Search results for "Brea"

Outbreak of ST395 KPC-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Palermo, Italy

2018

Draft genome sequence and biofilm production of a carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (KpR405) sequence type 405 strain isolated in Italy

2021

Rapid identification and characterization of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains is essential to diagnose severe infections in patients. In clinical routine practice, K. pneumoniae is frequently identified and characterized for outbreak investigation. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis or multilocus sequence typing could be used, but, unfortunately, these methods are time-consuming, laborious, expensive, and do not provide any information about the presence of resistance and virulence genes. In recent years, the decreasing cost of next-generation sequencing and its easy use have led to it being considered a useful method, not only for outbreak surveillance but also for rapid ide…

Pertussis: Microbiology, Disease, Treatment, and Prevention

2016

SUMMARY Pertussis is a severe respiratory infection caused by Bordetella pertussis , and in 2008, pertussis was associated with an estimated 16 million cases and 195,000 deaths globally. Sizeable outbreaks of pertussis have been reported over the past 5 years, and disease reemergence has been the focus of international attention to develop a deeper understanding of pathogen virulence and genetic evolution of B. pertussis strains. During the past 20 years, the scientific community has recognized pertussis among adults as well as infants and children. Increased recognition that older children and adolescents are at risk for disease and may transmit B. pertussis to younger siblings has undersc…

Mycobacterium tuberculosis Acquires Limited Genetic Diversity in Prolonged Infections, Reactivations and Transmissions Involving Multiple Hosts

2018

9 páginas, 5 figuras y material suplementario en: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2017.02661/full#supplementary-material

Characteristics and Management of Candidaemia Episodes in an Established Candida auris Outbreak

2020

The multi-resistant yeast Candida auris has become a global public health threat because of its ease to persist and spread in clinical environments, especially in intensive care units. One of the most severe manifestations of invasive candidiasis is candidaemia, whose epidemiology has evolved to more resistant non-albicansCandida species, such as C. auris. It is crucial to establish infection control policies in order to control an outbreak due to nosocomial pathogens, including the implementation of screening colonisation studies. We describe here our experience in managing a C. auris outbreak lasting more than two and a half years which, despite our efforts in establishing control measure…

Early detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection cases or outbreaks at nursing homes by targeted wastewater tracking

2021

Objectives Near-source tracking of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the sewage drains serving particular buildings may allow rapid identification of SARS-CoV-2 infection cases or local outbreaks. In this pilot study, we investigated whether this was the case for nursing homes (NH). Methods The study involved five NH (from A to E) affiliated to the Clínico-Malvarrosa Health Department, Valencia (Spain). These were nursing or mixed nursing/care homes of different sizes, altogether providing care for 472 residents attended by a staff of 309. Near-source sewage samples were screened for presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA by RT-qPCR at least 5 days per week during the study period. SARS-CoV-2 RNA testing in nasopharyn…

Genomic investigation of a legionellosis outbreak in a persistently colonized hotel

2016

Objectives: A long-lasting legionellosis outbreak was reported between November 2011 and July 2012 in a hotel in Calpe (Spain) affecting 44 patients including six deaths. Intensive epidemiological and microbiological investigations were performed in order to detect the reservoirs. Methods: Clinical and environmental samples were tested for the presence and genetic characterization of Legionella pneumophila. Six of the isolates were subjected to whole-genome sequencing. Results: Sequencing of 14 clinical and 260 environmental samples revealed sequence type (ST) 23 as the main responsible strain for the infections. This ST was found in the spa pool, from where it spread to other hotel public …

Influenza vaccination of healthcare workers in Italy: could mandatory vaccination be a solution to protect patients?

2019

Several studies have reported that influenza infections in healthcare workers (HCWs) can lead to nosocomial outbreaks. HCWs can potentially be infected with influenza every year, and may continue to work, encouraging the spread of the virus. Different strategies, such as informative interventions on influenza and influenza vaccination, ‘onsite’ vaccination weeks, communicative strategies through dedicated web and social media pages, and mandatory informed dissent form, were organized for HCWs working at the University Hospital of Palermo, during previous influenza seasons. However, the increased vaccination rates observed among HCWs still remain far from the 75% recommended by Public Healt…

In Vivo 3D Analysis of Thoracic Kinematics: Changes in Size and Shape During Breathing and Their Implications for Respiratory Function in Recent Huma…

2016

The human ribcage expands and contracts during respiration as a result of the interaction between the morphology of the ribs, the costo-vertebral articulations and respiratory muscles. Variations in these factors are said to produce differences in the kinematics of the upper thorax and the lower thorax, but the extent and nature of any such differences and their functional implications have not yet been quantified. Applying geometric morphometrics we measured 402 three-dimensional (3D) landmarks and semilandmarks of 3D models built from computed tomographic scans of thoraces of 20 healthy adult subjects in maximal forced inspiration (FI) and expiration (FE). We addressed the hypothesis that…

Mesenchymal Transition of High-Grade Breast Carcinomas Depends on Extracellular Matrix Control of Myeloid Suppressor Cell Activity

2016

SummaryThe extracellular matrix (ECM) contributes to the biological and clinical heterogeneity of breast cancer, and different prognostic groups can be identified according to specific ECM signatures. In high-grade, but not low-grade, tumors, an ECM signature characterized by high SPARC expression (ECM3) identifies tumors with increased epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), reduced treatment response, and poor prognosis. To better understand how this ECM3 signature is contributing to tumorigenesis, we expressed SPARC in isogenic cell lines and found that SPARC overexpression in tumor cells reduces their growth rate and induces EMT. SPARC expression also results in the formation of a h…