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Usutu virus (USUV) is an emerging mosquito-borne flavivirus closely related to West Nile virus (WNV), sharing ecological niches and transmission cycles involving Culex mosquitoes and wild birds. In Italy, USUV was first detected in 1996 and has become endemic in northern regions, whereas, to date, no cases have been reported in southern Italy. In August 2025, a yellow-legged gull ( Larus michahellis ) from the provinces of Salerno for passive surveillance and a Eurasian jay ( Garrulus glandarius ) during active surveillance from Caserta (southern Italy), were examined. Heart, spleen, kidney, and brain tissues were collected for virological investigation. Real-time RT-PCR assays targeting West Nile virus and Usutu virus were performed and USUV RNA was detected in both avian specimens, while samples tested negative for WNV. Next, entomological surveillance was conducted on both sites and a mosquito pool collected near the yellow-legged gull carcass tested positive. Positive samples were subjected to Sanger sequencing of the NS5 gene. BLAST and phylogenetic analyses revealed strain belonged to lineage Europe 2, sub-group 2-A showing 99.6% nucleotide identity with northern Italian strains circulating between 2018 and 2023 and 99.8% identity with northern European strains circulating between 2016 and 2024. These findings suggest two possible scenarios: local southward spread of an autochthonous Italian strain or a recent introduction from other European countries mediated by migratory wild birds. This study provides the first molecular evidence of USUV circulation in southern Italy and underscores the critical role of molecular epidemiology and phylogenetic analysis in tracing routes of pathogen introduction and spread.

This report describes the first documented case of primary renal hemangiosarcoma in a male red fox ( Vulpes vulpes Linnaeus, 1758) admitted to the Wildlife Rescue Center “Federico II”–Veterinary Hospital of the Local Health Authority (ASL) Napoli 1 Centro in Naples, Italy. The fox, originating from a sparsely urbanized area, presented with progressive debilitation. Diagnostic imaging (ultrasound, radiography, CT) identified a mass in the right kidney. Citology suggested a malignant neoplasm, and histopathology confirmed hemangiosarcoma with multiple metastases to abdominal organs and to the heart. Necropsy revealed splenomegaly and a bladder lesion, while virological and bacteriological investigations excluded infectious diseases. The internal abdominal hemorrhages as consequence of tumor rupture were considered the cause of hypovolemic shock. This case underscores the value of advanced diagnostic techniques and systematic post-mortem investigations in wildlife medicine, contributing to the limited knowledge of neoplastic diseases in free-ranging foxes and highlighting the importance of wildlife health surveillance for ecological insight.