Colonizzazione da batteri Gram negativi multi-resistenti in pazienti pediatrici
INTRODUZIONE: La diffusione della resistenza batterica in ospedale e in comunità costituisce un serio motivo di allarme anche nella popolazione pediatrica. Recenti studi hanno dimostrato come le infezioni sostenute da batteri gram-negativi multiresistenti (MDRGN) oggi si presentino sempre più frequentemente anche in comunità, e come più del 15% dei bambini siano colonizzati da MDRGN al momento del ricovero in ospedale. L’introduzione di questi microrganismi in comunità rappresenta un serio fattore di rischio per lo sviluppo di infezioni difficilmente trattabili. Il nostro studio ha indagato la presenza di batteri MDRGN nella popolazione microbica intestinale di bambini ricoverati con sintom…
La sorveglianza della malattia tubercolare in Sicilia: Valutazioni epidemiologiche e molecolari come strumenti a supporto della Sanità Pubblica
L’epidemiologia della Tubercolosi (TB) in Sicilia è in rapida evoluzione con un aumento dei casi nella popolazione di nazionalità non italiana. La tipizzazione molecolare dei ceppi di M. tuberculosis complex (MTBC) costituisce un insostituibile supporto alla conoscenza dei ceppi circolanti e delle correlazioni tra i casi di TB. MATERIALI E METODI: Sono stati presi in considerazione i flussi di dati correnti, in particolare i dati di notifica delle malattie infettive del Sistema Informativo delle Malattie Infettive (SIMI) regionale incrociando questi con i dati provenienti dalle Schede di Dimissione Ospedaliera (SDO) attraverso il metodo del capture - recapture. Grazie alle attività del Labo…
An Epidemiological Study to Investigate Links between Atmospheric Pollution from Farming and SARS-CoV-2 Mortality.
Exposure to atmospheric particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide has been linked to SARS-CoV-2 infection and death. We hypothesized that long-term exposure to farming-related air pollutants might predispose to an increased risk of COVID-19-related death. To test this hypothesis, we performed an ecological study of five Italian Regions (Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Sicily), linking all-cause mortality by province (administrative entities within regions) to data on atmospheric concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and ammonia (NH3), which are mainly produced by agricultural activities. The study outcome was change in all-cause mortality during March–Apri…
Comparison between Disk Diffusion and Microdilution Methods for Determining Susceptibility of Clinical Fungal Isolates to Caspofungin
ABSTRACT We compared the caspofungin (CAS) susceptibility testing results generated by the disk diffusion (DD) assay with the results of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) broth microdilution (BD) reference method for 106 yeast isolates. The isolates represented 11 different fungal species, including Candida albicans ( n = 50), C. parapsilosis ( n = 10), C. glabrata ( n = 10), C. tropicalis ( n = 10), C. guillermondii ( n = 6), C. rugosa ( n = 5), C. krusei ( n = 5), C. kefyr ( n = 2), C. pelliculosa ( n = 2), Saccharomyces cerevisiae ( n = 3), and Geotrichum candidum ( n = 3). The DD assay was performed in supplemented Mueller-Hinton agar with CAS, which was tested at c…
Arginine-Rich Peptidomimetic Ampicillin/Gentamicin Conjugate To Tackle Nosocomial Biofilms: A Promising Strategy To Repurpose First-Line Antibiotics
: Combined therapy with penicillins and aminoglycosides has been proved beneficial to address many persistent bacterial infections with possible synergistic effects. However, the different pharmacokinetic profiles of these two antibiotic classes may not guarantee a concerted spatio-temporal delivery at the site of action, decreasing the efficacy of this combination and promoting resistance. Herein, we propose a multifunctional antibiotic-polymer conjugate, designed to colocalize ampicillin and gentamicin to tackle persistent biofilm infections. The two antibacterial molecules were grafted along with the amino acid l-arginine to a biocompatible polymer backbone with peptidomimetic hydrophili…
Molecular characterization of Giardia duodenalis cysts in the Oreto river (Sicily, Southern Italy)
<p><strong>Background</strong>: The presence of Giardia was investigated along the Oreto river between January 2008 and May 2009 with the aim of understanding the source of contamination by molecular typing of cysts.</p><p><strong>Methods</strong>: A total of 38 water samples (10 collected from the river mouth, 24 from the whole Oreto basin and 4 sewage samples from the Monreale treatment plant) were processed. In addition, 22 faecal samples of livestock living close to the Oreto area, were analyzed. The presence of Giardia was determined by immunofluorescence assay and their genetic characterization was achieved by a nested PCR assay targeting the …
The burden of Candida species colonization in NICU patients: a colonization surveillance study
Fungal infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The identifi-cation of specific risk factors supports pre-vention of candidemia in neonates. Effec-tive prophylactic strategies have recently become available, but the identification and adequate management of high-risk in-fants is still a priority. Prior colonization is a key risk factor for candidemia. For this reason, surveillance studies to monitor in-cidence, species distribution, and antifun-gal susceptibility profiles, are mandatory. Among 520 infants admitted to our NICU between January 2013 and December 2014, 472 (90.77%) were included in the study. Forty-eight out of 472 (…
Direct RNA Nanopore Sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 Extracted from Critical Material from Swabs
In consideration of the increasing prevalence of COVID-19 cases in several countries and the resulting demand for unbiased sequencing approaches, we performed a direct RNA sequencing (direct RNA seq.) experiment using critical oropharyngeal swab samples collected from Italian patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 from the Palermo region in Sicily. Here, we identified the sequences SARS-CoV-2 directly in RNA extracted from critical samples using the Oxford Nanopore MinION technology without prior cDNA retrotranscription. Using an appropriate bioinformatics pipeline, we could identify mutations in the nucleocapsid (N) gene, which have been reported previously in studies conducted in other countri…
A study on occupational exposure of Sicilian farmers to Giardia and Cryptosporidium
Introduction. A cross-sectional study was undertaken to deter- mine the prevalence of Giardia and Cryptosporidium in calves of Palermo area (Sicily) and to evaluate the occupational risk associated with occurrence of zoonotic genotypes. Methods. A total of 217 faecal samples, from 149 calves (between 2 and 240 days of age) and 68 farmers, were collected in 19 cattle- farms of Palermo area. A questionnaire regarding demographic characteristics and personal hygienic measures was submitted to all farmers. All faecal samples were analyzed by Immunoflu- orescence assay and Polimerase Chain Reaction (PCR); geno- types were determined by DNA sequencing of Triose Phosphate Isomerase gene for Giardi…