Search results for "INFECTIONS"

Oral leishmaniasis in an HIV-infected patient.

2000

As in most countries in the Mediterranean basin, leishmaniasis is endemic in Italy, where it has visceral (VL) and cutaneous (CL) forms caused by viscerotropic and dermotropic strains of Leishmania infantum, respectively. With the spread of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic, the number of coinfections with Leishmania and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is increasing. Between 35% and 50% of the adult VL cases diagnosed annually in Sicily from 1991 to 1995 were related to HIV [1]; although cases of coinfection have been reported in 28 countries worldwide, the majority of these cases (1440 from 1990 to 1998) have been notified in four countries (Spain, Italy, France, Po…

Comparison of the performance of 2 commercial multiplex PCR platforms for detection of respiratory viruses in upper and lower tract respiratory speci…

2015

The performance of the CLART® PneumoVir system with that of the Luminex xTAG RVP Fast v1 assay for detection of most common respiratory viruses in upper and lower tract respiratory specimens (n = 183) from unique patients with influenza-like syndrome or lower tract respiratory infection. Nested PCR coupled to automated sequencing was used for resolution of discrepancies. Fully concordant results were obtained for a total of 122 specimens, whereas 56 specimens gave partially (n = 21) or fully discordant (n = 35) results (Kappa coefficient, 0.62). The overall specificity of the Luminex xTAG RVP Fast v1 assay was slightly higher than that of the CLART® PneumoVir assay for human bocavirus, infl…

Immunoglobulin M seropositivity for Toscana virus in a random population sample in Sicily.

2012

Summary Objectives High Toscana virus (TOSV) antibody seropositivity rates have been documented in the last decade, especially in the Mediterranean area. It is unclear if these rates are associated with a recent or past exposure to the virus. This is of importance, as primary infection can cause neurologic complications, especially in adults. The aim of the present study was to assess the current active TOSV circulation in western Sicily. Methods A cross-sectional seroprevalence study was conducted on 271 individuals aged 4–92 years, sampled from the general population of a small city. Each participant completed a self-administered questionnaire and provided serum, which was analyzed for th…

Performance of the QuantiFERON-cytomegalovirus (CMV) assay for detection and estimation of the magnitude and functionality of the CMV-specific gamma …

2012

ABSTRACTThe performance of the QuantiFERON-cytomegalovirus (CMV) assay was compared to that of a flow cytometry intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) method for the detection of CMV-specific gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-producing CD8+T-cell responses in allogeneic stem cell transplant (allo-SCT) recipients and for estimations of their magnitude and functionality. A total of 90 whole-blood specimens from 23 allo-SCT recipients was analyzed by both methods. Overall, the percentage of specimens that yielded concordant results by both methods was 68.8% (κ = 0.691; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.548 to 0.835), and the sensitivity of the QuantiFERON-CMV assay for the detection of positive IFN-γ T-ce…

Descriptive epidemiology of nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among patients admitted to two he…

2014

Aim: To evaluate nasal carriage rate and variables associated with Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in patients admitted in two healthcare facilities. Results: S. aureus was isolated from 159 (26%) of the enrolled patients. Methicillin-susceptible S. aureus was isolated from 150 (24.5%) patients, and MRSA was isolated from 9 (1.5%). Cancer and previous hospitalization were associated with a significantly higher frequency of nasal S. aureus carriage among the patients admitted to the general hospital and the nephrology department, respectively. MRSA isolates were heterogeneous with respect to their staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec element (SC…

Clinical use of polymerase chain reaction performed on peripheral blood and bone marrow samples for the diagnosis and monitoring of visceral leishman…

2007

Background To overcome some of the limitations of conventional microbiologic techniques, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assays are proposed as useful tools for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis. Patients and methods A comparative study using conventional microbiologic techniques (i.e., serologic testing, microscopic examination, and culture) and a Leishmania species-specific PCR assay, using peripheral blood and bone marrow aspirate samples as templates, was conducted during an 8-year period. The study cohort consisted of 594 Italian immunocompetent (adult and pediatric) and immunocompromised (adult) patients experiencing febrile syndromes associated with hematologic alteration…

Fungemia due to Candida guilliermondii in a pediatric and adult population during a 12-year period.

2007

Candida guilliermondii fungemia is usually described in adults with hematologic malignancies, but in children, only 2 episodes have been published. From 1995 to 2006, 7 episodes (5 in children) were detected in our hospital. Molecular typing excluded a common infection source. C. guilliermondii fungemia may occur in children with underlying conditions other than cancer.

Cytomegalovirus pneumonia in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review

2012

Summary Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients are at increased risk of cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation, and although CMV pneumonia may be a fatal disease in IBD patients, little information is available on this issue. The objectives of this study were to identify risk factors for the development of CMV pneumonia in IBD patients and to find useful information to better manage this potentially fatal complication. Methods A computerized search without language restrictions was conducted using PubMed and SCOPUS. An article was considered eligible for inclusion in the systematic review if it reported detailed data on patients with IBD presenting with pneumonia due to CMV. Resul…

Outbreak of multi-resistant Corynebacterium striatum infection in an Italian general intensive care unit.

2007

Outbreak of infection with Klebsiella pneumoniae sequence type 258 producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Carbapenemase 3 in an intensive care unit in Italy

2010

Gram-negative pathogens producing carbapenemases represent an alarming clinical threat with serious effects on patient outcomes ([3][1], [7][2]). In 2001, Yigit et al. ([11][3]) reported a novel β-lactamase termed “ K lebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase” (KPC-1) in North Carolina. KPC-producing