The contribute of parasitology to the ecopathology in Italy: a one-way collaboration?

The authors firstly provide a brief hystory of ecology and ecological approach to parasitology, with special reference to the italian situation where in 1992, the scientific italian society for wildlife diseases (SIEF: Società Italiana di Ecopatologia della Fauna) was founded. Thereafter, a review of papers published by italian authors regarding parasitology in wild mammals and birds is given, with special emphasys to the year and type of publication and to the use of an ecological approach. The authors conclude that, despite ecopathology was created in Italy by parasitologists, the role of ecology in the study of parasites still remain restricted to a limited number of research groups and host species and hope that in future an ecological approach, providing both an alternative point of view and additional instruments for the study of parasites, will be viewed as an opportunity without limiting it to a restricted group of host such as wildlife.