EFFECTS OF LOW ANTINUTRITIONAL FACTORS RAW FULL-FAT SOYBEAN ON BEEF CATTLE FEEDING. INFRA-VITAM PERFORMANCE

The aim of this trial was to evaluate the effects of different sources of soybean on the infra-vitam performance of fattening beef cattle. The animals (56 Limousine) were divided, according to BW (287±17 kg), in 4 experimental groups: LAFS (raw full-fat soybean low in antinutritional factors); SBM (soybean meal); TS (toasted full-fat soybean); NTS (non toasted full-fat soybean). The animals were fed a basal diet (TMR) (DM:59.5%; CP:9.3%DM; NDF:33.9%DM; starch:34.9%DM) supplemented as top dressing with different sources of soybeans in order to reach the same amount of additional CP (473 g/d). To obtain isoenergetic diets, calcium soap of palm fat (234 g/d) was also added to SBM group. Animals were weighed monthly, DM intake was calculated daily and two blood samplings were collected. No metabolic disorders or pathological events were observed during the experiment. The daily gains of the first 6 months were not significantly different among the 4 experimental groups (on the average 1.35 ± 0.25 kg/d). DM intake values in the same period were similar (8.57 ± 0.78 kg/d of DM). The soybean supplementation did not affect the metabolic parameters (calculated as differences between the sampling times) except for the *-glutamyl-transferase (P<0.01), the total plasma protein and globulin (P<0.05). The preliminary results of this experiment can indicate no significant effects of soybean antinutritional factors on the infra-vitam performances of beef cattle during the first fattening period

Diverse tick-borne microorganisms identified in free-living ungulates in Slovakia

Background: Free-living ungulates are hosts of ixodid ticks and reservoirs of tick-borne microorganisms in central Europe and many regions around the world. Tissue samples and engorged ticks were obtained from roe deer, red deer, fallow deer, mouflon, and wild boar hunted in deciduous forests of south-western Slovakia. DNA isolated from these samples was screened for the presence of tick-borne microorganisms by PCR-based methods. Results: Ticks were found to infest all examined ungulate species. The principal infesting tick was Ixodes ricinus, identified on 90.4% of wildlife, and included all developmental stages. Larvae and nymphs of Haemaphysalis concinna were feeding on 9.6% of wildlife. Two specimens of Dermacentor reticulatus were also identified. Ungulates were positive for A. phagocytophilum and Theileria spp. Anaplasma phagocytophilum was found to infect 96.1% of cervids, 88.9% of mouflon, and 28.2% of wild boar, whereas Theileria spp. was detected only in cervids (94.6%). Importantly, a high rate of cervids (89%) showed mixed infections with both these microorganisms. In addition to A. phagocytophilum and Theileria spp., Rickettsia helvetica, R. monacensis, unidentified Rickettsia sp., Coxiella burnetii, "Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis", Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.) and Babesia venatorum were identified in engorged I. ricinus. Furthermore, A. phagocytophilum, Babesia spp. and Theileria spp. were detected in engorged H. concinna. Analysis of 16S rRNA and groEL gene sequences revealed the presence of five and two A. phagocytophilum variants, respectively, among which sequences identified in wild boar showed identity to the sequence of the causative agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA). Phylogenetic analysis of Theileria 18S rRNA gene sequences amplified from cervids and engorged I. ricinus ticks segregated jointly with sequences of T. capreoli isolates into a moderately supported monophyletic clade. Conclusions: The findings indicate that free-living ungulates are reservoirs for A. phagocytophilum and Theileria spp. and engorged ixodid ticks attached to ungulates are good sentinels for the presence of agents of public and veterinary concern. Further analyses of the A. phagocytophilum genetic variants and Theileria species and their associations with vector ticks and free-living ungulates are required.Fil: Kazimírová, Mária. Slovak Academy of Sciences. Institute of Zoology; EslovaquiaFil: Hamšíková, Zuzana. Slovak Academy of Sciences. Institute of Zoology; EslovaquiaFil: Spitalská, Eva. Slovak Academy of Sciences. Institute of Virology. Biomedical Research Center,; EslovaquiaFil: Minichová, Lenka. Slovak Academy of Sciences. Institute of Virology. Biomedical Research Center,; EslovaquiaFil: Mahríková, Lenka. Slovak Academy of Sciences. Institute of Zoology; EslovaquiaFil: Caban, Radoslav. Široká ; EslovaquiaFil: Sprong, Hein. National Institute for Public Health and Environment.Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology; Países BajosFil: Fonville, Manoj. National Institute for Public Health and Environment.Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology; Países BajosFil: Schnittger, Leonhard. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Patobiología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Kocianová, Elena. Slovak Academy of Sciences. Institute of Virology. Biomedical Research Center,; Eslovaqui

Effect of resource abundance on woodland rodents' demography at latitudinal extremes in Europe

Climate change effects on primary productivity are especially evident along altitudinal and latitudinal gradients. Some of the species with a fast reproductive cycle strategy and relying on primary productivity may rapidly respond to such changes with alterations to demographic parameters. However, how these bottom-up effects may emerge in systems with different population dynamics has not been elucidated. We aimed to assess the role of food availability on rodent demography in populations characterised by different dynamics, that is multiannual cycles in Northern European populations and mast-driven outbreaks in Southern European populations, both driven by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. We live-trapped woodland rodents at these latitudinal extremes in two study systems (Norway, Italy) while deploying control/treatment designs of food manipulation providing ad libitum trophic resource availability, albeit not reflecting the natural resource fluctuations. We applied a multistate open robust design model to estimate population patterns and survival rates while controlling for seasonal variation, intrinsic traits, and co-occurrence of sympatric species. Yellow-necked and wood mouse (Apodemus spp.) were sympatric with bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) in Italy, while only the latter was trapped in Norway. Food provisioning increased both survival and population size of bank vole in Norway, where temperatures are harsher and snow cover persists in winter. In milder Italian habitats, the wood mouse abundance was boosted by food availability, increasing also survival rates (but only in females), whereas the bank vole showed a decrease in both parameters across sexes. We speculate that overabundant food resources may trigger some forms of competition between sympatric wood mouse and bank vole, although other types of interactions, such as predation and parasitism, may also contribute. By manipulating food availability in two systems where rodents have different population dynamics, we showed how resource availability exerted bottom-up effects on rodent demography, especially in the context of climate change, although being mediated by other intrinsic and extrinsic factor

Airborne pollen: a potential warning alert for tickborne encephalitis risk

The circulation of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEv) depends on population dynamics of host tick and rodents, which in turn depend on nutrient resources. Tree seeds are the main food for rodents, and their fluctuating production is strongly correlated to pollen abundance. Our study aims to fill the gap and investigate whether airborne pollen is directly associated to recorded TBEv human cases in the Alpine biogeographical region. Materials and Methods We focused our study within the province of Trento (northern Italy, 6,000km2, 500,000 inhabitants). The territory is included in the Alpine biogeographical region (EEA Report No 1/2002) and the main forest tree species growing within a 5-km radius from the pollen sampler are represented by hop-hornbeam (Ostrya carpinifolia Scop.), beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), spruce (Picea abies L.), pine (Pinus sylvestris L. and P. nigra J. F. Arnold), downy oak (Quercus pubescens Willd.), manna ash (Fraxinus ornus L.), and hazel (Corylus avellana L.). Airborne pollen concentration has been monitored since 1989 at Fondazione Edmund Mach, in San Michele all’Adige (Latitude 46.19 N, Longitude 11.13 E, 220 m a.s.l.), while TBEv human cases have been recorded since 1992 by the local Public Health Agency. Airborne pollen was sampled by a Hirst-type trap, processed, and analyzed following conventional techniques and standardized protocols (UNI EN 16868:2019). First, we statistically investigated the association between the annual total pollen concentration of the dominant arboreal plant taxa and the annual number of TBEv human cases (1989-2020) with different time lags by univariate linear models. Consequently, we built a full model by considering all significant covariates, we computed all possible sub-models and finally we selected the best (the one with the lowest Akaike’s Information Criterion score). Results and Discussion We found a significant positive association between pollen abundances for beech (p=0.04), oak p=0.012), hop hornbeam (p=0.013) and TBEv human cases with a two-year lag (Figure 1). All other lags and taxa resulted in non-significant relationships. Subsequently, we identified the best model, which considered only hop-hornbeam and oak pollen quantities, both with positive coefficients, consistently with the univariate analysis. Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt at quantifying the potential relationship between airborne pollen abundances of tree species and TBEv infections, based on a three-decade time series of data. If validated at a larger spatial scale, pollen data might therefore be used to realize an early warning system for the risk of TBEv transmission, two years in advance. Moreover, as pollen monitoring is routinely performed worldwide at multiple sites and provides quantitative measures, the association between pollen abundances and TBEv infections could be replicated in different biogeographical regions

Spatio-temporal re-colonization of top-predators modulates zoonotic infections in ticks

Introduction and objectives: Predator community can change abundance and composition of their preys, affecting emergence and spread of tick-borne infectious diseases for which some preys (e.g., ungulates, rodents) are often common hosts. We aim to evaluate if sites with gradual temporal re-colonization of a top-predator, the wolf (Canis lupus), exhibit different infection prevalence in ticks. Materials and methods: We identified four study areas (NV = Non Valley, PP = Paneveggio-Pale di San Martino Natural Park, LV = Laghi Valley and GV = Giudicarie Valley) located in the Autonomous Province of Trento (Italian Alps), each characterized by a temporal gradient of re-colonization from east-to-west of wolf in recent years. Specifically, in NV the species is considered stable since 2017, in PP since 2019, in LV since 2021, while yet sporadic in GV. During 2023 in each study area, we collected host-seeking ticks in forested habitats by dragging the vegetation. PCR-based methods were used to detect infection of Borrelia burgorferi s.l., Anaplasma spp. and Babesia spp. in ticks. Results, discussion and conclusion: During this first year, we collected 394 Ixodes spp. ticks across the study areas. We preliminary obtained higher prevalence of Borrelia spp. in areas historically colonized by wolves (NV: 28.72%; PP: 15.48%), compared to where wolf is sporadic (LV: 13.11%; GV: 11.70%) and the opposite for Anaplasma spp. (NV: 1.06%; GV: 4.25%). Babesia spp. prevalence rates did not show any specific pattern. We speculate that the established presence of wolf may interfere differently with the circulation of tick-borne pathogens, both indirectly affecting Borrelia-competent rodent hosts’ predators, such as foxes, or directly by hunting Anaplasma-competent hosts, such as ungulates. These preliminary findings suggest that predator community may have a crucial role in modulating zoonotic disease circulation by affecting preys local presence or abundance that will be incorporated in our forthcoming analysis. The authors acknowledge the support of NBFC to Fondazione Edmund Mach, funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, PNRR

Ecological factors associated to the invasion by alien Aedes species in the province of Trento, northern Italy

Aedes albopictus, Ae. koreicus and Ae. japonicus are of increasing public health concerns in Europe. In Trentino province (northern Italy), an established population of Aedes albopictus is reported since late 90’ (1) whilst Ae. koreicus was detected for the first time in 2013 (2). The most recently introduced IMS in our province is Ae. japonicus, recorded in 2022 (Arnoldi D., personal communication). To get an insight into the ecological process affetting IMS abilty to establish into new areas and to obtain a number of parametrs of utility to develop risk maps and predictive mathematical models, we carried out a series of investigation combining filed observation and laboratory experiments. Here we summarise some of the results so far obtained

Temporal changes in tick-borne pathogen prevalence in questing Ixodes ricinus across different habitats in the North-Eastern Italian Alps

Changes in land use, climate, and host community are leading to increased complexity in eco-epidemiological relationships and the emergence of zoonoses. This study investigates the changes in the prevalence of several Ixodes ricinus-transmitted pathogens in questing ticks over a 10-year interval (2011–2013, 2020) in natural and agricultural habitats of the Autonomous Province of Trento (North-eastern Alps), finding an average prevalence of infection of 27.1%. Analysis of 2652 ticks, investigating four infectious agents (Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma spp., Rickettsia spp., and Babesia spp.), revealed the circulation of 11 different zoonotic pathogens, with varying infection rates across different years and habitats. In 2020, we found a decrease in Anaplasma phagocytophilum, associated with agricultural habitats, and Rickettsia spp., found in all habitats. In the same year, Babesia spp. increased in both habitats, similar to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, which was related to natural habitats. Co-infections were identified in 8% of positive-tested ticks with different spatiotemporal associations, primarily in natural settings. Our results provide new evidence that the risk of infection with tick-borne pathogens in the Alpine region varies over time and in different environments, broadening the current information on co-infection rates and the circulation of zoonotic pathogens, previously not reported in this are

A new hotspot of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in the Autonomous Province of Trento, Italy

The tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) has expanded its distributional range in Europe over recent decades. Italy is considered a low tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) incidence country, nonetheless, human cases have recently increased, reaching their maximum so far in 2022. This study reports on a new TBE hotspot in the Autonomous Province of Trento (Italy), along with a description of TBEV genetic variants at the provincial level. Tick sampling was performed where several TBE human cases were reported in 2022. As a result, 458 Ixodes ricinus ticks were collected (38 females, 49 males, 371 nymphs) and screened for TBEV through real-time PCR, pooling the nymphs while analyzing the adults individually. Eight samples were found to be positive for TBEV, corresponding to a 4.6 % prevalence in adults and a 1.1 % minimum infection rate in nymphs in the area. The identified TBEV genetic variants were compared with other TBEV European subtype (TBEV-Eu) strains. The relatively high prevalence in ticks and the reported human cases beyond the year of vector collection suggest a sustained virus circulation. Additionally, phylogenetic analysis of the genetic variants in the Trentino Province shows a separation among eastern and western sites. This study highlights the crucial importance of active surveillance for mitigating TBE risk, especially in highly anthropized Alpine area