According to their life stage, the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) is found in a wide range of habitats, from neritic to more oceanic areas. Their feeding habits are expected to change as they develop, along with habitat use. Juvenile sea turtles are hypothesized to feed on pelagic species in oceanic areas, shifting to more benthic prey during the subadult and adult stages. We analyzed the gastrointestinal content from 150 loggerhead sea turtles stranded and/or bycaught along the Adriatic coast of the Abruzzo and Molise regions (n = 89) and the Tyrrhenian coast of the Lazio and Campania regions (n = 61) from 2018 to 2021. Food items were identified to the lowest taxonomic level, and the frequency of occurrence was calculated for each taxon and most recurrent species to assess changes in prey selection during the development. The marine litter was categorized, and the frequency of occurrence was calculated for the ingestion of litter. The most recurrent taxonomic prey group recorded in the Adriatic sample was Arthropoda (94%), followed by Mollusca (63%) and Chordata (34%). In the Tyrrhenian sample, loggerhead sea turtles fed mostly on Mollusca (84%), Arthropoda (38%), and Chordata (26%). Surprisingly, the Adriatic-Tyrrhenian sample groups showed similar feeding behavior between juveniles, subadults, and adults. A similar correlation has been observed concerning the ingestion of litter. Moreover, this study confirms the opportunistic feeding behavior of loggerhead sea turtles and their high adaptability.

Advances in tumour research are crucial, and comparative oncology can improve the knowledge in several ways. Dogs are not only models of specific naturally occurring tumours but can also be sentinels of environmental exposures to carcinogens, as they share the same environment with their owners. The purpose of this work was to describe the data collected by The Italian Network of Laboratories for Veterinary Oncology in the first 9 years of activity (2013–2021) and to evaluate their potential epidemiological significance. Frequencies of tumour topographies and main morphologies in dogs were described, analysed and compared, calculating age-adjusted proportional morbidity ratios and considering several risk factors (breed, sex, period and region of residence). These observations allowed us to highlight differences not only in morphology and topography of some tumours but also to formulate hypotheses on the potential role of some risk factors, e.g., neutering/spaying or geographical location. In our opinion, the results of this case series confirm the importance of initiating and consolidating animal cancer registration initiatives that would facilitate the possibility of conducting multicentric collaborative studies to deepen the knowledge of the epidemiology of tumours in dogs from a comparative perspective.

Angiostrongylus vasorum is a nematode residing in the heart and pulmonary vessels of dogs and wild carnivores. In Europe the red fox is its reservoir, while only three records from wolves have been published. Angiostrongylus vasorum has a worldwide distribution, and many pieces of evidence demonstrate that it is spreading from endemic areas to new ones. In Italy, A. vasorum was reported with increasing frequency in dogs and foxes in the last decades, and now it is considered endemic throughout the country. Angiostrongylus vasorum can be asymptomatic or cause respiratory and circulatory disorders, at times causing severe disseminated infections. Between February 2012 and December 2016, 25 wolves found dead in central Italy were submitted to the Istituto Zooprofilattico del Lazio e della Toscana for post-mortem examination. Samples of lungs, heart, liver, spleen, kidneys, mediastinic lymph nodes and brain were collected from each animal for histological examination. When adult and larval nematodes were microscopically seen in lungs, the other organs were processed, and five histological sections for each organ were examined. To confirm parasite identification, lung samples were submitted to a PCR-sequencing protocol targeting the ITS2 region of A. vasorum. Seven wolves (28.0%) harboured nematode larvae in lung sections. In two of the positive wolves, adult nematodes were visible in pulmonary arteries, in four animals larvae were also detected in other organs. DNA sequencing reactions confirmed parasite identification as A. vasorum in all the cases. As a result of the high prevalence of A. vasorum reported in wolves in the present study, a focus of high circulation could be hypothesised in central Italy. Nevertheless, the similarly high prevalence in foxes originating from the same areas were reported in previous papers. Histopathological evidence highlights the pathogenic potential of A. vasorum in the wolf, especially in juvenile animals.

Brucella ceti infections have been increasingly reported in cetaceans. In this study, we analyzed all cases of B. ceti infection detected in striped dolphins stranded along the Italian coastline between 2012 and 2021 (N = 24). We focused on the pathogenic role of B. ceti through detailed pathological studies, and ad hoc microbiological, biomolecular, and serological investigations, coupled with a comparative genomic analysis of the strains. Neurobrucellosis was observed in 20 animals. The primary histopathologic features included non-suppurative meningoencephalitis (N = 9), meningitis (N = 6), and meningoencephalomyelitis (N = 5), which was also associated with typical lesions in other tissues (N = 8). Co-infections were detected in more than half of the cases, mostly involving Cetacean Morbillivirus (CeMV). The 24 B. ceti isolates were assigned primarily to sequence type 26 (ST26) (N = 21) and, in a few cases, ST49 (N = 3). The multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) based on whole genome sequencing (WGS) data showed that strains from Italy clustered into four genetically distinct clades. Plotting these clades onto a geographic map suggests a link between their phylogeny and the topographical distribution. These results support the role of B. ceti as a primary neurotropic pathogen for striped dolphins and highlight the utility of WGS data in understanding the evolution of this emerging pathogen.

Avian malaria is a worldwide distributed, vector-born disease of birds caused by parasites of the order Haemosporida. There is a lack of knowledge about the presence and pathogenetic role of Haemosporida in Psittacidae. Here we report a case of avian malaria infection in lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis), with the genetic characterization of the Plasmodium species involved. The birds were hosted in a zoo located in Italy, where avian malaria cases in African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) were already reported. Animals (n = 11) were submitted for necropsy after sudden death and were subjected to further analyses including histopathology, bacteriology, and PCR for the research of haemosporidians. Clinical history, gross lesions and histopathological observation of schizonts, together with positive PCR results for Plasmodium spp., demonstrated that avian malaria was the cause of death for one animal and the possible cause of death for the other nine. The sequences obtained were compared using BLAST and analyzed for similarity to sequences available at the MalAvi database. Genetic analyses demonstrated a 100% nucleotide identity to Plasmodium matutinum LINN1 for all the obtained sequences. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing avian malaria in lovebirds.

Histological diagnosis of Canine Mammary Tumours (CMTs) provides the basis for proper treatment and follow-up. Nowadays, its accuracy is poorly understood and variable interpretation of histological criteria leads to a lack of standardisation and impossibility to compare studies. This study aimed to quantify the reproducibility of histological diagnosis and grading in CMTs. A blinded ring test on 36 CMTs was performed by 15 veterinary pathologists with different levels of education, after discussion of critical points on the Davis-Thompson Foundation Classification and providing consensus guidelines. Kappa statistics were used to compare the interobserver variability. The overall concordance rate of diagnostic interpretations of WP on identification of hyperplasia-dysplasia/benign/malignant lesions showed a substantial agreement (average k ranging from 0.66 to 0.82, with a k-combined of 0.76). Instead, outcomes on ICD-O-3.2 morphological code /diagnosis of histotype had only a moderate agreement (average k ranging from 0.44 and 0.64, with a k-combined of 0.54). The results demonstrated that standardised classification and consensus guidelines can produce moderate to substantial agreement; however, further efforts are needed to increase this agreement in distinguishing benign versus malignant lesions and in histological grading.