Search results for "Cross infection"
showing 10 items of 103 documents
Application of fnbA gene as new target for the species-specific and quantitative detection of Staphylococcus aureus directly from lower respiratory t…
2013
Staphylococcus aureus is a significant cause of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), particularly in mechanically ventilated patients. We used the fibronectin-binding protein A gene (fnbA) for the species-specific and quantitative detection of S. aureus directly from lower respiratory tract (LRT) specimens by a Taq Man real time PCR. For this reason, a total of 269 lower respiratory tract (LRT) specimens collected from patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia were assayed. Amplification of fnbA in serial dilutions ranged from 10(9) CFU/ ml to 10(2) CFU/ml. Standard curve of triplicate every dilution had slope 3.34±0.1 and R2>0.99 with SD 0.1. Based on these data, the sensitivity and specif…
Microsatellite-based genotyping of Candida parapsilosis sensu stricto isolates reveals dominance and persistence of a particular epidemiological clon…
2012
In this study, using multilocus microsatellite analysis, we report the genetic characterization of 27 Candida parapsilosis isolates recovered in two different periods of time (2007-2009 and 2011-2012) from infants hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit of a hospital in Messina, Italy. The results revealed the persistence and dominance of a particular infectious genotype among NICU patients and highlight the power of the used microsatellite markers in clarifying epidemiologic associations, detect micro-evolutionary variations and facilitating the recognition of outbreaks. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.
Consensus document on controversial issues for the treatment of hospital-associated pneumonia
2010
Background: Hospital-associated pneumonia (HAP) remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality despite advances in antimicrobial therapy. Many aspects of the treatment of HAP caused by multi-resistant Gram-positive microorganisms have been extensively studied, but controversial issues remain. Controversial issues: The aim of this GISIG (Gruppo Italiano di Studio sulle Infezioni Gravi) working group – a panel of multidisciplinary experts – was to define recommendations for some controversial issues using an evidence-based and analytical approach. The controversial issues were: (1) Is combination antibiotic therapy or monotherapy more effective in the treatment of HAP? (2) What role do…
Validation of intensive care unit-acquired infection surveillance in the Italian SPIN-UTI network
2010
Validity is one of the most critical factors concerning surveillance of nosocomial infections (NIs). This article describes the first validation study of the Italian Nosocomial Infections Surveillance in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) project (SPIN-UTI) surveillance data. The objective was to validate infection data and thus to determine the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of NI data reported on patients in the ICUs participating in the SPIN-UTI network. A validation study was performed at the end of the surveillance period. All medical records including all clinical and laboratory data were reviewed retrospectively by the trained physicians of the validat…
Factors influencing hospital infection control policies in Italian hospitals
2003
A study was undertaken to determine the resources available in Italian hospitals for the control of nosocomial infections and the factors favouring a successful approach. During January-May 2000 a questionnaire about infection control was sent to the hospital health director of all Italian National Health System hospitals treating acute patients and with more than 3500 admissions in 1999. An active programme was defined as a hospital infection control committee (HICC) meeting at least four times in 1999, the presence of a doctor with infection control responsibilities, a nurse employed in infection control and at least one surveillance activity and one infection control guideline issued or …
Verifying a medical protocol with temporal graphs: the case of a nosocomial disease.
2014
Abstract Objective Our contribution focuses on the implementation of a formal verification approach for medical protocols with graphical temporal reasoning paths to facilitate the understanding of verification steps. Materials and methods Formal medical guideline specifications and background knowledge are represented through conceptual graphs, and reasoning is based on graph homomorphism. These materials explain the underlying principles or rationale that guide the functioning of verifications. Results An illustration of this proposal is made using a medical protocol defining guidelines for the monitoring and prevention of nosocomial infections. Such infections, which are acquired in the h…
Role of HLA-B α-3 domain amino acid position 194 in HIV disease progression
2013
HLA class I molecules play a role in the regulation of innate immune response. Therefore, the interaction of HLA class I molecules with different activating and inhibitory receptors leads to balancing the immune response. Among the different family of receptors, NK receptors KIR3DL1/S1 and LIR1, play a major role. Aim of this study was to evaluate the role of amino acid polymorphic positions of HLA class I molecules interacting with NK receptors in HIV progression. In order to minimize the influence of viral variability, a cohort of children with a nosocomial monophyletic HIV-1 infection from the Benghazi Children Hospital has been evaluated. To assess the role of single amino acid position…
Epidemic spread of ST1-MRSA-IVa in a neonatal intensive care unit, Italy
2012
Abstract Background Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) has recently emerged as an important pathogen in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The purposes of this study were to characterize methicillin-resistant isolates from an outbreak in a NICU, to examine the genetic traits and clonality of CA-MRSA, and to review the characteristics and outcomes of the neonatal cases and investigate the routes of entry and transmission of the MRSA outbreak strain in the NICU under study. Methods The study NICU practiced an active surveillance program for multidrug-resistant organisms, including weekly cultures for detection of MRSA from nasal swabs among all the …
Carga y factores de riesgo para la neumonía adquirida en la comunidad de Pseudomonas aeruginosa : un estudio multinacional de prevalencia puntual de …
2018
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a challenging bacterium to treat due to its intrinsic resistance to the antibiotics used most frequently in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Data about the global burden and risk factors associated with P. aeruginosa-CAP are limited. We assessed the multinational burden and specific risk factors associated with P. aeruginosa-CAP. We enrolled 3193 patients in 54 countries with confirmed diagnosis of CAP who underwent microbiological testing at admission. Prevalence was calculated according to the identification of P. aeruginosa. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for antibiotic-susceptible and antibiotic-resistant P. aeru…
Definition of criteria and indicators for the prevention of Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) in hospitals for the purposes of Italian institut…
2017
Background. Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are an important issue in terms of quality of care. HAIs impact patient safety by contributing to higher rates of preventable mortality and prolonged hospita- lizations. In Italy, analysis of the currently available accreditation systems shows a substantial heteroge- neity of approaches for the prevention and surveillance of HAIs in hospitals. The aim of the present study is to develop and propose the use of a synthetic assessment tool that could be implemented homogenously throughout the nation. Methods. An analysis of nine international and of the 21 Italian regional accreditation systems was conducted in order to identify requirements a…