Immunocompromised 21-Year-Old Dies After Mosquito Bite in Borso del Grappa

Giovanni Colle, a 21-year-old sports enthusiast from Borso del Grappa, died on October 2, 2026, at Ca’ Foncello Hospital in Treviso after a mosquito bite triggered a severe infection that his immunocompromised body could not fight off.

Funeral Services Held at Pieve di Sant’Eulalia

Family members, friends, and sports companions gathered on October 5, 2026, at the parish church Pieve di Sant’Eulalia in Borso del Grappa to say a final farewell to Giovanni Colle, according to Qdpnews. The 21-year-old’s body arrived from the Ca’ Foncello hospital in Treviso, where he had received treatment before his passing, and subsequently proceeded to cremation as detailed by Qdpnews. Special thanks were extended to all the operators at Ca’ Foncello for the loving care provided to him. The funeral took place at 16 on Monday, October 5, at the parish church of Pieve di S. The community of Borso del Grappa, where the young man lived, was struck by the tragedy, with many people gathering around his parents, Patrizia and Paolo, and his girlfriend, Arianna. After completing high school, Giovanni was employed at a company in Bassano del Grappa, where his father also worked.

Passions for Skiing and Go-Karts Cut Short

He had been a member of the Sci Club Cornuda since the age of 14, participating in glacier training camps and numerous competitions, and also maintained a deep passion for the speed of go-karts. Fabio Buzziol, the sports director of the ski club where the 21-year-old had trained since he was 14, specified that the bite was the triggering cause of the worsening of his health conditions. Buzziol stated that it was an indescribable pain and added that it was a bolt from the blue that shook us very much. The sports director of Sci Club Cornuda remembered Giovanni Colle as a splendid boy, above all for his humility, always composed, polite, helpful and very reliable. The club also remembered him in a Facebook post, calling him a golden-hearted, sunny and generous young person.

Medical Context Surrounding Mosquito-Borne Infections

Parisi noted that while West Nile circulates locally in the Veneto region and is primarily transmitted by Culex mosquitoes active around dusk and dawn, about 80 percent of infections remain asymptomatic, and severe neuroinvasive cases involving meningitis or encephalitis affect less than one percent of infected individuals. However, Parisi emphasized that the risk of severe complications increases sharply for vulnerable populations, including elderly individuals and severely immunocompromised patients such as transplant recipients or those taking immunomodulating medications. Saverio Parisi, full professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Padova and director of the complex operational unit of Infectious Diseases at Ca’ Foncello, answering Absolutely yes, noted that with Dengue and Chikungunya the patient becomes infected abroad and falls ill upon returning to Italy.

Regional Sports Community Mourns the Loss

The regional committee for winter sports expressed deep sorrow over the young athlete’s death, with Fisi Veneto president Roberto Visentin and the entire regional council offering heartfelt condolences to the Colle family and the Sci Club Cornuda, according to comitati.fisi.org. The local ski club dedicated a farewell message to Colle on social media, writing that he was a golden-hearted, sunny, and generous young person who would find ultimate freedom among snow-capped peaks and pure air, urging him to ski fast among the skies.