Explanipedia

A multi-disciplinary approach to identify spillover interfaces of bat coronaviruses to pig farms in Italy Open

Francesca Festa, Pamela Priori, Giulia Chiarello, Elisa Palumbo, Gianpiero Zamperin , et al. · 2025

Bats are recognized reservoirs of diverse coronaviruses (CoVs), but little is known about the pathways enabling their spillover into livestock. This study applied a multidisciplinary approach, combining bioacoustic surveys, landscape analy…

Climate Change‐Driven Heatwaves Pose Lethal Risks to Newborn Forest Bats Open

Danilo Russo, Anne Mäenurm, Luca Cistrone, Adriano Martinoli, Greta Foiani , et al. · 2025

Climate change poses a significant threat to biodiversity, with extreme weather events such as heatwaves exacerbating the risks to animal populations. Temperature extremes can cause high physiological stress in animals, particularly in spe…

Immunological findings of West Caucasian bat virus in an accidental host Open

Martina Castellan, Gianpiero Zamperin, Greta Foiani, Maira Zorzan, Maria Francesca Priore , et al. · 2025

The Lyssavirus genus includes seventeen viral species able to cause rabies, an acute and almost invariably fatal encephalomyelitis of mammals. Rabies virus (RABV), which represents the type species of the genus, is a multi-host pathogen th…

European distribution and intramuscular pathogenicity of divergent lyssaviruses West Caucasian bat virus and Lleida bat lyssavirus Open

Stefania Leopardi, Laurent Dacheux, Jordi Serra‐Cobo, Ágota Ábrahám, Branka Bajić , et al. · 2025

Immunological findings of West Caucasian bat virus in an accidental host Open

Martina Castellan, Gianpiero Zamperin, Greta Foiani, Maira Zorzan, Maria Francesca Priore , et al. · 2024

The Lyssavirus genus includes seventeen neurotropic viral species which are able to cause rabies, an acute and almost invariably fatal encephalomyelitis of mammals. Rabies virus (RABV), the genus prototype, is a multi-host pathogen that un…

Main causes of death of free-ranging bats in Turin province (North-Western Italy): gross and histological findings and emergent virus surveillance Open

Elena Colombino, Davide Lelli, Sabrina Canziani, Giuseppe Quaranta, Cristina Guidetti , et al. · 2023

Background Bats are recognized as reservoir species for multiple viruses. However, little is known on bats’ health and mortality. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the main causes of death of bats from Turin province (North-western Ita…

Antiviral mechanisms of two broad-spectrum monoclonal antibodies for rabies prophylaxis and therapy Open

Maira Zorzan, Martina Castellan, Matteo Gasparotto, Guilherme Dias de Melo, Barbara Zecchin , et al. · 2023

Rabies is an acute and lethal encephalomyelitis caused by lyssaviruses, among which rabies virus (RABV) is the most prevalent and important for public health. Although preventable through the post-exposure administration of rabies vaccine …

Isolation and genome characterization of Lloviu virus from Italian Schreibers’s bats Open

Gábor Endre Tóth, Adam J. Hume, Ellen L. Suder, Safia Zeghbib, Ágota Ábrahám , et al. · 2023

Sex differences and histopathological patterns of lung damage in Syrian hamsters induced by SARS-CoV-2 experimental infection Open

Greta Foiani, Miguel Castellán, Stefania Leopardi, Paola De Benedictis, Giuseppe Monetti , et al. · 2023

Transmission dynamics of lyssavirus in Myotis myotis : mechanistic modelling study based on longitudinal seroprevalence data Open

Younjung Kim, Stefania Leopardi, Dino Scaravelli, Barbara Zecchin, Pamela Priori , et al. · 2023

We investigated the transmission dynamics of lyssavirus in Myotis myotis and Myotis blythii , using serological, virological, demographic and ecological data collected between 2015 and 2022 from two maternity colonies in northern Italian c…

Comparison of Pan-Lyssavirus RT-PCRs and Development of an Improved Protocol for Surveillance of Non-RABV Lyssaviruses Open

Petra Drzewnioková, Sabrina Marciano, Stefania Leopardi, Valentina Panzarin, Paola De Benedictis · 2023

Rabies is a zoonotic and fatal encephalitis caused by members of the Lyssavirus genus. Among them, the most relevant species is Lyssavirus rabies, which is estimated to cause 60,000 human and most mammal rabies deaths annually worldwide. N…

Synanthropic and Wild Animals as Sentinels of Zoonotic Agents: A Study of Leptospira Genotypes Circulating in Northeastern Italy Open

Elisa Mazzotta, Laura Bellinati, Cristina Bertasio, María Beatrice Boniotti, Laura Lucchese , et al. · 2023

Leptospirosis is an infectious disease widely reported in veterinary practice and a worldwide zoonosis. In Northeastern Italy, different serogroups and genotypes of Leptospira have been described in ill dogs, the most commonly detected bei…

Discovery of a coronavirus in the Eurasian badger (Meles meles) belonging to a putative new genus Open

Gianpiero Zamperin, Francesca Festa, Elisa Palumbo, Erika Quaranta, Isabella Monne , et al. · 2023

In the aftermath of COVID-19, coronaviruses gained renewed attention by the scientific community. The study reports the identification and genetic characterization of a novel coronavirus in the European badger (Meles meles) obtained in the…

Host Response of Syrian Hamster to SARS-CoV-2 Infection including Differences with Humans and between Sexes Open

Martina Castellan, Gianpiero Zamperin, Giulia Franzoni, Greta Foiani, Maira Zorzan , et al. · 2023

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has highlighted the importance of having proper tools and models to study the pathophysiology of emerging infectious diseases to test therapeutic protocols, asse…

One health surveillance strategy for coronaviruses in Italian wildlife – CORRIGENDUM Open

Stefania Leopardi, Rosanna Desiato, Matteo Mazzucato, Riccardo Orusa, Federica Obber , et al. · 2023

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Unexpected rabies variant identified in kinkajou (Potos flavus), Mato Grosso, Brazil Open

P.R.D. Rocha, Andrés Velasco-Villa, Ernani Machado de Lima, Angela Salomoni, Alice Fusaro , et al. · 2023

A second case of a novel rabies variant described once in a capuchin monkey from Mato Grosso, Brazil, was discovered in a rabid wild kinkajou from the same region, indicating a public health risk following exposure to either of the two ani…

Electronic Supplementary Data from Transmission dynamics of lyssavirus in Myotis myotis: mechanistic modelling study based on longitudinal seroprevalence data Open

Younjung Kim, Stefania Leopardi, Dino Scaravelli, Barbara Zecchin, Pamela Priori , et al. · 2023

Longitudinal serological test results

One health surveillance strategy for coronaviruses in Italian wildlife Open

Stefania Leopardi, Rosanna Desiato, Matteo Mazzucato, Riccardo Orusa, Federica Obber , et al. · 2023

The recent reinforcement of CoV surveillance in animals fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic provided increasing evidence that mammals other than bats might hide further diversity and play critical roles in human infectious diseases. This work…

Isolation and genome characterization of Lloviu virus from Italian Schreibers’ bent-winged bats Open

Gábor Endre Tóth, Adam J. Hume, Ellen L. Suder, Safia Zeghbib, Ágota Ábrahám , et al. · 2022

Lloviu cuevavirus (LLOV) was the first identified member of Filoviridae family outside the Ebola and Marburgvirus genera. A massive die-off of Schreibers’ bent-winged bats ( Miniopterus schreibersii ) in the Iberian Peninsula in 2002 led t…

Carnivore protoparvovirus 1 (CPV-2 and FPV) Circulating in Wild Carnivores and in Puppies Illegally Imported into North-Eastern Italy Open

Stefania Leopardi, Adelaide Milani, Monia Cocchi, Marco Bregoli, Alessia Schivo , et al. · 2022

The illegal trade of animals poses several health issues to the global community, among which are the underestimated risk for spillover infection and the potential for an epizootic in both wildlife and domestic naïve populations. We herein…

Host response of Syrian hamster to SARS-CoV-2 infection, including differences with humans and between sexes Open

Martina Castellan, Gianpiero Zamperin, Giulia Franzoni, Greta Foiani, Maira Zorzan , et al. · 2022

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has highlighted the importance of having proper tools and models to study the pathophysiology of emerging infectious diseases to test therapeutic protocols, asse…

Alternative Methods to Current In Vivo Procedures to Address the 3Rs Tenet in Rabies Proficiency Testing Open

Maira Zorzan, Morgane Gourlaouen, Stefania Leopardi, Paola De Benedictis · 2022

Canine rabies is responsible for an estimated 59,000 human deaths every year. In an attempt to reach the ZeroBy30 goal, robust disease surveillance coupled with improved diagnostics play a paramount role in ensuring reliable data and gradu…

Identification of Dobrava-Belgrade Virus in Apodemus flavicollis from North-Eastern Italy during Enhanced Mortality Open

Stefania Leopardi, Petra Drzewnioková, Melissa Baggieri, Antonella Marchi, Paola Bucci , et al. · 2022

Hantaviruses include several zoonotic pathogens that cause different syndromes in humans, with mortality rates ranging from 12 to 40%. Most commonly, humans get infected through the inhalation of aerosols or dust particles contaminated wit…

First detection of West Caucasian Bat Lyssavirus infection in a domestic cat, Italy, 2020: ecological and sanitary implications Open

Stefania Leopardi, Ettore Barneschi, Giuseppe Manna, Bianca Zecchin, Pamela Priori , et al. · 2022

Purpose: While Europe is mostly free from terrestrial rabies, five bat lyssaviruses may cause the same clinical disease in mammals. In June 2020, we diagnosed the infection with West Caucasian Bat Lyssavirus (WCBV) in a domestic cat from A…

The Importance of Accurate Host Species Identification in the Framework of Rabies Surveillance, Control and Elimination Open

Paola De Benedictis, Stefania Leopardi, Wanda Markotter, Andrés Velasco-Villa · 2022

Accurate host identification is paramount to understand disease epidemiology and to apply appropriate control measures. This is especially important for multi-host pathogens such as the rabies virus, a major and almost invariably fatal zoo…

Pathological and Microbiological Findings in Free-Ranging Bats in Italy Open

M.T. Capucchio, Davide Lelli, Elena Colombino, Sabrina Canziani, Tiziana Trogu , et al. · 2022

Capacity Building Efforts for Rabies Diagnosis in Resource-Limited Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Case Report of the Central Veterinary Laboratory in Benin (Parakou) Open

Fidélia Djegui, Morgane Gourlaouen, André Coetzer, Rachidatou Adjin, Rogatien Agossa Tohozin , et al. · 2022

Rabies has been listed as a priority zoonotic disease in many African countries and the countdown to reach the goal of eliminating dog-mediated human rabies deaths by 2030 means that disease control measures need to be applied fast. In thi…

Spillover of West Caucasian Bat Lyssavirus (WCBV) in a Domestic Cat and Westward Expansion in the Palearctic Region Open

Stefania Leopardi, Ettore Barneschi, Giuseppe Manna, Barbara Zecchin, Pamela Priori , et al. · 2021

In June 2020, a cat from Arezzo (Italy) that died from a neurological disease was diagnosed with West Caucasian Bat Lyssavirus (WCBV). The virus retained high identity across the whole-genome with the reference isolate found in 2002 from a…

Best Molecular Tools to Investigate Coronavirus Diversity in Mammals: A Comparison Open

Petra Drzewnioková, Francesca Festa, Valentina Panzarin, Davide Lelli, Ana Moreno , et al. · 2021

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are widespread and highly diversified in wildlife and domestic mammals and can emerge as zoonotic or epizootic pathogens and consequently host shift from these reservoirs, highlighting the importance of veterinary surv…

Setting the Terms for Zoonotic Diseases: Effective Communication for Research, Conservation, and Public Policy Open

Julie Teresa Shapiro, Luis Víquez‐R, Stefania Leopardi, Amanda Vicente‐Santos, Ian H. Mendenhall , et al. · 2021

Many of the world’s most pressing issues, such as the emergence of zoonotic diseases, can only be addressed through interdisciplinary research. However, the findings of interdisciplinary research are susceptible to miscommunication among b…

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