Evidence of dissemination of a -type integrative and conjugative element to , mediating acquisition of and other resistance determinants.

A strain positive for the metallo-beta-lactamase gene and resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was unexpectedly isolated from a surveillance rectal swab. The characterization of the strain revealed carriage of a 91 kb integrative and conjugative element (ICE) harboring several resistance determinants [, , , , ∆, , and ], closely related with a group of -type ICEs widespread among and other pseudomonads. Results highlighted the possible spreading of similar elements to , mediating the acquisition of relevant resistances.

Large, protracted, multi-species and multi-clonal spread of VIM-type metallo-β-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales in an Italian hospital.

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, particularly those producing carbapenemase (CPE), pose a major threat to human health, being listed among critical-priority resistant pathogens by the World Health Organization.

Aim: To report on a large nosocomial spread of CPE of different species producing Verona integron-encoded metallo-β-lactamase (VIM)-type carbapenemases, and on the infection prevention and control measures that were adopted to combat the spread.

Methods: Conventional culture and molecular methods were used for detection and identification of VIM-positive CPE (VIM-CPE) causing infections or colonizing patients or present in environmental specimens.

[The CCM Project "Phenotypic and molecular screening methodologies for the detection of coloniza-tions due to carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE)"].

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CREs) are globally considered to be a major threat to public health. National and international guidelines emphasize the importance of routine active surveillance policies to prevent their transmission. Consequently, screening for the evaluation of the status of colonization by CREs in hospitalized patients in Italy is considered essential to contain and control the spread of these microorganisms and their evolution towards infection.

[Sexually transmitted infections: a new hub&spoke model to control the increasing trend of STIs in Italy and prevent their spread].

The project "Experimentation of new integrated hospital-territory organizational models for the prevention and control of sexually transmitted infections: facilitated diagnostic-care pathways and offer of free targeted screening" was developed as part of the CCM 2019 programme, funded by the Italian Ministry of Health, being coordinated by the Italian National Health Institute (ISS), in collaboration with Sapienza University of Rome. Three clinical units located in Turin, Milan, and Cagliari, specialized in sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnosis and treatment, and three highly specialized microbiology laboratories located in Trieste, Florence, and Palermo were involved.The objectives were to develop an innovative network model for the treatment of STIs based on multidisciplinary centres with high quality of care for STIs (hub-IST) and territorial structures (spoke-IST), to plan and test integrated facilitated care pathways for STIs, to evaluate the priorities, feasibility, and sustainability of prevention interventions.