Impact of the 2017 measles outbreak on the emergency care system of a large tertiary-care teaching hospital in Italy: a retrospective analysis.

Background: A large outbreak of measles has spread across Italy over the year 2017. Its impact on emergency department (ED) of a tertiary-care teaching hospital and the related critical issues in public health were evaluated.

Methods: Medical records of adults discharged from January to December 2017 with diagnosis of 'measles' or 'measles suspicion' were collected and analyzed.

Nosocomial-acquired and community-onset Clostridium difficile infection at an academic hospital in Italy: Epidemiology, recurrences and toxin genes distribution.

Toxinogenic Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a leading cause of infectious diarrhea. In this retrospective cohort study the molecular epidemiology of hospital-acquired and community-associated CDI was investigated in patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital. CD in stools samples was revealed by a two steps diagnostic algorithm, firstly screening for positivity to GDH antigen and thereafter RT-PCR analysis.