No abstract

Four cases of infection with serogroup X meningococci (MenX) (1 in 2015 and 3 in 2016) occurred in migrants living in refugee camps or reception centers in Italy. All MenX isolates were identified as clonal complex 181. Our report suggests that serogroup X represents an emerging health threat for persons arriving from African countries.

Pesticides risk assessments have traditionally focused on the effects on standard parameters, such as mortality, reproduction and development. However, one of the first signs of adverse effects that occur in organisms exposed to stress conditions is an alteration in their genomic expression, which is specific to the type of stress, sensitive to very low contaminant concentrations and responsive in a few hours. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the single and binary mixture toxicity of commercial products of abamectin (Kraft ® 36 EC) and difenoconazole (Score ® 250 EC) to Folsomia candida. Laboratory toxicity tests were conducted to access the effects of these pesticides on springtail survival, reproduction and gene expression. The reproduction assays gave EC 50 and EC 10 values, respectively, of 6.3 and 1.4 mg a.s./ kg dry soil for abamectin; 1.0 and 0.12 mg a.s./kg dry soil for Kraft ® 36 EC; and 54 and 23 mg a.s./kg dry soil for Score ® 250 EC. Technical difenoconazole did not have any effect at the concentrations tested. No significant differences in gene expression were found between the abamectin concentrations tested (EC 10 and EC 50) and the solvent control. Exposure to Kraft ® 36 EC, however, significantly induced Cyp6 expression at the EC 50 level, while VgR was significantly downregulated at both the EC 10 and EC 50. Exposure to the simple pesticide mixture of Kraft ® 36 EC þ Score ® 250 EC caused significant up regulation of ABC transporter, and significant down regulation of VgR relative to the controls. GABA receptor also showed significant down-regulation between the EC 10 and EC 50 mixture treatments. Results of the present study demonstrate that pesticide-induced gene expression effects precede and occur at lower concentrations than organism-level responses. Integrating "omic" endpoints in traditional bioassays may thus be a promising way forward in pesticide toxicity evaluations.

A pilot study, using the dataset from the research network ‘FLT Med Net’, which regularly monitors transborder regions in the Mediterranean Sea using ferries as platform for systematic surveys, was undertaken to assess common bottlenose dolphin range and population trends within the Natura 2000 EU marine site “Tutela del Tursiops truncatus”. The site was recently designated by the Tuscany Region (Italy) within the requirement of the EU Habitats Directive. In order to evaluate the conservation status of bottlenose dolphin according to the surveillance scheme of the Directive, two six-year periods (2007-2012; 2013-2018) were compared to assess trends in distribution-occurrence (range); Sightings Per Unit of Effort and Density (population). In total, 18146 NM were surveyed along two fixed transects, recording 90 sightings of Tursiops truncatus and a total of 268 specimens. Between the two periods, slight but not statistically significant differences were assessed, with decreasing trend in range and population  of the species; no variation was detected in mean group sizes. Travelling was the most common behaviour, and juveniles were present in 20% of the sightings, concentrated during spring and summer. The consistent FLT Med Net dataset was found to be appropriate to evaluate important parameters for the assessment of trends in the conservation status of Tursiops truncatus at the Natura2000 site scale.