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ALPS COZIE PARK RELEASE
VALSUSA – One year after the discussion of the PhD thesis, last November 15, a new scientific article was published by Doctor Aitor Garcia-Vozmediano who has been collaborating with the Alpi Cozie Parks for years, together with Professor Laura Tomassone and the Professor Luca Rossi of the Department of Veterinary Sciences of the University of Turin, to the investigation on the geographical expansion of Ixodidae ticks and biomolecular research of zoonotic agents transmitted by ticks in the Gran Bosco di Salbertrand Natural Park.
After the studies on the dynamics of the tick population in the Western Alps which had confirmed the quantitative increase of Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor marginatus ticks and of the pathogens transmitted by them, the new researches have been dedicated to an innovative method of monitoring the diffusion of new pathologies: Use of Wild Ungulates as Sentinels of TBEV Circulation in a Naïve Area of the Northwestern Alps, Italy.
Indeed, according to recent studies, wild and domestic animals can be usefully employed as “sentinels” for the surveillance of diseases dangerous to public health.
In the Piedmont region, tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is considered absent. However, the observed increase in the density and distribution of ticks in recent years, especially of Ixodes ricinus – vector of the TBE virus, and the spread of the virus in alpine areas of neighboring countries, e.g. Switzerlandhighlights the risk of introduction of the pathogenic agent into the Piedmont area.
In the case of tick-borne encephalitis virus, the detection of antibodies in wild animal hosts may be more effective than screening on tick samples. During the hunting season (October-December) from 2017 to 2019 in Val di Susa, serum samples were collected from wild ungulates (deer, roe deer and chamois) hunted in 13 different municipalities, at altitudes between 750 and 2800 m asl , and were screened for TBEV antibodies.
The serological investigation gave a negative result: to date, TBEV is not present in western Piedmont. It is important that monitoring continues as TBEV and its vector are spreading in Europe. The wide distribution of wild ungulates and their role as hosts make them useful indicators of the health threats posed by Ixodidae ticks.
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