Prevalence of respiratory viruses by Multiplex PCR: a four-and-a-half year retrospective study in an Italian general hospital.

Viruses are frequent causal agents of acute respiratory infections and the most common are influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human parainfluenza virus (HPIV), human metapneumovirus (HMPV), rhinovirus (RV), adenovirus (AdV) and the four endemic human coronaviruses (HCoV) -229E, -NL63, -OC43, -HKU1. Multiplex real-time PCR platforms are becoming increasingly common in laboratories mostly in relation to the increased diagnostic sensitivity and reduced turnaround time. The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of respiratory viruses in a population of patients within the S.

Evaluation of CMV-specific cellular immune response by EliSPOT assay in kidney transplant patients.

Background: Immunological monitoring for CMV can be useful in transplant patients; however, few centers perform it on a routine basis.

Objectives: In this study, CMV-specific cellular response was evaluated in a population of kidney transplant recipients and related to viral infection/reactivation and other demographic and clinical features.

Study Design: Three hundred and twenty-eight patients were studied by EliSPOT assay: 201 prospectively monitored in the first year posttransplantation, 127 with a single determination at >1 year.

Evaluation of polyomavirus BK cellular immune response by an ELISpot assay and relation to viral replication in kidney transplant recipients.

The failure of immune surveillance may be associated with polyomavirus BK reactivation, potentially leading to the development of nephropathy in kidney transplantation. BK-specific cellular immune response may be used to modulate immunosuppressive therapy, but few studies have investigated the topic. Herein, we serially evaluated BK-specific response in 149 kidney transplant recipients and found that only 14/149 (9.