The prevalence of endoparasite infections in 83 free-living specimens of Caretta caretta, classified as vulnerable species, from the Adriatic Sea and Northern Ionian Sea was investigated by coprological examination. Thirty-seven (44.6%) turtles were found to be infected with helminths. The helminth infections found were: Rhytidodes gelatinosus and Sulcascaris sulcata (18.1% each), Hapalotrema mistroides (13.2%), Cymatocarpus solearis (9.6%), Eniodotrema megachondrus (7.2%), Kathlania/Tonaudia sp. (3.6%), Neospirorchis sp., Octangium sagitta and Plesiochorus cymbiformis (1.2% each). There were no significant differences in the total prevalence of helminth infections between sexes, size classes, and seasonal periods. Conversely, the prevalence of helminth infections was significantly higher (P < 0.01) in accidentally caught turtles than in stranded turtles. Highly significant differences in prevalence of helminthiases were also seen among marine sampling areas. This report provides important baseline information about the helminth fauna of free-living C. caretta in the examined geographical region. This is also the first report of O. sagitta infection in C. caretta thus broadening the host range of the parasite.

Although there are increasing reports on the prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in wild species, this is the first case of listeriosis in sea turtle. An adult female Caretta caretta was rescued after being stranded alive along the coast of the Abruzzo region (Italy) in summer 2021. The turtle died in 6 days due to respiratory failure. The necropsy showed widespread organ lesions, such as yellow foci of necrosis in many organs, gastrointestinal erosions, pericarditis, and granulomatous pneumonia. Microbiological and histological analyses were performed on several organs. Listeria monocytogenes was isolated from multiple organs, indicating a case of septicaemic listeriosis, and the genome was sequenced and characterized. All the colonies analysed belonged to the same strain serogroup IVb, ST388, and CC388.

The widespread presence of microplastics (MPs) and associated plastic-derived com-pounds, bisphenols (BPs), in the environment – originating from plastic production or adsorption of environmental pollutants – results in unavoidable human exposure. There-fore, assessing their occurrence in human biological samples is essential for understand-ing potential health risks. In this study, pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to analyse human intraocular fluids – aqueous humour (AH) and vitreous hu-mour (VH)—to identify 11 microplastic polymer clusters. A method based on dansyl chloride derivatization combined with ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was employed to screen for five bisphenols (BPs) in blood serum col-lected from the same patients. Potential MPs isolated from ocular samples were qualita-tively assessed by stereomicroscopy. The number of particles ranged from 14 to 69 per gram in AH and from 21 to 34 per gram in VH. Among AH samples, the most frequently detected polymer clusters were C-PMMA, C-PVC, C-PET, and C-PP, with average levels ranging from 0.41 to 0.82 µg/g. The three VH samples contained only C-PMMA, with an average concentration of 0.55±0.12 µg/g. Polymers such as C-PA66 (0.30±0.21 µg/g) and C-PA6 (0.15±0.44 µg/g) were occasionally observed in AH. Analysis of 13 human serum samples demonstrated exposure to bisphenol A (BPA; 3.90–5.63 ng/mL) and bisphenol AF (BPAF; 2.13–4.54 ng/mL), but no clear correlation was observed between serum BP levels and intraocular MPs within the limitations of the present dataset. These findings suggest the presence of MPs and BPs in human biological samples; however, the results should be interpreted with caution owing to potential background contamination and the pilot na-ture of the study.

Many of the estuaries and coastal areas in Europe are used for the cultivation and harvesting of bivalve mollusks. Mussel farming is strongly influenced by weather and environmental conditions. Several studies have shown that the sanitary conditions of shellfish are related to hydrological factors of rivers adjacent to the farming area, as rivers are the main routes of bacteriological contamination from the surface or sub-surface.The "FORESHELL" project, funded by Costa Blu FLAG as part of the EMFF 2014-20 program of the Abruzzo Region, is carrying out a pilot initiative for the development of sanitary/weather-environmental predictive technological tools in order to improve efficiency and sustainability of the mussel farm located at the Giuliano Maritime District.A specific sampling schedule is established before and after severe weather events to determine the E. coliconcentration in freshwater at the river mouths and in mussels/seawater in the farming site. At the same time, the hydrographic basins of the rivers close to the farm, Vibrata and Salinello, are constantly monitored trough the hydrological model (CHyM), to predict the occurrence of flow discharge peaks at mouth of the river. In addition, the satellites and the in-situ probe acquire environmental parameters such as sea water temperature, salinity, chlorophyll-a, sea currents and wave motion.The web application for data visualization is under construction, as well as the early warning reports to the farmer. Furthermore, the growth of mussels is constantly monitored with biometric controls. The implementation of all phases of the FORESHELL project are proceeding according to the timeline in order to develop innovative tools useful for the management of mussel farming area.

The widespread presence of microplastics (MPs) and associated plastic-derived compounds, bisphenols (BPs), in the environment—originating from plastic production or adsorption of environmental pollutants—results in unavoidable human exposure. Therefore, assessing their occurrence in human biological samples is essential for understanding potential health risks. In this study, pyrolysis gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was used to analyse human intraocular fluids—aqueous humour (AH) and vitreous humour (VH)—to identify 11 microplastic polymer clusters. A method based on dansyl chloride derivatisation combined with ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was employed to screen for five bisphenols (BPs) in blood serum collected from the same patients. Potential MPs isolated from ocular samples were qualitatively assessed by stereomicroscopy. The number of particles ranged from 14 to 69 per gram in AH and from 21 to 34 per gram in VH. Among AH samples, the most frequently detected polymer clusters were C-PVC, C-PMMA, C-PET, and C-PP, with average levels ranging from 0.41 to 0.84 µg/g. The three VH samples contained only C-PMMA, with an average concentration of 0.55 ± 0.12 µg/g. Polymers such as C-PA66 (0.30 ± 0.21 µg/g) and C-PA6 (0.15 ± 0.44 µg/g) were occasionally observed in AH. Analysis of 13 human serum samples demonstrated exposure to bisphenol A (BPA; 4.05–5.18 ng/mL) and bisphenol AF (BPAF; 2.13–4.54 ng/mL), but no clear correlation was observed between serum BP levels and intraocular MPs within the limitations of the present dataset. These findings suggest the presence of MPs and BPs in human biological samples; however, the results should be interpreted with caution owing to potential background contamination and the pilot nature of the study.