From Angitia to Saint Domenico: Detection of vector-borne pathogens in snakes at the “Festa dei Serpari” in Cocullo, Central Italy

Mario H. Alves; Jairo Alfonso Mendoza-Roldan; Mariaelisa Carbonara; Gianpaolo Montinaro; Ernesto Filippi; Domenico Otranto

doi:10.1016/j.actatropica.2025.107878

From Angitia to Saint Domenico: Detection of vector-borne pathogens in snakes at the “Festa dei Serpari” in Cocullo, Central Italy

Mario H. Alves
, Jairo Alfonso Mendoza-Roldan^*
, Mariaelisa Carbonara
, Gianpaolo Montinaro
, Ernesto Filippi
, Domenico Otranto

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

The “Festa dei Serpari” is a sacro-profane ritual held annually in central Italy in honor of Saint Domenico and characterized by close interaction between humans and snakes. Following a previous general health assessment, this study focused on zoonotic risks of vector-borne agents (i.e., Anaplasmataceae, Borrelia, Leishmania, and Rickettsia) by conducting molecular screening of 241 snakes and their ectoparasites. Screening revealed that 5.3 % (13/241) of snakes were DNA-positive for at least one pathogen, including 3.3 % (8/241) for Leishmania infantum in blood samples, 2.4 % (6/241) for Leishmania tarentolae in blood, cloacal, and oral swab samples, and 0.4 % (1/241) for Rickettsia monacensis detected in a single larval Ixodes ricinus tick collected from the oral cavity of a snake. Notably, this study provides the first molecular detection of the mammalian pathogen L. infantum and of R. monacensis in snakes and their ticks, respectively, in Europe.
These findings highlight the exposure of snakes in central Italy to zoonotic vector-borne agents and underscore the importance of continued surveillance, as well as further experimental infection studies to clarify the role of reptiles in the ecology of Leishmania spp. Data also emphasize the need to strengthen preventive measures, including the use of protective clothing and repellents, careful post-handling body inspection to promptly remove attached ticks, and effective risk communication among participants and handlers of this traditional event.
© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Original language	English
Article number	107878
Journal	Acta Tropica
Volume	271
Online published	20 Oct 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2025.107878
Publication status	Published - Nov 2025
Externally published	Yes

Funding

J.A.M.R. and D.O. were partially supported by EU funding within the Next Generation EU-MUR PNRR Extended Partnership initiative on Emerging Infectious Diseases (project no. PE00000007, INF-ACT). The authors thank Alessia Cristofari (UniBa) for her technical work in the screening of the snakes, along with the veterinarian Pasqualino Piro. The authors also wish to thank the Serpari, the local community, and the local authorities for their invaluable support in making this study possible. The authors further express their gratitude to Rifcon GmbH for sponsoring, since 2016, the professional terraria used to house the captured reptiles. Finally, the authors acknowledge the Mayor and the community of Cocullo for their continued support and permission to conduct this annual survey.

Research Keywords

Leishmania infantum
Leishmania tarentolae
Reptiles
Wildlife
Zoonosis

Publisher's Copyright Statement

This full text is made available under CC-BY 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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@article{d33ca19aad64433f99bd20f83474cf0f,

title = "From Angitia to Saint Domenico: Detection of vector-borne pathogens in snakes at the “Festa dei Serpari” in Cocullo, Central Italy",

abstract = "The “Festa dei Serpari” is a sacro-profane ritual held annually in central Italy in honor of Saint Domenico and characterized by close interaction between humans and snakes. Following a previous general health assessment, this study focused on zoonotic risks of vector-borne agents (i.e., Anaplasmataceae, Borrelia, Leishmania, and Rickettsia) by conducting molecular screening of 241 snakes and their ectoparasites. Screening revealed that 5.3 \% (13/241) of snakes were DNA-positive for at least one pathogen, including 3.3 \% (8/241) for Leishmania infantum in blood samples, 2.4 \% (6/241) for Leishmania tarentolae in blood, cloacal, and oral swab samples, and 0.4 \% (1/241) for Rickettsia monacensis detected in a single larval Ixodes ricinus tick collected from the oral cavity of a snake. Notably, this study provides the first molecular detection of the mammalian pathogen L. infantum and of R. monacensis in snakes and their ticks, respectively, in Europe. These findings highlight the exposure of snakes in central Italy to zoonotic vector-borne agents and underscore the importance of continued surveillance, as well as further experimental infection studies to clarify the role of reptiles in the ecology of Leishmania spp. Data also emphasize the need to strengthen preventive measures, including the use of protective clothing and repellents, careful post-handling body inspection to promptly remove attached ticks, and effective risk communication among participants and handlers of this traditional event. {\textcopyright} 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.",

keywords = "Leishmania infantum, Leishmania tarentolae, Reptiles, Wildlife, Zoonosis",

author = "Alves, \{Mario H.\} and Mendoza-Roldan, \{Jairo Alfonso\} and Mariaelisa Carbonara and Gianpaolo Montinaro and Ernesto Filippi and Domenico Otranto",

year = "2025",

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T2 - Detection of vector-borne pathogens in snakes at the “Festa dei Serpari” in Cocullo, Central Italy

AU - Alves, Mario H.

AU - Mendoza-Roldan, Jairo Alfonso

AU - Carbonara, Mariaelisa

AU - Montinaro, Gianpaolo

AU - Filippi, Ernesto

AU - Otranto, Domenico

PY - 2025/11

Y1 - 2025/11

N2 - The “Festa dei Serpari” is a sacro-profane ritual held annually in central Italy in honor of Saint Domenico and characterized by close interaction between humans and snakes. Following a previous general health assessment, this study focused on zoonotic risks of vector-borne agents (i.e., Anaplasmataceae, Borrelia, Leishmania, and Rickettsia) by conducting molecular screening of 241 snakes and their ectoparasites. Screening revealed that 5.3 % (13/241) of snakes were DNA-positive for at least one pathogen, including 3.3 % (8/241) for Leishmania infantum in blood samples, 2.4 % (6/241) for Leishmania tarentolae in blood, cloacal, and oral swab samples, and 0.4 % (1/241) for Rickettsia monacensis detected in a single larval Ixodes ricinus tick collected from the oral cavity of a snake. Notably, this study provides the first molecular detection of the mammalian pathogen L. infantum and of R. monacensis in snakes and their ticks, respectively, in Europe. These findings highlight the exposure of snakes in central Italy to zoonotic vector-borne agents and underscore the importance of continued surveillance, as well as further experimental infection studies to clarify the role of reptiles in the ecology of Leishmania spp. Data also emphasize the need to strengthen preventive measures, including the use of protective clothing and repellents, careful post-handling body inspection to promptly remove attached ticks, and effective risk communication among participants and handlers of this traditional event. © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

AB - The “Festa dei Serpari” is a sacro-profane ritual held annually in central Italy in honor of Saint Domenico and characterized by close interaction between humans and snakes. Following a previous general health assessment, this study focused on zoonotic risks of vector-borne agents (i.e., Anaplasmataceae, Borrelia, Leishmania, and Rickettsia) by conducting molecular screening of 241 snakes and their ectoparasites. Screening revealed that 5.3 % (13/241) of snakes were DNA-positive for at least one pathogen, including 3.3 % (8/241) for Leishmania infantum in blood samples, 2.4 % (6/241) for Leishmania tarentolae in blood, cloacal, and oral swab samples, and 0.4 % (1/241) for Rickettsia monacensis detected in a single larval Ixodes ricinus tick collected from the oral cavity of a snake. Notably, this study provides the first molecular detection of the mammalian pathogen L. infantum and of R. monacensis in snakes and their ticks, respectively, in Europe. These findings highlight the exposure of snakes in central Italy to zoonotic vector-borne agents and underscore the importance of continued surveillance, as well as further experimental infection studies to clarify the role of reptiles in the ecology of Leishmania spp. Data also emphasize the need to strengthen preventive measures, including the use of protective clothing and repellents, careful post-handling body inspection to promptly remove attached ticks, and effective risk communication among participants and handlers of this traditional event. © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

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KW - Leishmania tarentolae

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KW - Wildlife

KW - Zoonosis

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DO - 10.1016/j.actatropica.2025.107878

M3 - RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal

C2 - 41125152

SN - 0001-706X

VL - 271

JO - Acta Tropica

JF - Acta Tropica

M1 - 107878

ER -

From Angitia to Saint Domenico: Detection of vector-borne pathogens in snakes at the “Festa dei Serpari” in Cocullo, Central Italy

Abstract

Funding

Research Keywords

Publisher's Copyright Statement

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