ, instead 24 h treatment with 20 μM of Cd2+ resulted in down-regulated expression of TNF-α, IL-12p40, several TLRs, CD14, MD2, BD2, MyD88, p65, and NOS2. The results of our monitoring activity suggested that wild boar can be useful to monitor environmental exposure of this heavy metal and can help in understanding the type of contamination. In addition, in vitro experiments on wild boar moMФ revealed that Cd2+ exposure negatively affected the immune function of these cells, likely leading to increased susceptibility to infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Franzoni
- Department of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sardegna, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
- Corresponding authors.
| | - Valentina Ciccotelli
- National Reference Center of Veterinary and Comparative Oncology (CEROVEC), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Piazza Borgo Pila 39-24, 16129 Genova, Italy
| | - Lucia Masiello
- National Reference Center of Veterinary and Comparative Oncology (CEROVEC), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Piazza Borgo Pila 39-24, 16129 Genova, Italy
| | - Chiara Grazia De Ciucis
- National Reference Center of Veterinary and Comparative Oncology (CEROVEC), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Piazza Borgo Pila 39-24, 16129 Genova, Italy
| | - Antonio Giovanni Anfossi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Via Vienna, 07100 Sassari, Italy
- Mediterranean Center for Disease Control (MCDC), University of Sassari, Via Vienna, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Barbara Vivaldi
- National Reference Center of Veterinary and Comparative Oncology (CEROVEC), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Piazza Borgo Pila 39-24, 16129 Genova, Italy
| | - Mauro Ledda
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Via Vienna, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Susanna Zinellu
- Department of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sardegna, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Silvia Dei Giudici
- Department of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sardegna, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Enrica Berio
- Department of Imperia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via Nizza 4, 18100 Imperia, Italy
| | - Andreoli Tiziana
- Department of Savona, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via Martini 6, 17100 Savona, Italy
| | - Monica Dellepiane
- Department of Savona, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via Martini 6, 17100 Savona, Italy
| | - Simona Zoppi
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Torino, Italy
| | - Chiara Masotti
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Torino, Italy
| | - Maria Ines Crescio
- Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Risk Analysis, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Torino, Italy
| | - Annalisa Oggiano
- Department of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sardegna, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Carlo Ercolini
- National Reference Center of Veterinary and Comparative Oncology (CEROVEC), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Piazza Borgo Pila 39-24, 16129 Genova, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Razzuoli
- National Reference Center of Veterinary and Comparative Oncology (CEROVEC), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Piazza Borgo Pila 39-24, 16129 Genova, Italy
- Corresponding authors.
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9
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Sarchese V, Fruci P, Palombieri A, Di Profio F, Robetto S, Ercolini C, Orusa R, Marsilio F, Martella V, Di Martino B. Molecular Identification and Characterization of a Genotype 3 Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) Strain Detected in a Wolf Faecal Sample, Italy. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11123465. [PMID: 34944242 PMCID: PMC8698176 DOI: 10.3390/ani11123465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is a major health problem worldwide. In developed countries, zoonotic transmission of HEV genotypes (Gt) 3 and 4 is caused by the ingestion of raw or undercooked meat of infected pigs and wild boars, the main reservoirs of HEV. However, additional animals may harbour HEV or HEV-related strains, including carnivores. In this study, we investigated the molecular epidemiology of orthohepeviruses in wild canids by screening a total of 136 archival faecal samples, collected from wolves (42) and red foxes (94) in Northwestern Italy. Orthohepevirus RNA was identified in a faecal specimen, collected from a wolf carcass in the province of La Spezia (Liguria Region, Italy). The nearly full-length (7212 nucleotides) genome of the strain HEV/81236/Wolf/2019/ITA (GenBank accession no. MZ463196) was determined by combining a sequence-independent single-primer amplification (SISPA) approach with the Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing platform. Upon phylogenetic analysis, the HEV detected in wolf was segregated into clade HEV-3.1, displaying the highest nucleotide (nt) identity (89.0-93.3%) to Gt3 strains belonging to subtype c. Interestingly, the wolf faecal sample also contained porcine astrovirus sequences, endorsing the hypothesis of a dietary origin of the HEV strain due to preying habits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vittorio Sarchese
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (V.S.); (P.F.); (A.P.); (F.D.P.); (F.M.)
| | - Paola Fruci
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (V.S.); (P.F.); (A.P.); (F.D.P.); (F.M.)
| | - Andrea Palombieri
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (V.S.); (P.F.); (A.P.); (F.D.P.); (F.M.)
| | - Federica Di Profio
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (V.S.); (P.F.); (A.P.); (F.D.P.); (F.M.)
| | - Serena Robetto
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Centro di Referenza Nazionale per le Malattie degli Animali Selvatici (CeRMAS), 11020 Aosta, Italy; (S.R.); (R.O.)
| | - Carlo Ercolini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, SC Liguria e Portualità Marittima, 19100 La Spezia, Italy;
| | - Riccardo Orusa
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Centro di Referenza Nazionale per le Malattie degli Animali Selvatici (CeRMAS), 11020 Aosta, Italy; (S.R.); (R.O.)
| | - Fulvio Marsilio
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (V.S.); (P.F.); (A.P.); (F.D.P.); (F.M.)
| | - Vito Martella
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Università Aldo Moro di Bari, 70121 Valenzano, Italy;
| | - Barbara Di Martino
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (V.S.); (P.F.); (A.P.); (F.D.P.); (F.M.)
- Correspondence:
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10
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Battistini R, Masotti C, Listorti V, Suffredini E, Maurella C, Garcia-Vozmediano A, Costa E, Iacona F, Orlandi M, Ercolini C, Serracca L. Norovirus Persistence in Oysters to Prolonged Commercial Purification. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10080944. [PMID: 34451408 PMCID: PMC8401112 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10080944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Depuration is generally the main treatment employed for bivalve mollusks harvested from contaminated sites. Commercial depuration has demonstrated to be effective for removal of bacterial pathogens, although it probably provides only limited efficacy against human enteric viruses. We evaluated the quantitative reduction of norovirus (NoV) genogroups I and II in naturally contaminated oysters after 1, 4, and 9 days of depuration. The process was conducted in an authorized depuration plant, and NoV concentration was determined by RT-qPCR according to ISO 15216-1:2017 method. Regardless of the NoV genogroup, our results showed no significant reduction in NoV concentration after 1 day of depuration. Higher mean reduction (68%) was obtained after 4 days of treatment, while no further increase was observed after 9 days. Overall, reduction was highly variable, and none of the trials showed statistically significant reduction in NoV RNA concentration at the end of each depuration period. Indeed, NoV concentration remained high in 70% of samples even after 9 days of depuration, with values ranging between 4.0 × 102 and 2.3 × 104 g.c./g. These results indicate that an extension of commercial depuration time does not appear to be effective for reducing or eliminating NoV in oysters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Battistini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Turin, Italy; (C.M.); (V.L.); (C.M.); (A.G.-V.); (C.E.); (L.S.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Chiara Masotti
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Turin, Italy; (C.M.); (V.L.); (C.M.); (A.G.-V.); (C.E.); (L.S.)
| | - Valeria Listorti
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Turin, Italy; (C.M.); (V.L.); (C.M.); (A.G.-V.); (C.E.); (L.S.)
| | - Elisabetta Suffredini
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | - Cristiana Maurella
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Turin, Italy; (C.M.); (V.L.); (C.M.); (A.G.-V.); (C.E.); (L.S.)
| | - Aitor Garcia-Vozmediano
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Turin, Italy; (C.M.); (V.L.); (C.M.); (A.G.-V.); (C.E.); (L.S.)
| | - Erica Costa
- Liguria Local Health Unit-ASL 5, Complex Unit of Hygiene of Foods and Animal Origin, 19122 La Spezia, Italy; (E.C.); (F.I.); (M.O.)
| | - Francesco Iacona
- Liguria Local Health Unit-ASL 5, Complex Unit of Hygiene of Foods and Animal Origin, 19122 La Spezia, Italy; (E.C.); (F.I.); (M.O.)
| | - Mino Orlandi
- Liguria Local Health Unit-ASL 5, Complex Unit of Hygiene of Foods and Animal Origin, 19122 La Spezia, Italy; (E.C.); (F.I.); (M.O.)
| | - Carlo Ercolini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Turin, Italy; (C.M.); (V.L.); (C.M.); (A.G.-V.); (C.E.); (L.S.)
| | - Laura Serracca
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Turin, Italy; (C.M.); (V.L.); (C.M.); (A.G.-V.); (C.E.); (L.S.)
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11
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Avolio R, Andreoli T, Ercolini C, Mignone W, Beltrame R, Razzuoli E, Modesto P, Zoppi S, Crescio MI, Ostorero F, Gili M, Abete MC, Meloni D, Dellepiane M. Retrospective data analysis of animal poisoning events in Liguria. Vet Anim Sci 2021; 13:100178. [PMID: 34151043 PMCID: PMC8188559 DOI: 10.1016/j.vas.2021.100178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Confirmed animal poisoning cases were 215/497 (43.2%) from 2009 to 2018. Anticoagulant rodenticides (79.2%) were the main cause of animal poisoning. The most affected areas are located along the coast. Dogs and cats were 40.0% of confirmed animal poisoning.
Intentional poisoning represents a serious risk to domestic and wild animals, and it can be an environmental and human health issue as well . This paper is a retrospective study, which covers a decade, based on animal poisoning cases and poisoned baits that were submitted for diagnostic examinations to the Veterinary Medical Research Institute for Piedmont, Liguria and the Aosta Valley (IZS-PLVA) in Liguria region. All data were collected through a passive surveillance system introduced in Italy by a decree of the Ministry of Health in January 2009. 43.2% of the animal poisoning cases were confirmed by toxicological analysis, whereas toxic agents were detected in 31.1% of the baits. The most affected animal species were dogs and cats, followed by synanthropic birds,. Only 4% of the total poisoning events analysed involved wild animals and cases of livestock poisoning were minimal. An increased number of cases in January, March, April and August was noticed, but no seasonal trend was detected. The most affected areas were the ones with the highest level of urbanization and population density. The major cause of the poisonings and the most common substances detected in the examined baits were anticoagulants whereas cholinesterase inhibitors, organochlorine pesticides and carbamates were detected in a minor number of cases. This study raises concerns about deliberate animal poisoning in ligurian region and highlights the necessity to fight this phenomenon as it endangers animals, humans and environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Avolio
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, via Bologna 148, Turin, 10154, Italy
| | - T Andreoli
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, via Bologna 148, Turin, 10154, Italy
| | - C Ercolini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, via Bologna 148, Turin, 10154, Italy
| | - W Mignone
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, via Bologna 148, Turin, 10154, Italy
| | - R Beltrame
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, via Bologna 148, Turin, 10154, Italy
| | - E Razzuoli
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, via Bologna 148, Turin, 10154, Italy
| | - P Modesto
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, via Bologna 148, Turin, 10154, Italy
| | - S Zoppi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, via Bologna 148, Turin, 10154, Italy
| | - M I Crescio
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, via Bologna 148, Turin, 10154, Italy
| | - F Ostorero
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, via Bologna 148, Turin, 10154, Italy
| | - M Gili
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, via Bologna 148, Turin, 10154, Italy
| | - M C Abete
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, via Bologna 148, Turin, 10154, Italy
| | - D Meloni
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, via Bologna 148, Turin, 10154, Italy
| | - M Dellepiane
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, via Bologna 148, Turin, 10154, Italy
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12
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Battistini R, Listorti V, Squadrone S, Pederiva S, Abete MC, Mua R, Ciccotelli V, Suffredini E, Maurella C, Baioni E, Orlandi M, Ercolini C, Serracca L. Occurrence and persistence of enteric viruses, arsenic and biotoxins in Pacific oysters farmed in an Italian production site. Mar Pollut Bull 2021; 162:111843. [PMID: 33223135 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Revised: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The presence of Norovirus (NoV) and Hepatitis E virus (HEV) in non-depurated and depurated oysters raised in the north-west Italian coast was investigated by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Total and inorganic arsenic (As) and the presence of marine biotoxins (DSP, ASP, PSP) by LC-MS were also investigated. NoV was detected through all the sampling period in non depurated and depurated oysters with highest levels during wintertime (>104 genome copies per gram, gc/g) and minimum values in summer below the LOQ (<130/140 gc/g). HEV has never been found as well as biotoxins. Total As concentration was found in oysters in the range 0.45-3.0 mg/kg, while inorganic As was found in all samples in concentrations below the LOQ (<0.020 mg/kg). The study highlights how the 24 h depuration process didn't reduce significantly NoV levels and therefore the high concentration of NoV in oysters could represent a risk for consumers especially during winter and spring months.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Battistini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy.
| | - Valeria Listorti
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Stefania Squadrone
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Sabina Pederiva
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Maria Cesarina Abete
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Roberto Mua
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Valentina Ciccotelli
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Suffredini
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristiana Maurella
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Elisa Baioni
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Mino Orlandi
- Liguria Local Health Unit-ASL 5, Complex Unit of Hygiene of Foods and Animal Origin, La Spezia, Italy
| | - Carlo Ercolini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Laura Serracca
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
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13
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Battistini R, Varello K, Listorti V, Zambon M, Arcangeli G, Bozzetta E, Francese DR, Ercolini C, Serracca L. Microbiological and Histological Analysis for the Evaluation of Farmed Mussels ( Mytilus galloprovincialis) Health Status, in Coastal Areas of Italy. Pathogens 2020; 9:E395. [PMID: 32455535 PMCID: PMC7281438 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9050395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Shellfish farming is a relevant economic activity in Italy. The Gulf of La Spezia is one of the major production areas for mussels: the area is characterized by the presence of numerous human activities that could harm the quality of seawater. Additionally, the presence of potentially pathogenic microorganisms may influence the health status of animals, which must be constantly monitored. To have a clear view of the health conditions of the mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) farmed in this area, microbiological, parasitological, and histological analyses were performed. The study was conducted from November 2016 to October 2017. Overall, despite the presence of potentially pathogenic microorganisms for mussels, abnormal mortality rates were not reported during the monitoring period and the histological examination revealed no significant lesions. Our study confirms that studying different aspects together is a useful tool for assessing the health conditions of mussels and points out the importance of adverse environmental conditions for the expression of the pathogenicity of microorganisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Battistini
- Department of La Spezia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 19100 La Spezia, Italy; (V.L.); (C.E.); (L.S.)
| | - Katia Varello
- Department of Histopathology, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Torino, Italy; (K.V.); (E.B.); (D.R.F.)
| | - Valeria Listorti
- Department of La Spezia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 19100 La Spezia, Italy; (V.L.); (C.E.); (L.S.)
| | - Michela Zambon
- National Reference Centre for Fish, Mollusc and Crustacean Diseases, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy; (M.Z.); (G.A.)
| | - Giuseppe Arcangeli
- National Reference Centre for Fish, Mollusc and Crustacean Diseases, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy; (M.Z.); (G.A.)
| | - Elena Bozzetta
- Department of Histopathology, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Torino, Italy; (K.V.); (E.B.); (D.R.F.)
| | - Danila Raffaella Francese
- Department of Histopathology, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Torino, Italy; (K.V.); (E.B.); (D.R.F.)
| | - Carlo Ercolini
- Department of La Spezia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 19100 La Spezia, Italy; (V.L.); (C.E.); (L.S.)
| | - Laura Serracca
- Department of La Spezia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 19100 La Spezia, Italy; (V.L.); (C.E.); (L.S.)
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14
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Battistini R, Rossini I, Listorti V, Ercolini C, Maurella C, Serracca L. HAV detection from milk-based products containing soft fruits: Comparison between four different extraction methods. Int J Food Microbiol 2020; 328:108661. [PMID: 32454367 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2020.108661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Revised: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Virus detection in food requires appropriate elution and concentration techniques which need to be adapted for different food matrices. ISO/TS-15216-1:2017 and ISO/TS-15216-2:2019 describe standard methods for hepatitis A virus (HAV) research in some food only. Milk-based products containing one or more types of fruit are not covered by ISO procedures, even though they can be contaminated by fruit added to these products or by the food handlers. The aim of this work was to identify an efficient method for the detection of HAV in milk-based products. Four methods were tested to recover HAV from artificially contaminated milk, yoghurt and ice cream containing soft fruits. Results showed that the efficiency of the tested methods depends on the analyzed matrix. In milk we obtained a mean recovery from 13.4% to 1.9%; method based on high speed centrifuge gave the best values. The average recovery in yoghurt was between 3.3% and 114.4%, the latter value achieved by method with beef extract at 3% as eluent. Finally, two methods gave the best results in ice cream with similar recoveries: 29.1% and 27.7% respectively. The first method used glycine as eluent while the other one was based on high speed centrifugation. The ISO method has never proved to be the most efficient in the matrices studied. Therefore, based on the results obtained, a complete rethinking of the ISO method may be necessary to improve its recovery for some products such as milk, while only small changes would be sufficient for other products, such as yoghurt and ice cream.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Battistini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Torino, Italy.
| | - Irene Rossini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Torino, Italy
| | - Valeria Listorti
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Torino, Italy
| | - Carlo Ercolini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Torino, Italy
| | - Cristiana Maurella
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Torino, Italy
| | - Laura Serracca
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Torino, Italy
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15
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Listorti V, Battistini R, Ercolini C, Tramuta C, Razzuoli E, Vencia W, Decastelli L, Gallina S, Masotti C, Serracca L. In Vitro Susceptibility of Multidrug Resistant Strains of Salmonella to Essential Oils. Nat Prod Commun 2020. [DOI: 10.1177/1934578x19878904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance has become a global threat to public health. There is a critical need to find new antimicrobial substances from natural sources. The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial activity of essential oils (EOs) obtained from Origanum vulgare, Thymus serpyllum, Thymus vulgaris, and Melaleuca alternifolia against multidrug resistant strains of Salmonella isolated from samples of diverse animal origin. The strains were biochemically identified, serotyped, and characterized for their antimicrobial resistance profiles. The antimicrobial activity of the EOs against the strains was evaluated using the Kirby-Bauer diffusion method, followed by determination of the minimal inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentrations. The EOs of T. serpyllum and O. vulgare, which contain carvacrol as the main compound, show excellent antimicrobial activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Listorti
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Sezione La Spezia, Italy
| | - Roberta Battistini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Sezione La Spezia, Italy
| | - Carlo Ercolini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Sezione La Spezia, Italy
| | - Clara Tramuta
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, SC Controllo Alimenti e Igiene delle produzioni, Torino, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Razzuoli
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Sezione Genova, Italy
| | - Walter Vencia
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Sezione Genova, Italy
| | - Lucia Decastelli
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, SC Controllo Alimenti e Igiene delle produzioni, Torino, Italy
| | - Silvia Gallina
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, SC Controllo Alimenti e Igiene delle produzioni, Torino, Italy
| | - Chiara Masotti
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Sezione La Spezia, Italy
| | - Laura Serracca
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Sezione La Spezia, Italy
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Battistini R, Rossini I, Ercolini C, Goria M, Callipo MR, Maurella C, Pavoni E, Serracca L. Antiviral Activity of Essential Oils Against Hepatitis A Virus in Soft Fruits. Food Environ Virol 2019; 11:90-95. [PMID: 30684236 DOI: 10.1007/s12560-019-09367-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Berries have repeatedly been associated with outbreaks of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection. The fruits are usually minimally processed in the food industry due to their delicate nature. While washing treatments partially remove enteric viruses, the commonly used chemical additives produce toxic by-products. A valid alternative to preserve the food safety of these products could be the use of essential oils (EOs). EOs exert antimicrobial activity and do not interfere with the nutritional characteristics of food products. We investigated the efficacy of four essential oils, lemon (Citrus limon), sweet orange (Citrus sinensis), grapefruit (Citrus paradisi), and rosemary cineole (Rosmarinus officinalis chemotype 1.8 cineole) in reducing viral loads of HAV in soft fruits. Mixed fruit berries were inoculated with 106.74 TCID50/ml of HAV, and treated with four different EOs (0.5% lemon, 0.1% sweet orange and grapefruit, and 0.05% rosemary) for 1 h at room temperature. Virus infectivity was then assessed by titration assays for its ability to grow on cell cultures. A statistically significant reduction in HAV titer on the fruit surface was observed after treating the berries with EOs of lemon (2.84 log TCID50/ml), grapefruit (2.89 log TCID50/ml), and rosemary cineole (2.94 log TCID50/ml). Rosemary cineole was the most effective EO in reducing viral titer on berries, followed by grapefruit EO. These results improve our knowledge about the antiviral activity of these EOs and highlight their potential use in fresh produce sanitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Battistini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Torino, Italy
| | - Irene Rossini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Torino, Italy
| | - Carlo Ercolini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Torino, Italy
| | - Maria Goria
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Torino, Italy
| | - Maria Rita Callipo
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Torino, Italy
| | - Cristiana Maurella
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Torino, Italy
| | - Enrico Pavoni
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, Brescia, Italy
| | - Laura Serracca
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Torino, Italy.
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Borgni E, Rizzo F, Ballardini M, Mignone W, Renna G, Buonincontro G, Maglione D, Ercolini C, Ferrari A, Mandola M. Ticks from wild mammals: evidence of zoonotic pathogens in Liguria region, North-West Italy. Int J Infect Dis 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2018.11.353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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Matozzo V, Ercolini C, Serracca L, Battistini R, Rossini I, Granato G, Quaglieri E, Perolo A, Finos L, Arcangeli G, Bertotto D, Radaelli G, Chollet B, Arzul I, Quaglio F. Assessing the health status of farmed mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) through histological, microbiological and biomarker analyses. J Invertebr Pathol 2018; 153:165-179. [PMID: 29501499 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2018.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Revised: 02/08/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The Gulf of La Spezia (northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) is a commercially important area both as a shipping port and for mussel farming. Recently, there has been increased concern over environmental disturbances caused by anthropogenic activities such as ship traffic and dredging and the effects they have on the health of farmed mussels. This paper reports the results of microbiological and histological analyses, as well as of measurement of several biomarkers which were performed to assess the health status of mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from four rearing sites in the Gulf of La Spezia. Mussels were collected between October 2015 and September 2016 and histological analyses (including gonadal maturation stage), as well as the presence of pathogenic bacteria (Vibrio splendidus clade, V. aestuarianus and V. harveyi), viruses (Herpes virus and ostreid Herpes virus 1) and protozoa (Marteilia spp., in the summer season only) were carried out on a monthly basis. Conversely, biomarker responses in haemocyte/haemolymph (total haemocyte count, haemocyte diameter and volume, lysozyme and lactate dehydrogenase activities in cell-free haemolymph, and micronuclei frequency) and in gills and digestive gland (cortisol-like steroids and lipid peroxidation levels), were evaluated bimonthly. Microbiological data indicated that mussels contain a reservoir of potentially pathogenic bacteria, viruses and protozoa that in certain environmental conditions may cause a weakening of the immune system of animals leading to mortality episodes. The percentage of parasites detected in the mussels was generally low (9.6% for Steinhausia mytilovum, that is 17 samples out of 177 examined females; 3.4% for Proctoeces maculatus; 0.9% for Mytilicola intestinalis and 2% for ciliated protozoa), while symbiont loads were higher (31% for Eugymnanthea inquilina and Urastoma cyprinae). Interestingly, a previously undescribed haplosporidian was detected in a single mussel sample (0.2%) and was confirmed by in situ hybridization. Cells morphologically similar to Perkinsus sp. trophozoites were observed in 0.7% of the mussels analysed; however, infection with Perkinsus spp. could neither be confirmed by ISH nor by PCR. Different pathological aspects, such as host defence responses and regressive/progressive changes were detected in the gills, digestive glands, gonads and mantle. Only one single case of disseminated neoplasia (0.2%) was observed. As for the biomarker evaluation, the MANOVA analysis revealed the statistically significant effect that the variable "sampling site" had on the biological parameter measured, thus suggesting that the multibiomarker approach was able to differentiate the rearing sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerio Matozzo
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, 35131 Padova, Italy.
| | - Carlo Ercolini
- Marine Microbiology Laboratory of the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Piemonte Liguria and Valle d'Aosta, Via degli Stagnoni 96, 19100 La Spezia, Italy
| | - Laura Serracca
- Marine Microbiology Laboratory of the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Piemonte Liguria and Valle d'Aosta, Via degli Stagnoni 96, 19100 La Spezia, Italy
| | - Roberta Battistini
- Marine Microbiology Laboratory of the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Piemonte Liguria and Valle d'Aosta, Via degli Stagnoni 96, 19100 La Spezia, Italy
| | - Irene Rossini
- Marine Microbiology Laboratory of the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Piemonte Liguria and Valle d'Aosta, Via degli Stagnoni 96, 19100 La Spezia, Italy
| | - Giulia Granato
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Quaglieri
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Alberto Perolo
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Livio Finos
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Arcangeli
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Via L. da Vinci 39, 45011 Adria (RO), Italy
| | - Daniela Bertotto
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Giuseppe Radaelli
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Bruno Chollet
- IFREMER Laboratoire de Genetique et Pathologie des Mollusques Marins La Tremblade, France
| | - Isabelle Arzul
- IFREMER Laboratoire de Genetique et Pathologie des Mollusques Marins La Tremblade, France
| | - Francesco Quaglio
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
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Squadrone S, Brizio P, Stella C, Prearo M, Pastorino P, Serracca L, Ercolini C, Abete MC. Presence of trace metals in aquaculture marine ecosystems of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea (Italy). Environ Pollut 2016; 215:77-83. [PMID: 27179326 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.04.096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2016] [Revised: 04/26/2016] [Accepted: 04/28/2016] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Information regarding chemical pollutant levels in farmed fish and shellfish, along with the risks associated with their consumption is still scarce. This study was designed to assess levels of exposure to 21 trace elements in fish (Dicentrarchus labrax), mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and oysters (Crassostrea gigas) collected from aquaculture marine ecosystems of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. Metal concentrations showed great variability in the three species; the highest values of the nonessential elements As and Cd were found in oysters while the highest levels of Al, Pb and V were found in mussels. The essential elements Cu, Mn and Zn were highest in oysters, but Fe, Cr, Ni, Se, Co and Mo levels were highest in mussels. Fish had the lowest concentrations for all trace elements, which were at least one order of magnitude lower than in bivalves. The rare earth elements cerium and lanthanum were found at higher levels in mussels than in oysters, but undetectable in fish. The maximum values set by European regulations for Hg, Cd and Pb were never exceeded in the examined samples. However, comparing the estimated human daily intakes (EHDIs) with the suggested tolerable copper and zinc intakes suggested a potential risk for frequent consumers of oysters. Similarly, people who consume high quantities of mussels could be exposed to concentrations of Al that exceed the proposed TWI (tolerable weekly intake).
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Affiliation(s)
- S Squadrone
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy.
| | - P Brizio
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - C Stella
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - M Prearo
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - P Pastorino
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - L Serracca
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - C Ercolini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - M C Abete
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
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20
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Serracca L, Battistini R, Rossini I, Mignone W, Peletto S, Boin C, Pistone G, Ercolini R, Ercolini C. Molecular Investigation on the Presence of Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) in Wild Game in North-Western Italy. Food Environ Virol 2015; 7:206-12. [PMID: 26006251 DOI: 10.1007/s12560-015-9201-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2015] [Accepted: 05/16/2015] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Meat products from HEV-infected reservoir animal species are capable of transmitting HEV to humans and represent a public health concern. Human HEV cases have been linked to the consumption of raw or undercooked pig liver sausages, pork, and game meats, such as wild boars and deer worldwide. Direct exposure to swine or wild game species might also represent a source of HEV transmission especially for veterinarians, hunters, or butchers. A limited amount of data is available on HEV prevalence in wild boars in Italy and no data are available for other wild game species intended for human consumption. In this study, the circulation of HEV in four different animal species hunted in north-western Italy was evaluated to gain insight into the infection levels and the genetic diversity of the virus in such animal populations. Liver samples of 372 wild boars, 30 roe deer, 47 European hares and 38 coypus were analyzed for HEV RNA by real-time RT-PCR; positive samples were then sequenced and submitted to phylogenetic analysis. HEV RNA was detected in the livers of 7/372 (1.9%) wild boars tested, while no sample was positive for roe deer, European hare, and coypu. Phylogenetic analysis showed that wild boar HEV sequences belonged to HEV subtypes 3e, 3c, and 3f. Our results indicate that HEV is circulating only in wild boar among the considered game species in north-western Italy and suggest a potential zoonotic risk related to handling and/or consumption of raw or undercooked meat and products made of the liver from this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Serracca
- IZSPLVA - Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta - Sezione La Spezia, Via degli Stagnoni 96, 19100, La Spezia, Italy,
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21
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Serracca L, Battistini R, Rossini I, Carducci A, Verani M, Prearo M, Tomei L, De Montis G, Ercolini C. Food safety considerations in relation to Anisakis pegreffii in anchovies (Engraulis encrasicolus) and sardines (Sardina pilchardus) fished off the Ligurian Coast (Cinque Terre National Park, NW Mediterranean). Int J Food Microbiol 2014; 190:79-83. [PMID: 25203618 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2014.08.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2014] [Revised: 08/06/2014] [Accepted: 08/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Engraulis encrasicolus and Sardina pilchardus are pelagic fishes of notable economic and gastronomic importance in the northwest Mediterranean (Ligurian Sea, Italy). The consumption of thermally unprocessed or lightly processed, marinated or salted anchovies and sardines presents a potential risk to acquire anisakiasis, a fish-borne parasitic disease in humans. Prevalence and abundance of Anisakis larvae in Engraulis encrasicolus and Sardina pilchardus from the Monterosso fishing grounds (Cinque Terre National Park, Ligurian Sea, Italy) were assessed, and the larvae were identified by morphological and PCR-RFLP methods. Anisakis larvae, all belonging to Anisakis pegreffii spp. were found in the visceral mass of 1050 anchovies (0.8% overall prevalence), whereas no Anisakis larvae were found in the 750 sardines examined. According to these data, the risk of acquiring anisakiasis from the consumption of raw or undercooked anchovies and sardines caught in the fishing area we investigated is very low.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Serracca
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Sezione La Spezia, Marine Microbiology Laboratory, Italy.
| | - Roberta Battistini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Sezione La Spezia, Marine Microbiology Laboratory, Italy
| | - Irene Rossini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Sezione La Spezia, Marine Microbiology Laboratory, Italy
| | - Annalaura Carducci
- Hygiene and Environmental Virology Laboratory, Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Marco Verani
- Hygiene and Environmental Virology Laboratory, Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Marino Prearo
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Laboratorio di Ittiopatologia, Torino, Italy
| | - Laura Tomei
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Sezione La Spezia, Marine Microbiology Laboratory, Italy
| | - Gabriella De Montis
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Sezione La Spezia, Marine Microbiology Laboratory, Italy
| | - Carlo Ercolini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Sezione La Spezia, Marine Microbiology Laboratory, Italy
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Varello K, Prearo M, Serracca L, Meloni D, Rossini I, Righetti M, Pezzolato M, Fioravanti ML, Ercolini C, Bozzetta E. Granulomatous lesions in a wild mullet population from the eastern Ligurian Sea (Italy): mycobacteriosis vs. pseudotuberculosis. J Fish Dis 2014; 37:553-558. [PMID: 23944162 DOI: 10.1111/jfd.12155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2013] [Revised: 06/13/2013] [Accepted: 06/17/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Mycobacterium spp. and Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida are recognized as the most frequent causative agents of granulomatous lesions in fish. Although frequent episodes of mycobacterial infections have been reported in wild fish worldwide, only sporadic cases have been documented to date in Italy. To investigate for the presence of lesions referable to mycobacteriosis and to identify the mycobacterial species involved, a total of 159 wild mullets were fished from the eastern coast of the Ligurian Sea, killed and necropsied. Liver and spleen samples were collected from all fish for histopathological and microbiological analyses. Molecular investigations for identification of Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida were performed. Gross examination revealed granulomatous lesions in one animal; microscopically, 42.14% of fish displayed granulomas with various histological features, 19.50% resulted positive at Ziehl-Neelsen staining, and were confirmed as mycobacterial lesions by culture. The identified colonies were characterized as M. fortuitum, M. abscessus, M. flavescens, M. chelonae, M. septicum and M. nonchromogenicum. In all, 35% of animals resulted positive for Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida. These data suggest widespread mycobacterial infection also by Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida infections in wild fish. Moreover, the pathogenicity of some mycobacterial species, previously considered as saprophytic, was demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Varello
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
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Serracca L, Cencetti E, Battistini R, Rossini I, Prearo M, Pavoletti E, Fioravanti ML, Righetti M, Di Donfrancesco B, Ercolini C. Survey on the presence of Anisakis and Hysterothylacium larvae in fishes and squids caught in Ligurian Sea. Vet Parasitol 2013; 196:547-51. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2013.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2012] [Revised: 02/21/2013] [Accepted: 02/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Serracca L, Battistini R, Rossini I, Imberciadori M, Sturlese C, Bozzetta E, Ercolini C. Food hygiene control in school canteens of La Spezia municipality: years 2003-2012. Ital J Food Saf 2013. [DOI: 10.4081/ijfs.2013.e11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Serracca L, Rossini I, Battistini R, Goria M, Sant S, De Montis G, Ercolini C. Potential risk of norovirus infection due to the consumption of "ready to eat" food. Food Environ Virol 2012; 4:89-92. [PMID: 23412835 DOI: 10.1007/s12560-012-9081-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2012] [Accepted: 06/11/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we investigated the presence of enteric viruses such as norovirus (NoV), hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis E virus (HEV), and adenovirus (HAdV), in vegetables available on the Italian markets. For this aim, 110 national and international "ready to eat" samples were collected and analyzed by biomolecular tests and positive samples were confirmed by sequencing. All samples (100 %) were negative for HAV, HEV, and HAdV, while 13.6 % (15/110) were positive for NoV. Actually there is not a formal surveillance system for NoV infections in Italy but we clearly demonstrated a potential risk associated with the consumption of "ready to eat" vegetables. This study confirmed for the first time in Italy the presence of norovirus in semi-dried tomatoes by PCR technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Serracca
- Marine Microbiology Laboratory of the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Piemonte Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, La Spezia, Italy.
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Serracca L, Battistini R, Rossini I, Prearo M, Ottaviani D, Leoni F, Ercolini C. Vibrio virulence genes in fishes collected from estuarine waters in Italy. Lett Appl Microbiol 2011; 53:403-8. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-765x.2011.03119.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Serracca L, Ercolini C, Rossini I, Battistini R, Giorgi I, Prearo M. Occurrence of both subspecies of Photobacterium damselae in mullets collected in the river Magra (Italy). Can J Microbiol 2011; 57:437-40. [DOI: 10.1139/w11-021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The natural reservoirs and biological characteristics of pathogenic populations of both subspecies of Photobacterium damselae in aquatic habitants remain unclear because of difficulties in obtaining pathogenic strains from the environment. In the present study, we assessed the occurrence of Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida and Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae , considered to be the causative agent of past epizootic outbreaks in mullets collected in the river Magra, Italy. Two hundred and seventy-eight mullets were collected during a period of two years (2008–2009) and analyzed using multiplex PCR. During this period, 57% of fishes were positive for Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida and 37% for Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae, with an higher presence in summer months although none of PCR-positive mullets showed clinical signs of disease. Our results indicate that the two microrganisms are widespread in the population of mullets studied, and this could be a possible cause for outbreaks in favourable environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Serracca
- Marine Microbiology Laboratory of the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Piemonte Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, La Spezia, Italy
| | - Carlo Ercolini
- Marine Microbiology Laboratory of the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Piemonte Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, La Spezia, Italy
| | - Irene Rossini
- Marine Microbiology Laboratory of the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Piemonte Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, La Spezia, Italy
| | - Roberta Battistini
- Marine Microbiology Laboratory of the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Piemonte Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, La Spezia, Italy
| | - Ilaria Giorgi
- Ittiopathology Laboratory of the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Piemonte Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Marino Prearo
- Ittiopathology Laboratory of the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Piemonte Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
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Serracca L, Verani M, Battistini R, Rossini I, Carducci A, Ercolini C. Evaluation of Adenovirus andE. colias indicators for human enteric viruses presence in mussels produced in La Spezia Gulf (Italy). Lett Appl Microbiol 2010; 50:462-7. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-765x.2010.02820.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Serracca L, Gallo F, Prearo M, Orlandi M, Imberciadori M, Terarolli A, Ercolini C. HEAT TREATMENT FOR THE PRECOOCKED SHRIMPS PRODUCTION: VIBRIO PARAHAEMOLYTICUS RISK ANALYSIS. Ital J Food Saf 2010. [DOI: 10.4081/ijfs.2010.7.83] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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Abstract
Muscle samples from 7,142 wild boars (Sus scrofa), 80 free-ranging hogs, 1,462 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) 90 mustelids, 15 Alpine marmots (Marmota marmota), 873 rodents and 92 insectivores were examined for Trichinella Railliet, 1895. A wild boar, a badger (Meles meles) and 30 foxes (2.1%) were found to be infected. Eleven vulpine isolates and the wild boar isolate were identified as Trichinella britovi. These results show that the wild boar has little significance as a reservoir of T. britovi in the area under study. A vulpine isolate resulted in low infectivity in experimentally-infected swine. The prevalence of trichinellosis in the vulpine population is higher in the mountains than in lowland areas and indicates the key role played by this carnivore in the epidemiology of T. britovi. Preliminary results from four field trials seem to demonstrate that differences in attitudes towards cannibalism exist between mountain and lowland foxes.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Rossi
- Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria, Turin, Italy
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