Serology for Borrelia spp. in Northwest Italy: A Climate-Matched 10-Year Trend

Stroffolini, Giacomo; Segala, Francesco Vladimiro; Lupia, Tommaso; Faraoni, Silvia; Rossi, Luca; Tomassone, Laura; Zanet, Stefania; Rosa, Francesco Giuseppe De; Perri, Giovanni Di; Calcagno, Andrea

doi:10.3390/life11121310

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 39 publications

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“…Italy is highly vulnerable to climate change, and extreme weather events—such as the 2023 Northern Italy drought, Emilia-Romagna floods, summer wildfires and heathwaves ( 29 ). Also, incidence of vector-borne illnesses like Lyme disease ( 30 ) and dengue fever ( 31 ) is increasing, and clinicians are already witnessing rising heat-related mental health risk ( 32 ). All this is fostering a general rise in climate-related fear and anxiety ( 33 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspectives on climate action and the changing burden of infectious diseases among young Italian doctors and students: a national survey

Segala,

Di Gennaro,

Giannini

et al. 2024

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundThe eco-climatic crisis has been defined by the World Health Organization as the “single biggest health threat facing humanity,” influencing both the emergence of zoonoses and the spread of vector-borne and water-borne diseases. The aim of this survey was to explore knowledge, eco-anxiety and attitudes toward the ecological and climate crisis among young Italian doctors and medical students.MethodsA cross-sectional, multicenter survey was conducted from November 2022 to June 2023, by administering an anonymous questionnaire to Italian doctors and students of medicine. Endpoint of the study was a Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) score on ecological and climate crisis (0–20 points). Association between variables and KAP score was assessed by Kruskal-Wallis’ or Spearman’s test, as appropriate, and significant variables were included into ordinal regression model and reported as adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with their 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsBoth KAP and eco-anxiety scores showed acceptable levels of consistency with Cronbach’s alpha. A total of 605 medical doctors and students living in 19 Italian regions were included in the study. Median age [Q1-Q3] was 27.6 [24.1–31.3] and females were 352 (58.2%). Despite showing good attitudes toward climate action, knowledge gap were found, with 42.5% (n = 257) of the respondents not knowing the temperature limits set by the Paris Agreements and 45.5% (n = 275) believing that climate change is caused by sunspots. Fears suggestive for eco-anxiety were common. At multivariable ordinal regression, high levels of eco-anxiety (aOR 1.29, p = 0.001) and low trust in government action (aOR 1.96, p = 0.003) were associated with a higher KAP score. Only one Italian medical school offered an educational module on climate change.ConclusionYoung Italian doctors and medical students are concerned about the climate crisis but show poor knowledge of these topics. The Italian academic system should urgently respond to this need.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspectives on climate action and the changing burden of infectious diseases among young Italian doctors and students: a national survey

Segala,

Di Gennaro,

Giannini

et al. 2024

Front. Public Health

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One health: a structured review and commentary on trends and themes

Brown,

Pursley,

Horton

et al. 2024

One Health Outlook

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Background One Health (OH) is defined as a unifying approach aiming to sustainably balance and optimise the health of people, animals and the ecosystem. It recognises that the health of humans, animals (both domestic and wild), plants and the wider ecosystem are both interdependent and linked. As a concept, it aims to address complex problems requiring input from multiple disciplines. Suitable issues for OH approaches typically include global issues which can widely impact not only the health of humans and animals, but also have a significant environmental impact. Examples include emerging zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Interpretations and use of the term OH differ in the literature and have the potential to dilute its impact. The meaning of OH among the research community has evolved over time. Here, we collate the OH relevant literature from the last two decades, identifying major themes and trends and considering how OH has been embraced differently across various geographical regions. Methods and results Bibliographic databases were searched using the term “One Health” AND (“Veterinary” OR “Animal”) AND (“Medicine” OR “Human”) AND (“Environment” OR “Ecosystem”) during the period between 1980 and 2022. Data analysis and narrative synthesis identified themes, similarities, and differences within literature. Web of Science and PubMed returned 948 and 1250 results for the period mentioned above. The predominant literature focused on human health, with veterinary health second, although often to benefit human health. It was found that OH is often utilised as a public health approach, generally towards the end of disease surveillance and control. Interestingly, while authors from low- and middle-income countries were well-represented within studies using the term OH, they were less well-represented as corresponding authors. Conclusions The predominant focus of the literature was on human and veterinary health, implying OH approach is human-orientated, despite its suggestion that all domains share a common ‘health’. Potential improvement to OH could be achieved through greater incorporation of the environmental and social sciences for a more encompassing approach.

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Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens: Occurrence and Host Associations over Four Years of Wildlife Surveillance in the Liguria Region (Northwest Italy)

Guardone,

Nogarol,

Accorsi

et al. 2024

Animals

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Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are a considerable public health problem worldwide. The occurrence of Anaplasma spp., Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., Coxiella burnetii, Rickettsia spp., and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEv) was investigated via PCR and sequencing in 683 ticks collected from 105 roe deer, 61 wild boars, 49 fallow deer, and 2 chamois, in the Liguria region, northwest Italy, between 2019 and 2022. The ticks were morphologically identified. Four different tick species were found: Ixodes ricinus (66.8% of the collected ticks), Dermacentor marginatus (15.8%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.s. (15.7%), and Haemaphysalis punctata (0.9%). Six ticks (0.9%) were only identified as Rhipicephalus spp. Of the 222 pools analyzed, 27.9% were positive. Most pools (n = 58, 26.1% of pools analyzed) were positive for Rickettsia spp., and several species were found: Rickettsia slovaca was the dominant species (15.3%), followed by R. monacensis (8.1%), while R. helvetica (1.8%), R. massiliae (0.5%), and R. raoultii (0.5%) were found only sporadically. Anaplasma phagocytophilum was identified in three pools and B. burgdorferi s.l. in one pool. All samples were negative for C. burnetii and TBEv. Significant associations were found between I. ricinus and roe deer, D. marginatus and wild boar, and between R. monacensis and I. ricinus. The prevalence of Rickettsia spp. differed significantly between tick and host species. This updated picture of tick species and TBPs in wild ungulates in Liguria, where the population of these animals is increasing, shows a widespread presence of potentially zoonotic Rickettsia spp. Continuous monitoring and public information on preventive measures are needed.

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Serology for Borrelia spp. in Northwest Italy: A Climate-Matched 10-Year Trend

Cited by 4 publications

References 39 publications

Perspectives on climate action and the changing burden of infectious diseases among young Italian doctors and students: a national survey

Perspectives on climate action and the changing burden of infectious diseases among young Italian doctors and students: a national survey

One health: a structured review and commentary on trends and themes

Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens: Occurrence and Host Associations over Four Years of Wildlife Surveillance in the Liguria Region (Northwest Italy)

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