Enterococcal meningitis caused by Enterococcus casseliflavus. First case report

Abstract Background Enterococcal meningitis is an uncommon disease usually caused by Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium and is associated with a high mortality rate. Enterococcus casseliflavus has been implicated in a wide variety of infections in humans, but never in meningitis. Case presentation A 77-year-old Italian female presented for evaluation of fever, stupor, diarrhea and vomiting of 3 days duration. There was no history of head injury nor of previous surgical procedures. She had been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis for 30 years, for which she was being treated with steroids and methotrexate. On admission, she was febrile, alert but not oriented to time and place. H…

Outbreak of multi-resistant Corynebacterium striatum infection in an Italian general intensive care unit.

Chryseobacterium indologenes bacteraemia in a diabetic child

Chryseobacterium indologenes is a non-fermentative Gram-negative bacillus that is a rare pathogen in humans. Its occurrence in diabetic children has not been previously reported. In this report, a case is described of C. indologenes bacteraemia possibly associated with the use of a peripheral venous catheter. A 2-year-old boy with type I diabetes mellitus was admitted due to a coma caused by cerebral oedema and was successfully treated for his neurological condition but presented on the tenth day after admission with fever of 40 degrees C, agitation, restlessness, lack of appetite, somnolence and fatigue. His pulse rate was 90 min(-1) and his respiratory rate was 20 min(-1). Laboratory stud…

Attitudes and perception of healthcare workers concerning influenza vaccination during the 2019/2020 season: A survey of sicilian university hospitals

Influenza is an infectious disease with a high impact on the population in terms of morbidity and mortality, but despite International and European guidelines, vaccination coverage rates among healthcare workers (HCWs) remain very low. The aim of the present study was to evaluate influenza vaccination adherence in the three Sicilian University Hospitals of Catania, Messina, and Palermo and to understand the attitudes and perceptions of vaccinated healthcare workers and the main reasons for vaccination refusal. A cross-sectional survey through a self-administered questionnaire was conducted during the 2019/2020 influenza season. Overall, 2356 vaccinated healthcare workers answered the questi…

MODULATION OF GRO-ALPHA AND TNF-ALPHA PRODUCTION BY PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS TREATED WITH KILLED HELICOBACTER PYLORI.

GRO-alpha seems to play an important role in recruiting and activating neutrophils during Helicobacter pylori infection. In the present study, we examined how treatment with killed H. pylori or/and live H. pylori may differentially influence the in vitro GRO-alpha and TNF-alpha release by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). The amounts of TNF-alpha and GRO-alpha produced by PBMC after stimulation with live H. pylori were higher than those produced after stimulation with a combination of killed and live H. pylori and the latter were higher than those produced after stimulation with killed H. pylori. In conclusion, the treatment of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with killed H. pyl…