Advancing West Nile virus monitoring through whole genome sequencing: Insights from a One Health genomic surveillance study in Romagna (Italy).

In the last 6 years, Italy accounted for 36 % of the total autochthonous European West Nile virus (WNV) cases reported to ECDC. Since 2001, the country put in place a multi-species national surveillance plan. The plan was enhanced in 2020 by adopting a fully integrated "One Health" approach, including human, wild bird, equine, and mosquito surveillance for the early detection of WNV.

Isolation and Genomic Analysis of a Case of ST2250 Related to Sepsis in Italy.

, identified in 2006, represents a challenging case of bacterial taxonomic identification because of its high similarity to . In this context, neither mass spectrometry (MS) nor 16S gene analysis cannot precisely reveal the difference between the two species. In our study, the sensitivity to antibiotics of isolated from blood culture was tested, and the investigation of the bacterial genome was performed by Multi-Locus Sequence Typing (MLST) and Whole-Genome Next-Generation Sequencing (WG-NGS).

Evaluation of a rapid Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) test for the laboratory diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have seen a considerable increase in the last years and given the health burden they may represent from both a personal and community perspective, they require surveillance and prevention programmes based on a timely and decentralized diagnosis. In this context, user-friendly rapid molecular tests may represent a good trade-off between diagnostic accuracy, accessibility and affordability. In this study we evaluated the diagnostic performance of a new real-time LAMP (Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification) method for the rapid detection and differentiation of 7 major sexually transmissible pathogens by analysing real clinical samples (genital and extra-genital matrices) from individuals with suspected STIs.

The Global Evolutionary History of Orf Virus in Sheep and Goats Revealed by Whole Genomes Data.

Orf virus (ORFV) belongs to the genus Parapoxvirus (Poxviridae family). It is the causative agent of contagious ecthyma (CE) that is an economically detrimental disease affecting small ruminants globally. Contagious ecthyma outbreaks are usually reported in intensive breeding of sheep and goats but they have also been reported in wildlife species.

Evaluation of Biofilm Production and Antifungal Susceptibility to Fluconazole in Clinical Isolates of spp. in Both Planktonic and Biofilm Form.

spp. are an important opportunistic pathogen that can represent a possible cause of severe infections, especially in immunocompromised individuals. The clinical impact of spp.

Identification of asymptomatic Leishmania infection in patients undergoing kidney transplant using multiple tests.

Objectives: In immunocompromised patients, asymptomatic Leishmania infection can reactivate, and evolve to severe disease. To date, no test is considered the gold standard for the identification of asymptomatic Leishmania infection. A combination of methods was employed to screen for Leishmania infection in patients undergoing kidney transplant (KT).

Circular Health: exploiting the SDG roadmap to fight AMR.

Circular Health is a novel approach to address complex health issues that is based on the expansion of the One Health Paradigm. Circular health recognizes the need for a multidisciplinary convergence effort to complement the biomedical dimension of health. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest global concerns for public health that is likely on the rise, given the extensive use of antibiotics during the early Covid-19 years.

Updated diagnosis and graft involvement for visceral leishmaniasis in kidney transplant recipients: a case report and literature review.

Purpose: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has become a rising concern to transplantation teams, being associated with graft dysfunction and reduced survival of renal transplant recipients. Here, we describe a case of VL occurring in a kidney transplant (KT) recipient in Italy, a country in which Leishmania infantum is endemic and we reviewed the literature on the clinical course and diagnosis of VL in KT recipients residing or travelling to southern Europe.

Results: The VL case was diagnosed 18 months after transplant and 28 days after the onset of symptoms by quantitative PCR (qPCR) on peripheral blood.

Are Parapoxvirus zoonotic diseases doomed to remain neglected?

Parapoxvirus (PPV) infections are considered neglected zoonoses because their incidence is often unknown or greatly underestimated despite being endemic globally. Here, we report the comprehensive diagnostic workflow that led to the identification of two cases of persistent PPV infections. The results obtained underline the importance of adopting a "One Health" approach and cross-sectoral collaboration between human and veterinary medicine for precise aetiological diagnosis and correct management of patients affected by zoonotic diseases.

Test combination to detect latent Leishmania infection: A prevalence study in a newly endemic area for L. infantum, northeastern Italy.

Background: Most people infected with Leishmania remain asymptomatic, which is a common element that may promote the resurgence of clinically evident leishmaniasis in individuals with impaired cell-mediated immune responses. Unfortunately, there is no universally accepted assay to identify asymptomatic infection. This cross-sectional study focuses on the employment of three methods targeting different features of the parasitic infection to be used in combination for the screening of latent leishmaniasis in a newly endemic area of northeastern Italy.

Organic Electrochemical Transistors as Versatile Tool for Real-Time and Automatized Viral Cytopathic Effect Evaluation.

In-vitro viral studies are still fundamental for biomedical research since studying the virus kinetics on cells is crucial for the determination of the biological properties of viruses and for screening the inhibitors of infections. Moreover, testing potential viral contaminants is often mandatory for safety evaluation. Nowadays, viral cytopathic effects are mainly evaluated through end-point assays requiring dye-staining combined with optical evaluation.

A large outbreak of giardiasis in a municipality of the Bologna province, north-eastern Italy, November 2018 to April 2019.

Giardiasis, the disease caused by the flagellate (syn. ), is the most commonly reported among the five food- and waterborne parasitic diseases under mandatory surveillance in 24 EU countries. From November 2018 to April 2019, an outbreak of giardiasis occurred in a municipality of the Bologna province, in north-eastern Italy.

Asymptomatic Leishmania infantum infection in blood donors living in an endemic area, northeastern Italy.

Objectives: Human leishmaniasis can be severe and fatal, yet in the Mediterranean region only a small percentage of infections progress to clinical disease. We evaluated the percentage of asymptomatic Leishmania infection in the Bologna province, northeastern Italy.

Methods: We examined the presence of specific antibodies by Western Blot (WB) and parasitic DNA by real time PCR in peripheral blood of 240 blood donors residing in the Bologna province.