Identification of mycobacterial infections in wild boars in Northern Sardinia, Italy

During a six-month period a region of Northern Sardinia was monitored to check the presence of mycobacterial infections in wild boars. Forty-eight serum and 229 biopsy samples were collected from different animals and examined by both traditional diagnostic techniques (culture, bacterioscopic and molecular tests) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The latter was used to determine the antibody response against both methylated and nonmethylated Heparin-Binding Haemagglutinin (HBHA) protein. Nine mycobacterial strains were isolated: three M. avium ssp. paratuberculosis (Map), three M. avium, one M. interjectum and two M. scrofulaceum strains. By PCR, only one animal was positive for M. bovis, whereas 10 animals were positive for Map. Out of the 48 sera tested, 19 showed a good humoral response to methylated HBHA and 17 to nonmethylated HBHA. Our data provide new information on the prevalence of mycobacterial infection among wild boars in Northern Sardinia and suggest that a more effective program should be developed to monitor mycobacterial infections in the wild animal population.     

New dates of a Northern Italian loess deposit (Monte Orfano,Southern pre-Alps,Brescia)

Journal of Soils and Sediments - Loess in Northern Italy has been usually considered deposited during the MIS 4-2 period, which corresponds to the last Pleistocene glacial cycle. In particular, no...     

Some features of a bloom of Oscillatoria rubescens D.C. registered in two italian reservoirs

This paper summarizes biological, microbiological, physico-chemical and toxicological analyses carried out during a bloom of Oscillatoria rubescens D.C. in two Sardinian lakes that began in January and lasted 7 mo. The algal species was found to be biotoxins producer. The toxicity was confirmed through laboratory tests. Acute LD₅₀ in mice was about 120 mg kg^?1 body weight i.p. and at the necroscopic examination animals showed ochraccous dashes on the liver. When subacute p.o. toxicity tests were performed, in liver cells swollen, fragmented or twinned nuclei appeared in a dose related manner. During the bloom the eutrophic lakes exhibited a reduced number of microbial fecal indicators and a rich population of environmental bacterial flora.     

Pedogenic and palaeoclimatic evidence from an Eemian calcrete in north‐western Sardinia (Italy)

A multidisciplinary approach was followed to study the pedogenic and palaeoclimatic information preserved in a buried palaeosol belonging to a Late Quaternary succession located along the bay of Alghero (north‐western Sardinia). The bay is dominated by a 5‐km long sandy beach‐ridge system backing an N‐S oriented lagoon system (Calich). The succession studied is characterized by basal shallow marine deposits, followed by clayey lagoon sediments and colluvial strata and capped by a relatively thick aeolianite. The research was based on pedological and sedimentological analyses, supported by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating and by an in‐depth micro‐morphological study. Three main climatic pulses were highlighted during the Eemian. A wet period, with intense carbonate leaching occurred at the very beginning of the Eemian interglacial followed by very dry climatic conditions. This dry phase was long and arid enough to allow the formation of a thick calcrete hardpan, a typical feature of semi‐arid environments. The hardpan is dated at about 120 ka (kilo annum) and this dry event is tentatively associated with the late Eemian arid pulse (LEAP). The last phase of the Eemian recorded the restoration of a wetter climate. Finally, the succession indicated that even in a cooler environment, the central Mediterranean most probably maintained temperate conditions at least until the end of the MIS 5c (about 95 ka; early Würm).     

Human outbreak of trichinellosis in the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, Italy

Trichinella sp. infection has been documented in both humans and animals in most Mediterranean countries, yet in the past 60 years no infections have been reported on the Mediterranean islands. We describe the first outbreak of Trichinella sp. infection to have been reported on the island of Sardinia. The outbreak occurred in two villages in 2005 and involved 11 persons who had eaten raw sausages made from the same free-ranging sow. All 11 persons developed signs and symptoms of trichinellosis and seroconverted within 48 days of consuming the infected meat. The etiological agent was Trichinella britovi. Sardinia, like all Mediterranean islands, had been considered to be Trichinella-free. The present report, together with a recent report of T. britovi infection in animals on the nearby island of Corsica (France), raises questions as to the validity of the concept of Trichinella-free areas or regions.     

Effects of Dietary Salt Intake on Renal Function: A 2‐Year Study in Healthy Aged Cats

Background

Increasing salt intake to promote diuresis has been suggested in the management of feline lower urinary tract disease. However, high dietary salt intake might adversely affect blood pressure and renal function.

Objectives

The objective of this study was to assess the long‐term effects of increased salt intake on renal function in healthy aged cats.

Methods

This study was controlled, randomized, and blinded. Twenty healthy neutered cats (10.1 ± 2.4 years) were randomly allocated into 2 matched groups. One group was fed a high salt diet (3.1 g/Mcal sodium, 5.5 g/Mcal chloride) and the other a control diet of same composition except for salt content (1.0 g/Mcal sodium, 2.2 g/Mcal chloride). Clinical examination, glomerular filtration rate, blood pressure measurement, cardiac and kidney ultrasonography, and urinary and blood tests were performed before and over 24 months after diet implementation. Statistics were performed using a general linear model.

Results

Sixteen cats completed the 2 year study. The only variables affected by dietary salt intake were plasma aldosterone and urinary sodium/creatinine ratio, respectively, higher and lower in the control group all over the study period and urinary specific gravity, lower in the high salt diet group at 3 months.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR), blood pressure, and other routine clinical pathological variables in healthy aged cats were not affected by dietary salt content. The results of this 2 year study do not support the suggestion that chronic increases in dietary salt intake are harmful to renal function in older cats.     

Antigenic profiles of recombinant proteins from Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in sheep with Johne's disease

Methods to improve the ELISA test to detect Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis have been explored over several years. Previously, selected recombinant proteins of M. avium subspecies paratuberculosis were found to be immunogenic in cattle with Johne's disease. In the present study, antibody responses of infected and healthy sheep were evaluated using 18 purified recombinant proteins in an ELISA-based format for the serodiagnosis of ovine paratuberculosis. These selected recombinant proteins represent heat shock proteins, hypothetical proteins and cell surface proteins of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis. Whereas, Map0862 (a gene uniquely present in M. avium subspecies paratuberculosis) and Map3786 encoded protein solicited the strongest antibody response in infected sheep. The protein encoded by Map2116c showed the weakest antibody response among the animals tested. Although none of the recombinant proteins detected all 11 infected sheep singly, antibodies to Map0862 were detected in 9 of 11 (81%) infected sheep. Furthermore, ovine responses to these selected antigens were assessed temporally over the course of 1 year during which we found a spiking effect rather than an incremental increase of antibody reactivity. This study evaluated multiple M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis recombinant proteins in an ELISA-based format for sheep.