Novel Picornavirus Detected in Wild Deer: Identification, Genomic Characterisation, and Prevalence in Australia

The use of high-throughput sequencing has facilitated virus discovery in wild animals and helped determine their potential threat to humans and other animals. We report the complete genome sequence of a novel picornavirus identified by next-generation sequencing in faeces from Australian fallow deer. Genomic analysis revealed that this virus possesses a typical picornavirus-like genomic organisation of 7554 nt with a single open reading frame (ORF) encoding a polyprotein of 2225 amino acids. Based on the amino acid identity comparison and phylogenetic analysis of the P1, 2C, 3CD, and VP1 regions, this novel picornavirus was closely related to but distinct from known bopiviruses detected to date. This finding suggests that deer/bopivirus could belong to a novel species within the genus Bopivirus, tentatively designated as “Bopivirus C”. Epidemiological investigation of 91 deer (71 fallow, 14 sambar and 6 red deer) and 23 cattle faecal samples showed that six fallow deer and one red deer (overall prevalence 7.7%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.8–15.0%) tested positive, but deer/bopivirus was undetectable in sambar deer and cattle. In addition, phylogenetic and sequence analyses indicate that the same genotype is circulating in south-eastern Australia. To our knowledge, this study reports for the first time a deer-origin bopivirus and the presence of a member of genus Bopivirus in Australia. Further epidemiological and molecular studies are needed to investigate the geographic distribution and pathogenic potential of this novel Bopivirus species in other domestic and wild animal species.

Settling in: Reintroduced Persian Fallow Deer Adjust the Borders and Habitats of Their Home-Range During the First 5 Years Post Release

Translocated animals typically find themselves in a novel environment in which they must establish a home range in a manner that will maximize their fitness. We hypothesized that the initial establishment of a home range is followed by adjustments expressed as home range shifting, and occurs as familiarity with the landscape increases, until the home range is stabilized. We studied the process of home range shifting in 42 female Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) reintroduced into the Galilee, Israel over a period of 2–5 years. We used changes in the degree of home range overlap between consecutive years as an indicator of stabilization. We then compared how the mean percent cover of the key vegetation types (woodland, scrubland and open pastures) differed between the areas abandoned in the first year's home range and the areas added to the last year's home range relative to the first (using a weighted paired t-test). We also compared the distribution (using χ2 test of independence and Levene's test for homogeneity of variance) of %cover of the 3 vegetation types between the first and last year's home range. The average home range overlap increased over the 5 years following the first release. During the first-year post release, deer avoided open pastures and preferred woodland. In later years deer increase in the % open pastures (weighted t-test: p < 0.001) and decreased the % woodland cover (weighted t-test: p = 0.07) by abandoning areas with little open pasture and steeper terrain and moving into areas with more open pasture and moderate terrain. Variance of the cover types across individuals increased with time. We conclude that the home ranges of the reintroduced deer stabilized with time. The changes in vegetation and slope are driven by time-dependent changing needs reflecting a tradeoff between safety (refuge) and foraging. Our findings suggest that using the initially established home range to determine species preferences can create a misleading picture of what the optimal home range of the species really is. Individual variation in term of preferences can take a few years to be expressed due to the initial high-risk perceived by individuals in a novel environment.

faunal assemblage from the manufacturing district at Spolverino: from the Roman Imperial period to Late Antiquity

This paper presents a zooarchaeological analysis from the site of Spolverino (southern Tuscany, Italy). Archaeological excavations have uncovered a complex stratigraphy dated from the Roman Imperial period to Late Antiquity (late 1st- early 6th centuries AD). The industrial function of the site in Imperial times is partially reflected in the nature of the faunal assemblage. In Late Antiquity, Spolverino lost its original manufacturing functions, as many of the workshops were abandoned; our evidence, however, suggests that some livestock was kept, probably managed by a restricted group of people still living in that area. Some hunting was practiced throughout the occupation but it increased in the later periods. Remarkable, in Late Antiquity, is the occurrence of the fallow deer, an introduced species, rare in Roman contexts.

Fatty Acids and Nutraceutical Properties of Lipids in Fallow Deer (Dama dama) Meat Produced in Organic and Conventional Farming Systems

The aim of the study was to assess the fatty acid profile and nutraceutical properties of lipids contained in fallow deer (Dama dama) meat produced in organic and conventional farming systems. Longissimus lumborum (LL) and semimembranosus (SM) muscles from 24 fallow deer carcasses were selected for the study. The fallow deer meat from the organic farming system was characterized by significantly lower intramuscular fat content. The fatty acid profile in the organic meat was characterized by a particularly high proportion (p < 0.0001) of conjugated linoleic acid—CLA (LL—2.29%, SM—2.14%), alpha-linolenic acid—ALA (LL—4.32%, SM—3.87%), and docosahexaenoic acid—DHA (LL—2.83%, SM—2.60%). The organic system had a beneficial effect (p < 0.0001) on the amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), including n-3 PUFAs, which resulted in a more favorable n-6 PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acid)/n-3 PUFA ratio. The significantly higher nutritional quality of organic meat lipids was confirmed by such nutraceutical indicators as the thrombogenic index (TI), ∆9-desaturase C16, elongase, and docosahexaenoic acid + eicosapentaenoic acid (DHA+EPA) in the LL and SM and cholesterol index (CI), and the cholesterol-saturated fat index (CSI) indices in the SM. LL was characterized by higher overall quality.

Distribution of Deer Keds (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) in Free-Living Cervids of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, Central Italy, and Establishment of the Allochthonous Ectoparasite Lipoptena fortisetosa

Lipoptena fortisetosa and L. cervi are hematophagous ectoparasites belonging to the Hippoboscidae family and preferentially living on cervids. In recent years, they have received specific attention due to the great increase in the abundance of their host species, and to their medical and veterinary importance as possible vectors of pathogens harmful to humans and animals. The aim of this study was to investigate the parasitism level of both of these flies on their main hosts in Italy, which are red deer, fallow deer, and roe deer, and to highlight a possible preference for a species, sex, or age class among the hosts. Deer keds were collected by examining 326 cervids hunted in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. Outcomes showed that L. fortisetosa has greatly spread throughout the study area, where it competes with the autochthonous L. cervi. Moreover, red deer was the favored host species of both ectoparasites, while different preferences for host sex and age classes were observed in the two hippoboscids. The regular monitoring of deer ked populations, especially the allochthonous L. fortisetosa, which is continuously spreading in Europe, is recommended to expand the knowledge on these parasitic species that are potentially dangerous to public health.