[Measles, mumps, rubella and varicella: antibody titration and vaccinations in a large hospital].

The occurrence contagious diseases such as measles, varicella, mumps and rubella in the hospital open creates situations of alarm, due to the potential involvement of workers, but most importantly for the oftentimes harmful consequences for critical patients, such as pregnant women or immunocompromised individuals. In 2007 antibody titration was initiated in our hospital for four infectious diseases, also pursuant to the Lombardy Region Resolution N. VIII/1587 of 22-12-2005 "Decisions regarding vaccinations in children and adults in the Lombardy Region" which indicate the departments in which a priority exists: maternity-neonatal and infectious illnesses.

Phenotyping of Cryptococcus neoformans strains in Bergamo, Italy (1985-2000).

Cryptococcus neoformans is the cause of the most common life-threatening fungal infection in patients with AIDS. Thirty strains of C. neoformans were collected from inpatients and typied evaluating activity, morphotyping, serotyping, chemosensitivity and adhesivity.

Urinary detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae antigen for diagnosis of pneumonia.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of most common causes of community-acquired pneumonia. We evaluated a newly available rapid immunochromatographic test to detect S. pneumoniae in urine samples verifying its importance in the diagnosis of pneumococcal pneumonia.

Lactobacillus casei subsp. rhamnosus sepsis in a patient with ulcerative colitis.

Lactobacillus species are part of normal gastrointestinal flora and are an uncommon cause of bacteremia. Lactobacillus casei subsp. rhamnosus was repeatedly isolated in the blood cultures of a 43-year-old woman with ulcerative colitis.

Pneumonia due to Leptospira spp.: results of an epidemiological and clinical study.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of Leptospira spp. infections in a population of in- and out-patients with community acquired pneumonia (CAP) and the incidence of leptospiral pneumonia.

Design And Results: Of 176 patients infected with CAP who were evaluated for the presence of Leptospira spp.

Unusual case of pulmonary rickettsiosis in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

A case report of boutonneuse fever with pulmonary complications in a patient with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is described. The patient was hospitalized for persistent hypertermia and marked dyspnea, with radiographic findings of bilateral involvement of the lungs. The confirmation of the diagnosis was obtained by means of serum analyses (Weil-Felix serodiagnosis and IFA); the patient responded to doxycycline with progressive improvement of her general health condition.

Early ganciclovir therapy effectively controls viremia and avoids the need for cytomegalovirus (CMV) prophylaxis in renal transplant patients with cytomegalovirus antigenemia.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is still a problem for organ transplant recipients despite studies that long-term prophylaxis with high dose of acyclovir or ganciclovir given to all organ recipients may limit the consequences of infection and disease. In the present report of 160 consecutive renal transplant patients, we used a diagnostic assay for CMV antigenemia (detection of CMV antigen in peripheral blood leukocytes) and treated with ganciclovir only those patients who had a positive test. No patient in this series had routine prophylaxis.

Community-acquired pneumonia: is there difference in etiology between hospitalized and out-patients?

Since March 1991 a prospective 1-year study of patients with community-acquired, radiologically verified, pneumonia (CAP) was performed at the Divisione Pneumologica, Ospedali Riuniti Bergamo, and at the Centro Pneumo-Allergologico, Bergamo, Italy. The study included 119 out-patients and 60 in-patients, with a median age of 37.4 and 49.

Epidemiological characteristics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains causing infection in an Italian general hospital. A one-year surveillance.

During the 1989 calendar year, P. aeruginosa caused clinical infections in 0.46% of patients admitted to Ospedali Riuniti (a general hospital), Bergamo, Italy.

[Tuberculosis in Bergamo Province. Statistical estimates for the quadrennium 1984-1987].

The clinical files of patients admitted to the Ospedali Riuniti of Bergamo between January 1984 and December 1987 in which the presence of mycobacteria has been demonstrated have been reviewed. We have analysed the clinical pattern and the complicating diseases and we have reported the typing of mycobacteria in comparison with the literature data. We stress the danger of mycobacterial infections particularly in patients who are in an immunodepressed state.

Clinical evaluation of non-radiometric BACTEC NR 660 system for routine detection of bacteremia.

A study was undertaken to evaluate the sensitivity, accuracy and practicability to a two-bottle nonradiometric blood culture system (BACTEC NR 660) with the two bottle conventional blood culture system in use in our laboratory. A total of 592 sets of four blood culture bottles were collected from adults in a twenty-week period, giving 126 positive sets. The conventional system recovered 121 isolates, whereas the BACTEC NR 660 system recovered 97 microorganism.