Publications by authors named "Flaminia Gentiloni Silverj"

Article Synopsis
  • A cluster of four patients with CRAB, who had never been treated with FDC, showed non-susceptibility to FDC due to a specific mutation in the PirA protein, which included a premature stop codon and amino acid deletion.
  • Between March and July 2024, 33 CRAB cases were identified in a single hospital ward, with genetic analysis revealing that four of these cases were closely related variants showing reduced FDC susceptibility.
  • The study emphasizes the need for careful testing of FDC susceptibility in patients, as the identified clones suggest possible transmission of resistant strains even in those without prior treatment.
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: Carbapenem-resistant (CRE) are types of bacteria that need urgent attention globally. Active surveillance programs at hospitals are essential for the early identification of CRE carriers and the timely adoption of infection control measures. We aimed to analyze the epidemiology of CRE identified by multiplex RT-PCR in rectal swabs of patients upon admission to high-risk wards and to compare data obtained from both molecular and culture CRE screening.

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Article Synopsis
  • Ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ-AVI) is an antibiotic used to treat infections caused by certain resistant bacteria, specifically carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales, but resistance to it is increasing.
  • A study analyzed CAZ-AVI-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) from hospitalized elderly patients in Italy over a two-year period, focusing on genetic characteristics and resistance mechanisms.
  • The findings revealed that all resistant isolates were multidrug-resistant, particularly concerning due to the presence of mutated KPC-3 genes and their association with high-risk bacterial clones, highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring to curb the spread of such resistant strains.
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Article Synopsis
  • COVID-19 has disrupted infection prevention and control (IPC) practices in hospitals, leading to increased cases of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) like carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) in intensive care units (ICUs).
  • A study in a large ICU COVID-19 hub in Italy identified and analyzed CRAB outbreaks using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) from patients with severe COVID-19, revealing high rates of infection and colonization along with distinct transmission patterns.
  • The implementation of a tailored IPC strategy effectively halted CRAB transmission, emphasizing the importance of combining traditional epidemiological approaches with genomic data to enhance infection control measures in healthcare settings.
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Objectives: to evaluate immunogenicity and effectiveness of BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine in a cohort of healthcare workers (HCWs).

Design: cohort study.

Setting And Participants: in a hospital in Milan (Lombardy Region, Northern Italy) HCWs without ("negative cohort") and with ("positive cohort") history of SARS-CoV-2 infection or elevated serum antibody before the vaccination campaign (27.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Twelve CP-E strains from rectal swabs were analyzed through whole genome sequencing, revealing a diverse range of lineages and various resistance and virulence genes.
  • * The findings show that most strains have multiple plasmids and specific genes that enhance bacterial fitness, indicating a need for strict monitoring to prevent the spread of harmful clones in healthcare environments.
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Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) represent a serious threat to public health worldwide. Elderly patients are at increased risk of colonisation/infection with CPE. This study aimed to evaluate the persistence of CPE colonisation and the genotypic characteristics of persistent strains in elderly people discharged from Italian hospitals.

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Background: In Italy, healthcare workers (HCWs) were among the first to receive COVID-19 vaccination. Aim of the present study is to evaluate frequency and severity of adverse events (AEs) following the second dose of BNT162b2 vaccine among HCWs of a large university hospital in Milan, Italy.

Methods: One month after having received the second dose of vaccine, HCWs filled-in a form about type, severity, and duration of post-vaccination local and systemic symptoms.

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