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Special Issue "Selected Papers from Conservation Medicine and Wildlife Health International Seminar"

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A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Wildlife".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 November 2022) | Viewed by 5444

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Cristina Esmeralda Di Francesco

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Guest Editor

Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Interests: virology; morbillivirus; parvovirus; microbiology; wildlife; avian and mammalian infectious diseases; antimicrobial resistance
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Dr. Simone Angelucci

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Guest Editor

Majella National Park, Sulmona, Italy
Interests: wildlife disease monitoring; wildlife disease ecology; capture and handling methods for wildlife research and management; wildlife forensics; wildlife conservation and management (large carnivores and ungulates); conservation medicine; wildlife-livestock interface; human/wildlife coexistence
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Dr. Camilla Smoglica

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Interests: viral and bacterial infections of domestic and wild animals; laboratory diagnosis of infectious diseases; viral isolation and characterization; microbiology; molecular biology; PCR; RT-PCR; qPCR; sequence analysis; antimicrobial resistance in domestic animals and wildlife
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The aim of this Special Issue is to encourage the submission of presentations and posters proposed as part of the Conservation Medicine and Wildlife Health International Seminar organized by the University of Teramo, in collaboration with Maiella National Park, in June 2022.

The seminar will focus on recent developments in conservation medicine and wildlife health, covering topics and advances relating to wildlife health and conservation medicine, capture and handling techniques and wildlife health research, infectious and parasitic diseases, the wildlife–livestock interface, perspectives on ecosystem health, environmental change, and the human–wildlife interface.

Prof. Dr. Cristina Esmeralda Di Francesco
Dr. Simone Angelucci
Dr. Camilla Smoglica
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

wildlife health and management
conservation medicine
wildlife–human–livestock interface
infectious and parasitic diseases

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

Open AccessArticle

Welfare and Clinical Assessment on Physical Captures Followed by Anesthesia in Apennine Chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica ornata)

Cristina Esmeralda Di Francesco

and

Jorge Ramón López-Olvera

Animals 2023, 13(3), 460; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13030460 - 28 Jan 2023

Viewed by 1249

Abstract

The Apennine chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica ornata) is one of the rarest subspecies in Italy, listed in Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive and currently included as a vulnerable subspecies in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. The Maiella National Park population has recently been defined as a source population for reintroduction into other parks. Since collective captures allow for better selection of target animals for the establishment of new colonies, the aim of this study is to evaluate the physiological conditions and animal welfare in free-ranging Apennine chamois after collective physical capture followed by chemical immobilization with medetomidine 0.054 mg ± 0.007, ketamine 2.14 mg ± 0.28, and acepromazine 0.043 mg ± 0.006. Twenty-one Apennine chamois (18 females and 3 males) were captured and translocated for conservation purposes. The effects of capture and anesthesia were evaluated using clinical variables, hematology, serum biochemistry, and venous blood gas analysis, the latter being used in the field for the first time in chamois capture. A risk of metabolic acidosis and capture myopathy was identified, although it did not compromise the survival of 19 chamois, which adapted to novel environments and founded new colonies, as verified through GPS radiocollars. The protocol applied in this study represents an innovative approach to assessing animal physiology and welfare in collective mountain ungulate captures, useful for improving management activities for conservation purposes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from Conservation Medicine and Wildlife Health International Seminar)

Open AccessArticle

Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Dissemination in the Wildlife, Livestock, and Water of Maiella National Park, Italy

and

Cristina Esmeralda Di Francesco

Animals 2023, 13(3), 432; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13030432 - 27 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1271

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health concern that has been linked to humans, animals, and the environment. The One Health approach highlights the connection between humans, animals, and the environment and suggests that a multidisciplinary approached be used in studies investigating AMR. The present study was carried out to identify and characterize the antimicrobial resistance profiles of bacteria isolated from wildlife and livestock feces as well as from surface water samples in Maiella National Park, Italy. Ecological and georeferenced data were used to select two sampling locations, one where wildlife was caught within livestock grazing areas (sympatric group) and one where wildlife was caught outside of livestock grazing areas (non-sympatric group). Ninety-nine bacterial isolates from 132 feces samples and seven isolates from five water samples were collected between October and December 2019. The specimens were examined for species identification, antibiotic susceptibility and molecular detection of antibiotic resistance. Forty isolates were identified as Escherichia coli, forty-eight as Enterococcus spp., eight as Streptococcus spp. and ten as other gram-negative bacteria. Phenotypic antibiotic resistance to at least one antimicrobial agent, including some antibiotics that play a critical role in human medicine, was detected in 36/106 (33.9%, 95% CI: 25–43) isolates and multidrug resistance was detected in 9/106 isolates (8.49%, 95% CI: 3.9–15.5). In addition, genes associated with antibiotic resistance were identified in 61/106 (57.55%, 95% CI: 47.5–67) isolates. The samples from sympatric areas were 2.11 (95% CI: 1.2–3.5) times more likely to contain resistant bacterial isolates than the samples from non-sympatric areas. These data suggest that drug resistant bacteria may be transmitted in areas where wildlife and livestock cohabitate. This emphasizes the need for further investigations focusing on the interactions between humans, wildlife, and the environment, the results of which can aid in the early detection of emerging AMR profiles and possible transmission routes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from Conservation Medicine and Wildlife Health International Seminar)

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Open AccessArticle

Threats to the Reintroduction Program of the Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) in Italy: A Forensic Investigation

and

Animals 2023, 13(1), 66; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13010066 - 23 Dec 2022

Viewed by 1022

Abstract

The Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita is an endangered species, and recently it was reintroduced in Europe by the Waldrappteam. The reintroduction program has been strongly threatened by several sudden deaths, mainly in Italy. The present study used a forensic approach to analyze all of the 27 Northern Bald Ibises found dead in Italy between 2016 and 2022, which were suspected to have been victims of poaching, and it followed the veterinary forensic guidelines. Human-related causes accounted for 60% of the deaths, including illegal hunting (30%), blunt force trauma (26%), and electrocution (4%). Natural causes, starvation (15%), predation (11%) and disease (7%), accounted for 33% of the deaths. 7% of the causes of deaths remained undetermined. This study uses a forensic approach to analyze, for the first time, the main causes of death in Geronticus eremita and highlights the relevance of detecting illegal actions related to endangered species and stopping the phenomenon of poaching. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from Conservation Medicine and Wildlife Health International Seminar)

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Open AccessArticle

Prevalence of Different Salmonella enterica Subspecies and Serotypes in Wild Carnivores in Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy

and

Animals 2022, 12(23), 3368; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12233368 - 30 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1276

Abstract

Salmonella is a pathogen of considerable health concern, given its zoonotic potential, and, in Italy, is the most frequently reported causative agent for foodborne outbreaks. Wild animals and in particular wild carnivores may be carriers of different Salmonella enterica subspecies and serotypes. Given their potential role as reservoirs, surveillance activities are necessary. This study aims to investigate the presence of different Salmonella subspecies and serotypes in wild carnivores in the Emilia-Romagna Region. A total of 718 fox (Vulpes vulpes), 182 badger (Meles meles) and 27 wolf (Canis lupus) carcasses, submitted between 2016–2022, were included for the present work. Gender and age data were collected along with geographical coordinates of carcass’ discovery site. Contents of the large intestine were sampled and cultured according to ISO 6579-1 and both serogroup and serotype identification were performed according to ISO/TR 6579-3:2014. Salmonella was retrieved from 42 foxes (6%), 21 badgers (12%) and 3 wolves (12%), respectively. Isolated Salmonella enterica strains belonged to 4 different subspecies and 25 different serotypes. S. veneziana and S. typhimurium were the most frequent serotypes found (11/67 and 10/67, respectively). In conclusion, zoonotic serotypes were found in all these species of wildlife, thus confirming their potential role in the ecology of Salmonella spp. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from Conservation Medicine and Wildlife Health International Seminar)

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