Province Of Grosseto Research Articles

Impact of Covid19 on chronic respiratory diseases

Abstract Introduction This study was created to test the hypothesis that Covid19 pandemic may have influenced the increase in chronic respiratory diseases, particularly asthma, COPD, and mixed forms. This aspect does not seem to have been investigated previously in the literature. Methods The study population consisted of all residents in the province of Grosseto in the two study years (2019 and 2022) aged over 17 and under 90 (n. 368,326). For each of them, the presence of chronic lung disease (OUTCOME), Covid 19 positivity (between 2019 and 2022), age, sex, and Charlson index were reported in the database. To test the effect of the study variables on the identified outcomes (asthma, COPD, and mixed forms), a single-variable statistical analysis was conducted, followed by multiple logistic regression in which, in addition to the main variable, sex, age, and Charlson index were included to adjust the results, using STATA Vers. 17.0 Be-Basic Edition Results Multivariate statistical analyses showed that those who had COVID between 2019 and 2022 had a 75% higher risk of taking asthma therapy than those who did not (OR 1.75, p < 0. 001); all other variables were also significantly correlated with the outcome: fewer people were taking asthma therapy in the year 2022 than in 2019 (OR 0.89, p < 0.001); men had a lower risk (OR 0.79, p < 0.001); and those who had a higher CI had a higher risk (3.43, p < 0.001). In the study sample, 2.69% took asthma medication in the study years. Conclusions The Covid19 pandemic has had a significant impact on chronic respiratory diseases, especially asthma; patients with higher age and more comorbidities are more likely to develop asthma; males have a lower risk than females, and these data do not seem to have been analyzed in the scientific literature. Key messages • The Covid19 pandemic has had a significant impact on chronic respiratory diseases. • Patients with higher age and more comorbidities are more likely to develop asthma.

Helminth fauna in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus Linnaeus, 1758) in the province of Grosseto (central Italy).

Helminth infection was analysed at necropsy and coprology in a total of 54 roe deer from the province of Grosseto (central Italy) between 2018 - 2020. Age and sex data were recorded for each deer for a total of 31 adults (23 females, 8 males) and 23 juveniles (11 females, 12 males). The results on the small intestine (51 samples) highlighted that nematodes belonging to the species Trichostrongylus colubriformis were the most prevalent parasite (41.2 %), followed by the cestode Moniezia expansa (7.8 %). The large intestine results (52 samples) showed Trichuris spp. (53.8 %), Oesophagostomum venulosum (50 %) and Chabertia ovina (26.9 %). In the abomasum, only Ostertagia ostertagi (17.9 %) was found. Of the 34 samples analysed by bronchopulmonary, only the lung of an adult female was positive for Dictyocaulus spp. In two livers out of 33 samples analysed, nematodes of the species Setaria tundra were found on the surface. Copropositivity was observed in 45 of the 52 faecal samples analysed. The results of the present study indicate that the roe deer is host to several species of parasites, which are also common in other cervids and domestic ruminants. Statistical testing highlighted a significant difference between mean intensities in males and females.

COVID-19 severity appears to be reduced in spring/summer.

because of different human behaviours, SARS-CoV-2 spread may be lower in spring/summer. On the contrary, it is not clearly known whether the clinical course/severity of hospitalized patients infected by SARS-CoV-2 can be different in the various seasons.. to understand whether there were differences in severity of COVID-19 in patients who had contracted the infection in winter versus those infected in spring/summer. observational retrospective cohort study. from the administrative database of the SARS-CoV-2 surveillance system and that of hospital discharge, a cohort of patients (8,221, 653 of which were hospitalized) who tested positive to the RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 between 01.12.2020 and 31.07.2021 in the Grosseto province (Tuscany Region, Central Italy) was selected and analysed. hospitalization rate and length, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or non-invasive ventilation (NIV) use, Intensive Care Unite (ICU) admissions, intra-hospital mortality and PaO2/FiO2 values were measured and compared between subjects infected in winter and those who developed COVID-19 in spring/summer. Viral load (cycle threshold, Ct), vitamin D, serum ferritin, IL-6, procalcitonin, D-dimer, and C-reactive protein measured in the two periods were also compared. in the considered months, the hospitalization rate among 8,221 patients with COVID-19 was 8%: 370 (8.5%) individuals were hospitalized in winter and 283 (7,3%; p=0.31) in spring/summer; 62 (16.8%), 88 (23.8%), and 63 (17%) in winter and 28 (9.9%), 40 (14.1%), and 36 (12.7%) in spring/summer were admitted in ICU (p=0.01), used CPAP/NIV (p=0.002) and died (p=0.13), respectively. Hospitalization days were 14.5±11.6 in winter and 10.3±8.84 in spring/summer (p=0.001), while minimum PaO2/FiO2, measured during hospital stays was 123.2±38.6 in spring/summer and 112.6±40.8 in winter (p=0.054). Multivariate analysis (adjusted for all confounding factors) also confirmed reduced risks of having ICU admissions (0.53; 95%CI 0.32;0.88; p=0.01) and of using CPAP/NIV (0.48; 95%CI 0.32;0.75; p=0.001) in spring/summer when compared to winter. Hospitalization days and minimum PaO2/FiO2 were also lower in spring/summer (β= -3.9; 95%CI -5.5;-2.2; p=0.001) and winter (β= -17; 95%CI -0.93;35; p=0.06), respectively. The adjusted hazard ratio of mortality in winter, obtained with a Cox model, was higher of about 38% compared to spring/summer. No Ct values (viral load) differences were found either in winter (19.45±6.18) or spring/summer (20.3±6.7; p=0.343). IL-6, ferritin, procalcitonin, D-dimer were similar. Conversely, CRP was lower whereas vitamin D was higher in the warmer seasons. COVID-19 may be less severe during spring/summer in hospitalized patients. This does not seem to be influenced by different SARS-CoV-2 viral load in the different periods considered. C-reactive protein was found to be lower whereas vitamin D higher in the warmer months. It can be hypothesized that higher levels of vitamin D in spring/summer, compared to winter, may be associated to a positive modulation of COVID-19 induced inflammation with a possible disease severity reduction during spring/summer.

Polyplacophoran Feeding Traces on Mediterranean Pliocene Sirenian Bones: Insights on the Role of Grazing Bioeroders in Shallow-Marine Vertebrate Falls

Chitons (Polyplacophora) include some of the most conspicuous bioeroders of the present-day shallow seas. Abundant palaeontological evidence for the feeding activity of ancient chitons is preserved in the form of radular traces that are usually found on invertebrate shells and hardgrounds. We report on widespread grazing traces occurring on partial skeletons of the extinct sirenian Metaxytherium subapenninum from the Lower Pliocene (Zanclean) of Arcille (Grosseto Province, Tuscany, Italy). These distinctive ichnofossils are described under the ichnotaxonomic name Osteocallis leonardii isp. nov. and interpreted as reflecting substrate scraping by polyplacophorans. A scrutiny of palaeontological literature reveals that similar traces occur on fossil vertebrates as old as the Upper Cretaceous, suggesting that bone has served as a substrate for chiton feeding for more than 66 million years. Whether these bone modifications reflect algal grazing, carrion scavenging or bone consumption remains unsure, but the first hypothesis appears to be the most parsimonious, as well as the most likely in light of the available actualistic data. As the role of bioerosion in controlling fossilization can hardly be overestimated, further research investigating how grazing organisms contribute to the biostratinomic processes affecting bone promises to disclose new information on how some marine vertebrates manage to become fossils.

High Incidence of Thyroid Cancer in Southern Tuscany (Grosseto Province, Italy): Potential Role of Environmental Heavy Metal Pollution.

The incidence of thyroid cancer (TC) in Italy is one of the highest in Europe, and the reason for this is unclear. The intra-country heterogeneity of TC incidence suggests the possibility of an overdiagnosis phenomenon, although environmental factors cannot be excluded. The aim of our study is to evaluate the TC incidence trend in southern Tuscany, Italy, an area with particular geological characteristics, where the pollution and subsequent deterioration of various environmental matrices with potentially toxic elements (heavy metals) introduced from either geological or anthropogenic (human activities) sources are documented. The Tuscany cancer registry (ISPRO) provided us with the number of cases and EU standardized incidence rates (IR) of TC patients for all three provinces of southeast Tuscany (Siena, Grosseto, Arezzo) during the period of 2013-2016. In addition, we examined the histological records of 226 TC patients. We observed that the TC incidence rates for both sexes observed in Grosseto Province were significantly higher than those observed in the other two provinces. The increase was mostly due to the papillary (PTC) histotype (92% of cases), which presented aggressive variants in 37% of PTCs and tumor diameters more than 1 cm in 71.3% of cases. We demonstrated a high incidence of TC in Grosseto province, especially among male patients, that could be influenced by the presence of environmental heavy metal pollution.

Investigating the basidiomycete diversity of Grosseto province (Italy, Tuscany): an annotated check-list (Summary)

The 139-page annotated and illustrated checklist by Clericuzio, Cantini, Vizzini, and Dovana covering 1619 basidiomycetes collected from Tuscany's Grosseto Province may now be downloaded from Mycotaxon's mycobiota webpage. This excellent contribution brings to 155 the number of free-access fungae uploaded or linked to: http://www.mycotaxon.com/mycobiota/index.html

Drought risk assessment in Mediterranean agricultural watersheds: A case study in Central Italy

Mediterranean watersheds are expected to face increased and more severe drought events due to climate change. Urgent action is needed to shift from a reactive approach to a proactive one, for which drought risk assessment is fundamental. Nevertheless, the current methodology to calculate composite risk indicators is still debated, undermining the overall robustness and validity of drought risk assessments. Furthermore, the diversity of socio-ecological contexts, spatiotemporal scales, and data availability hamper the homogenization of assessment methods. We present a complete drought risk assessment methodology, applied to the agricultural systems of five Italian coastal watersheds, introducing a simple robustness evaluation method to validate the assessment tool and archetype analysis to link the outputs with adaptation strategies. Forty-two (42) indicators were included to represent hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. Past and future drought hazards were estimated considering multiple types of droughts with data from public observatories.The results show highest hazard for the southern part of the study region, highest exposure in the coastal and high-value wine producers’ municipalities, while vulnerability patterns are less clear. Major adaptation efforts should target specific watersheds of the Grosseto province, which has the highest projected drought risk. Archetype analysis was then used to suggest possible context-specific adaptation strategies. The proposed methodology, with the integration of a robustness evaluation and the archetype analysis, represents an advancement toward shared and homogeneous guidelines in state-of-the-art drought risk assessments.

NEW REMAINS OF <em>CASATIA THERMOPHILA</em> (CETACEA, MONODONTIDAE) FROM THE LOWER PLIOCENE MARINE VERTEBRATE-BEARING LOCALITY OF ARCILLE (TUSCANY, ITALY)

An incomplete cranium, three cervicals (including the axis) and two likely lumbars of a monodontid cetacean are here described from lower Pliocene (ca. 5.1–4.5 Ma) marine sandstones cropping out at Arcille (Grosseto Province, Tuscany, Italy). This fossil find comes from the same locality as the holotype of Casatia thermophila, which it resembles in terms of overall size and cranial morphology, and especially, by displaying a similarly depressed portion of the dorsal surface of the premaxillae anterior to the premaxillary sac fossae and medial to the anteromedial sulci. Our new find is thus assigned to C. thermophila, and significant anatomical parts that are missing in the holotype are described in order to improve the diagnosis of this monodontid species. Some dentigerous fragments of the maxillae hint at a homodont and polydont dentition, which in turn suggests a ram prey capture method that differs from the highly derived suction method that is proper of extant monodontids. This second find of C. thermophila from the warm-water Arcille palaeoenvironment lends further support to the hypothesis that monodontids once thrived in tropical and subtropical habitats.

CHECKLIST OF MACRO-INVERTEBRATES OF THE SPECIAL CONSERVA-TION AREA “POGGI DI PRATA” (GROSSETO, CENTRAL ITALY)THROUGH A CITIZEN-SCIENCE AND EXPERT-BASED APPROACH

The assessment of species composition in a certain area may become outdated over time due to community dynamics including species range expansion, but also to local extinctions, species introductions and taxonomic redefinition. Therefore, updated checklists are required for animal conservation and management. Exhaustive checklists of invertebrate species may be challenging, as species determination often requires the analysis by specialists, but they are fundamental for local conservation practices. In this work, we provided an annotated preliminary checklist of invertebrates of the Special Conservation Area “Poggi di Prata” (province of Grosseto, southern Tuscany), detected through field samplings with experts, and a permanent Bioblitz set out on an online citizen-science platform (iNaturalist.org). The final dataset(1898-2020)included 329records of 282 species (217insects, 34gastropods, 30arachnids and 1 chilopod). Most records were uploaded on iNaturalist (about 56.5%), others came from observations or sampling collections(37%) and were determined by specialists. Only the remaining 6.5% of records came from published studies. Three species were protected by the Habitat Directive, 15 by the Tuscan Regional Law. We also detected two endemic or near-endemic taxa of this area: the beetle Paramaurops diecki massetanus and the land snail Marmorana saxetana. The unexpected (Italian southernmost) record of Gaurotes virginea needs to be deepened. Furthermore, 12 alien species, including insects affecting human economy and wellness (e.g., Rhinchophorous ferrugineus, Aedes albopictus, Halyomorpha halys, Dryocosmus kuriphilus and Cydalima perspectalis), were also detected. With our work, we confirmed that citizen-science platforms (e.g. iNaturalist) are valuable tools, complementary to field-work by specialists, to map local biodiversity and they may help to improve biogeographical knowledge.

A FIVE-YEAR SURVEY IN TUSCANY (ITALY) AND DETECTION OF XYLELLA FASTIDIOSASUBSPECIES MULTIPLEXIN POTENTIAL INSECT VECTORS, COLLECTED IN MONTE ARGENTARIO

The vector‐borne bacterium Xylella fastidiosa(Wells and Raju) causes several serious diseases to plants. Recently, different subspecies of X. fastidiosa were reported in some European countries. The risk of the bacterium’s spread on the entire European territory is very high; therefore, it has been added into the priority pest list (2019/1702/EU Regulation). The main purposes of this work were to verify the presence of potential vectors in areas at a high risk of introduction in Tuscany and to ascertain the presence of X. fastidiosa in these insect vectors. Over 4,000 Auchenorrhyncha were collected and analysed from 2015 to 2019. Among the xylem sap-feeder putative vectors, most of the insects collected belonged to the family Aphrophoridae, but also many species of leafhopper were identified. Overall, in Tuscany four species were the most represented: Philaenus spumarius(L.), Cicadella viridis(L.), Synophropsis lauri (Horvath) and Neophilaenus campestris(Fallen).In 2018 an outbreak of X. fastidiosa subsp. multiplex was reported in Monte Argentario (Grosseto province, Tuscany). In 2019 X. fastidiosa subspecies multiplex ST 87 was detected in seven P. spumarius and three N. campestris collected from the infected area.

New Insights Into the Peculiar World of the Shepherd-Dog Parasites: An Overview From Maremma (Tuscany, Italy).

Several developments have been recently achieved to understand pet-dog parasites and their relationship with hosts; however, parasites' presence and distribution in shepherd-dog have been mainly neglected; this knowledge gap is of critical sanitary importance, as shepherd-dogs could harbor zoonotic helminths including Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato. The related human disease, cystic echinococcosis, is a worldwide neglected disease, with high endemicity in the Mediterranean Basin. To evaluate the presence of E. granulosus and other parasites, a sheep-dog population from the province of Grosseto (Tuscany, Italy) has been investigated. Overall, 648 dog fecal samples obtained from 50 modern sheep farms, having a total of 216 dogs, were collected. Specimens were analyzed using a standardized centrifugal flotation method (specific gravity = 1.3). Taeniid eggs detected were further isolated using a sieving/flotation technique. DNA was isolated from eggs for PCR and sequence analyses for species identification (gene target: 12S rRNA and nad1). Thirty-nine (78%) farms tested positive for at least one parasite species or genus. The most represented intestinal helminths were Toxocara spp. in 64% of farms, followed by Ancylostomatidae (58%), Trichuris vulpis (50%), Capillaria spp. (34%), and taeniids (32%). Sequence analyses confirmed the presence of Taenia hydatigena in seven farms, Taenia (syn. Multiceps) multiceps in five farms, and T. pisiformis in one farm. No DNA was extracted from four previously taeniid egg-positive farms. No amplification of amplicon corresponding to E. granulosus was achieved in the investigated farms. Although not entirely expected, Spearman's test showed a positive correlation between flock size and the number of dogs per farm (ρ = 0.588, P < 0.001). The quantitative analysis reported that the home slaughter practice was affected neither by the flock size nor by the number of dogs per farm. The probability to diagnose farms positive for taeniids had been increased by about 35% for each dog unit increase [odds ratio (OR) = 1.35, P = 0.012]. In conclusion, the wide distribution of T. hydatigena and T. multiceps detected in the present study clearly reveals that dogs have still access to raw offal, a major risk for the transmission of E. granulosus. Home slaughtering is an unavoidable practice, and more efforts must be undertaken by the public health system to prevent and control potential zoonotic taeniids.

High levels of recent wolf × dog introgressive hybridization in agricultural landscapes of central Italy

Representing a form of anthropogenic hybridization, wolf–dog interbreeding may potentially compromise the ecological and evolutionary traits of local wolf populations and corrode social tolerance towards wolves. However, estimates of the extent of wolf–dog hybridization in wolf populations are scarce, especially at a multi-pack scale and in human-dominated landscapes. Using non-invasive (n = 215) and invasive (n = 25) samples of wolf-like canids collected in the Province of Grosseto (central Italy, 2012–2014), we assessed the extent of wolf–dog hybridization based on multi-locus genotypes (16 and 49 loci for non-invasive and invasive samples, respectively) and Bayesian clustering techniques. Based on a total of 72 genotypes, the minimum proportion of admixed individuals in our sample was 30.6%, comprising 8 out of the 13 surveyed packs; however, by correcting for the proportion of admixed individuals undetected using the 16-loci compared with the 49-loci marker set (26.7%), we suspect the rate of recent admixture could be closer to 50%. While we did not detect any F1 hybrid, four admixed individuals had a non-negligible probability of being first-generation backcrosses, one of which likely derived from a backcross of a F1 hybrid into the dog population. Complementary genetic markers (i.e., Y-haplotype and K-locus) or anomalous morphological traits further indicated widespread occurrence of admixed individuals of older generations of backcross. This high level of admixture raises serious wolf conservation concerns and exemplifies the expected dynamics of wolf–dog hybridization if left unmanaged in human-dominated landscapes. The implications of our findings need to be urgently upscaled for the implementation of management interventions that cannot be procrastinated any longer at the regional and national scale.

Epidemiological survey on the occurrence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection in sheep reared in central Italy

Abstract Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a tick-borne pathogen of sheep and other ruminants, humans, horses and dogs. Current data on the prevalence and diffusion of A. phagocytophilum among domestic animals in Italy are fragmentary, especially those related to sheep, considered a natural domestic reservoir. We investigated the prevalence of A. phagocytophilum infection in dairy sheep from Tuscany (Italy), by testing 624 sera with the immunofluorescent antibody (IFA) test. The sera belonged to 33 different flocks distributed throughout the province of Grosseto (Tuscany). Positive results were found in 21 out of the 33 flocks tested (63.63%, 95% IC 47.22–80.05%) with a prevalence rate within flocks ranging from 3.33% to 59.26%. The seroprevalence against A. phagocytophilum within the sheep population was 8.01% (95% IC 6.13–10.41%), and most of the positive cases showed low antibody titres (1/40-1/80). The multivariate analysis identified small flock ( Our results reveal a moderate circulation of A. phagocytophilum among sheep flocks in central Italy.

Endoparasites of the European Hare (Lepus Europaeus) (Pallas, 1778) in Central Italy.

SummaryBrown hare (Lepus europaeus) populations in Europe have declined through decades due to several, but not clear yet, factors. Parasite infections and diseases are some of the causes that directly affected the survival and breeding rates of animal population.A study on the endoparasites of 70 hares (37 hunted free-living hares, and 33 bred on farms hares) was performed between 2015 - 2017 in the province of Grosseto (central Italy), an area where the impact of parasites in the hare population has never been investigated. During necroscopic analysis of hunted hares the following helminthes were found: Trichostrongylus retortaeformis (87.1 %), Passalurus ambiguus (12.9 %) and Andrya spp. (6.4 %) in the intestinal tract, Protostrongylus cuniculorum (8.3 %) in lungs and Dicrocoelium dendriticum (16.7 %) in livers. The prevalences of the intestinal helminthes in bred hares were: 12.1 % for Passalurus ambiguus and 3 % for Trichostrongylus retortaeformis. The coprological analysis showed prevalences of 64.9 % for coccidia in the 37 hunted hares and 45.5 % in the 33 bred hares. The relationship between the intensities of parasitic infections and body weight was evaluated.The results of the present study in the Grosseto area indicate that free-living hares have few species of parasites and that the intensities of parasitic infection did not affect their general condition and health, suggesting that endoparasites played no detectable role in the dynamics of this hare population.

Seroprevalence survey of arboviruses in workers from Tuscany, Italy.

Background:Arthropod-borne viruses (Arbovirus) play an important role among emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and in the spreading of infections in new geographic areas. Although some arboviral infections may be asymptomatic or mild flu-like illnesses, many occur as severe forms of meningitis and meningoencephalitis.Objectives:To assess whether arboviral infections may be associated with occupational risk, in a population of agricultural and forestry workers potentially at high risk for arthropods bite and sting.Methods:A seroprevalence survey for arboviruses belonging to the genera Flaviviruses (West Nile, Tick-borne encephalitis and Usutu viruses) and Phlebovirus (Toscana virus) was carried out in Grosseto province (Tuscany, Italy). One hundred and one serum samples of occupationally exposed workers and 100 serum samples of not exposed workers were analyzed using commercial and home-made serological assays. Serological data were obtained in 2012 and analyzed according to demographic characteristics, recollection of insect-bites, and time spent in outdoor activities.Results:A total seropositivity of 10% (21/201) was observed for Toscana virus. No difference in seroprevalence for Toscana virus was observed among the exposed (10/101) versus the not exposed (11/100) workers. No seropositivity for West Nile, Usutu and Tick-borne encephalitis viruses was detected.Conclusions:Although circulation of Toscana virus is recognized in the study area, our results did not reveal a higher risk for workers exposed to arthropods bite and sting. Health surveillance programs remain useful to monitor the potential emergence of arboviruses.

Assessing wild canid depredation risk using a new three steps method: the case of Grosseto province (Tuscany, Italy)

The recovery of large carnivores in human dominated landscapes can cause controversy and concern for livestock producers, especially where wild predator populations and farmland overlap. This is the case in the Grosseto province, located in the southern part of Tuscany, Italy. Anticipating where predator attacks are likely to occur can help focus mitigation efforts. We suggest a three-step method to predict wild canid depredation risk using presence only data on wild canid detections and confirmed depredation events in the study area. We obtained the probability of occurrence for canids and depredation events based on ecological variables and then performed an ensemble model following an ad-hoc procedure. We compared models’ outputs obtained from two different approaches to species distribution modeling: Maximum Entropy (Maxent) and Bayesian for Presence-only Data (BPOD) testing their ability to predict the occurrence of events. The ecological niche factor analysis (ENFA) was used to assess the importance of each environmental variable in the description of the presence points. Forested areas were identified as the most important attribute predicting wild canid occurrence. Livestock predation was most likely to occur close to farms where sheep densities were higher and more accessible. Higher depredation risk zones were characterized by proximity to forested areas and the presence of landscape features that allowed wild canids to reach pastures with minimum effort such as the network of smaller watercourses. Only 15% of the total sheep farms fall within higher risk areas, indicating that depredation was facilitated by environmental conditions (e.g. closeness to the woods) rather than the availability of prey. Overall BPOD performed better than Maxent in terms of sensitivity, suggesting that BPOD could be a promising approach to predict probability of occurrence using presence only data.

Plastic litter in aquatic environments of Maremma Regional Park (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy): Contribution by the Ombrone river and levels in marine sediments

During two surveys in 2015 and 2016, sediments samples were collected along the Ombrone river (Maremma Regional Park, province of Grosseto, Italy), in particular at its mouth and in the marine area in front of it, in order to quantify, identify and categorize plastic items (macro, meso and micro-plastics and colour, material etc.) and evaluate their potential sources. The Albegna and Osa rivers were identified as external areas of comparison. The results of the analysis showed different situations, especially as regards fluvial inputs, in addition to evidencing local provisions of plastic material derived from agricultural activities. The microplastics values per kg of sediment and the prevailing type of items found largely varied between the investigated sites (45–1069items/kg dry sample).

&lt;p class="Body" align="left"&gt;A critical checklist of the woody flora of Tuscany (Italy)

A comprehensive checklist of the Tuscan woody flora providing sub-regional details is presented. This checklist comprises 412 taxa, of which 264 are native and 148 are non-native. Nine taxa new for the region were found, and eleven taxa were excluded from the regional flora. The native taxa belong to 109 genera and 53 families. Rosaceae is the family richest in taxa, with Rosa being the genus with the highest number of species. On the provincial level, the province of Grosseto is the province with the highest number of native taxa, followed by the provinces of Lucca and Florence. The lowest number of taxa was documented in the provinces of Pistoia and Prato. With regard to the non-native woody flora, the highest number of non-native taxa can be found in the province of Livorno, whereas the lowest number occurs in the provinces of Arezzo and Siena. At regional level, 9% of non-native taxa are invasive, 45% naturalized and 46% casual. Asia and North America are the most common native ranges of those taxa. After an extensive herbarium study, the taxonomy and distribution of Acer opalus, Cornus sanguinea, Juniperus deltoides, Oreoherzogia alpina, Pyrus communis, Quercus crenata, Salix elaeagnos, and Sorbus aria are discussed in more detail.

Occurrence of Clostridium spp. in ewe’s milk: enumeration and identification of isolates

The presence of gas-producing clostridia in ewe’s milk can lead to the occurrence of late-blowing defects in cheeses. However, data on this aspect are limited. In the present study, using the most probable number (MPN) method, clostridial spores were enumerated in 527 ewe’s milk samples collected in the Grosseto Province (Tuscany, Italy) from autumn 2014 to summer 2015. In addition, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we identified the species most frequently involved in late-blowing defects in cheese (Clostridium tyrobutyricum, Clostridium butyricum, Clostridium beijerinckii, and Clostridium sporogenes), and of Clostridium perfringens. Gas-producing clostridial spores were detected in 99% of samples. Spore concentrations ranged from 360 to more than 110,000 spores∙L−1. We observed that 86% of samples had a spore load higher than 1000 spores∙L−1. During autumn and summer, spore concentrations were significantly higher than in winter and spring (P < 0.001). A total of 222 isolates obtained from 77 MPN positive tubes from different milk samples were subjected to PCR. Colonies from 63/77 (82%) MPN positive tubes were taxonomically identified. Among the 63 PCR-positive samples, C. perfringens was the most frequently detected species (56%), followed by C. sporogenes (44%), C. tyrobutyricum (7.9%), C. butyricum (1.6%), and C. beijerinkii (1.6%). In addition, in 11% of the MPN positive tubes, at least two clostridial species were found to be present simultaneously. This work highlights the presence of clostridial spores in ovine milk from central Italy (Tuscany) and led to the identification of some of the clostridia species involved in such high spore loads.

Exploring the potential of perennial crops in reducing soil erosion: A GIS-based scenario analysis in southern Tuscany, Italy

Preserving soils is a major challenge in ensuring sustainable agriculture for the future. Soil erosion by water is a critical issue in the Mediterranean regions and usually occurs when high-erosive precipitation is in temporal association with poor vegetation cover and density. Modelling soil erosion risks over large spatial scales suffers from the scarcity of accurate information on land cover, rainfall erosivity and their intra-annual dynamics. We estimated the soil erosion risk on arable land in a Mediterranean area (Grosseto Province, southern Tuscany, Italy) and investigated its potential reduction as a response to the change in intra-annual distribution of land cover due to the increase of perennial forage crops. A GIS-based (R)USLE model was employed and a scenario analysis was performed by setting criteria for raising the performance of perennial forage crops. Statistical data on agricultural crops provided an insight into current intra-annual land cover dynamics. Rainfall erosivity was computed on the basis of 22-year hourly precipitation data. The model was used to: i) quantify the potential soil losses of arable land in the study area, ii) identify those areas highly affected by erosion risks iii) explore the potential for soil conservation of perennial crops, thereby enabling appropriate preventive measures to be identified. The erosion rates, averaged over an area of about 140’000 ha, are estimated to 33.42 Mg ha−1 y−1. More than 59% of the study area was subjected to soil losses higher than 11 Mg ha−1 y−1 (from moderate to severe erosion) and the highest rates are estimated for steep inland areas. Arable land with severe soil erosion rates (higher than 33 Mg ha−1 y−1) represent about 35% of the whole study area. The risk of soil loss by water erosion in the study area is estimated to be reduced on average by 36% if perennial crops are increased in terms of 35% of the total arable land. The soil erosion data produced compared well with the published local and regional data. This study thus provides useful preliminary information for landscape planning authorities and can be used as a decision support tool in quantifying the implications of management policies.