Northwestern Italy Research Articles

The Alien Plant Species Impact in Rice Crops in Northwestern Italy.

Alien species represent one of the causes of biodiversity loss, both in natural and anthropic environments. This study contributes to the assessment of alien species impact on Western Po Plain rice field cultivations, referring to different agricultural management practices and ecological traits. Flora and vegetation were studied (the latter through the phytosociological method), and α-biodiversity was estimated through Shannon and Simpson Indices. Results highlighted a significant floristic contingent depletion and increase in therophyte and alien components, compared to pre-existing studies (1950s); higher α-biodiversity levels in organic farms, compared to conventional farms, but also a higher invasive alien species percentage. The high deterioration of the territorial-landscape context appears to play a major role in shaping these patterns. Some of these alien species are particularly aggressive (e.g., Murdannia keisak), as confirmed by two experimental rice field plots which were left unharvested, continuously flooded, making it possible to assess the competitiveness between weed species. The detected weed vegetation is attributed to the Oryzo sativae-Echinochloetum cruris-galli association, already described for Southern Europe, with two different ecological and floristic variants. Future studies, by including other sites and framing their territorial-landscape context, may further complement this overview on the alien species distribution and behavior in rice fields, hence facilitating their strategic management.

A little story about river pollution, predation, and leg regeneration in Serratella ignita (Poda, 1761) (Ephemeroptera: Ephemerellidae)

We found significantly different percentages of malformed nymphs in two contiguous populations of Serratella ignita (Poda, 1761) in a stream in the northwestern Italy. We suggest that this may be due to a marked difference in the environmental conditions and especially to the effect of pollution on the functional structure of the insect community.

"To me, it was Just a Vice". Stigma and Other Barriers to Gambling Treatment in Piedmont, Italy.

In Piedmont (northwestern Italy), as in the rest of the Western world, only a small percentage of the estimated problem gamblers (10-20%) turn to a treatment service to overcome their addiction issues. The study sought to gain a better understanding of the cultural factors that stand in the way of seeking help, thorough qualitative in-depth individual interviews with gamblers both in and out of treatment. A total of 30 interviews were conducted in three different health districts, most via video-call. Data were then analyzed using an abductive approach. The findings appear to indicate that the processes of stigma affecting problem gamblers and public gambling treatment services are the main barriers to seeking help. According to the interviewees, awareness of the problem is a necessary but not sufficient motivator for embarking on treatment, since social stigmatization leads them to hide the problem. Moreover, self-stigmatization processes seem to undermine the sense of self-efficacy that plays a key role in recovery. To encourage help-seeking, the study thus suggests that priority should be given to efforts to reduce stigma, i.e., through informational and educational measures together with advocacy interventions, which aim primarily to reframe the gambling problem, shifting responsibility from the individual to the collective level.

Identification of neighborhood clusters on data balanced by a poset-based approach

The identification of territorial clusters where the population suffers from worse health conditions is an important topic in social epidemiology, in order to identify health inequalities in cities and provide health policy interventions. This objective is particularly challenging because of the mechanism of self-selection of individuals into neighborhoods, which causes selection bias. The aim of this paper consists in the identification of neighborhood clusters where elderly people living in Turin, a city in north-western Italy, are exposed to an increased risk of hospitalized fractures. The study is based on administrative data and is a retrospective, observational cohort study. It is composed by a first phase, in which the individual confounding variables are balanced across neighborhoods in order to make them comparable, and a second phase in which the neighborhoods are aggregated into clusters characterized by significantly higher health risk. In the first phase we exploited a balancing technique based on partially ordered sets (poset), called Matching on poset based Average Rank for Multiple Treatments (MARMoT). On the balanced dataset, we used a spatial scan to identify the presence of clusters and we checked whether the risk of fracture is significantly higher in some contiguous areas. The combination of both MARMoT procedure and spatial scan makes it possible to highlight two clusters of neighborhoods in Turin where the risk of incurring hospitalized fractures for elderly people is significantly higher than the mean. These results could have important implications for the implementation of health policies.

Five decades of breeding populations census for 12 species of colonial waterbirds in northwestern Italy

Colonial waterbirds, a major biodiversity element occurring in the core of ultra-anthropized Europe, are ideal indicators of the wellness of inland wetlands. Nonetheless, there is a critical knowledge gap in their trend and population status. We present an uninterrupted 47 years-long dataset of the breeding populations of 12 species of colonial waterbirds (Ardeidae, Phalacrocoracidae, Plataleidae, Threskiornitidae) throughout a 58,000 km2 agricultural region in the higher Po basin (NW Italy). A trained team of collaborators censused with standardized field techniques the number of nests of each species at 419 colonies in the 1972–2018 period, summing up a total of 236,316 records. Data cleaning and standardization were performed for each census year, ensuring robust and consistent data. This dataset is among the largest ever collected for a guild of European vertebrates. It has already been used to describe the factors influencing population trends, and still offers opportunities to explore a wide range of key ecological processes such as biological invasions, global change consequences and biodiversity impact of agricultural practices.

A multi-scale approach to the recent activity of the Stradella thrust in the seismotectonic context of the Emilia Arc (northwestern Italy)

The frontal thrusts and folds of the northern Apennines - Italy - are mainly covered under the alluvial deposits of the Po Plain. Some of these structures show geological evidence of Late Quaternary activity, thus posing the need for an accurate seismic hazard assessment due to widespread housing settlements, industries, lifeline infrastructures, and large towns. We present new morphostructural, geophysical, and seismological data to discuss the recent activity of the Broni-Sarmato fault, an 18 km-long outcropping section of the north-verging Stradella thrust, located 50 km south of Milan, along the Pede-Apennine thrust front (PTF) in the rear of the Emilia Arc thrust system. The new geoelectrical surveys across the fault scarp show deformation of the shallow deposits. The outcropping deformations, with a fault scarp ranging up to 25.8 m, are investigated within the seismotectonic framework of the PTF and the Emilia Arc. The analysis of the associated seismicity and new focal mechanisms highlight two seismogenic contractional volumes dipping at low-angle southwest-ward, at upper (<12 km) and lower crustal depths (~20–30 km). The shallow seismicity partially illuminates the Stradella thrust and its along-strike southeastward prosecution along the extent of the Stradella-Salsomaggiore Arc. Subordinately, it also illuminates some of the Emilia Arc thrust planes. The deeper seismogenic volume shows large patches of the basal thrust of the Emilia Arc fault system. We interpret the above multi-scale data as evidence of ongoing tectonic activity of the outer fronts of the Emilia Arc under a regional NNE-oriented compressional stress field, with some evidence of thrust involvement along the Pede-Apennine front. In our 3D fault-model reconstruction, all the analyzed thrust structures appear as expressions of a thick-skinned deformation that controls earthquake release at different structural levels.

Short-term drivers of post-fire forest regeneration in the Western Alps

BackgroundThe Mediterranean basin is currently facing major changes in fire regimes as a result of climate and land-use changes. These alterations could affect the ability of forests to recover after a fire, hence triggering degradation processes and modifying the provision of fundamental ecosystem services. Examining patterns and drivers of post-fire forest recovery, particularly for obligate seeders without specific fire-adaptive traits, thus becomes a priority for researchers and land managers. We studied the post-fire dynamics of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands affected by a mixed-severity fire in North-Western Italy, aiming to understand the impact of fire on soil properties and assess drivers, spatial distribution, and characteristics of short-term post-fire recovery.ResultsWe observed that fire did not significantly affect soil organic carbon (OC) content, while we detected significantly lower nitrogen (N) content in severely burnt sites. Regeneration density was particularly abundant in medium-severity areas, while it drastically decreased in high-severity patches. The most abundant tree species in the regeneration layer was Scots pine, followed by goat willow (Salix caprea L.), European aspen (Populus tremula L.), and, to a lesser extent, European larch (Larix decidua Mill.). Slope, fire severity, and distance from seed trees emerged as the most important drivers of post-fire forest regeneration patterns.ConclusionsOur results highlight the importance of preserving seed trees from salvage logging, even if they are damaged and have a low survival probability. Active post-fire management, such as tree planting, should be limited to large and severely burnt patches, where natural forest regeneration struggles to settle, increasing the risk of ecosystem degradation. These findings could be useful for informing land managers, helping them to enhance potential mitigation strategies in similar ecosystems and plan appropriate restoration approaches.

An Operational Checklist of the Birds of Northwestern Italy (Piedmont and Aosta Valley)

This paper provides the fourth edition of the checklist of birds recorded in northwestern Italy (the Piedmont and Aosta Valley regions) and covers more than 300 years of ornithological data, including subspecies. This work updates the previous works published in 1981, 2003, and 2009, with the revision of the AERC codes and the addition of special annotations for several species. We also provide some new settings to make the bird checklist a more useful tool for all users, particularly scholars and professionals interested in biodiversity assessment and conservation reports. To this end, (a) new coding concerning population estimates and trends, as well as risk categories (Red List), is introduced; (b) bird lists are structured for analysis at two temporal levels: the General Checklist (GCL), covering the period from 1685 to 2022, and the Operational Checklist (OCL), covering the decade 2010–2019, providing periods of reference for comparison and analysis; and (c) an electronic spreadsheet is provided as part of the online Supplementary Materials to allow for further data analysis by readers, if necessary. The list presently contains 408 species and 444 taxonomic units, which consist of both subspecies and monotypic species. Each of them has been allocated to one of the AERC categories A, B, C, or D, while category E has been excluded. Since the publication of the previous list (2009), 19 species have been added. The avifauna currently breeding in the Piedmont and Aosta Valley regions comprises 197 species, with an additional 9 species that were once breeders but are now considered regionally extinct.

The invasive red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) as a bioindicator of microplastic pollution: Insights from Lake Candia (northwestern Italy)

Microplastic pollution has become pervasive. Identifying a bioindicator species to track the occurrence and effects of microplastics (MPs) on ecosystems is crucial for determining their impact on the environment. The digestive tract of Procambarus clarkii was thought to be of interest for investigating MPs accumulation in freshwater organisms. Our hypothesis was that the same type of MPs found in abiotic compartments (water and sediment) could be found in P. clarkii, which would make it an ideal candidate for use as a bioindicator of MP pollution in freshwater ecosystems. Water, sediment, and P. clarkii specimens were collected from four sites in a lentic ecosystem (Lake Candia; northwestern Italy) for two consecutive years (2021–2022). The mean MPs abundance was 1.75 ± 0.95 items/m3 in 2021 and 2 ± 0.81 items/m3 in 2022 in the water samples and 6.75 ± 1.5 items/kg and 8 ± 0.81 items/kg in the sediment samples in 2021 and 2022, respectively. In 2021, the average was 0.06 ± 0.07 items/g in the males and 0.05 ± 0.05 items/g in the females; in 2022, the average was 0.04 ± 0.05 items/g and 0.05 ± 0.06 items/g in the males and the females, respectively. MP fibers and fragments (black, white, blue, light blue) of polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate were found in the biotic and the abiotic compartments. The generalized linear mixed model revealed that the number of items/g was predicted only by total weight: the lowest number of items/g was recorded for crayfish with the highest weight probably due to the feeding habits of P. clarkii. Our findings suggest that the invasive P. clarkii (smaller individuals, in particular) could be a good candidate bioindicator for MP pollution since the same type of MP items were recorded in the abiotic compartments. Further research is needed to better understand the feeding behavior of P. clarkii and the dynamics of MPs in aquatic ecosystems.

First Report of Gray Leaf Spot Caused by Pyricularia oryzae on Common Millet in Italy.

Common millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is a niche crop cultivated in Italy for its high nutritional and gluten-free characteristics. These aspects combined with its sustainability and adaptability to paddy soils make it relevant in crop rotation with rice in some organic farms in Northwestern Italy. In September 2021, in a farm producing organic rice located in Rovasenda (VC), Italy (GPS: 45°54'82"N, 8°.31'96"E), plants of millet (var. San Marino), sown on July 1st and almost at physiological maturity, were observed with gray leaf spot symptoms with an incidence of 50% in a 12.5 ha field cultivated in a yearly rotation with rice. Oval shape lesions (between 1 and 5 cm long and 0.5 to1 cm wide) with a light gray colored centers and dark reddish-brown edges were observed on the length of the leaf blade. Gray colonies producing conidia morphologically like Pyricularia developed from 140 symptomatic leaf fragments with a 2% frequency. Monosporic cultures were obtained from five colonies and were grown on Potato Dextrose Agar for morphological and molecular identification. The colonies showed gray, fluffy mycelium, with a smooth margin, with a radius of 28 to 30 mm after 10 days at 28°C. The isolates produced hyaline, pyriform, and 2-septate conidia 17.9 to 33.5 µm (average 25.7 µm) long and 8.3 to 11.7 µm (average 10. µm) wide (n=50) on PDA. Conidiophores were solitary, erect, straight, or curved, septate, and measured 80.2 to 221.3 µm (average 150.7 µm) long and 3.6 to 5.8 µm (average 4.7 µm) wide (n=50). The molecular identification of one single-conidia isolate was confirmed by PCR and sequence comparison of the region of the transposon Pot2 (Harmon et al., 2003). BLASTn searches of GenBank using transposon Pot2 (ON843711) representative isolate 21-03-C, revealed 99.79% identity to P. oryzae (Syn. Magnaporthe oryzae) isolate MD1 (MK608664). Pathogenicity tests were carried out by suspending conidia from a 14-days old culture on PDA in sterile water at a concentration of 1×105 CFU/ml. Twenty seeds of P. miliaceum were sown in pots filled with a steamed mix of white peat and perlite, 80:20 v/v, and maintained at 28°C under a 12 hours day/night light cycle. Diseased leaves of 10 plants were inoculated by aspersion of 10 ml of the conidial suspension of isolate 21-03-C 2 weeks after the sowing (Harmon et al.; 2003). Plants were incubated in a near moisture-saturated environment in plastic bags at 28°C for 72h, after which symptoms were visually assessed. Ten control plants, inoculated with 10 ml of sterile distilled water remained healthy. P. oryzae was reisolated from leaves showing oblong, whitish lesions, surrounded by light brown margins and identified by resequencing of transposon Pot2. P. oryzae has been already reported on millet in South Korea as causal agent of blast (Klaubauf et al.; 2014). To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. oryzae as a pathogen of millet in Italy and in Europe. Further studies should be conducted to characterize these millet isolates by assessing their virulence on Oryza sativa and the implications in the adoption of P. miliaceum in rotation with rice, to prevent possible carry over of the pathogen on the main crop.

Geotargeting spatial and temporal data of Italian freshwater high-altitude macroinvertebrates

A data set including information on macroinvertebrates identified to genus/species group/species level was created within the monitoring activities of several European and national projects. The data set includes 2111 macroinvertebrate records on temporal fragmentary data from lakes Paione (upper, middle, and lower lakes Paione), and 530 records on spatial data relative to eight other high-altitude lakes from the Ossola Valley (North-western Italy, Piedmont, Central Alps). The study area is included within the Lake Maggiore watershed. All records are georeferenced because, since the beginning of the studies, temporal data were taken in the same sampling sites over years. The temporal data span over the period 1989-2020, the spatial data refer to the 2019-2020 sampling activity. The dataset is available for download as csv format at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data infrastructure.

Vulnerability and robustness of interdependent transport networks in north-western Italy

Infrastructure networks have become increasingly complex, whose progressively higher levels of interdependence make them even more vulnerable. This empirical analysis based on the Morandi bridge collapse examines the robustness and vulnerability of the motorway and railway networks in north-western Italy. By following a network topology-based approach, motorways and railways are studied as one single interconnected multi-layer transport infrastructure. Based on the concepts of geographic and functional interdependence the study provides insight into which nodes (and links) should be restored as quickly as possible when an emergency and destructive event renders them inaccessible. Moreover, it highlights the greater fragility of the intermodal network which opens up the debate on regulation and coordination of restoring measures carried out by the relevant authorities.

Planning a trip during Middle Palaeolithic. The mobile toolkit debate and some considerations about expedient vs curated technologies in the light of new data from the Ciota Ciara cave (NW Italy)

Since the term “personal gear” was introduced, the presence, in an archaeological lithic assemblage, of artefacts in allochthonous rocks has been considered as a source of information about land mobility and techno-economic organization. A technological and functional approach has been used to face the study of the lithic artefacts made in allochthonous raw materials from level 14 of the Ciota Ciara cave (north-western Italy). This level attests the phases of most intense frequentation of the cave, and it is the layer where allochthonous lithic raw materials are better represented. In a technological context described as markedly opportunistic, tools and unretouched flake, made in raw materials collected at a distance between 2 and 30 km, have been introduced in the site. The present work is aimed towards the understanding of the role of these artefacts within the technological organization of the Neanderthal groups that inhabited the cave. The results indicate that these “exotic” artefacts were part of a mobile toolkit and that they were multifunctional tools used for different activities (mainly butchering activities). We can hypothesize the transport within the site of finished products in the form of small, unretouched flakes and retouched tools, and, just sporadically, of small cores. The significative presence of Levallois radiolarite flakes in the Ciota Ciara toolkit is particularly interesting as the presence of this type of product in toolkits has already been reported by other scholars and for different European Middle Palaeolithic contexts. Moreover, the introduction in the site of unretouched flakes and of tools made in allochthonous and better-quality rocks could be interpreted as a planned behaviour, aimed at satisfying the need for more durable and efficient tools during the periods of staying at the Ciota Ciara cave.

High frequency of BCL2 gene rearrangement-negative follicular lymphoma in northwestern Italy

BCL2 rearrangement is reported to be an early pathogenetic event in follicular lymphoma (FL) and it is considered as a reliable marker in the follow up of the disease. We aimed to investigate the frequency of BCL2 rearrangement in FLs from northwestern Italy, to evaluate their clinicopathological features, and to investigate alternative genetic aberrations in BCL2-negative FLs.We collected a series of 76 consecutive FLs diagnosed between 2013 and 2016. All lymphomas underwent histopathological review. Interphasic fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) was performed with break apart probes targeting BCL2, IGH, BCL6 and MYC on paraffin embedded (PE) and fresh frozen (FF) specimens. 1p36 region and p53 locus in BLC2-negative cases were investigated using dual color probes. Karyotype analysis was available in a subset of cases.BCL2 rearrangements were detected in 39 cases (51,3%). Of the remaining 37, 6 showed IGH rearrangement, and were further tested: 1 showed variant BCL2 translocation, 1 had BCL6 rearrangement, and the other 4 were negative for further gene rearrangements. FISH on FF specimens detected small BCL2+ clones in cases otherwise categorized as BCL2-. 1p36 and p53 deletion were observed in 1 and 8 BCL2- FLs, respectively. Karyotype analysis documented 3q, 1p and BCL6 alternative abnormalities in 3 cases.In conclusion, BCL2 rearrangement is not a constant finding in FL, its frequency being probably affected by geographical factors. Thus, it should not be considered as a reliable molecular marker in the follow up of the disease, unless it is found to be present at the initial diagnosis of FL. Alternative genetic aberrations exist in BCL2-negative cases.

A long-term (1986-2010) phytoplankton dataset from the LTER-Italy site Lake Candia

In this paper we describe a 25-year (1986-2010) dataset of phytoplankton cell density abundance and biovolume in Lake Candia, a eutrophic, natural, small, and shallow lake located in north-western Italy, with data that are made available through the GBIF repository. The lake belongs to the national (LTER-Italy), European (LTER-Europe) and International (ILTER) long-term ecological research (LTER) networks. Phytoplankton samples were collected approximately monthly at the maximum depth station of the lake (7.7 m) and analysed with the inverted microscope, estimating both the cell density abundance and biovolume of each taxon. The dataset includes 10,120 georeferenced occurrences related to 545 taxa. During this 25-year period, the lake underwent profound modifications mainly related to the lake biomanipulation activities addressed to the management of aquatic macrophyte and to the evolution of the trophic condition. Making this dataset available represents a contribution to the current activities of the LTER networks for defining and reconstructing spatial and temporal dynamics and to identify and compare reliable trends.

Study on the genus Dudanus (Auchenorrhyncha, Cicadellidae, Deltocephalinae) in Western and Central Europe with description of a new species

Adults and last juvenile stage of a new Dudanus species, Dudanus karra n. sp., are described and illustrated. Some data on ecology and host plant are given. The new species was found in a restricted area on both sides of the border between Italy and Slovenia and in Northwestern Italy (Aosta Valley). Figures of D. pallidus Dlabola, 1956 and D. javieri Remane & Della Giustina, 1997, closely related to D. karra, are presented. D. karra differs from these taxa primarily by the shape of the aedeagus. D. pallidus is recorded for the first time from Hungary and Greece. The possibly recent speciation of the Dudanus species in the context of their morphological uniformity is discussed. The endangered condition of Dudanus habitats is highlighted, in particular for D. karra.

Congenital transmission of Neospora caninum in wild ungulates and foxes.

Neospora caninum is one of the main causes of abortion in cattle. In wildlife, the occurrence and relevance of vertical infection have not been yet clearly evaluated. The aim of this study was to verify the possibility of vertical transmission of N. caninum in three wild species extensively distributed in Europe, namely roe deer Capreolus capreolus, wild boar Sus scrofa and red fox Vulpes vulpes. A total of 190 fetuses (72 wild boars, 67 foxes and 51 roe deer) from 61 females were included in the study. All animals, which were either found dead or culled within selective control plans in North-western Italy, were tested, in parallel by PCR on central nervous system, skeletal muscle and kidney. The efficiency of vertical transmission in the three target species was of 87.5% (95% CI 69.00-95.66).

Non-Invasive Analyses of Italian “Ostrogothic” Jewellery: The Desana Treasure

The Desana treasure is a remarkable assemblage of items made of gold, silver, gemstones and glasses found in north-western Italy. Most scholars agree on the fact that the core of the treasure might have belonged to a single deposit resulted from a long period of selection, accumulation and use. The treasure testifies to the evolution of goldsmiths’ art in Ostrogothic Italy and represents an extraordinary material trace of the Italian elites of the 5th–6th centuries. The Desana treasure was investigated with non-invasive instrumental analytical techniques, namely optical microscopy, UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry with optical fibres and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry in order to record the chemical features of gemstones, coloured glasses and precious metals employed to produce the items. As for the gemstones, besides identifying typologies, data suggested India as the source for a sapphire pendant and for most of the garnets, whereas the emeralds may belong to different sources, among which Pakistan, India and Egypt. The investigation revealed the colouring agents and compositional features of the glasses, and the composition of the gold alloys. The results of the investigation highlight that the raw materials used by Late Antique Italian goldsmiths did not differ significantly from other neighbouring European and Mediterranean regions, although the garnets show some differences if compared with coeval jewels recorded north of the Alps. The dataset produced in this work complements the stylistic approach for the study of these amazing traces of the past and deepens our knowledge on the role of the Italian “Ostrogothic” jewellery in the frame of the coeval Mediterranean, Central European and Northern Pontic metalwork traditions.

Transcriptional profile of selected flavescence dorée phytoplasma genes during infection of insect vectors and host plants

Flavescence dorée is an economically important vector-borne disease of grapevine in Europe caused by phytoplasmas belonging to the 16SrV ribosomal group. Expression profiles of 11 genes of the Flavescence dorée phytoplasma (FDp) were analysed over time following infection of natural (Vitis vinifera and the leafhopper vector Scaphoideus titanus) and experimental (Vicia faba and Euscelidius variegatus) hosts. Infected and symptomatic grapevine plants (Chardonnay) were sampled under natural field conditions in a productive vineyard in north-western Italy. Broad bean samples were assayed after the experimental inoculation with infectious E. variegatus. Adults of both vector species were analyzed following FDp acquisition from infected broad bean plants. The selected FDp genes were grouped according to their putative functions within different categories, namely ‘Membrane proteins’ (imp), ‘Regulative elements’ (spoVG, rpoD), ‘Protein metabolism, transport and secretion’ (tldD, ysdC, ftsY), ‘Stress response’ (comp83, osmC), ‘ABC transporters’ (CoABC) and ‘Unknown’ function (contig12, comp115). All analyzed genes were expressed in the four different host species suggesting their crucial role during the FDp infection cycle. Moreover, some of them (contig12, CoABC, comp83, and imp) might be considered essential for phytoplasma survival irrespective of the host, while comp115 seems to be required for insect infection. We showed that FDp is metabolically more active in insects than in plants, at least according to the pool of selected genes for this study, indicating that FDp behaves differently in the two hosts compared to other phytoplasma species/strains.

Molecular and serological investigation of Hepatitis E virus in pigs slaughtered in Northwestern Italy

BackgroundHepatitis E Virus (HEV) is recently considered an emerging public health concern. HEV genotypes 1 and 2 are widely distributed and pathogenic only for humans. In contrast, HEV, genotypes 3 and 4 are observed in swine, deer, wild boars and rabbits and can also be transmitted to humans. The presence of HEV in the liver, muscle, faeces, blood, and bile was detected by real-time RT-PCR in 156 pigs belonging to twenty different farms, ranging from 1 to 8 months of age. The phylogenetic analysis was performed on the viral strain present in the positive biological matrix, with the lowest Ct. HEV-IgG and HEV-IgM in the sera were analysed by two different ELISA kits.ResultsTwenty-one pigs, i.e., 13.46% of them (21/156, 95% CI: 8.53%-19.84%), tested positive for HEV in at least one biological matrix by real-time RT-PCR, while phylogenetic analysis revealed the presence of HEV subtypes 3f and 3c. Pig serums analysed by ELISA showed an overall prevalence of 26.92% (42/156, 95% CI: 20.14%-34.60%) for HEV-IgG, whereas the 28.95% (33/114, 95% CI: 20.84%-38.19%) of them tested negative resulted positive for the HEV-IgM.ConclusionsThe faeces are the biological matrix with the highest probability of detecting HEV. The best concordance value (Kappa Kohen index) and the highest positive correlation (Phi index) were observed for the correlation between bile and liver, even when the number of positive liver samples was lower than the positive bile samples. This finding may suggest that a higher probability of HEV occurs in the bile, when the virus is present in the liver, during the stages of infection. Finally, the presence of HEV in muscle was observed in 11 pigs, usually used for the preparation of some dishes, typical of the Italian tradition, based on raw or undercooked meat. Therefore, their consumption is a possible source of infection for final consumer.