Investigation of diagnostic tools for the detection of zoonotic microparasites in various substrates from freshwater systems.
Water represents a major route of transmission for numerous infectious agents, including protozoa and other microparasites, several of which are zoonotic.
According to the World Health Organization, waterborne parasitic diseases are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide.
Among the most relevant waterborne parasites are Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia spp., Toxoplasma gondii, Cyclospora cayetanensis, Blastocystis spp., Entamoeba histolytica, Enterocytozoon spp., and Encephalitozoon spp..
Some of these pathogens significantly affect both livestock welfare and productivity, and also public health.
In the Italian context—characterized by an abundance of freshwater bodies and by the economic importance of agriculture and animal farming—this project aims to develop a predictive model of parasitological risk associated with microparasites in lacustrine systems through:
• the collection of environmental, physico-chemical, and microbiological data from the study areas;
• the identification of zoonotic microparasites in surface and irrigation waters, sediments, bivalves, livestock, and locally cultivated crops, by means of newly developed and validated molecular methods.
The detection of microparasites DNA in water will contribute to advancing knowledge on the contamination of freshwater systems and will strengthen the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) as a key tool for integrated human and animal health monitoring.
Furthermore, assessing the occurrence of these parasites in bivalves will clarify their potential role in transmission cycles, while the analysis of livestock, irrigation waters, and crops will help to identify possible environmental contamination sources and transmission pathways.
By comparing microparasites detected in aquatic environments with those circulating in farms and crops, this project will evaluate the potential role of water as a sentinel matrix for the surveillance of microparasites within the study area.
MSc in Veterinary Biotechnological Sciences at the University of Milan (UNIMI) – 2023.
Thesis title: “Caratterizzazione dello stato parassitologico di equini scuderizzati in Lombardia e valutazione molecolare della presenza di Strongylus spp.” BSc in Zootechnical Sciences and Animal Production Technologies at the University of Parma (UNIPR) – 2021.
Thesis title: “Questionario sul management aziendale e parassitosi del cavallo in Lombardia.”
October 2024 – September 2025: Research Fellowship type B under the PRIN project “MicroRNAs as novel biomarkers for diagnosis and staging of Cystic Echinococcosis” at the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences (Parasitology Section), UNIMI.
December 2023 – September 2024: Research Fellowship type B under the PRIN project “MicroRNAs as novel biomarkers for diagnosis and staging of Cystic Echinococcosis” at the Department of Clinical, Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, UNIPV.
Deep interest in parasitology and molecular techniques.
Publications: Orcid
Supervisor Prof. Maria Teresa Manfredi
Co-supervisor Prof. Chiara Bazzocchi
