Approximately 12% of human cancers worldwide are associated with infectious agents, which are classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as Group 1 within the agents that are carcinogenic to humans. Most of these agents are viruses. Group 1 oncogenic viruses include hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B virus (HBV), human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1, Epstein-Barr virus, Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, human immunodeficiency virus-1 and high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs). In addition, some human polyomaviruses are suspected of inducing cancer prevalently in hosts with impaired immune responses. Merkel cell polyomavirus has been associated with Merkel cell carcinoma and included by the IARC in Group 2A (i.e., probably carcinogenic to humans). Linking viruses to human cancers has allowed for the development of diagnostic, prophylactic and therapeutic measures. Vaccination significantly reduced tumours induced by two oncogenic viruses as follows: HBV and HPV. Herein, we focus on mucosal alpha HPVs, which are responsible for the highest number of cancer cases due to tumour viruses and against which effective prevention strategies have been developed to reduce the global burden of HPV-related cancers.

Gram negative organisms are frequently isolated from Caretta caretta turtles, which can act as reservoir species for resistant microorganisms in the aquatic environment. C. caretta, which have no history of treatment with antimicrobials, are useful sentinel species for resistant microbes. In this culture-based study, commensal bacteria isolated from oral and cloacal samples of 98 healthy C. caretta were compared to clinical isolates from the wounds of 102 injured animals, in order to investigate the presence of AMR bacteria in free-living loggerheads from the Adriatic Sea. A total of 410 isolates were cultured. Escherichia coli and genera such as Serratia, Moraxella, Kluyvera, Salmonella were isolated only in healthy animals, while Acinetobacter, Enterobacter, Klebsiella and Morganella were isolated only from the wounds of the injured animals. When tested for susceptibility to ampicillin, amoxicillin + clavulanic acid, ceftazidime, cefuroxime, gentamicin, doxycycline, ciprofloxacin and enrofloxacin, the clinical isolates showed highly significant differences in AMR rates vs. commensal isolates for all the drugs tested, except for doxycycline. The detection of high AMR rates in loggerheads is of clinical and microbiological significance since it impacts both the choice of a proper antibiotic therapy and the implementation of conservation programs.

Cannabis-based drugs have been shown to be effective in inflammatory diseases. A number of endocannabinoids including N- arachidonoylethanolamide (anandamide, AEA) and 2-arachidonyl glycerol (2-AG) with activity at the cannabinoid receptors (CBR) CBR1 and CBR2, have been identified. Other structurally related endogenous fatty acid compounds such as oleoylethanolamide (OEA) and palmitoyl ethanolamide (PEA) have been identified in biological tissues. These compounds do not bind to CBR but might be involved in facilitating the actions of directly acting endocannabinoids and thus are commonly termed “entourage” compounds due to their ability to modulate the endocannabinoid system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of endocannabinoids and entourage compounds in the synovial fluid of dogs with osteoarthritis subjected to arthrotomy of the knee joint. Cytokines and cytology were studied as well. AEA, 2-AG, OEA and PEA were all present in the synovial fluid of arthritic knees and in the contralateral joints; in addition, a significant increase of OEA and 2AG levels were noted in SF from OA knees when compared to the contralateral joints. The identification and quantification of endocannabinoids and entourage compounds levels in synovial fluids from dogs with OA of the knee is reported for the first time. Our data are instrumental for future studies involving a greater number of dogs. Cannabinoids represent an emerging and innovative pharmacological tool for the treatment of OA and further studies are warranted to evaluate the effectiveness of cannabinoids in veterinary medicine.

Canine parvovirosis is a very contagious, severe and often lethal infectious disease of dogs caused by canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2). Parvoviruses are very resistant to several disinfectants while are sensitive to halogens such as sodium hypochlorite which is often used for decontamination of veterinary clinics and animal housing facilities due to its broad spectrum of activity. If compliance with vaccination programmes and with proper disinfection plans is ensured, there should be no continuous, nor frequent, CPV-2 outbreaks in kennels and veterinary clinics. However, a continuous spread of CPV-2 infections is observed, even in kennels where an appropriate vaccination programme is applied, and this imposes a re-evaluation of disinfection protocols using sodium hypochlorite. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of concentration, contact time and presence of organic matter on the virucidal activity of sodium hypochlorite against several CPV-2 strains. A sensitivein vitroassay capable of measuring the infectivity of CPV-2 was employed to determine the efficacy of three different concentrations of sodium hypochlorite. The data indicate that using a 0.75% sodium hypochlorite solution for a short contact time (1 min) can reduce significantly the CPV-2 titres and that even lower concentrations, i.e. 0.37%, can efficiently inactivate the viruses provided that the contact time is extended to 15 min. Results also confirm the importance of cleaning before disinfection since the presence of organic matter totally abrogated the virucidal activity of sodium hypochlorite solutions against the three CPV-2 strains.

HPV16 is responsible for approximately 60% and 90% of global HPV–induced cervical and oropharyngeal cancers, respectively. HPV16 intratype variants have been identified by HPV genome sequencing and classified into four phylogenetic lineages (A–D). Our understanding of HPV16 variants mostly derives from epidemiological studies on cervical cancer (CC) in which HPV16 B, C, and D lineages (previously named “non-European” variants) were mainly associated with high-grade cervical lesions and cancer. Although a predominance of HPV16 lineage A (previously named “European variants”) has been observed in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), epidemiological and in vitro biological studies are still limited for this tumor site. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) of the entire HPV genome has deepened our knowledge of the prevalence and distribution of HPV variants in CC and HNSCC. Research on cervical cancer has shown that certain HPV16 sublineages, such as D2, D3, A3, and A4, are associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer, and sublineages A4, D2, and D3 are linked to a higher risk of developing adenocarcinomas. Additionally, lineage C and sublineages D2 or D3 of HPV16 show an elevated risk of developing premalignant cervical lesions. However, it is still crucial to conduct large-scale studies on HPV16 variants in different HPV–related tumor sites to deeply evaluate their association with disease development and outcomes. This review discusses the current knowledge and updates on HPV16 phylogenetic variants distribution in HPV–driven anogenital and head and neck cancers.