Advancing West Nile virus monitoring through whole genome sequencing: Insights from a One Health genomic surveillance study in Romagna (Italy).

In the last 6 years, Italy accounted for 36 % of the total autochthonous European West Nile virus (WNV) cases reported to ECDC. Since 2001, the country put in place a multi-species national surveillance plan. The plan was enhanced in 2020 by adopting a fully integrated "One Health" approach, including human, wild bird, equine, and mosquito surveillance for the early detection of WNV.

Prolonged vs Intermittent Infusions of β-Lactam Antibiotics in Adults With Sepsis or Septic Shock: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Importance: There is uncertainty about whether prolonged infusions of β-lactam antibiotics improve clinically important outcomes in critically ill adults with sepsis or septic shock.

Objective: To determine whether prolonged β-lactam antibiotic infusions are associated with a reduced risk of death in critically ill adults with sepsis or septic shock compared with intermittent infusions.

Data Sources: The primary search was conducted with MEDLINE (via PubMed), CINAHL, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and ClinicalTrials.

Evaluation of a rapid Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) test for the laboratory diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have seen a considerable increase in the last years and given the health burden they may represent from both a personal and community perspective, they require surveillance and prevention programmes based on a timely and decentralized diagnosis. In this context, user-friendly rapid molecular tests may represent a good trade-off between diagnostic accuracy, accessibility and affordability. In this study we evaluated the diagnostic performance of a new real-time LAMP (Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification) method for the rapid detection and differentiation of 7 major sexually transmissible pathogens by analysing real clinical samples (genital and extra-genital matrices) from individuals with suspected STIs.

Antibiotic Resistance to Molecules Commonly Prescribed for the Treatment of Antibiotic-Resistant Gram-Positive Pathogens: What Is Relevant for the Clinician?

Antibiotic resistance in Gram-positive pathogens is a relevant concern, particularly in the hospital setting. Several antibiotics are now available to treat these drug-resistant pathogens, such as daptomycin, dalbavancin, linezolid, tedizolid, ceftaroline, ceftobiprole, and fosfomycin. However, antibiotic resistance can also affect these newer molecules.

Genomic and Temporal Analysis of Deletions Correlated to qRT-PCR Dropout in N Gene in Alpha, Delta and Omicron Variants.

Since the first SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, mutations such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertion/deletions (INDELs) have changed and characterized the viral genome sequence, structure and protein folding leading to the onset of new variants. The presence of those alterations challenges not only the clinical field but also the diagnostic demand due to failures in gene detection or incompleteness of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results. In particular, the analysis of understudied genes such as and the investigation through whole-genome next generation sequencing (WG-NGS) of regions more prone to mutate can help in the identification of new or reacquired mutations, with the aim of designing robust and long-lasting primers.

Autochthonous Cases of Mucosal Leishmaniasis in Northeastern Italy: Clinical Management and Novel Treatment Approaches.

Mucosal leishmaniasis (ML) is a rare clinical variant of tegumentary leishmaniasis in Mediterranean Europe. Here we report on three autochthonous cases of head and neck ML in patients living in Northeastern Italy. Patients presented with non-specific, long-standing symptoms of upper respiratory tract involvement, mimicking other diseases.

Factors associated with vitamin D deficiency in HIV-1 infected patients on combination antiretroviral therapy: a case-control study.

The aim of our study was to assess risk factors associated with vitamin D deficiency among HIV-1-infected patients on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). A retrospective, case-control study was conducted to assess risk factors associated with vitamin D deficiency among HIV-1-infected adults on stable cART. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as 25-OH vitamin D concentration <30 ng/mL.