Listeria was first described in 1926 by Murray, Webb, and Swann, who discovered it while investigating an epidemic infection among laboratory rabbits and guinea pigs. The role of Listeria monocytogenes as a foodborne pathogen was definitively recognized during the 1980s. This recognition was the consequence of a number of epidemic human outbreaks due to the consumption of contaminated foods, in Canada, in the USA and in Europe. Listeriosis is especially severe in immunocompromised individuals such as pregnant women. The disease has a low incidence of infection, although this is undeniably increasing, with a high fatality rate amongst those infected. In pregnant women listeriosis may cause abortion, fetal death, or neonatal morbidity in the form of septicemia and meningitis. Improved education concerning the disease, its transmission, and prevention measures for immunocompromised individuals and pregnant women has been identified as a pressing need.

Dogs play many roles and their presence within people’s houses has increased. In rural settings dog faeces are not removed from the streets, representing an environmental pollution factor. Our aim was to evaluate the occurrence of environmental contamination with zoonotic intestinal parasites of three groups of dogs in Ponte de Lima, Portugal, with a particular emphasis on Echinococcus granulosus. We collected 592 dog faecal samples from the environment, farm and hunting dogs. Qualitative flotation coprological analysis was performed and the frequency in the positive samples ranged between 57.44% and 81.19% in different groups. We isolated up to four different parasites in one sample and detected seven intestinal parasitic species, genera or families overall. Ancylostomatidae was the most prevalent parasite, followed by Trichuris spp., Toxocara spp., Isospora spp., Dipylidium caninum, Taeniidae and Toxascaris leonina. Taeniidae eggs were analyzed with the PCR technique and revealed not to be from Echinococcus. The parasite prevalence and the diversity of zoonotic parasites found were high, which calls for a greater awareness of the problem among the population, especially hunters. Promoting research at the local level is important to plan control strategies. Health education should be developed with regard to farmers and hunters, and a closer collaboration between researchers, practitioners and public health authorities is needed.

In some European countries, animal brucellosis is a concern that requires a comprehensive understanding of its distribution, hosts and transmission routes, particularly involving wild species, in which the disease is still neglected. This systematic review was designed to summarize the current knowledge on the epidemiology of brucellosis in wild boar and domestic pigs in Europe. A systematic search was conducted in four databases to identify relevant original research articles. Thirty-six articles were included. Brucellosis has been identified in 17 European countries and the most reported circulating Brucella species and biovar was Brucella suis biovar 2. Brucella suis biovar 1, Brucella suis biovar 3, Brucella melitensis biovar 3 and Brucella microti were also identified from molecular investigations. We highlight the diversity in the occurrence of this infection, with the presence of Brucella species with zoonotic potential, and emphasize the need for surveillance.

Heavy metal(loid) pollution of ecosystems is a current One Health problem. The liver is one of the most affected organs in cases of acute or chronic exposure to abnormal amounts of these substances, inducing histopathologic lesions. In order to assess the influence of heavy metal(loids), forty-five European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) were submitted to necropsy, and liver samples were collected for a routine histopathology exam and metal(loid)s determination (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu and Pb) by ICP-MS. Age was estimated during the necropsy exam. Biliary hyperplasia was the most frequent lesion observed (16/45; 35.56%). No statistically significant associations were found between biliary hyperplasia and age or sex. Metal(loid)s’ concentrations were higher in animals with biliary hyperplasia (except for As). There was a statistically significant difference for both Cd and Co. For As, Cd and Co, cubs and juveniles animals showed significantly lower concentrations than elder individuals. Only for Pb were significant differences found between females and males. As described in the literature, exposure to metal(loid)s may be a cause of biliary hyperplasia, although further research (including the use of biochemical methods) is needed to support these results. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of this association in hedgehogs.