Zoonoses, diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans, represent a significant public health concern worldwide due to the close human-animal relationship. In recent decades, various human and climatic factors have significantly increased the risk of spreading infectious agents, particularly those transmitted by vectors such as sandflies, ticks, and mosquitoes. To address the increasing incidence of these diseases in our country, the National Plan for the Prevention, Surveillance, and Response to Arboviruses (PNA) was established. Its objective is to strengthen the arbovirus surveillance system present on the territory, with particular attention to the Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). Recently, human cases of Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) have seen a drastic increase in Europe and Italy. The virus is considered endemic in areas such as the northeastern Alpine arc of the country, Switzerland, and Austria. Conversely, little is known about the circulation of the virus in Lombardy, despite it bordering endemic areas. Given the limited knowledge about the epidemiological situation in this region, it was decided to conduct an epidemiological study in the Varese province using wild ungulates as potential sentinel animals to investigate the serological presence of TBEV. The study was carried out by collecting blood samples from 106 wild ungulates culled during the hunting season. The species considered in the study were the following: wild boar (Sus scrofa), red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), and mouflon (Ovis aries musimon). Analyses were carried out using serological methods such as the ELISA test, used as a screening tool, and a subsequent virus neutralization test (VNT) to confirm the presence of anti-TBEV antibodies. The results showed the presence of 13 wild boars positive in the ELISA screening, but none of these was confirmed positive for TBEV by VNT. However, eight samples were found to be positive for anti-Usutu virus antibodies, 3 samples were positive, and 3 samples borderline for anti-West Nile virus antibodies. The research results did not allow the identification of anti-TBEV antibodies in the sentinel animals but highlight the diagnostic challenges in detecting possible viral circulation in non-endemic areas through studies conducted on wildlife.
Le zoonosi, malattie trasmissibili da un animale all’uomo, rappresentano un importante problema di salute pubblica in tutto il mondo a causa della stretta relazione uomo-animale. Negli ultimi decenni diversi fattori umani e climatici hanno significativamente aumentato il rischio di diffusione degli agenti infettivi, in particolare quelli trasmessi da vettori, quali flebotomi, zecche e zanzare. Per far fronte all’aumento di incidenza di tali malattie nel nostro Paese è stato istituito il Piano Nazionale di prevenzione, sorveglianza e risposta alle Arbovirosi (PNA), il cui obiettivo è quello di potenziare il sistema di monitoraggio delle arbovirosi presenti sul territorio. Tra i vari arbovirus presi in considerazione, rientra anche il Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). Recentemente i casi umani di Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) hanno visto in Europa e in Italia, un drastico incremento. Tra le zone in cui il virus è considerato endemico vi sono l’arco alpino del Nord-Est del Paese, la Svizzera e l’Austria. Invece in Lombardia, nonostante confini con le aree endemiche sopracitate, poco si conosce sulla circolazione del virus. Considerando le scarse informazioni sulla situazione epidemiologica di questa regione, si è deciso di effettuare uno studio epidemiologico in provincia di Varese utilizzando gli ungulati selvatici come possibili animali sentinella per indagare la presenza sierologica del TBEV. Lo studio è stato condotto prelevando campioni di sangue da 106 ungulati selvatici abbattuti durante la stagione venatoria. Le specie prese in considerazione nello studio sono state le seguenti: cinghiale (Sus scrofa), cervo (Cervus elaphus), capriolo (Capreolus capreolus) e muflone (Ovis aries musimon). Le analisi sono state condotte tramite metodiche sierologiche quali il test ELISA, usato come screening, e un successivo test di virus neutralizzazione (VNT) per confermare la presenza di anticorpi anti-TBEV. I risultati ottenuti hanno mostrato la presenza di 13 cinghiali positivi allo screening ELISA, ma nessuno di questi è stato confermato positivo per TBEV tramite il VNT. Sono invece emersi 8 campioni positivi per la ricerca di anticorpi anti-Usutu virus, 3 campioni positivi e 3 campioni borderline per la ricerca di anticorpi anti-West Nile virus. I risultati della ricerca non hanno permesso di individuare anticorpi anti-TBEV negli animali sentinella indagati, ma evidenziano le difficoltà diagnostiche nel rilevare l’eventuale circolazione virale in aree non endemiche tramite studi condotti sulla fauna selvatica.
Tick-borne encephalitis in animali sentinella in Nord Italia
ZAMPESE, FILIPPO
2023/2024
Abstract
Zoonoses, diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans, represent a significant public health concern worldwide due to the close human-animal relationship. In recent decades, various human and climatic factors have significantly increased the risk of spreading infectious agents, particularly those transmitted by vectors such as sandflies, ticks, and mosquitoes. To address the increasing incidence of these diseases in our country, the National Plan for the Prevention, Surveillance, and Response to Arboviruses (PNA) was established. Its objective is to strengthen the arbovirus surveillance system present on the territory, with particular attention to the Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). Recently, human cases of Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) have seen a drastic increase in Europe and Italy. The virus is considered endemic in areas such as the northeastern Alpine arc of the country, Switzerland, and Austria. Conversely, little is known about the circulation of the virus in Lombardy, despite it bordering endemic areas. Given the limited knowledge about the epidemiological situation in this region, it was decided to conduct an epidemiological study in the Varese province using wild ungulates as potential sentinel animals to investigate the serological presence of TBEV. The study was carried out by collecting blood samples from 106 wild ungulates culled during the hunting season. The species considered in the study were the following: wild boar (Sus scrofa), red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), and mouflon (Ovis aries musimon). Analyses were carried out using serological methods such as the ELISA test, used as a screening tool, and a subsequent virus neutralization test (VNT) to confirm the presence of anti-TBEV antibodies. The results showed the presence of 13 wild boars positive in the ELISA screening, but none of these was confirmed positive for TBEV by VNT. However, eight samples were found to be positive for anti-Usutu virus antibodies, 3 samples were positive, and 3 samples borderline for anti-West Nile virus antibodies. The research results did not allow the identification of anti-TBEV antibodies in the sentinel animals but highlight the diagnostic challenges in detecting possible viral circulation in non-endemic areas through studies conducted on wildlife.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Tesi MV_Zampese Filippo.pdf
accesso riservato
Dimensione
1.93 MB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
1.93 MB | Adobe PDF |
The text of this website © Università degli studi di Padova. Full Text are published under a non-exclusive license. Metadata are under a CC0 License
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12608/70930