Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
197,768 studies31 sourcesUpdated 49 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BYAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI

Host-Specific Circulation and Molecular Diversity of Babesia, Hepatozoon and Bartonella Species Among Wild Carnivores in Northwestern Italy.

  • Emily Sel1
  • Barbara Moroni2
  • Serena Robetto2
  • Aitor Garcia-Vozmediano2
  • Livia De Paolis2
  • Emanuele Carella2
  • Giulia Libertini1
  • Ranieri Verin1
  • Riccardo Orusa2,3
  • Simona Zoppi2
  • Elisabetta Razzuoli2
  • Valeria Listorti2
1 more authors
  • Lisa Guardone1,2
  1. 1Department of Veterinary Science, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
  2. 2Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Torino, Italy.
  3. 3Centro di Referenza Nazionale per le Malattie Degli Animali Selvatici (CeRMAS), Località Amerique 7G, 11020 Quart (AO), Italy.
Read full textPDFDOICite

Abstract

Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) represent a concern for animal and public health, and wildlife surveillance is valuable for their monitoring. The occurrence, molecular diversity and host distribution of tick-borne protozoa (TBP: Babesia spp., Theileria spp. and Hepatozoon spp.) and Bartonella spp. were investigated in wild carnivores from three regions of northwestern Italy. Spleen samples from 690 wild carnivores were screened for TBP and/or Bartonella spp. by PCR followed by sequencing. Among the 503 carnivores screened for TBP, 197 animals (39.2%) tested positive for at least one targeted protozoan species, including 87 positives for Babesia spp. (17.3%) and 120 for Hepatozoon spp. (23.9%). Bartonella spp. DNA was additionally detected in only one of the 363 animals tested (0.3%). Sequencing identified Babesia sp. badger types A and C in badgers, B. vulpes in foxes and B. canis in wolves, Hepatozoon canis in wolves and foxes, H. martis in stone martens and Hepatozoon sp. in stone and pine martens. Phylogenetic analyses supported the host-associated clustering of the detected lineages, confirming the molecular identification. These findings indicate the frequent occurrence of different TBP in wild carnivores from northwestern Italy, with marked host associated patterns, contributing to our understanding of VBD epidemiology with a One Health approach.

Related

  1. Molecular evidence of Bartonella spp. in wild felids from Brazil.
    Clara Morato Dias, Daniel Antônio Braga Lee, João Vitor Dos Santos Alves da Silva +18
    Veterinary research communicationsPeer-reviewedCC BYFull textMicrobiologyEurope PMC
  2. Ten Years Later: Molecular Detection and Circulation of Enteric Viruses in Italian Pig Herds
    Ilaria Di Bartolo, Fabio Ostanello, Giovanni Ianiro +5
    Transboundary and Emerging DiseasesPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textZoology & animal behaviourPMC
  3. Beyond Terrestrial Carnivores: Olfactory Bulb Anatomy in a Semi-Aquatic Mammal
    S. A. Fraga-Abelleira, M. V. Torres, R. Canales +3
    bioRxivPreprintAll rights reservedFull textNeurosciencebioRxiv
  4. Disseminated Bartonella washoensis infection in a kidney transplant recipient diagnosed by 16S rRNA next-generation sequencing: A case report.
    Javier Garzón, Cándida Diaz-Brochero, Tatiana Ordoñez +4
    IDCasesPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDFull textMicrobiologyEurope PMC
  5. Similar degenerative patterns of olfactory receptor genes in the giant panda and marine carnivores
    Liwen Kang, Junjie Chen, Mingsheng Hong +3
    iSciencePeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full text1 citedEvolutionary biologyZoology & animal behaviourCell PressPMCCrossrefEurope PMC

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{sel2026hostspecific,
  title = {{Host-Specific Circulation and Molecular Diversity of Babesia, Hepatozoon and Bartonella Species Among Wild Carnivores in Northwestern Italy.}},
  author = {Emily Sel and Barbara Moroni and Serena Robetto and Aitor Garcia-Vozmediano and Livia De Paolis and Emanuele Carella and Giulia Libertini and Ranieri Verin and Riccardo Orusa and Simona Zoppi and Elisabetta Razzuoli and Valeria Listorti and Lisa Guardone},
  journal = {Animals : an open access journal from MDPI},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.3390/ani16192981},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42882950},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Host-Specific Circulation and Molecular Diversity of Babesia, Hepatozoon and Bartonella Species Among Wild Carnivores in Northwestern Italy.
AU  - Emily Sel
AU  - Barbara Moroni
AU  - Serena Robetto
AU  - Aitor Garcia-Vozmediano
AU  - Livia De Paolis
AU  - Emanuele Carella
AU  - Giulia Libertini
AU  - Ranieri Verin
AU  - Riccardo Orusa
AU  - Simona Zoppi
AU  - Elisabetta Razzuoli
AU  - Valeria Listorti
AU  - Lisa Guardone
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/22
JO  - Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
DO  - 10.3390/ani16192981
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42882950
AB  - Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) represent a concern for animal and public health, and wildlife surveillance is valuable for their monitoring. The occurrence, molecular diversity and host distribution of tick-borne protozoa (TBP: Babesia spp., Theileria spp. and Hepatozoon spp.) and Bartonella spp. were investigated in wild carnivores from three regions of northwestern Italy. Spleen samples from 690 wild carnivores were screened for TBP and/or Bartonella spp. by PCR followed by sequencing. Among the 503 carnivores screened for TBP, 197 animals (39.2%) tested positive for at least one targeted protozoan species, including 87 positives for Babesia spp. (17.3%) and 120 for Hepatozoon spp. (23.9%). Bartonella spp. DNA was additionally detected in only one of the 363 animals tested (0.3%). Sequencing identified Babesia sp. badger types A and C in badgers, B. vulpes in foxes and B. canis in wolves, Hepatozoon canis in wolves and foxes, H. martis in stone martens and Hepatozoon sp. in stone and pine martens. Phylogenetic analyses supported the host-associated clustering of the detected lineages, confirming the molecular identification. These findings indicate the frequent occurrence of different TBP in wild carnivores from northwestern Italy, with marked host associated patterns, contributing to our understanding of VBD epidemiology with a One Health approach.
SN  - 2076-2615
ER  -