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Wild Animals and Infectious Diseases: From Wildlife Conservation to a...
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Wild Animals and Infectious Diseases: From Wildlife Conservation to a Public Health Challenge

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 21041

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Serena Montagnaro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples, Via Delpino 1, 80137 Naples, Italy
Interests: veterinary epidemiology; veterinary virology; infectious disease and public health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Several infectious diseases sustained by pathogens that have a broad host spectrum affect people, domestic animals, and wildlife alike. Therefore, numerous infectious diseases that involve wildlife pose a problem for human health, animal, and public health.

The interface between wild and domestic animals is dynamic and bidirectional, and pathogens are freely transmitted within and between wildlife and livestock species. This process is favored by an indirect contact in a common environment, through the use of shared resources such as pastures, vectors, etc.

Moreover, biodiversity loss and habitat fragmentation can play a key role in the spread of zoonotic diseases and in the alteration of the interface between wild and domestic animals. Therefore, it is necessary to face this situation in the context of One Health, which emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration and highlights the indivisible nature of health and disease in humans and animals.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to improve the knowledge of these interfaces and to clarify the role of wildlife in the transmission and maintenance of infectious diseases in an animal and human population. These results will be useful to design, refine, and adapt surveillance strategies to better monitor diseases at the interface between fauna and livestock.

Dr. Serena Montagnaro
Guest Editor

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 2400 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

  • infectious disease
  • wildlife
  • public health
  • biodiversity
  • one health

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1827 KiB  
Article
Molecular Identification of Bacillus Isolated from Korean Water Deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) and Striped Field Mouse (Apodemus agrarius) Feces by Using an SNP-Based 16S Ribosomal Marker
by Md-Mafizur Rahman, Sang-Jin Lim and Yung-Chul Park
Animals 2022, 12(8), 979; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12080979 - 10 Apr 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2643
Abstract
Ambiguous, heterogeneous, endospore-forming Bacillus species, notably Bacillus cereus, often produce fatal toxins that threaten human health. We identified Bacillus from wild animal fecal samples (n = 80), including the Korean water deer (n = 25) and striped field mouse ( [...] Read more.
Ambiguous, heterogeneous, endospore-forming Bacillus species, notably Bacillus cereus, often produce fatal toxins that threaten human health. We identified Bacillus from wild animal fecal samples (n = 80), including the Korean water deer (n = 25) and striped field mouse (n = 55). Using traditional culture-based methods, 25 animal fecal samples (31.25%; 25/80) were found to be positive for Bacillus species, whereas using molecular techniques, 19 samples (23.75%; 19/80) were found to be positive for the same. In addition, we designed a Bacillus species-specific 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene marker and utilized it to identify 19 samples by means of PCR amplification and sequencing, using at least one colony from the 19 Bacillus positive samples. The recovered sequences were matched to sequences of three Bacillus species (B. cereus, B. amyloliquefaciens, and B. megaterium) from the GenBank database. Moreover, the phylogenetic tree generated in this study established specific clades for the Bacillus group. In addition, to differentiate between B. cereus, B. anthracis, and B. thuringiensis, we designed a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based primer by identifying SNPs in the alignment of 16S rRNA gene sequences of B. cereus group strains. The SNPs were used to design primer sets for discrimination between highly similar species from the B. cereus group. The study could be used in surveillance of agricultural fresh-produce-associated Bacillus outbreaks, for accurate identification of each Bacillus species, and in the development of control measures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wild Animals and Infectious Diseases: From Wildlife Conservation to a Public Health Challenge)
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12 pages, 1055 KiB  
Article
A Preliminary Study on Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Staphylococcus spp. and Enterococcus spp. Grown on Mannitol Salt Agar in European Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) Hunted in Campania Region—Italy
by Francesca Paola Nocera, Gianmarco Ferrara, Emanuela Scandura, Monica Ambrosio, Filomena Fiorito and Luisa De Martino
Animals 2022, 12(1), 85; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12010085 - 31 Dec 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4864
Abstract
The importance of wild boar lies in its role as a bioindicator for the control of numerous zoonotic and non-zoonotic diseases, including antibiotic resistance. Mannitol Salt Agar (MSA) is a selective medium used for isolation, enumeration, and differentiation of pathogenic staphylococci. Other genera [...] Read more.
The importance of wild boar lies in its role as a bioindicator for the control of numerous zoonotic and non-zoonotic diseases, including antibiotic resistance. Mannitol Salt Agar (MSA) is a selective medium used for isolation, enumeration, and differentiation of pathogenic staphylococci. Other genera such as Enterococcus spp. are also salt tolerant and able to grow on MSA. The present study focused on the identification, by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), of bacteria grown on MSA isolated from the nasal cavities of 50 healthy wild boars hunted in Campania Region (southern Italy) in the year 2019. In addition, the antimicrobial resistance phenotype of the isolated strains was determined by disk diffusion method. Among genus Staphylococcus, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) were the most common isolated species, with Staphylococcus xylosus as the most prevalent species (33.3%). Furthermore, Enterococcus spp. strains were isolated, and Enterococcus faecalis was the species showing the highest frequency of isolation (93.8%). For staphylococci, high levels of resistance to oxacillin (93.3%) were recorded. Differently, they exhibited low frequencies of resistance to tested non-β-lactams antibiotics. Among enterococci, the highest resistances were observed for penicillin (93.7%), followed by ampicillin (75%), and ciprofloxacin (68.7%). Interestingly, 43.7% of the isolated strains were vancomycin-resistant. In conclusion, this study reports the phenotypic antibiotic resistance profiles of Staphylococcus spp. and Enterococcus spp. strains isolated from nasal cavities of wild boars hunted in Campania Region, highlighting that these wild animals are carriers of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wild Animals and Infectious Diseases: From Wildlife Conservation to a Public Health Challenge)
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8 pages, 700 KiB  
Article
Aujeszky’s Disease in South-Italian Wild Boars (Sus scrofa): A Serological Survey
by Gianmarco Ferrara, Consiglia Longobardi, Filomena D’Ambrosi, Maria Grazia Amoroso, Nicola D’Alessio, Sara Damiano, Roberto Ciarcia, Valentina Iovane, Giuseppe Iovane, Ugo Pagnini and Serena Montagnaro
Animals 2021, 11(11), 3298; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11113298 - 18 Nov 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2237
Abstract
Aujeszky’s disease (AD, pseudorabies) is a viral disease of suids caused by Suid Herpesvirus 1 (SHV-1) also referred as Aujeszky’s disease virus (ADV) or Pseudorabies virus (ADV). Domestic pig and Wild boar (Sus scrofa) are the natural host, but many species [...] Read more.
Aujeszky’s disease (AD, pseudorabies) is a viral disease of suids caused by Suid Herpesvirus 1 (SHV-1) also referred as Aujeszky’s disease virus (ADV) or Pseudorabies virus (ADV). Domestic pig and Wild boar (Sus scrofa) are the natural host, but many species can be infected with ADV. The aim of our study was to evaluate seroprevalence of AD in wild boar hunted in the Campania Region, during the 2016–2017 hunting season. A total of 503 serum samples from wild boars hunted in the provinces of Campania Region (Southern Italy) were collected and were tested for antibody against ADV using an AD, blocking ELISA assay. A Seroprevalence of 23.85% (120/503, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 20.15–27.55) was found. Gender was not significantly associated with of ADV seropositivity (p > 0.05), while the presence of ADV antibodies was statistically associated with age (>36-month, p < 0.0001) and location (Avellino, p = 0.0161). Our prevalence values are like those obtained in 2010 in our laboratory (30.7%), demonstrating a constant circulation of ADV in the area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wild Animals and Infectious Diseases: From Wildlife Conservation to a Public Health Challenge)
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11 pages, 1121 KiB  
Article
Prevalence of Infection with Porcine Circovirus Types 2 and 3 in the Wild Boar Population in the Campania Region (Southern Italy)
by Maria Grazia Amoroso, Francesco Serra, Claudia Esposito, Nicola D’Alessio, Gianmarco Ferrara, Barbara Cioffi, Antonietta Anzalone, Ugo Pagnini, Esterina De Carlo, Giovanna Fusco and Serena Montagnaro
Animals 2021, 11(11), 3215; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11113215 - 10 Nov 2021
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 2416
Abstract
In recent years, porcine circovirus (PCV) infection has been documented as an important and emerging health concern for livestock and wildlife worldwide. The purpose of the present study was to assess the molecular prevalence of PCV-2 and PCV-3 and to clarify the epidemiological [...] Read more.
In recent years, porcine circovirus (PCV) infection has been documented as an important and emerging health concern for livestock and wildlife worldwide. The purpose of the present study was to assess the molecular prevalence of PCV-2 and PCV-3 and to clarify the epidemiological role of wild boars in the circulation of this virus in Campania, Southern Italy. For this purpose, samples from several organs were collected during the hunting season 2017–2018 from 148 wild boars in the Campania region. Quantitative real-time PCR was used for the detection and quantification of PCV-2 and PCV-3 genomes. The combined prevalence of PCV-2 and PCV-3 was 74.32% in the wild boars tested. The proportions of wild boars positive for PCV-2 or PCV-3, or coinfected, were 47.30%, 49.32%, and 22.30%, respectively. No link was detected between PCV positivity and location, but gender was a risk factor for the disease (female; p < 0.0001; OR 0.29). Furthermore, our study provides a snapshot of PCV-2 and PCV-3 circulation in wild boars in the Campania region: our findings can help us to better understand the role of wildlife in PCV circulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wild Animals and Infectious Diseases: From Wildlife Conservation to a Public Health Challenge)
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10 pages, 1046 KiB  
Article
Indirect Effect of African Swine Fever on the Diet Composition of the Gray Wolf Canis lupus—A Case Study in Belarus
by Daniel Klich, Grigorij Yanuta, Maria Sobczuk and Marek Balcerak
Animals 2021, 11(6), 1758; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11061758 - 12 Jun 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 6447
Abstract
After the emergence of African swine fever (ASF), the wild boar population numbers fell drastically in Eastern Europe. This situation made it possible to verify the changes in the wolves’ diet that occurred. The material collection was carried out in two regions, Grodno [...] Read more.
After the emergence of African swine fever (ASF), the wild boar population numbers fell drastically in Eastern Europe. This situation made it possible to verify the changes in the wolves’ diet that occurred. The material collection was carried out in two regions, Grodno and Vitebsk, in Belarus. In total, 19 species/groups of prey were observed in the gray wolf diet, but the most important were wild boar, elk, red deer, roe deer and beaver. The decrease in the number of wild boar caused changes in the diet of wolves but only in Vitebsk region, where wolves’ diet before the ASF epidemic outbreak consisted mainly of elk and wild boar. After the decrease of wild boar numbers, wolves still mainly hunted elk, but other types of prey included roe deer, red deer and beaver. We found a negative correlation between wild boar and both deer species (roe deer and red deer) in the wolves’ diet. Moreover, the more the wolves consumed elk, the less they consumed beaver. In our opinion, only intensive hunting of wolves by humans can explain the resulting dietary fluctuations between elk and beaver, as well as the fact that wolves did not turn to other food sources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wild Animals and Infectious Diseases: From Wildlife Conservation to a Public Health Challenge)
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