0000000000353598
AUTHOR
Chiara Mascarella
showing 11 related works from this author
Evaluation of the diagnostic performances of two commercially available assays for the detection of enteric adenovirus antigens
2021
The performance of 2 antigenic commercial assays for enteric adenovirus (AdV) infection, bioNexia Rota-Adeno ImmunoChromatographic Tests (ICT) and LIAISON® Adenovirus ChemiLuminescence Immuno Assays (CLIA), was evaluated on 321 stools from children hospitalized for acute gastroenteritis in Palermo, Italy, using a Real time-PCR (Rt-PCR) as reference method. The CLIA showed higher sensitivity (77% vs 60%), accuracy (94.4 vs 90.9) and concordance (k: 0.81 vs 0.67) with respect to ICT, despite equivalent specificity (98.8%). Using the Ct values of the Rt-PCR as a proxy of the fecal viral load, similar Ct values (mean 9.32 vs 9.89) were observed among the true positive samples, whilst a signific…
Candida parapsilosis Infection:A Multilocus Microsatellite Genotyping-Based Survey Demonstrating an Outbreak in Hospitalized Patients
2020
Microsatellite analysis identifies specific genotypes and the genetic relationship between strains. Our objective was to analyze the genotypes of C. parapsilosis strains isolated on different wards of aTertiary- Referral University Center. We evaluated 70 C. parapsilosis strains in total, isolated from samples of patients admitted to five different wards over two years (January 2015-December 2016). Eight microsatellite markers were selected, and two multiplex PCR assays were set up for microsatellite analysis. The 70 strains, examined at eight microsatellite loci, showed 46 different multilocus genotypes profiles. A total of 74 alleles were detected, with an average of 9.25 alleles per locu…
Cluster of Legionnaires’ Disease in an Italian Prison
2019
Background: Legionella pneumophila (Lp) is the most common etiologic agent causing Legionnaires&rsquo
Extra-Intestinal Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from Meat
2018
Extra-intestinal E. coli are emerging as a global threat due to their diffusion as opportunistic pathogens and, above all, to their wide set of antibiotic resistance determinants. There are still many gaps in our knowledge of their origin and spread pathways, although food animals have been adjudicated vehicles for passing mult-drug resistant bacteria to humans. This study analyzed 46 samples of meat purchased from retail stores in Palermo in order to obtain quinolone-resistant E. coli isolates. Strains were screened for their phylogenetic groups, ST131-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and then typed by ERIC-PCR. Their set of virulence factors, namely, kpsMII, papA, sfaS, …
Helicobacter pylori and Epstein–Barr Virus Infection in Gastric Diseases: Correlation with IL-10 and IL1RN Polymorphism
2019
Introduction. Helicobacter pylori and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection have recently been shown to be associated with gastric diseases. Polymorphisms in genes encoding cytokines such as interleukin 10 (IL-10) and interleukin 1 Receptor (IL-1RN) influence cytokine secretion levels and appear to contribute to the risk of developing gastroduodenal diseases. To our knowledge, this is the first preliminary study to address the association of coinfection with H. pylori and EBV and their correlation with genetic predisposition in the development of gastric diseases. Methods. Gastric biopsy samples of 96 patients with different gastric diseases were used. Results. Our results showed that the rate…
Co-existence of virulence factors and antibiotic resistance in new Klebsiella pneumoniae clones emerging in south of Italy
2018
Abstract Background Endemic presence of Klebsiella pneumoniae resistant to carbapenem in Italy has been due principally to the clonal expansion of CC258 isolates; however, recent studies suggest an ongoing epidemiological change in this geographical area. Methods 50 K. pneumoniae strains, 25 carbapenem-resistant (CR-Kp) and 25 susceptible (CS-Kp), collected from march 2014 to march 2016 at the Laboratory of Bacteriology of the Paolo Giaccone Polyclinic University hospital of Palermo, Italy, were characterized for antibiotic susceptibility and fully sequenced by next generation sequencing (NGS) for the in silico analysis of resistome, virulome, multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and core sin…
MOESM1 of Co-existence of virulence factors and antibiotic resistance in new Klebsiella pneumoniae clones emerging in south of Italy
2019
Additional file 1. K. pneumoniae CR antibiotic resistance profile. Results of antibiotic resistance assay of K. pneumoniae CR.
MOESM3 of Co-existence of virulence factors and antibiotic resistance in new Klebsiella pneumoniae clones emerging in south of Italy
2019
Additional file 3. wzi analysis of CR-K and CS-K. Table of contig and allele of wzi gene in K. pneumoniae CR and CS.
MOESM2 of Co-existence of virulence factors and antibiotic resistance in new Klebsiella pneumoniae clones emerging in south of Italy
2019
Additional file 2. K. pneumoniae CR in silico analysis of resistome and virulome. Results of in silico analysis of sequences encoding for efflux pumps, heavy metal resistance system, and genes involved to aminoglycoside and fluoroquinolone resistance.
Sicilian semi- and supercentenarians: identification of age-related T cell immunophenotype to define longevity trait
2023
: The immunophenotype of oldest centenarians, i.e., semi- and supercentenarians, could provide important information about their ability to adapt to factors associated with immune changes, including ageing per se and chronic Cytomegalovirus infection. We investigated, by flow cytometry, variations in percentages and absolute numbers of immune cell subsets, focusing on T cells, and pro-inflammatory parameters in a cohort of 28 women and 26 men (age range 19-110 years). We observed variability in hallmarks of immunosenescence related to age and Cytomegalovirus serological status. The eight oldest centenarians showed the lowest percentages of naïve T cells, due to their age, and the highest pe…
MOESM4 of Co-existence of virulence factors and antibiotic resistance in new Klebsiella pneumoniae clones emerging in south of Italy
2019
Additional file 4. SNP phylogenetic tree. Core Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms dendrogram.