Post-mortem and parasitological examination of 100 European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) dead at Wildlife Rescue Centre in Verona

This thesis presents a dataset and post-mortem analysis of 100 European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) admitted to the Wildlife Rescue Centre of Verona (Progetto Natura Verona Lago odv), which died and were collected over the course of approximately one year (2023-2024). Necropsies were performed on all individuals, including organ and faecal sampling, descriptions of macroscopic lesions and parasite collection from the intestines, lungs, stomach, liver and skin. Organs were processed for histological examination to detect potential pathological changes, as well as for virological testing. Endoparasites and the eggs found in the stool aliquots were identified, counted, measured and recorded. Subsequent analyses on prevalences, molecular investigations, co-infections assessment and associations between pathological lesions, inflammatory responses and endoparasite positivity were also conducted. The results show that the main aetiology underlying the pathological conditions was traumatic injury (38%) and that 71% of the animals tested positive for endoparasites. Additionally, 10% of the hedgehogs tested positive for Orthocoronavirinae sp.