An adult female Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), introduced with another subject in the National Park of Gran Paradiso (Aosta Valley Region, Italy), was found dead. The necropsy found a mass involving mainly the gallbladder walls with other multicentric masses in the liver and pancreas. In addition to these, through the histological examination, other nodules were detected in the pancreas, with structure similar to gallbladder neoplasm. Histopathology diagnosed it as neoplasia composed of epithelioid cells, forming lobules of tubules and pseudoacini, with a very low mitotic count, discrete cellular pleomorphism, and prominent fibrous stroma. Neoplastic cells demonstrated positive immunoreactivity for cytokeratin and negative immunoreactivity for S100. Gross and histologic lesions and immunohistochemical findings were consistent with a primary gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) of metastatic type. GBC is a rare neoplasm in both humans and animals, sometimes associated with cholelithiasis and cholecystitis, with few reports in the veterinary literature especially in cattle, pigs, dogs and cats. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of GBC in a Eurasian otter.

The research aimed to investigate the perinatal pathology of Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) through the study of four young subjects (at the age of 3 to 4 months) found dead in Valle d’Aosta, a region of northwestern Italy. The carcasses were submitted to necropsy followed by an examination of ecto- and endoparasites (ECP and ENP); samples from the gross lesions (in summary, cutaneous papilloma and crusts, ocular discharge, lobular haemorrhagic areas in the lungs, catarrhal–haemorrhagic enterocolitis) were analysed by bacteriological, histopathological, and biomolecular methods to define the etiological agent. The subjects, with various co-infection patterns, were affected by contagious ecthyma virus (ORFV) (agent of a highly diffusive pustular dermatitis transmissible to small ruminants and humans), Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) (major etiological agent of infantile diarrhoea especially in developing countries), Mycoplasma conjunctivae (MC) (cause of an ocular infection common to goats and sheep), various ECP (ticks and keds) and ENP (lung and intestinal nematodes, and coccidia). This study emphasises the potential role of the Alpine ibex in the transmission of infectious diseases to other animals such as to humans and, secondly, the need to apply diversified analytical approaches, with the commitment of various specialistic skills, in order to define, in detail, the various and frequently overlapping causes that led a free-ranging animal to the death.

Tick-borne diseases are emerging worldwide due to the expanding distribution of tick vectors and represent an increasing public health concern. This study investigated the occurrence of major tick-borne pathogens in ticks collected from wild animals in Valle d’Aosta Region (Northwestern Italy) between 2017 and 2022. Tick pools were screened for Anaplasma spp., Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., Coxiella burnetii, Rickettsia spp., and Tick-Borne Encephalitis virus (TBEV). Most collected ticks were morphologically identified as Ixodes ricinus. Overall, 15.2% of the 158 analyzed pools tested positive for at least one pathogen. Rickettsia spp. was the most frequently detected pathogen (10.7%), with multiple species identified, including R. helvetica, R. monacensis, R. slovaca, and R. raoultii. Anaplasma phagocytophilum was detected in ticks collected from wild ungulates, whereas Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. was only occasionally identified. No samples tested positive for TBEV or C. burnetii. Rickettsia spp. positivity was higher in ticks collected from ungulates and in I. ricinus, although these differences were not statistically significant. These findings provide new insights into tick ecology in Alpine ecosystems, highlighting the circulation of potentially zoonotic pathogens and the altitudinal presence of ticks in the Alps up to 1800–2300 m a.s.l. The study contributes valuable epidemiological data and supports the need for continued surveillance within a One Health framework.