Search results for " fever"

Microevolution of bank voles (Myodes glareolus) at neutral and immune-related genes during multiannual dynamic cycles: consequences for Puumala hanta…

2017

ABSTRACTUnderstanding how host dynamics, including variations of population size and dispersal, may affect the epidemiology of infectious diseases through ecological and evolutionary processes is an active research area. Here we focus on a bank vole (Myodes glareolus) metapopulation surveyed in Finland between 2005 and 2009. Bank vole is the reservoir of Puumala hantavirus (PUUV), the agent of nephropathia epidemica (NE, a mild form of hemorrhagic fever with renal symptom) in humans.M glareoluspopulations experience multiannual density fluctuations that may influence the level of genetic diversity maintained in bank voles, PUUV prevalence and NE occurrence. We examine bank vole metapopulati…

Circulation and diagnostics of Puumala virus in Norway: nephropatia epidemica incidence and rodent population dynamics.

2017

Hantaviruses pose a public health concern worldwide causing haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Puumala virus (PUUV) is the most prevalent hantavirus in Central and Northern Europe, and causes a mild form of HFRS, also known as nephropathia epidemica (NE). In nature, the main host of PUUV is the bank vole (Myodes glareolus), and transmission to humans occurs through inhalation of aerosols from rodent excreta. Nephropathia epidemica is particularly prevalent in Nordic countries, however, few studies of PUUV have been performed in Norway. The aim of this study was to analyse the dynamics of PUUV in Norway and compare with bank vole population…

Myocarditis in Mediterranean spotted fever: a case report and a review of the literature

2016

Introduction: Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) is a tick-borne acute febrile disease caused by Rickettsia conorii. Most cases follow a benign course, with a case fatality rate of 3–7 % among hospitalized patients. Complications are described mainly in adult patients and include hepatic, renal, neurological and cardiac impairment. Among cardiac complications, pericarditis, myocarditis and heart rhythm disorders are uncommon complications in MSF and only a few cases have been reported in the literature. Case Presentation: We describe a new case of acute myocarditis complicating MSF in an immunocompetent adult patient without risk factors for severe MSF. Conclusion: Myocarditis is an uncommon…

Molecular detection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato – An analytical comparison of real-time PCR protocols from five different Scandinavian laborat…

2017

Introduction Lyme borreliosis (LB) is the most common tick transmitted disease in Europe. The diagnosis of LB today is based on the patient A s medical history, clinical presentation and laboratory findings. The laboratory diagnostics are mainly based on antibody detection, but in certain conditions molecular detection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) may serve as a complement. Aim The purpose of this study was to evaluate the analytical sensitivity, analytical specificity and concordance of eight different real-time PCR methods at five laboratories in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Method Each participating laboratory was asked to analyse three different sets of samples (reference panels; a…

Multiple organ failure as onset of Mediterranean spotted fever: a review based on a case

2016

Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) is an infectious disease endemic in the southern regions of Italy, with an incidence of about 400 cases/year. The bacteria responsible of the disease is <em>Rickettsia conorii</em>, transmitted to humans by <em>Rhipicephalus sanguineus</em>, the common dog tick. The infection usually manifests with a characteristic symptomatologic triad: fever, exanthema and the so called <em>tache noire</em>, which is the typical eschar at the site of the tick bite. Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG enzymelinked immunosorbent assay and the gold standard micro-immunofluorescent assay, allow serological diagnosis. We report the case of a man …

Topoisomerase 1 inhibition suppresses inflammatory genes and protects from death by inflammation

2015

Unwinding DNA and unleasing inflammation Fighting infections often comes with collateral damage, which sometimes can be deadly. For instance, in septic shock, the overwhelming release of inflammatory mediators drives multi-organ failure. Rialdi et al. now report a potential new therapeutic target for controlling excessive inflammation: the DNA unwinding enzyme topoisomerase I (Top1) (see the Perspective by Pope and Medzhitov). Upon infection, Top1 specifically localizes to the promoters of pathogen-induced genes and promotes their transcription by helping to recruit RNA polymerase II. Pharmacological inhibition of Top1 in a therapeutic setting increased survival in several mouse models of s…

A retrospective study of the characterization of Rickettsia species in ticks collected from humans

2017

Rickettsiae (family Rickettsiaceae, order Rickettsiales) are obligate intracellular bacteria transmitted by arthropod vectors. Several Rickettsia species causing vector-borne rickettsioses belong to the spotted fever group (SFG). Traditionally, Rickettsia conorii has been considered as the main etiologic agent of Mediterranean spotted fever. However, the molecular characterization of rickettsiae allowed identifying other species involved in spotted fever in the Mediterranean region. In this study, 42 ticks collected from humans were subjected to morphological identification and molecular characterization of Rickettsia species potentially involved in human rickettsiosis in Sicily. Fourteen t…

2020

We have identified a clinical association between self-reported non-celiac wheat sensitivity (NCWS) and Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF). Objectives: A) To determine whether a 2-week double-blind placebo-controlled (DBPC) cross-over wheat vs. rice challenge exacerbates the clinical manifestations of FMF; B) to evaluate innate immune responses in NCWS/FMF patients challenged with wheat vs. rice. The study was conducted at the Department of Internal Medicine of the University Hospital of Palermo and the Hospital of Sciacca, Italy. Six female volunteers with FMF/NCWS (mean age 36 ± 6 years) were enrolled, 12 age-matched non-FMF, NCWS females, and 8 sex- and age-matched healthy subjects serve…

Clinical Features at Onset and Genetic Characterization of Pediatric and Adult Patients with TNF-α Receptor—Associated Periodic Syndrome (TRAPS): A S…

2020

This study explores demographic, clinical, and therapeutic features of tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS) in a cohort of 80 patients recruited from 19 Italian referral Centers. Patients’ data were collected retrospectively and then analyzed according to age groups (disease onset before or after 16 years) and genotype (high penetrance (HP) and low penetrance (LP) TNFRSF1A gene variants). Pediatric- and adult-onset were reported, respectively, in 44 and 36 patients; HP and LP variants were found, respectively, in 32 and 44 cases. A positive family history for recurrent fever was reported more frequently in the pediatric group than in the adult group (p<0.05…

Harnessing Big Data for Communicable Tropical and Sub-Tropical Disorders: Implications From a Systematic Review of the Literature

2018

aim: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), communicable tropical and sub-tropical diseases occur solely, or mainly in the tropics, thriving in hot, and humid conditions. Some of these disorders termed as neglected tropical diseases are par- ticularly overlooked. Communicable tropical/sub-tropical diseases represent a diverse group of communicable disorders occurring in 149 countries, favored by tropical and sub-tropical conditions, affecting more than one billion people and imposing a dramatic societal and economic burden. methods: A systematic review of the extant scholarly literature was carried out, searching in PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus. The search string used included prope…