The vectors of bluetongue virus are certain species of Culicoides biting midges, and in the Mediterranean area Culicoides imicola has long been considered to be the only field vector. In Sicily an entomological and serological surveillance programme has been in operation since the autumn of 2000, which has shown that the prevalence and abundance of C imicola is lower than in many other Italian regions. Moreover, in 2002, there were outbreaks of bluetongue in the absence of C imicola , and in these regions bluetongue viral RNA was detected by means of a nested reverse‐transcriptase PCR in wild‐caught, non‐blood‐engorged, parous Culicoides pulicaris . Furthermore, bluetongue virus serotype 2 was isolated on five occasions from extracts of non‐blood‐engorged parous C pulicaris by using embryonated hens eggs and BHK‐21 cells as assay systems. These findings suggest that in parts of Italy and possibly in other areas of Europe, where C imicola is absent or rare, C pulicaris may act as a fully competent vector of bluetongue virus.

Enteric viruses are responsible for foodborne and waterborne infections affecting a large number of people. Data on food and water viral contamination in the south of Italy (Sicily) are scarce and fragmentary. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of viral contamination in food, water samples, and surface swabs collected in Sicily METHODS: The survey was conducted on 108 shellfish, 23 water samples (seawater, pipe water, and torrent water), 52 vegetables, one peach and 17 berries, 11 gastronomic preparations containing fish products and/or raw vegetables, and 28 surface swabs. Hepatitis A virus (HAV), genogroup GI, GII, and GIV norovirus (NoV), enterovirus (EV), rotavirus (RoV), hepatitis E virus (HEV), adenovirus (AdV), and bocavirus (BoV) were detected by nested (RT) PCR, real-time PCR, and sequence analysis. The most frequently detected viruses in shellfish were HAV (13%), NoV (18.5%), and EV (7.4%). Bocavirus was found in 3.7%, HEV in 0.9%, and AdV in 1.9% of the molluscs. Of the 23 water samples, 21.7% were positive for GII NoV and 4.3% for RoV and HEV genotype 3. Of the 70 vegetable samples, 2.9% were positive for NoV GI (GI.5 and GI.6), 2.9% for EV, and 1.4% for HEV. In the gastronomic preparations, only one EV (9%) was detected. No enteric viruses were detected in the berries, fruit, or swabs analyzed. Molecular surveillance of water and food samples clearly demonstrated that human pathogenic viruses are widely found in aquatic environments and on vegetables, and confirmed the role of vegetables and bivalve molluscs as the main reservoirs.

Carnivore protoparvovirus 1 is the etiological agent of a severe disease of terrestrial carnivores. This unique specie encompasses canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) and feline panleukopenia virus (FPLV). Studies widely analyzed the main capsid protein (VP2), but limited information is available on the nonstructural genes (NS1/NS2). This paper analyzed the NS1 gene sequence of FPLV and CPV strains collected in Italy in 2009–2017, along with worldwide related sequences. Differently from VP2, only one NS1 amino-acid residue (248) clearly and constantly distinguished FPLV from CPV-2, while five possible convergent amino-acid changes were observed that may affect the functional domains of the NS1. Some synonymous mutation in NS1 were non-synonymous in NS2 and vice versa. No evidence for recombination between the two lineages was found, and the predominance of negative selection pressure on NS1 proteins was observed, with low and no overlap between the two lineages in negatively and positively selected codons, respectively. More sites were under selection in the CPV-2 lineage. NS1 phylogenetic analysis showed divergent evolution between FPLV and CPV, and strains were clustered mostly by country and year of detection. We highlight the importance of obtaining the NS1/NS2 coding sequence in molecular epidemiology investigations.

Canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV‐2) emerged suddenly in the late 1970s as pathogen of dogs, causing a severe and often fatal gastroenteric disease. The original CPV‐2 was replaced by three antigenic variants, CPV‐2a, CPV‐2b and CPV‐2c, which to date have gained a worldwide distribution with different relative proportions. All previous studies conducted in Africa were based on partial VP2 gene sequences. The aim of this study was to provide a genome analysis to characterize the CPV strains collected in Nigeria, Africa. Rectal swab samples (n = 320) were collected in 2018 and tested by means of an immunochromatographic assay. Among the 144 positive samples, 59 were selected for further analyses using different molecular assays. The results revealed a high prevalence of CPV‐2c (91.5%) compared to the CPV‐2a variant (8.5%). The VP2 gene sequences showed a divergence from the strains analysed in 2010 in Nigeria and a closer connection with CPV strains of Asian origin. The non‐structural genes analysis evidenced amino acid changes never previously reported. The molecular analysis based on genomic sequences evidenced a geographical pattern of distribution of the analysed strains, suggesting a potential common evolutionary origin with CPV of Asian origin. This study represents the first CPV molecular characterization including all the encoding gene sequences conducted in the African continent and contributes to define the current geographical spread of the CPV variants worldwide.