Publications by authors named "Gabriella Lombardo"

Background: This study describes immunological responses, diagnostic features, follow up and treatment outcomes from seventeen dogs with papular dermatitis due to Leishmania infection diagnosed by cytology or real time-PCR.

Methods: Specific Leishmania humoral and cellular immune responses were evaluated by means of an immunofluorescence antibody test in all cases and a delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction to leishmanin in eight cases. The extent of infection was studied in several tissues including blood, lymph node, conjunctival and oral swabs, by means of PCR, at the time of diagnosis and during follow-up.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The aims of this study were to determine the seroprevalence for Rickettsia conorii, Ehrlichia canis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Babesia canis in outdoor-kennelled dogs (n=249) from the Stretto di Messina (Italy) and to compare seroprevalence in 2 public shelters and 4 privately-owned kennels where different tick-preventive measures were implemented in order to focus on the specific sanitary risk posed by public shelters in southern Italy for tick-borne pathogens. R. conorii (72%) and B.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The use of non invasive sampling, such as collection of conjunctival swabs, as a diagnostic tool for the detection of Leishmania DNA is of interest. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic utility of detecting Leishmania infection with the use of conjunctival swab samples in dogs living in a highly endemic area for leishmaniosis and to investigate, for the first time, the presence of Leishmania DNA in oral swabs in the same population. One hundred sixty-three dogs living outdoor and recruited in various provinces of Sicily were studied.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This field trial was designed to test the efficacy, in terms of treatment and prevention, of the fipronil 10%+(S)-methoprene 9% combination against immature and adult stages of Rhipicephalus sanguineus in naturally infested dogs, and to assess the effect of a single plain water exposure. Twenty-four dogs of various age, sex, weight and coat length were divided into two homogeneous groups, treated (T) and control (C), and housed into twin outdoor kennels. Trial baseline was designed as day 0, when dogs from group T were treated with a commercial spot-on formulation of fipronil 10%+(S)-methoprene 9%, while subjects from group C were left untreated and served as control.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Two hemoplasma species are known in dogs: Mycoplasma haemocanis (Mhc) and 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum' (CMhp). Although their transmission routes are poorly understood, Rhipicephalus sanguineus has been suggested as a potential tick vector. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence, risk factors, and clinical importance of canine hemoplasmas in countries with a Mediterranean climate where R.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In this study, we demonstrate that the in vitro interactions between a CD56(neg)/CD16(pos) (CD56(neg)) subset of natural killer (NK) cells and autologous dendritic cells (DCs) from HIV-1-infected viremic but not aviremic individuals are markedly impaired and likely interfere with the development of an effective immune response. Among the defective interactions are abnormalities in the process of reciprocal NK-DC activation and maturation as well as a defect in the NK cell-mediated editing or elimination of immature DCs (iDCs). Notably, the lysis of mature DCs (mDCs) by autologous NK cells was highly impaired even after the complete masking of major histocompatibility complex I molecules, suggesting that the defective elimination of autologous iDCs is at the level of activating NK cell receptors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Investigations of natural killer (NK) cells in simian models of disease have been hampered by a lack of appropriate phenotypic markers and by an inadequate understanding of the regulation of NK cell activities. In the present study, a panel of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific for various human NK receptors was screened for cross-reactivity with NK cells from rhesus macaques and pigtailed macaques. Flow cytometric analyses using anti-human NKG2A and anti-human NKp80 mAbs individually, and particularly in combination with anti-CD16 mAb, allowed for the identification of the entire NK cell population in both species.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Natural killer (NK) cells are an important component of the innate immune response against viral infections. NK cell-mediated cytolytic activity is defective in HIV-infected individuals with high levels of viral replication. In the present study, we examined the phenotypic and functional characteristics of an unusual CD56(-)/CD16(+) (CD56(-)) NK subset that is greatly expanded in HIV-viremic individuals.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Natural killer (NK) cells play a central role in host defense against various pathogens. Functional defects of NK cells in HIV-1 infection as a direct effect of abnormal expression or function of inhibitory NK receptors (iNKRs), activating natural cytotoxicity receptors (NCRs), and NKG2D have not yet been described. This study demonstrates an expansion of the functionally defective CD56-/CD16+ population of NK cells in viremic versus aviremic patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Vaccination against tumors represents a relevant issue in current human cancer therapy. The N-terminal part of the lipoprotein from the outer membrane of Escherichia coli, tripalmitoyl-S-glyceryl-Cys-Ser (P(3)CS) and analogs with longer aminoacidic sequence are polyclonal activators for B-lymphocytes. Previous study reported that their N-2,2,2-trichloroethoxycarbonyl (Troc) derivatives increase immunocyte mitogenic activity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Heme oxygenase (HO) catalyzes the conversion of heme to biliverdin with the release of iron and carbon monoxide. HO-1 is inducible by inflammatory conditions, which cause oxidative stress in endothelial cells. Overexpression of human HO-1 in endothelial cells may have the potential to provide protection against a variety of agents that cause oxidative stress.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Nerve growth factor (NGF) has important functions during embryonic development and on various tissues and organs under normal and pathological conditions during the extrauterine life. RT-PCR analysis and immunological methods demonstrate that human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) express the NGF receptors trkA(NGFR) and p75NTR. NGF treatment caused a rapid phosphorylation of trkA(NGFR) in HUVECs, determining a parallel increase of phosphorylated ERK1/2.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF