Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Wildlife Disease Ecology

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Wildlife".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 5041

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Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Interests: epidemiology; microbiology; molecular biology; antimicrobial resistance
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Guest Editor
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Interests: tick-borne diseases; zoonosis; wildlife epidemiology

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Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy
Interests: foodborne parasites; foodborne pathogens; antimicrobial resistance; game meat
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Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40064 Bologna, Italy
Interests: avian pathogens; wild birds; wild-domestic bird interface; epidemiology; virology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, we face serious challenges increasingly related to climate change, habitat loss, changes in land use and a continuous evolution of the interface between wildlife and anthropic environment. These aspects, together with health challenges such as antimicrobial resistance and emerging pathogens, draw attention to new aspects of the ecology of diseases in wildlife populations.

In this context, the application of multidisciplinary studies is necessary and increasingly required, aiming to provide new information from a One Health perspective.

For this reason, we feel the need to create this space to give a voice to those working in the wildlife-related fields and who, through their commitment and work, have generated new useful data on infectious diseases (bacteriology, virology, parasitology) of wildlife and game meat safety. Given the growing interest on these topics to tackle the new challenges of our time, in this Special Issue, we welcome both original research papers and reviews focusing on wildlife infectious diseases, disease ecology at the wildlife–domestic animal/human interface and food safety issues related to game meat.

Dr. Camilla Smoglica
Dr. Laura Grassi
Dr. Selene Rubiola
Dr. Giulia Graziosi
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • disease ecology
  • bacteriology
  • virology
  • parasitology
  • food safety
  • epidemiology
  • prevention
  • control
  • zoonoses
  • cross-species transmission
  • wildlife
  • wild–domestic animal interface
  • One Health

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 1165 KiB  
Article
The Genetic Identification of Numerous Apicomplexan Sarcocystis Species in Intestines of Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
by Tautvilė Šukytė, Evelina Juozaitytė-Ngugu, Saulius Švažas, Dalius Butkauskas and Petras Prakas
Animals 2024, 14(16), 2391; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14162391 - 18 Aug 2024
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Abstract
The common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) was previously shown to transmit two Sarcocystis species (S. glareoli and S. microti) forming cysts in the brains of rodents. Due to a lack of research, the richness of Sarcocystis species spread by these [...] Read more.
The common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) was previously shown to transmit two Sarcocystis species (S. glareoli and S. microti) forming cysts in the brains of rodents. Due to a lack of research, the richness of Sarcocystis species spread by these birds of prey is expected to be much higher. A total of 30 samples of the small intestine of the Common Buzzard were collected in Lithuania and subjected to Sarcocystis species identification based on nested PCR of 28S rRNA and ITS1, following the sequencing of amplified DNA fragments. Six known Sarcocystis spp., S. cornixi, S. glareoli, S. halieti, S. kutkienae, S. turdusi, and S. wobeseri, along with three genetically distinct species (Sarcocystis sp. Rod3, Sarcocystis sp. Rod4, and Sarcocystis sp. Rod5), were identified. Phylogenetically, these three potentially new species clustered with Sarcocystis spp. characterised by a rodents-birds life cycle. Sarcocystis spp. employing rodents and birds as their intermediate hosts were detected in 66.7% and 50.0% of samples, respectively. These findings are consistent with the diet preferences of Common Buzzards. Notably, co-infections with two or more species were observed in a half of the samples. Altogether, the obtained results indicate that the Common Buzzard could serve as definitive host of various Sarcocystis species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Wildlife Disease Ecology)
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9 pages, 2493 KiB  
Communication
Exposure of Urban European Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) to Toxoplasma gondii in Highly Populated Areas of Northeast Spain
by Alejandra Escudero, Maria Puig Ribas, Elena Obón, Sonia Almería, Xavier Fernández Aguilar, Hojjat Gholipour, Oscar Cabezón and Rafael Molina-López
Animals 2024, 14(11), 1596; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14111596 - 28 May 2024
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Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is a generalist zoonotic parasite that involves a wide range of warm-blooded animals as intermediate hosts and felines as definitive hosts. Recent studies have proved significant positive associations between human population density and T. gondii seroprevalence in wildlife. However, there is [...] Read more.
Toxoplasma gondii is a generalist zoonotic parasite that involves a wide range of warm-blooded animals as intermediate hosts and felines as definitive hosts. Recent studies have proved significant positive associations between human population density and T. gondii seroprevalence in wildlife. However, there is limited data regarding T. gondii wildlife in urban areas, where the highest human density occurs. The present study aimed to analyse the T. gondii exposure in urban hedgehogs from the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, NE Spain. One hundred eighteen hedgehogs were analysed for the presence of antibodies (modified agglutination test; n = 55) and parasite DNA (qPCR; heart = 34; brain = 60). Antibodies were detected in 69.09% of hedgehogs. T. gondii DNA was not detected in any of the analysed samples. The present study reports a high T. gondii seroprevalence in urban hedgehogs in areas surrounding Barcelona, the most densely human-populated area of NE Spain, reinforcing the association between human population density and environmental T. gondii oocysts. The lack of detection by molecular techniques warrants more studies. In the last few decades, the distribution and abundance of European hedgehogs have declined, including their urban populations. Further research is needed to investigate the impact of T. gondii on hedgehog populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Wildlife Disease Ecology)
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23 pages, 2308 KiB  
Article
Genetic Diversity of Avian Influenza Viruses Detected in Waterbirds in Northeast Italy Using Two Different Sampling Strategies
by Giulia Graziosi, Caterina Lupini, Federica Gobbo, Bianca Zecchin, Giulia Quaglia, Sara Pedrazzoli, Gabriele Lizzi, Geremia Dosa, Gabriella Martini, Calogero Terregino and Elena Catelli
Animals 2024, 14(7), 1018; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14071018 - 27 Mar 2024
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Abstract
Avian influenza viruses (AIVs), which circulate endemically in wild aquatic birds, pose a significant threat to poultry and raise concerns for their zoonotic potential. From August 2021 to April 2022, a multi-site cross-sectional study involving active AIV epidemiological monitoring was conducted in wetlands [...] Read more.
Avian influenza viruses (AIVs), which circulate endemically in wild aquatic birds, pose a significant threat to poultry and raise concerns for their zoonotic potential. From August 2021 to April 2022, a multi-site cross-sectional study involving active AIV epidemiological monitoring was conducted in wetlands of the Emilia-Romagna region, northern Italy, adjacent to densely populated poultry areas. A total of 129 cloacal swab samples (CSs) and 407 avian faecal droppings samples (FDs) were collected, with 7 CSs (5.4%) and 4 FDs (1%) testing positive for the AIV matrix gene through rRT-PCR. A COI-barcoding protocol was applied to recognize the species of origin of AIV-positive FDs. Multiple low-pathogenic AIV subtypes were identified, and five of these were isolated, including an H5N3, an H1N1, and three H9N2 in wild ducks. Following whole-genome sequencing, phylogenetic analyses of the hereby obtained strains showed close genetic relationships with AIVs detected in countries along the Black Sea/Mediterranean migratory flyway. Notably, none of the analyzed gene segments were genetically related to HPAI H5N1 viruses of clade 2.3.4.4b isolated from Italian poultry during the concurrent 2021–2022 epidemic. Overall, the detected AIV genetic diversity emphasizes the necessity for ongoing monitoring in wild hosts using diverse sampling strategies and whole-genome sequencing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Wildlife Disease Ecology)
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Review

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13 pages, 2133 KiB  
Review
The Role of Hunters in Wildlife Health Research and Monitoring: Their Contribution as Citizen Scientists in Italy
by Stefania Zanet, Francesco Benatti, Manuela Poncina, Carlotta Pasetto, Mario Chiari, Michele Sorrenti and Ezio Ferroglio
Animals 2024, 14(15), 2204; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14152204 - 29 Jul 2024
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Abstract
In Italy, there are hundreds of research, monitoring, and surveillance activities targeting emerging and re-emerging pathogens. These activities heavily rely on hunters for sample collection and early identification of morbidity/mortality events. The objective of this review is to describe and quantify the contribution [...] Read more.
In Italy, there are hundreds of research, monitoring, and surveillance activities targeting emerging and re-emerging pathogens. These activities heavily rely on hunters for sample collection and early identification of morbidity/mortality events. The objective of this review is to describe and quantify the contribution of hunters in the context of disease research, monitoring, and surveillance in wild populations. A literature review and descriptive summary statistics were performed following PRISMA-2020 guidelines; articles were obtained from major scientific databases, abstracts from national and international conferences, proceedings, graduate-level theses from online library repositories, and direct contact with academic experts. The contribution of hunters in terms of sample collection for health-related activities on wildlife amounts to 400,000 sampled animals. Wild boars were involved in 158 surveillance systems/research studies, followed by red deer (71), foxes (63), and roe deer (59). The pathogens under surveillance were mainly zoonotic (Salmonella spp.), emerging (Hepatitis E virus), and/or vector-borne (West Nile virus). The temporal distribution of scientific papers followed a positive trend that reflects the growing interest in wildlife from different sectors. These results highlight how wildlife health-related efforts are a paradigm of the concept of One Health, in which the role of hunters is crucial to ensure sample availability, and it constitutes the base of much current wildlife health research, monitoring, and surveillance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Wildlife Disease Ecology)
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