Search results for "Eva"
showing 10 items of 10805 documents
Seroprevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi in Stray Dogs from Southern Italy
2020
Borrelia burgdorferi is a bacterial pathogen transmitted by Ixodes ticks and is responsible for Lyme disease in both humans and dogs. The aim of this work was to evaluate B. burgdorferi diffusion among stray dogs in Palermo (Sicily, Italy) by serological methods in order to study the risk factors associated with the infection. Serum and blood samples of 316 dogs were collected from a shelter in Palermo, and were analyzed for the presence of antibodies against B. burgdorferi by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA), and of the ospA gene by real-time PCR, respectively. Seventeen sera (5.4%) were positive for the antibodies via IFA and one blood (0.3%) for ospA via real time PCR. On the basi…
Serological and Molecular Evidence of Bartonella henselae in Stray Cats from Southern Italy
2021
Bartonella henselae is a slow growing and facultative intracellular pathogen mainly transmitted by arthropod vectors adapted to domestic and wild mammalian reservoir hosts. Since cats are the major source of the B. henselae infection, this study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence and the DNA presence in randomly sampled stray cats. Blood samples of 429 cats were collected from shelter of Palermo (Southern Italy) and sera and whole blood were analyzed for the presence of antibodies against B. henselae by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), respectively. Two hundred and three sera (47.3%) were positive to IFA and 148 blood samples (34.5%…
Assessment of prevalence and load of torquetenovirus viraemia in a large cohort of healthy blood donors.
2020
OBJECTIVES: Torquetenovirus (TTV) is an emerging marker of functional immune competence with the potential to predict transplant-related adverse events. A large-scale epidemiological study was performed to understand how basal values vary in healthy individuals according to age and gender.; METHODS: We tested plasma from 1017 healthy blood donors aged 18-69years. The presence and load of TTV were determined by a real-time PCR assay. A sub-cohort of 384 donors was tested for anti-cytomegalovirus IgG antibodies, and 100 participants were also tested for TTV viraemia on a paired whole blood sample.; RESULTS: The overall prevalence of TTV was 65% (657/1017) with a mean (±SD) growth of 5±4% ever…
Positive Role of the MHC Class-I Antigen Presentation Regulator m04/gp34 of Murine Cytomegalovirus in Antiviral Protection by CD8 T Cells
2020
Murine cytomegalovirus (mCMV) codes for MHC class-I trafficking modulators m04/gp34, m06/gp48, and m152/gp40. By interacting with the MHC class-Iα chain, these proteins disconnect peptide-loaded MHC class-I (pMHC-I) complexes from the constitutive vesicular flow to the cell surface. Based on the assumption that all three inhibit antigen presentation, and thus the recognition of infected cells by CD8 T cells, they were referred to as “immunoevasins.” Improved antigen presentation mediated by m04 in the presence of m152 after infection with deletion mutant mCMV-Δm06W, compared to mCMV-Δm04m06 expressing only m152, led us to propose renaming these molecules “viral regulators of antigen present…
Evidence of increased circulation of Bordetella pertussis in the Italian adult population from seroprevalence data (2012–2013)
2016
Incidence data on pertussis cases in Italy do not show pertussis resurgence as recently described in other European countries. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of IgG antibodies to pertussis toxin (PT-IgG) in selected adult age groups, who can serve as a reservoir of Bordetella pertussis and be responsible for onward transmission to vulnerable infants. The seroprevalence of PT-IgG was studied in sera collected in 2012-2013 in three age groups: 20-29 years and 30-39 years (reproductive age), and ≥60 years. These data were compared to those from sera collected in similar age groups in 1996-1997. More than 80 % of the adult population analysed in the 2012-2013 group pr…
Fasciola hepatica eggs in paleofaeces of the Persian onager Equus hemionus onager, a donkey from Chehrabad archaeological site, dating back to the Sa…
2018
Fascioliasis is a highly pathogenic zoonotic disease caused by the liver trematodes Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica. Within the multidisciplinary initiative against this disease, there is the aim of understanding how this disease reached a worldwide distribution, with important veterinary and medical repercussions, by elucidating the spreading steps followed by the two fasciolids from their paleobiogeograhical origins. Fasciola eggs were detected in paleofaeces of a donkey, probably the present-day endangered Persian onager Equus hemionus onager, found in the Chehrabad salt mine archaeological site, Zanjan province, northwestern Iran. The biological remains dated back to the Sassanid per…
Klebsiella pneumoniae Lipopolysaccharides Serotype O2afg Induce Poor Inflammatory Immune Responses Ex Vivo
2021
Currently, Klebsiella pneumoniae is a pathogen of clinical relevance due to its plastic ability of acquiring resistance genes to multiple antibiotics. During K. pneumoniae infections, lipopolysaccharides (LPS) play an ambiguous role as they both activate immune responses but can also play a role in immune evasion. The LPS O2a and LPS O2afg serotypes are prevalent in most multidrug resistant K. pneumoniae strains. Thus, we sought to understand if those two particular LPS serotypes were involved in a mechanism of immune evasion. We have extracted LPS (serotypes O1, O2a and O2afg) from K. pneumoniae strains and, using human monocytes ex vivo, we assessed the ability of those LPS antigens to in…
Resistance to third-generation cephalosporins in Escherichia coli in the French community: The times they are a-changin'?
2020
Since the early 2000s, Escherichia coli resistance to third-generation cephalosporins (3GCs) has been increasing in all European countries, mainly due to the spread of extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs). Here we present a retrospective study that combines resistance of E. coli to 3GCs and quinolones with data on antibiotic use in the community in a region of Northeastern France.Since 2012, an observational surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic use in the community was conducted: data on antimicrobial resistance in E. coli isolates were collected from 11 private laboratories, and consumption data were collected from the three main healthcare insurances.A significant dec…
Field performance of the Abbott RealTime MTB assay for the diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis in a low-prevalence setting
2020
Introduction: The sensitivities of conventional mycobacterial culture in solid or liquid media and acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear microscopy for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) detection in extrapulmonary specimens are suboptimal. We evaluated the field performance of the Abbott RealTime MTB assay for the diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis in a low-prevalence setting. Methods: The total number of extrapulmonary specimens with mycobacterial culture and PCR results was 566: sterile fluids (n = 278), non-sterile fluids (n = 147), lymph node material (n = 69) tissue biopsies (n = 63), and abscess aspirates (n = 9). A composite standard consisting of mycobacterial culture results,…
Enhancement of Antigen Presentation by Deletion of Viral Immune Evasion Genes Prevents Lethal Cytomegalovirus Disease in Minor Histocompatibility Ant…
2020
Hematoablative treatment followed by hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for reconstituting the co-ablated immune system is a therapeutic option to cure aggressive forms of hematopoietic malignancies. In cases of family donors or unrelated donors, immunogenetic mismatches in major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and/or minor histocompatibility (minor-H) loci are unavoidable and bear a risk of graft-vs.-host reaction and disease (GvHR/D). Transient immunodeficiency inherent to the HCT protocol favors a productive reactivation of latent cytomegalovirus (CMV) that can result in multiple-organ CMV disease. In addition, there exists evidence from a mouse model of MHC class-I-mismatched GvH…