Search results for "serology"

Epidemiology of Toxoplasma and CMV serology and of GBS colonization in pregnancy and neonatal outcome in a Sicilian population

2013

Background: Aim of our study is to analyze the immunological status in pregnancy for two main TORCH agents, Toxoplasma and Cytomegalovirus (CMV), and the results of group B streptococcus (GBS) screening, assessing the risk for congenital infection in a population from Palermo, Italy. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of all inborn live newborns who were born in our division during 2012, gathering information about the mother, the pregnancy and neonatal hospitalization at birth. Whenever data were available, we categorized the serologic status of the mothers for Toxoplasma and CMV. We also considered the results of rectal and vaginal swabs for GBS. We compared the resu…

Emergence of tularemia in France: paradigm of the Burgundy region

2011

International audience; We report three consecutive cases of tularemia occurring in Burgundy, France, a region previously considered not endemic for tularemia. The patients presented with varied and unspecific clinical manifestations. The epidemiological circumstances, especially the mode of contamination, were not particularly suggestive of tularemia. Serological diagnosis was delayed in two cases because of the lack of significant antibody titers at the time of admission. In contrast, a diagnosis could readily be obtained in all three cases by detection of Francisella tularensis DNA from clinical samples using PCR-based methods. These cases highlight the increased incidence and geographic…

Impact of HBV, HCV and GBV-C/HGV on hepatocellular carcinomas in Europe: results of a European concerted action.

1998

Abstract Background/Aims: To investigate the impact of hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) infections on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Europe. Methods: Five hundred and three patients with HCC, from six liver centers, were included. All 503 sera and 80 liver samples were tested for HBV DNA and HCV RNA by polymerase chain reaction. GBV-C/HGV RNA was also tested in 57 sera. Results: HBsAg and anti-HCV were detected in 19% and 40.1% of the patients, respectively. Serum and liver HBV DNA were detected in 82% and 91% of the HBsAg positive subjects. HBV DNA was also detected in the serum and liver of 33% and 47% of HBsAg negative patients. In this group, serum HBV DNA was more prevalent in anti-HBs…

Evaluating the risk of hepatitis B reactivation in patients with haematological malignancies: is the serum hepatitis B virus profile reliable?

2009

Background/Aim: Patients with an occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection undergoing deep immunosuppression are potentially at risk of HBV reactivation. In order to assess whether a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for HBV DNA in serum could be used to predict the reactivation of an occult HBV infection, we performed a retrospective study in a cohort of Sicilian patients with oncohaematological diseases. Methods: We studied by a highly sensitive ad hoc nested PCR for serum HBV DNA 75 HBsAg-negative oncohaematological patients requiring chemotherapy. Results: Thirty-three patients (44%) were HBV seronegative (anti-HBc and anti-HBs negative) and 42 patients (56%) were HBV seropositive (a…

Usefulness of routine hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B virus, and parvovirus B19 serology in the diagnosis of recent-onset inflammatory arthritides.

2005

Hepatitis B virus infection in native versus immigrant or adopted children in Italy following the compulsory vaccination.

2001

Background: Compulsory vaccination of children against hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was introduced in Italy in 1991. Patients and Methods: To evaluate the current importance of pediatric HBV infection, we studied 359 HBsAg-positive children admitted to 16 centers in Italy from 1991 to 1998. 185 patients were natives of Italy and 174 (39 immigrants and 135 adopted) came from highly endemic countries (eastern Europe: 60.9%, Asia: 16.7%, Africa: 14.9% and Central and South America: 5.7%). Results: Transaminase levels were moderately altered in both Italian (mean 134 UI/l) and foreign children (mean 168 UI/l). In total, 77% of Italian children and 88% of foreign children tested HBeAg posit…

Seroepidemiology of Pertussis in Italy

1991

During 1988 and 1989 the prevalence of serum IgG antibodies to pertussis toxin in a sample of 3,875 unvaccinated, apparently healthy persons between the ages of 1 year to 19 years was estimated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The participants were recruited by means of systematic cluster sampling from public and private schools in five geographic areas of Italy. The overall prevalence of IgG antibodies was 80.8%, with a steady increase from 33.5% among 1- to 3-year-old children to 95% among 17- to 19-year-old individuals. The prevalence of natural immunity was 50% and 75% at the ages of 4 and 6 years, respectively. No gender-related difference in immunity was observed. For children gr…

Scalp eschar and neck lymphadenopathy caused by Rickettsia massiliae

2013

To the Editor: Scalp eschar and neck lymphadenopathy is a common clinical entity that most frequently affects women and children during spring and fall. It is usually caused by Rickettsia slovaca and R. raoultii. Typical clinical signs are a scalp lesion at the tick bite site and regional, often painful, lymphadenopathy. Acute disease can be followed by residual alopecia at the bite site (1,2). Two designations have been proposed for this syndrome: tick-borne lymphadenopathy and Dermacentor-borne necrosis-erythema-lymphadenopathy (both have been associated with R. slovaca); however, the most generic and all-inclusive term is scalp eschar and neck lymphadenopathy. R. massiliae belongs to the…

ROC-king onwards: intraepithelial lymphocyte counts, distribution & role in coeliac disease mucosal interpretation

2017

ObjectivesCounting intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) is central to the histological diagnosis of coeliac disease (CD), but no definitive ‘normal’ IEL range has ever been published. In this multicentre study, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the optimal cut-off between normal and CD (Marsh III lesion) duodenal mucosa, based on IEL counts on >400 mucosal biopsy specimens.DesignThe study was designed at the International Meeting on Digestive Pathology, Bucharest 2015. Investigators from 19 centres, eight countries of three continents, recruited 198 patients with Marsh III histology and 203 controls and used one agreed protocol to count IEL/100 ent…

Early Postnatal and Preschool-Age Infection by Fasciola spp.: Report of Five Cases from Vietnam and Worldwide Review

2020

Fascioliasis is reported in five Vietnamese children aged 4 years or younger. A 10-month-old girl child and a 12-month-old boy child are the youngest patients ever diagnosed. Eggs in stools suggested an infection occurred at 5-6 months and 7-8 months of age, respectively. DNA sequencing and egg size indicated this to be the first report of a verified Fasciola gigantica infection in so small children. No specific diagnosis could be obtained in two 3-year-old children detected in the acute phase. A big and gravid ectopic F. gigantica-like worm was surgically found in a 4-year-old boy presenting with peritonitis. A worldwide review showed only 38 past cases in preschool children. They included…