Summary Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) incidence has been increased in Italy in humans and dogs since the 1990s, with new foci being detected within traditional boundaries of endemic transmission but also in northern regions previously regarded as non‐endemic. To monitor the putative VL spreading, surveillance was implemented in northern continental Italy comprising: analysis of human cases recorded from 1990 through 2005; retrospective literature analysis of canine leishmaniasis (CanL) and phlebotomine sandfly records through 2002; prospective investigations in dogs from 2003 through 2005 and surveys on sandflies in 2003 and 2004. Two‐hundred‐thirty human cases (11% of Italian cases) were recorded. Their stratification by age and HIV status disclosed a sharp decrease of HIV/VL co‐infections paralleled by concomitant increase of paediatric and HIV‐negative adult patients during the study period. Four patients had no travel history. Seven leishmaniasis foci were retrospectively identified since 1990, whereas prospective investigations in dogs disclosed 47 autochthonous clinical cases and 106 autochthonous seropositives among 5442 dogs (2.1%) from 16 foci of six regions. Parasites were typed as Leishmania infantum MON‐1. Four vector species were identified among 1696 Phlebotomus (Larroussius) collected specimens. Comparisons with historical data showed that P. perniciosus and P. neglectus have increased in density and expanded their geographic range in the study area. Northern continental Italy is now focally endemic for VL and a moderate risk for human disease does exist, although the intensity of transmission seems to be lower than in traditional settings of Mediterranean VL.

Intestinal nematodes affecting dogs, i.e. roundworms, hookworms and whipworms, have a relevant health-risk impact for animals and, for most of them, for human beings. Both dogs and humans are typically infected by ingesting infective stages, (i.e. larvated eggs or larvae) present in the environment. The existence of a high rate of soil and grass contamination with infective parasitic elements has been demonstrated worldwide in leisure, recreational, public and urban areas, i.e. parks, green areas, bicycle paths, city squares, playgrounds, sandpits, beaches. This review discusses the epidemiological and sanitary importance of faecal pollution with canine intestinal parasites in urban environments and the integrated approaches useful to minimize the risk of infection in different settings.

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BackgroundToxoplasma gondii is one of the most widespread parasites in humans and can cause severe illness in immunocompromised individuals. However, its role in healthy people is probably under-appreciated. The complex epidemiology of this protozoan recognizes several infection routes but consumption of contaminated food is likely to be the predominant one. Among food, consumption of raw and undercooked meat is a relevant route of transmission, but the role of different meat producing animal species and meats thereof is controversial.ObjectivesThe aim of the present work is to summarize and analyse literature data reporting prevalence estimates of T. gondii in meat animals/meats.Data SourcesWe searched Medline, Web of Science, Science Direct (last update 31/03/2015).Eligibility CriteriaRelevant papers should report data from primary studies dealing with the prevalence of T. gondii in meat from livestock species as obtained through direct detection methods. Meta-analysis and meta-regression were performed.ResultsOf 1915 papers screened, 69 papers were included, dealing mainly with cattle, pigs and sheep. Pooled prevalences, based on random-effect models, were 2.6% (CI95 [0.5–5.8]) for cattle, 12.3% (CI95 [7.6–17.8]) for pigs and 14.7% (CI95 [8.9–21.5]) for sheep. Due to the high heterogeneity observed, univariable and multivariable meta-regression models were fitted showing that the geographic area for cattle (p = 0.032), the farming type for pigs (p = 0.0004) and the sample composition for sheep (p = 0.03) had significant effects on the prevalences of Toxoplasma detected/estimated. Moreover, the role of different animal species was dependent on the geographic location of animals’ origin.LimitationsLimitations were due mainly to a possible publication bias.Conclusions and ImplicationsThe present work confirms the role of meat, including beef, as T. gondii sources, and highlights the need for a control system for this parasite to be implemented along the meat production chain. Moreover, consumer knowledge should be strengthened in order to reduce the impact of disease.

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