Abstract：
The production demand of edible snails in the Mediterranean area is very high and the attention to snail borne diseases is increasing. Following mass mortality events, we have analyzed 240 samples of Cornu aspersum collected from farms across Italy. Anatomopathological examination showed the presence of alterations of the gastro-intestinal apparatus and of the digestive gland, while histopathological examination revealed the presence of Rickettsia-like organisms (RLOs) in 70% (168/240) of cases and Giemsa positive amoebae in the remaining 30% (72/240) of cases. RLOs were localized mainly at the level of the DG, where regressive changes or nodular inflammation was observed. TEM examination of RLOs samples revealed the presence of many rod-shaped electron dense microorganisms. Amoebal infection occurred in the kidney, intestine, lung, the DG and were associated to regressive events or infiltrative/nodular and encapsulation like inflammation. To date it is still unclear if the pathogens detected could represent a risk for humans and animals, therefore further studies are needed to better elucidate this point.
摘要：
地中海地区对食用蜗牛的生产需求非常高，对蜗牛传播疾病的关注日益增加。在大规模死亡事件之后，我们分析了从意大利各地的农场收集的240份Cornuaspersum样本。解剖病理学检查显示存在胃肠道器官和消化腺的改变，而组织病理学检查显示，在70％（168/240）的病例中存在立克次体样生物（RLOs），在其余30％（72/240）的病例中存在Giemsa阳性变形虫。RLO主要位于DG级别，观察到回归变化或结节性炎症。RLO样品的TEM检查显示存在许多杆状电子致密微生物。阿米巴感染发生在肾脏，肠,肺，DG和与消退事件或浸润/结节和包囊样炎症相关。迄今为止，尚不清楚检测到的病原体是否会对人类和动物构成风险，因此，需要进一步的研究更好地引出这一点。
