Search results for "bacterial infections and mycoses"
showing 10 items of 295 documents
A divergent Anaplasma phagocytophilum variant in an Ixodes tick from a migratory bird; Mediterranean basin
2020
Anaplasma phagocytophilum (AP) has vast geographical and host ranges and causes disease in humans and domesticated animals. We investigated the role of northward migratory birds in the dispersal of tick-borne AP in the African-Western Palearctic. Ticks were collected from northward migratory birds trapped during spring migration of 2010 at two localities in the central Mediterranean Sea. AP DNA was detected by PCR (gltA and 16S rRNA) and variant determination was performed using ankA sequences. In total, 358 ticks were collected. One of 19 ticks determined as Ixodes was confirmed positive for AP DNA. The tick was collected from a woodchat shrike (Lanius senator senator) trapped in Greece, a…
Detection of tick-borne encephalitis virus in I. ricinus ticks collected from autumn migratory birds in Latvia.
2014
Birds have a potential of spreading ticks via bird migration routes. In this study, we screened 170 ticks removed during autumn 2010 from 55 birds belonging to 10 species for the presence of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). In total, TBEV RNA was detected in 14% of I. ricinus tick samples obtained from different birds species. The results of this study indicate the possible role of migrating birds in the dispersal of TBEV-infected ticks along the southward migration route.
Holistic and unified approach to facilitate graphical data visualization and statistical predictive modelling for diseases at the microorganism level
2015
Borrelia species are predominantly responsible for the most common form of Tick-borne diseases (TBD) which is Lyme borreliosis (LB). Episodes of Lyme arthritis (LA) is a hallmark symptom of LB patients. LA is an atypical form of reactive arthritis (ReA) that is a sub-type of Spondyloarthritis (SpA). Coinfections such as Ehrlichia chaffeensis accompany primary Borrelia species during the later stages of LB infection to induce severe symptoms. Currently, there is no holistic approach that would unify different TBD pathogens into independent and multiple TBD infection (MTBDI) combination categories to facilitate graphical and statistical analysis between any two patients groups. The chronic ma…
Brightness and contrast do not affect visually induced motion sickness in a passively-flown fixed-base flight simulator
2016
Abstract Background Visually Induced Motion Sickness (VIMS) or simulator sickness is often elicited by a visual stimulus that lacks the appropriate vestibular or proprioceptive feedback. In this study, we chose to investigate the effects of brightness and contrast of the visual scene on VIMS. Hypothesis We hypothesized that visual environments differing in brightness or contrast would differentially induce VIMS. The symptoms of VIMS should be most severe for the combination of high brightness and high contrast and conversely lowest for the low brightness and low contrast condition. Methods 33 healthy subjects were tested in a fixed-base flight simulator. Each subject flew in four consecutiv…
MHC class II tetramer guided detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific CD4+ T cells in peripheral blood from patients with pulmonary tuberculo…
2007
Novel diagnostic tools are needed to diagnose latent infection and to provide biologically meaningful surrogate markers to define cellular immune responses against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Interferon gamma-based assays have recently been developed in addition to the more than 100-year-old tuberculin skin test (TST) for the immune diagnosis of MTB in blood. The advent of soluble MHC/peptide tetramer molecules allows to objectively enumerate antigen-specific T cells. We identified novel MHC class II-restricted MTB epitopes and used HLA-DR4 tetrameric complexes to visualize ex vivo CD4(+) T cells directed against the antigens Ag85B and the 19-kDa lipoprotein, shared between MTB and ot…
Highly focused T cell responses in latent human pulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.
2005
Abstract The elucidation of the molecular and immunological mechanisms mediating maintenance of latency in human tuberculosis aids to develop more effective vaccines and to define biologically meaningful markers for immune protection. We analyzed granuloma-associated lymphocytes (GALs) from human lung biopsies of five patients with latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection. MTB CD4+ and CD8+ T cell response was highly focused in the lung, distinct from PBL, as assessed by TCR-CDR3 spectratyping coupled with a quantitative analysis of TCR VB frequencies. GALs produced IFN-γ in response to autologous macrophages infected with MTB and to defined MTB-derived HLA-A2-presented peptides Ag…
Procalcitonin and long-term prognosis after an admission for acute heart failure
2014
Abstract Background Traditionally, procalcitonin (PCT) is considered a diagnostic marker of bacterial infections. However, slightly elevated levels of PCT have also been found in patients with heart failure. In this context, it has been suggested that PCT may serve as a proxy for underrecognized infection, endotoxemia, or heightened proinflammatory activity. Nevertheless, the clinical utility of PCT in this setting is scarce. We aimed to evaluate the association between PCT and the risk of long-term outcomes. Methods and results We measured at admission PCT of 261 consecutive patients admitted for acute heart failure (AHF) after excluding active infection. Cox and negative binomial regressi…
Oral microbiome in Proliferative Verrucous Leukoplakia exhibits loss of diversity and enrichment of pathogens.
2021
Abstract Objectives Oral microbiome plays an important role in oral diseases. Among them, proliferative verrucous leucoplakia (PVL) is an uncommon form of progressive multifocal leukoplakia with a worryingly rate of malignant transformation. Here, we aimed to characterize the oral microbiome of PVL patients and compare it with those of healthy controls. Material and methods Oral biopsies from ten PVL patients and five healthy individuals were obtained and used to compare their microbial communities. The sequence of the V3-V4 region of 16S rRNA gene was used as the taxonomic basis to estimate and analyze the composition and diversity of bacterial populations present in the samples. Results O…
Repercusión de los factores clínicos y microbiológicos en la selección de la especie causal de candidemia en el paciente crítico adulto en un hospita…
2017
ANTECEDENTES: Las micosis invasoras son infecciones emergentes asociadas a elevada morbi-mortalidad en pacientes críticos, siendo la candidiasis invasora (con o sin candidemia asociada) la más frecuente en todas las latitudes. Los pacientes ingresados en Unidades de Críticos (UC), debido a sus enfermedades de base y al desarrollo de técnicas diagnósticas y terapéuticas cada día más agresivas, tienen un elevado riesgo de presentar candidiasis invasora. Aunque Candida albicans es el agente etiológico de candidemia más habitual en todos los hospitales, en las últimas décadas se ha observado un aumento en la incidencia de especies no albicans. Este cambio en la etiología de la candidemia tambié…
An Update of the Evolving Epidemic of blaKPC Carrying Klebsiella pneumoniae in Sicily, Italy, 2014: Emergence of Multiple Non-ST258 Clones
2015
Background: In Italy, Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase producing K. pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) strains are highly endemic and KPC producing CC258 is reported as the widely predominating clone. In Palermo, Italy, previous reports have confirmed this pattern. However, recent preliminary findings suggest that an epidemiological change is likely ongoing towards a polyclonal KPC-Kp spread. Here we present the results of molecular typing of 94 carbapenem non susceptible K. pneumoniae isolates detected during 2014 in the three different hospitals in Palermo, Italy. Methods and Results: Ninety-four consecutive, non replicate carbapenem non susceptible isolates were identified in the three largest acute…