Testudo hermanni is included as Near-Threatened in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, while in the Italian Red List the species is considered Endangered. Human activities, which mainly cause habitat loss as well as illegal collection of wild individuals, contribute to the decline of the species and therefore rigorous monitoring is requested. Thus, appropriate management of reintroduction in nature of smuggled or seized wild individuals is foreseen by the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Protection of Land and Sea and a sanitary monitoring was therefore performed. During 2014-2016, 133 oral swabs (OS) and 121 cloacal swabs (CS) were collected from wild (W) and rescued (R) T. hermanni of 7 different Italian regions to investigate the presence of Testudinid herpesvirus (TeHV) DNA in OS and Salmonella spp. isolates in CS. Moreover, Chlamydia spp. and Mycoplasma spp. DNA were investigated in 54 OS. Either the TeHV or Chlamydia spp. DNA were detected. Salmonella spp. was isolated in 45 out of 121 (37,2%) CS. A significant different distribution of Salmonella spp. isolates was found among years of samplings, especially in 2016, but without any difference between W and R tortoises. Mycoplasma spp. DNA was detected in 21 R but not in the W individuals. These results allow the addition of useful information to the guidelines for the reintroduction of tortoises in the wild.
SANITARY MONITORING OF WILD AND RESCUED TESTUDO HERMANNI LIVING IN ITALY
MARENZONI, Maria Luisa;STEFANETTI, VALENTINA;DEL ROSSI, Emilia;COLETTI, Mauro;DELI, GIANLUCA;OLIVIERI, Oliviero
2017
Abstract
Testudo hermanni is included as Near-Threatened in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, while in the Italian Red List the species is considered Endangered. Human activities, which mainly cause habitat loss as well as illegal collection of wild individuals, contribute to the decline of the species and therefore rigorous monitoring is requested. Thus, appropriate management of reintroduction in nature of smuggled or seized wild individuals is foreseen by the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Protection of Land and Sea and a sanitary monitoring was therefore performed. During 2014-2016, 133 oral swabs (OS) and 121 cloacal swabs (CS) were collected from wild (W) and rescued (R) T. hermanni of 7 different Italian regions to investigate the presence of Testudinid herpesvirus (TeHV) DNA in OS and Salmonella spp. isolates in CS. Moreover, Chlamydia spp. and Mycoplasma spp. DNA were investigated in 54 OS. Either the TeHV or Chlamydia spp. DNA were detected. Salmonella spp. was isolated in 45 out of 121 (37,2%) CS. A significant different distribution of Salmonella spp. isolates was found among years of samplings, especially in 2016, but without any difference between W and R tortoises. Mycoplasma spp. DNA was detected in 21 R but not in the W individuals. These results allow the addition of useful information to the guidelines for the reintroduction of tortoises in the wild.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
