Presenza di Giardia e Cryptosporidium in reflui civili e in campioni d'acqua superficiale e profonda del territorio palermitano

This paper reports the investigation carried out on the occurrence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia (oo)cysts in water samples of two municipal treatment plants, and in surface water and ground water wells of the province of Palermo. The wastewater samples taken before and after treatment process were assayed over the course of one year Giardia cysts were detected in all samples throught the year at higher concentration levels than Cryptosporidium oocysts, with a peak observed in spring. The overall removal efficiency of (oo)cysts in the treatment plants was about of 90%. Their presence were also searched in surface waters (three artificial lakes and one river); (oo)cysts were detected in one…

Educational Changes in Preventing Infective Risk Due to Occupational Blood-Borne Exposure.

Fattori che influenzano la compliance con le precauzioni standard in ambito sanitario

Presenza di cisti di Giardia e oocisti di Cryptosporidium in piscine della provincia di Palermo.

Knowledge, attitudes and risk of HIV, HBV and HCV infections in hairdressers of Palermo city (South Italy)

Background: The hairdressing trade may potentially expose its practitioners and their customers to blood-borne infections. Methods: Knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards occupational risk of HIV, HBV and HCV infections were evaluated in a cross-sectional survey, conducted during spring 2008, in 105 out of 112 randomly selected hairdressers of Palermo. Participants were queried by answering to an anonymous questionnaire. Results: Most of hairdressers (93.3%) knew that HIV and hepatitis are transmitted through parenteral route and could also be transmitted by razors. The availability of gloves was inadequate, up to 30% of the participants never used them and up to 50% usually reused the…

Re-emergence of HIV Infection and Syphilis Among Men Who Have Sex with Men

Sexual activity has been shown to be the primary mode of transmission for several important viral and bacterial infections among men who have sex with men (MSM) throughout the world and therefore sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are still one of major public health problem worldwide. Since the earliest days of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic MSM have been profoundly affected by the disease; by the time the first AIDS cases were reported in the early 1980s, HIV had already spread widely among homosexual and drug-user communities. In western Europe, has been estimated that HIV incidence peaked around 1983 among MSM and in 1987-88 among injecting drug users, with 120.000 …

Antibodies to human herpes virus type 8 (HHV8) in general population and in individuals at risk for sexually transmitted diseases in Western Sicily.

Human herpes virus 8 (HHV8) appears to be the primary aetiologic agent of Kaposi sarcoma (KS). To study the distribution of HHV8, a seroepidemiological study was carried out in western Sicily, where a high incidence rate of classical KS is well documented.A total of 970 sera of healthy human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) negative individuals of general population (1-70 years old) and 742 sera of individuals in different risk groups for HIV infection were evaluated by means of an indirect immunofluorescence assay able to detect antibodies to lytic and latent HHV8 antigens.Crude seroprevalence to HHV8 antigens was 11.5% in the general population, and it increased significantly with age from 6%…