Re-emergence of human leishmaniasis in northern Italy, 2004 to 2022: a retrospective analysis.

BackgroundHuman leishmaniasis is a protozoan disease transmitted by sand flies and endemic in the Mediterranean region. In Italy, leishmaniasis is present in the south and the western coastal regions, with an epidemic peak detected in northern Italy in the early 1970s.AimTo examine temporal trends, and demographic, clinical, geographical and environmental features of human leishmaniasis cases recorded by the local health unit (LHU) of Bologna, northern Italy.

Updated diagnosis and graft involvement for visceral leishmaniasis in kidney transplant recipients: a case report and literature review.

Purpose: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has become a rising concern to transplantation teams, being associated with graft dysfunction and reduced survival of renal transplant recipients. Here, we describe a case of VL occurring in a kidney transplant (KT) recipient in Italy, a country in which Leishmania infantum is endemic and we reviewed the literature on the clinical course and diagnosis of VL in KT recipients residing or travelling to southern Europe.

Results: The VL case was diagnosed 18 months after transplant and 28 days after the onset of symptoms by quantitative PCR (qPCR) on peripheral blood.

Test combination to detect latent Leishmania infection: A prevalence study in a newly endemic area for L. infantum, northeastern Italy.

Background: Most people infected with Leishmania remain asymptomatic, which is a common element that may promote the resurgence of clinically evident leishmaniasis in individuals with impaired cell-mediated immune responses. Unfortunately, there is no universally accepted assay to identify asymptomatic infection. This cross-sectional study focuses on the employment of three methods targeting different features of the parasitic infection to be used in combination for the screening of latent leishmaniasis in a newly endemic area of northeastern Italy.

Recent Advances in the Evaluation of Serological Assays for the Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19.

Few data on the diagnostic performance of serological tests for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection are currently available. We evaluated sensitivity and specificity of five different widely used commercial serological assays for the detection of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies using reverse transcriptase-PCR assay in nasopharyngeal swab as reference standard test. A total of 337 plasma samples collected in the period April-June 2020 from SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positive ( = 207) and negative ( = 130) subjects were investigated by one point-of-care lateral flow immunochromatographic assay (LFIA IgG and IgM, Technogenetics) and four fully automated assays: two chemiluminescence immunoassays (CLIA-iFlash IgG and IgM, Shenzhen YHLO Biotech and CLIA-LIAISON XL IgG, DiaSorin), one electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA-Elecsys total predominant IgG, Roche), and one enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA IgA, Euroimmune).

Squamous cell carcinoma superimposed on mucosal leishmaniasis in an HIV-positive patient.

Leishmaniasis is emerging as an important problem in immunosuppressed individuals, leading to overt clinical disease, atypical presentation, chronic course, and impaired treatment response. Moreover, it can affect unexposed regions and strikingly mimic other infectious disorders and a variety of neoplastic diseases, thus being easily misdiagnosed. Here, we report the case of an HIV-patient where both clinical picture and histopathological findings were consistent with mucosal leishmaniasis (ML).

Case Report: Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Misdiagnosed as Pyoderma Gangrenosum.

With an estimated prevalence of 0.7%, pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is the most frequent type of reactive skin lesions seen in the setting of inflammatory bowel disease, together with metastatic Crohn's disease. However, in the case of persistent cutaneous ulcerations in patients with Crohn's disease under biologic and/or immunosuppressive therapy, infectious or malignant etiologies should be excluded.

Pathological post-mortem findings in lungs infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Italy was the first European nation to be massively infected by SARS-CoV-2. Up to the end of May 2020, more than 33,000 deaths had been recorded in Italy, with a large prevalence among males, those over 75 years of age, and in association with co-morbidities. We describe the lung pathological and immunohistochemical post-mortem findings at the autopsy of nine patients who died of SARS-CoV-2-associated disease.

Development and validation of a prediction model for severe respiratory failure in hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection: a multicentre cohort study (PREDI-CO study).

Objectives: We aimed to develop and validate a risk score to predict severe respiratory failure (SRF) among patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19).

Methods: We performed a multicentre cohort study among hospitalized (>24 hours) patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from 22 February to 3 April 2020, at 11 Italian hospitals. Patients were divided into derivation and validation cohorts according to random sorting of hospitals.

COVID-19 in patients with HIV-1 infection: a single-centre experience in northern Italy.

Background: Since the end of February 2020, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak rapidly spread throughout Italy and other European countries, but limited information has been available about its characteristics in HIV-infected patients.

Methods: We have described a case series of patients with HIV infection and COVID-19 diagnosed at the S.Orsola Hospital (Bologna, Italy) during March and April, 2020.

Is it Possible to Safely Maintain a Regular Vascular Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the protocol adopted during the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic to maintain elective activity in a vascular surgery unit while minimising the risk of contamination to both patients and physicians, and the impact of this activity on the intensive care (IC) resources.

Methods: The activity of a vascular surgery unit was analysed from 8 March to 8 April 2020. Surgical activity was maintained only for acute or elective procedures obeying priority criteria.

Schistosomiasis, strongyloidiasis and Chagas disease: the leading imported neglected tropical diseases in Italy.

Background: In recent years, an increasing number of individuals affected by neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) have been observed in Italy, due to migration, international travels and climate changes. Reliable data on the current NTD epidemiology in Italy and the health system preparedness on this issue are not available.

Methods: We report the results of a survey on selected NTDs (schistosomiasis, strongyloidiasis, echinococcosis, Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, cysticercosis, filariasis and scabies) in nine Italian sentinel centres, in order to investigate their occurrence throughout the country and identify which ones are a priority for public health interventions, development of protocols for case management, and training activities.

18F-FDG PET/CT in visceral leishmaniasis: uptake patterns in the context of a multiannual outbreak in Northern Italy.

Objectives: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the most severe manifestation of the infection caused by the protozoan Leishmania, recently on increase in Italy and Spain. The aim of the study was to describe FDG uptake patterns in VL patients (pts) who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT.

Methods: A retrospective monocentric study of pts who underwent FDG PET/CT between 2008 and 2017 and later diagnosed with VL was performed.

Predictors of time to sputum smear conversion in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis under treatment.

Sputum acid-fast bacilli smear conversion is a fundamental index of treatment response and reduced infectivity in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (P-TB). To date, there are no models to predict the time to sputum conversion based on patient characteristics. This study aims to ascertain the time to sputum conversion in patients with smear-positive P-TB under treatment, and the variables associated with time to smear conversion.

Overview of fever of unknown origin in adult and paediatric patients.

Fever of unknown origin (FUO) can be caused by a wide group of diseases, and can include both benign and serious conditions. Since the first definition of FUO in the early 1960's, several updates to the definition, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches have been proposed. This review outlines a case report of an elderly Italian male patient with high fever and migrating arthralgia who underwent many procedures and treatments before a final diagnosis of Adult-onset Still's disease was achieved.

Systematic Tuberculosis Screening in Asylum Seekers in Italy.

The preliminary findings of a tuberculosis (TB) screening of asylum seekers performed in a reception center located in northern Italy reveal a post-entry screening prevalence rate of 535 per 100000 individuals screened. This result shows that systematic use of chest radiography is a useful tool for active TB screening among asylum seekers in Italy.

Serological and molecular tools to diagnose visceral leishmaniasis: 2-years' experience of a single center in Northern Italy.

The diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) remains challenging, due to the limited sensitivity of microscopy, the poor performance of serological methods in immunocompromised patients and the lack of standardization of molecular tests. The aim of this study was to implement a combined diagnostic workflow by integrating serological and molecular tests with standardized clinical criteria. Between July 2013 and June 2015, the proposed workflow was applied to specimens obtained from 94 in-patients with clinical suspicion of VL in the Emilia-Romagna region, Northern Italy.

Infectious Diseases Team for the Early Management of Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock in the Emergency Department.

Background: The impact on patient survival of an infectious disease (ID) team dedicated to the early management of severe sepsis/septic shock (SS/SS) in Emergency Department (ED) has yet to be assessed.

Methods: A quasiexperimental pre-post study was performed at the general ED of our hospital. During the pre phase (June 2013-July 2014), all consecutive adult patients with SS/SS were managed according to the standard of care, data were prospectively collected.

Paradoxical response to intravenous immunoglobulin in a case of Parvovirus B19-associated chronic fatigue syndrome.

We describe a case of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) associated to Parvovirus B19 infection where administration of intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG), previously reported as effective, induced a paradoxical clinical response and increased viral replication. The indication of IVIG administration in the treatment of Parvovirus B19-associated CFS should be carefully reconsidered.

Outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients.

Background: Although the number of human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with chronic liver disease is increasing, the impact of human immunodeficiency virus on hepatocellular carcinoma outcome remains unclear.

Aims: This single centre study investigated whether human immunodeficiency virus infection per se affects the hepatocellular carcinoma prognosis.

Methods: Forty-eight human immunodeficiency virus-infected and 234 uninfected patients consecutively diagnosed with hepatitis virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma from January 2000 to December 2009 were retrospectively enrolled.

Familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis may present during adulthood: clinical and genetic features of a small series.

Familial Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (FHL) is a rare immune deficiency with defective cytotoxic function. The age at onset is usually young and the natural course is rapidly fatal if untreated. A later onset of the disease has been sporadically reported even in adolescents and adults.

Amiodarone-related pneumonitis and peripheral neuropathy in an elderly patient.

Amiodarone, which has been used since 1967 as an antiarrhythmic drug, gives rise to a variety of cardiac and extracardiac adverse side-effects. Among these, pulmonary toxicity is considered the most frequent and serious extracardiac side-effect, since it may occur in various atypical forms and often limits the drug's clinical use. We encountered a 67-year-old white male patient with suspected amiodarone pneumonitis characterized by multiple lung nodules associated with pleural and pericardial effusion and peripheral neuropathy.