Background: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, particularly those producing carbapenemases (CPE), pose a major threat to human health, being listed among critical-priority resistant pathogens by the World Health Organization.
Aim: In this study we report on a large nosocomial spread of CPE of different species producing VIM-type carbapenemases, and on the infection prevention and control measures thata were adopted to contrast 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.
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman leishmaniasis is facing important epidemiological changes in Southern Europe, driven by increased urbanization, climate changes, emerging of new animal reservoirs, shifts in human behavior and a growing population of immunocompromised and elderly individuals. In this evolving epidemiological landscape, we analyzed the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of human leishmaniasis in the Tuscany region of Central Italy. Through a multicentric retrospective analysis, we collected clinical and demographic data about all cases of leishmaniasis recorded between 2018 and 2023.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged as a valuable tool for COVID-19 monitoring, especially as the frequency of clinical testing diminishes. Beyond COronaVIrus Disease 19 (COVID-19), the tool's versatility extends to addressing various public health concerns, including antibiotic resistance and drug consumption. However, the complexity of sewage systems introduces noise when measuring chemical tracer concentrations, potentially compromising their applicability for modeling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBlood culture (BC) remains the reference diagnostic tool for bloodstream infections but is hampered by long turn-around time (TAT). This study evaluated the Vitek® Reveal™ (VR) system for rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) with 72 cases of monomicrobial BCs (55 Enterobacterales, 12 Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 5 Acinetobacter baumannii), including isolates producing carbapenemases and/or extended-spectrum β-lactamases. VR returned AST results with a mean TAT of 5.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiagn Microbiol Infect Dis
November 2024
Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is considered as a promising alternative method to detect COVID-19 infection. STANDARD™ M10 SARS-CoV-2 assay on 150 negative and 50 positives BAL samples for SARS-CoV-2 showed 96 % sensitivity, 100 % specificity compared to Allplex™ SARS-CoV-2 assay and a 31.25 genomic copies/mL limit of detection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative process responsible for almost 70% of all cases of dementia. The clinical signs consist in progressive and irreversible loss of memory, cognitive, and behavioral functions. The main histopathological hallmark is the accumulation of amyloid-ß (Aß) peptide fibrils in the brain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) from blood culture (BC) may take several days, limiting the eventual impact on antimicrobial stewardship. Hence, rapid AST systems represent a valuable support in shorting the time-to-response. In this work, the Quantamatrix dRAST system (dRAST) was evaluated for rapid AST on 100 monomicrobial BCs (50 Gram-negatives and 50 Gram-positives), including several isolates with clinically relevant resistance mechanisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Novel mRNA-based vaccines have been proven to be powerful tools in combating the global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 protecting individuals, especially the immunocompromised, from COVID-19. Still, it remains largely unknown how solid organ transplant and different immunosuppressive medications affect development of vaccine-induced immunity.
Methods: In this work, we monitored humoral and cellular memory responses after mRNA SARS-CoV-2 two-doses and booster doses vaccination in cystic fibrosis lung transplanted patients (CFT) and compared them with both cystic fibrosis patients without lung transplant (CF) and with kidney transplant recipients (KT).
FIM-1 metallo-β-lactamase was previously detected in sporadic clinical isolates. Here, we report on FIM-1-positive from two patients who had shared the same ward in a long-term acute care rehabilitation hospital. Whole-genome sequencing analysis revealed close relatedness of these isolates, which belonged to an ST235 sublineage (clade 8/14) different from those previously reported.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe management of severe/prolonged SARS-CoV-2 infections in immunocompromised hosts is still challenging. We describe nine patients with hematologic malignancies with a history of unsuccessful SARS-CoV-2 treatment receiving antiviral combination treatment for persistent infection at a tertiary hospital in central Italy (University Hospital of Careggi, Florence). Combination treatments consisted of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir plus molnupiravir ( = 4), nirmatrelvir/ritonavir plus remdesivir ( = 4) or remdesivir plus molnupiravir ( = 1) for 10 days, in some cases associated with sotrovimab.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntra-abdominal infections (IAIs) are common surgical emergencies and are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in hospital settings, particularly if poorly managed. The cornerstones of effective IAIs management include early diagnosis, adequate source control, appropriate antimicrobial therapy, and early physiologic stabilization using intravenous fluids and vasopressor agents in critically ill patients. Adequate empiric antimicrobial therapy in patients with IAIs is of paramount importance because inappropriate antimicrobial therapy is associated with poor outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWastewater-based epidemiology has proved to be a suitable approach for tracking the spread of epidemic agents including SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Different protocols have been developed for quantitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from wastewater samples, but little is known on their performance. In this study we compared three protocols based on Reverse Transcription Real Time-PCR (RT-PCR) and one based on Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR) for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection from 35 wastewater samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Few reports focused on the role of oral microbiome diversity in HIV infection. We characterized the microbiota-immunity axis in a cohort of treatment-naïve HIV-1-infected patients undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART) focusing on the oral microbiome (OM) and immunological responsivity.
Methods: The sequencing of 16S rRNA V3-V4 hypervariable region was performed on salivary samples of 15 healthy control (HC) and 12 HIV + patients before starting ART and after reaching virological suppression.
Objectives: To describe at genomic level nine carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae ST307 (Kp-ST307) clinical isolates recovered in Buenos Aires during 2017 to 2021, investigating their resistome, virulome, and phylogeny.
Methods: Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Intitute (CLSI). Genomic DNA was sequenced by Illumina MiSeq and analysed using SPAdes, PROKKA, and Kleborate.
Objectives: This study aims to evaluate two commercial broth microdilution (BMD) systems, E1-185-100 (Merlin) and FDANDPF (ThermoFisher), for dalbavancin susceptibility testing in comparison with reference BMD assay.
Methods: Study collection was composed of 200 non-replicate multidrug-resistant Gram-positive cocci of clinical origin, including 180 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, 10 vancomycin-resistant enterococci, seven linezolid-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis, and three methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci. S.