Chiroptera are one of the most endangered species due to climate changes, pesticide use, landscape modification and habitat fragmentation that interfere with the availability of their praies and alter the sites of their life cycles. The current Italian law consider chiroptera as “Especially Protected Fauna” and as a consequence, it provides for its protection. Chiroptera are considered good ecological indicators: they are insectivorous and they can help in the fight against mosquitos and other arthropoda and, depending on the species, they are useful for plant pollination and seeds dispersion. In general, bats do not represent a risk for public health but recently they have been a focus of major attention for the scientific community as they can be a reservoir for zoonotic pathogens such as Hendra, Nipah, Ebola, Lyssa e SARS – Coronavirus: Particularly, bats are natural reservoir of Lyssavirus and they can transmit rabies to human. However, 90% of Lyssavirus positive bats have been identified in North or East Europe. In Itlay, Anti-rabies antibody has been observed in some species (Myotis myotis, M. blythii and Tadarida teniotis) but no neurological signs have been detected in these animals. Apart from Lyssavirus, in Italy bats are also known to be natural reservoirs of different strains of Coronavirus, Enterovirus, Reovirus ed Astrovirus. Bats enteric coronavirus do not seem to show any correlation with human coronavirus. This project comes from the experience of the Center of Unconventional Animals (CANC), Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin in the recovery of wild and non-conventional animals. In recent years, it also rescues chiroptera thanks to different national partnerships. The aim of this project is to extend the knowledge of Chiroptera through the rescue of ill animals and the health surveillance on the infectious disease they are reservoir for and on the main cause of death in a One health perspective in order to guarantee a peaceful coexistence with humans. The activities take place in the CANC that rescued many bats each year (in the last three years 343 bats have been rescued). At the arrival, the animal is evaluated recording species, genera, age, nutritional status, presence of ectoparasites and general health status. If the bat can fully recover it is quarantined for a suitable period of time in order to exclude any infectious disease that can be dangerous for the other patients of the CANC. It receives a proper medical treatment and a specific balanced diet. After the hospitalization and a period of recovery, bats are released as close as possible to their native colony. On the contrary, if the patient is considered “non-recoverable”, euthanasia is performed and it is submitted to post-mortem investigations. During necropsies, all dead bats are examined for cutaneous, abdominal, thoracic or brain lesions. Histopathological examination of the main internal organs is performed and biomolecular methods are used to identify specific etiological agents. The obtained data are shared with the local health care workers and with the citizens through educational and information meetings.

• Ricerca Corrente - IZS Venezie: Decifrare la sierologia per comprendere l'eco-patologia dei lyssavirus nei chirotteri Europei

• Colombino E., Capella S., Casalinuovo F., Racco R., Pruiti F., Volante M., Di Marco Lo Presti V., Belluso E., Capucchio M.T. - Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma in a boar who lived in Calabria (Italy): wild animal as sentinel system of human health - Sci Total Environ. 2019 683:267-274.
• Mauthe Von Degerfeld M., Chiappino L., Quaranta G., Capucchio M.T. - Necropsy as first diagnostic tool in bat pathology - IV Convegno Italiano Chirotteri, Padova, 17-19 ottobre 2019.
• Amato B., Di Marco Lo Presti V., Gerace E., Capucchio M.T., Vitale M., Zanghi P., Pacciarini M.L., Marianelli C., Boniotti M.B. - Molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains 1 isolated from livestock and wild animals in Italy suggests the need for a different eradication strategy for bovine tuberculosis - Transbound Emerg Dis. 2018 ;65(2):e416-e424.
• Amato B., Mignacca S.A., Pacciarini M.L. Vitale M., Antoci S., Cucinotta S., Puleio R., Biasibetti E., Fiasconaro M., Capucchio M.T., Di Marco Lo Presti V. - An outbreak of bovine tuberculosis in a fallow deer herd (Dama dama) - Res Vet Sci 116-120, Res Vet Sci. 106:116-120, 2016
• Biasibetti E., Sferra C., Lynen G., Di Giulio G., De Meneghi D., Tomassone L., Valenza F., Capucchio M.T. - Severe meningeal fibrinoid vasculitis associated with Theileria taurotragi infection in two short-horned Zebu cattle - Tropical Animal Health and Production, Trop Anim Health Prod. 48:1297-1299, 2016
• Catalano D., Biasibetti E., Lynen G., Di Giulio G., De Meneghi D., Tomassone L., Valenza F., Capucchio M.T. - "Ormilo disease" a disorder of Zebu cattle in Tanzania: bovine cerebral theileriosis or new protozoan disease? - Tropical Animal Health and Production, 47(5):895-901, 2015;
• Di Marco V., Mazzone P., Capucchio M.T., Boniotti M.B., Aronica V., Russo M., Fiasconaro M., Cifani N., Corneli S., Biasibetti E., Biagetti M., Pacciarini M.L., Cagiola M., Pasquali P., Marianelli C. - "Epidemiological significance of the domestic Black Pig (Sus scrofa) in the maintenance of Bovine Tuberculosis in Sicily" - J Clin Microbiol 50(4):1209-18, 2012
• Rocha P.R.D., Scaglione F.E., Ferroglio E., Chiappino L., Bollo E., Capucchio M.T. - Diffuse multicentric large B-cell lymphoma invading the central nervous system in a European wild boar (Sus scrofa) - J. Wild. Dis. 47(4):1040-2, 2011
• Capucchio M.T., Catalano D., Di Marco V., Russo M., Aronica V., Tomaselli A., Lazzara A., Amedeo S., Scaglione F.E., Dore B., Guarda F. - "Natural trematode infestation in feral Nebrodi Black pigs: pathological investigations" - Vet Parasitol, 159(1): 37-42, 2009
• D’Angelo A., Capucchio M.T., Ferroglio E, Jaggy A. - "Astrocytoma in a chamois". Schweizer Archiv Fur Tierheilkunde 147 (10): 453-455, 2005

• Laboratories of Animal Pathology Sector, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin.
• Laboratories of the Center of Unconventional Animals (CANC), Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin

• Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale di Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Centro di Referenza Nazionale per le Malattie degli Animali Selvatici (CeRMAS) IZS PLV ( Dr. Orusa e Dr. Robetto Serena)
• Istituto Zooprofilattico delle Venezie, Centro di Referenza Nazionale per la Rabbia (Dr. De Benedictis e Dr. Leopardi)
• Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e Emilia Romagna, laboratorio di virologia, Brescia (Dr. Lelli e Dr. Lavazza).