Search results for "Malattie Infettive"
showing 10 items of 198 documents
Rickettsia conorii Indian Tick Typhus Strain and R. slovaca in Humans, Sicily
2012
Letter to the Editor.-- et al.
A severe case of Israeli spotted fever with pleural effusion in Italy
2021
Abstract Background The most common Italian rickettsiosis is Mediterranean Spotted Fever (MSF). MSF is commonly associated with a symptom triad consisting of fever, cutaneous rash, and inoculation eschar. The rash is usually maculopapular but, especially in severe presentations, may be petechial. Other typical findings are arthromyalgia and headache. Herein, we describe for the first time an unusual case of Israeli spotted fever (ISF) associated with interstitial pneumonia and pleural effusion in which R. conorii subsp. israelensis was identified by molecular methods in the blood, as well as in the pleural fluid. Case presentation A 72-year-old male presented with a 10-day history of remitt…
Data mining from a 27-years rotavirus surveillance in Palermo, Italy.
2014
Uninterrupted surveillance conducted in Palermo, Sicily, for 27 years (1985–2012) detected rotavirus infection in 32.7% of 6522 children <5 years of age, hospitalised at the “G. Di Cristina” Children’s Hospital of Palermo. Increased rotavirus activity usually occurred from the beginning of winter to mid-spring. G1P[8] rotaviruses were the prevalent strains in most of the years and were only occasionally overcome by G9P[8], G4P[8] or G2P[4]. The circulation of non-G1P[8] strains was discontinuous and fluctuating. Phylogenetic analyses revealed an heterogeneous population of viruses within each genotype, with different lineages and sublineages emerging over the time. Amino acid substitutions …
Genetic Variability among Serotype G4 Italian Human Rotaviruses
2005
ABSTRACT A total of 254 serotype GH rotavirus strains were detected in Palermo, Italy, from 1985 to 2003. Out of 38 serotype G4 strains selected for genetic analysis, 14 were recognized by genotyping as type G9. Strains confirmed to belong to the G4 type showed temporal patterns of genetic evolution in their VP7 and VP4 gene sequences, and the latest Italian G4 strains were distantly related to the reference vaccinal ST3 strain.
Visceral leishmaniasis: host-parasite interactions and clinical presentation in the immunocompetent and in the immunocompromised host.
2013
SummaryVisceral leishmaniases are vector-borne parasitic diseases caused by protozoa belonging to the genus Leishmania. The heterogeneity of clinical manifestations and epidemiological characteristics of the disease reflect the complex interplay between the infecting Leishmania species and the genetic and immunologic characteristics of the infected host. The clinical presentation of visceral leishmaniasis depends strictly on the immunocompetency of the host and ranges from asymptomatic to severe forms. Conditions of depression of the immune system, such as HIV infection or immunosuppressive treatments, impair the capability of the immune response to resolve the infection and allow reactivat…
Surveillance of human astrovirus circulation in Italy 2002-2005: emergence of lineage 2c strains.
2010
AbstractBy screening faecal samples collected over four consecutive years (2002-2005) from hospitalized children with diarrhoea in Palermo, Italy, astroviruses (HAstVs) were detected in 3.95% of the patients. The predominant type circulating was HAstV-1 but, in 2002, only HAstV-2 and -4 were identified. Interestingly, the HAstVs-2 detected appeared to be consistently different in 5′ end of their open reading frame 2 from the previously described subtypes. These novel type 2 strains were included in a new 2c lineage based on the phylogenetic analysis and the presence of nine peculiar substitutions.
Molecular characterization of Italian Candida parapsilosis isolates reveals the cryptic presence of the newly described species Candida orthopsilosis…
2012
The authors report the molecular characterization of Candida parapsilosis isolates recovered from the blood and venous central catheter tips of patients admitted to different care units of the Polyclinic Hospital, University of Messina, Italy. Among 97 presumed C. parapsilosis isolates examined, 94 were identified as C. parapsilosis sensu stricto and the remaining 3 isolates were found to belong to the cryptic species Candida orthopsilosis which was recovered only from blood cultures of neonates (<30 days old) born prematurely. No C. metapsilosis was found in this study. This study emphasizes the role of C. parapsilosis as an important nosocomial pathogen, and it also describes, for the fir…
First case of Mediterranean spotted fever-associated rhabdomyolysis leading to fatal acute renal failure and encephalitis
2014
SummaryMediterranean spotted fever (MSF) is a tick-borne zoonosis caused by Rickettsia conorii. In Italy, about 400 cases are reported every year and nearly half of them occur in Sicily, which is one of the most endemic regions. Although MSF is mostly a self-limited disease characterized by fever, skin rash, and a dark eschar at the site of the tick bite called a ‘tache noire’, serious complications are described, mainly in adult patients. Nevertheless, severe forms of the disease with major morbidity and a higher mortality risk have been described. We report a fatal case of MSF complicated by rhabdomyolysis, acute renal failure, and encephalitis in an elderly woman.
Diagnostic and vaccine strategies to prevent infections in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
2016
Summary Objectives The treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been revolutionized by the use of immunomodulatory agents. Although these potent drugs are effective in controlling disease activity, they also cause an increased risk of new infections or reactivation of latent infections. On these premises, we aimed to provide guidance on the definitions of immunocompromised patients, opportunistic infections and the risk factors associated with their occurrence in an IBD context, and to suggest the proper screening tests for infectious diseases and the vaccination schedules to perform before and/or during therapy with immunomodulators. Methods All the most recent evidences – filtere…
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.