Longitudinal characterisation of B and T-cell immune responses after the booster dose of COVID-19 mRNA-vaccine in people with multiple sclerosis using different disease-modifying therapies.

Background: The decline of humoral response to COVID-19 vaccine led to authorise a booster dose. Here, we characterised the kinetics of B-cell and T-cell immune responses in patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) after the booster dose.

Methods: We enrolled 22 PwMS and 40 healthcare workers (HCWs) after 4-6 weeks from the booster dose (T3).

Telemedicine During COVID-19 Pandemic: Lesson Learned from the Lazio Region Infectious Diseases and Emergency Department Network.

Telemedicine and teleconsultation can be powerful and useful tools for patients to hamper the physical barriers to access to health care services during COVID-19 pandemic. We describe the teleconsultation (TC) model in the Lazio Region. It uses a hub-and-spoke network system on geographic regional basis using a web based digital platform, termed ADVICE with the aim to connect regional Emergency Departments (EDs) and Infectious Diseases (ID) acute and critical care settings for patients with acute ID syndrome.

Guinea Worm Disease: A Neglected Diseases on the Verge of Eradication.

Background: Dracunculiasis, also known as Guinea worm disease (GWD), is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by a parasite (). In the past, dracunculiasis was known as "the disease of the empty granary" because of the difficulties patients had in going to work in fields or to school when affected by this disease. In tropical areas, the condition has been widespread in economically disadvantaged communities, and has been associated with reduced economic status and low levels of education.

The first case of meningitis associated with SARS-CoV-2 BA.2 variant infection with persistent viremia.

Severe neurological disorders and vascular events during COVID-19 have been described. Here, we describe the first case of a female patient infected with the SARS-CoV-2 BA.2 Omicron variant of concern with meningitis with newly diagnosed central demyelinating disease.

Emulation of a Target Trial From Observational Data to Compare Effectiveness of Casirivimab/Imdevimab and Bamlanivimab/Etesevimab for Early Treatment of Non-Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19.

Objectives: Comparative analysis between different monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against SARS-CoV-2 are lacking. We present an emulation trial from observational data to compare effectiveness of Bamlanivimab/Etesevimab (BAM/ETE) and Casirivimab/Imdevimab (CAS/IMD) in outpatients with early mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in a real-world scenario of variants of concern (VoCs) from Alpha to Delta.

Methods: Allocation to treatment was subject to mAbs availability, and the measured factors were not used to determine which combination to use.

Increased Association of Pulmonary Thromboembolism and Tuberculosis during COVID-19 Pandemic: Data from an Italian Infectious Disease Referral Hospital.

Pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) has been associated with tuberculosis (TB), but the true incidence is unknown. The aim of our study was to retrospectively evaluate the PTE prevalence in TB patients hospitalized at the National Institute for Infectious Diseases L. Spallanzani during the January 2016-December 2021 period.

Humoral- and T-Cell-Specific Immune Responses to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccination in Patients With MS Using Different Disease-Modifying Therapies.

Background And Objectives: To evaluate the immune-specific response after full severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with different disease-modifying drugs by the detection of both serologic and T-cell responses.

Methods: Healthcare workers (HCWs) and patients with MS, having completed the 2-dose schedule of an mRNA-based vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 in the past 2-4 weeks, were enrolled from 2 parallel prospective studies conducted in Rome, Italy, at the National Institute for Infectious diseases Spallanzani-IRCSS and San Camillo Forlanini Hospital. Serologic response was evaluated by quantifying the region-binding domain (RBD) and neutralizing antibodies.

Antiviral and immunomodulatory interferon-beta in high-risk COVID-19 patients: a structured summary of a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: The primary objective of the study is to demonstrate the efficacy of low-dose IFN-β in reducing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 recently infected elderly patients to progress towards severe COVID-19 versus control group within 28 days. Secondary objectives are: 1) To assess the reduction in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission in patients treated with IFN-β versus control group within 28 days of randomization 2) To assess the reduction in number of deaths in IFN- β compared to control group (day 28) 3) To evaluate the increase in proportion of participants returning to negative SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR in IFN-β -treated versus control group at Day 14 and Day 28 4) To assess the increase in SARS-CoV-2-specific binding antibody titers in IFN-β compared to control group (day 28) 5) To assess the safety of IFN-β -treated patients versus control group TRIAL DESIGN: Randomized, Open-Label, Controlled, Superiority Phase II Study. Patients, who satisfy all inclusion criteria and no exclusion criteria, will be randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups in a ratio 2:1 (IFN-treated versus control patients).

Systematic analysis of direct antiglobulin test results in post-artesunate delayed haemolysis.

Background: Post-artesunate delayed haemolysis (PADH) is common after severe malaria episodes. PADH is related to the "pitting" phenomenon and the synchronous delayed clearance of once-infected erythrocytes, initially spared during treatment. However, direct antiglobulin test (DAT) positivity has been reported in several PADH cases, suggesting a contribution of immune-mediated erythrocyte clearance.

Increase in Tuberculosis Diagnostic Delay during First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Data from an Italian Infectious Disease Referral Hospital.

Background: The WHO advised that the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on TB services was estimated to be dramatic due to the disruption of TB services.

Methods: A retrospective data collection and evaluation was conducted to include all the patients hospitalized for TB at INMI from 9 March to 31 August 2020 (lockdown period and three months thereafter). For the purpose of the study, data from patients hospitalized in the same period of 2019 were also collected.

Hessarek Gastroenteritis with Bacteremia: A Case Report and Literature Review.

subspecies serotype Hessarek ( Hessarek) is considered a serovar with high host specificity and is an uncommon cause of disease in humans; no cases of Hessarek bacteremia have been reported in humans to date. On 16 July 2019, a young male presented abdominal pain, vomit, diarrhea, and fever up to 41 °C, a few hours after a kebab meal containing goat meat; he went to the Emergency Room, where a Film Array GI Panel (BioFire, Biomerieux Company, Marcy-L´Étoile, France) was performed on his feces and results were positive for . The culture of the feces was negative, but the blood culture was positive for .

pneumonia: increased risk after COVID-19 lockdown? Italy, May to June 2020.

We report a case of pneumonia in a dishwasher of a restaurant in Rome, Italy, just after the end of the lockdown that was in place to control the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. The case highlights the importance of strict monitoring of water and air systems immediately before reopening business or public sector buildings, and the need to consider infections among the differential diagnosis of respiratory infections after lockdown due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

An Inflammatory Profile Correlates With Decreased Frequency of Cytotoxic Cells in Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Increased production of inflammatory cytokines and myeloid-derived suppressor cells occurs in patients with coronavirus disease 2019. These inversely correlated with perforin-expressing natural killer (NK) and CD3+ T cells. We observed a lower number of perforin-expressing NK cells in intensive care unit (ICU) patients compared with non-ICU patients, suggesting an impairment of the immune cytotoxic arm as a pathogenic mechanism.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in a paucisymptomatic patient: epidemiological and clinical challenge in settings with limited community transmission, Italy, February 2020.

Data concerning the transmission of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in paucisymptomatic patients are lacking. We report an Italian paucisymptomatic case of coronavirus disease 2019 with multiple biological samples positive for SARS-CoV-2. This case was detected using the World Health Organization protocol on cases and contact investigation.

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.

Imported severe malaria and risk factors for intensive care: A single-centre retrospective analysis.

Objectives: This study aims to identify the risk factors for intensive care (IC) in severe malaria patients admitted to the "Lazzaro Spallanzani" National Institute for Infectious Diseases, Rome, Italy.

Methods: All patients with confirmed severe malaria and hospitalized between 2007 and 2015 were included in the analysis and stratified into two groups: those requiring IC and those who did not. Five prognostic malaria scores were estimated; clinical severity at IC unit admission was assessed using the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment and the quick-Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores.

Five cases of Plasmodium vivax malaria treated with artemisinin derivatives: the advantages of a unified approach to treatment.

Objectives: In endemic countries with a high level of chloroquine resistance, Plasmodium vivax malaria is associated with high morbidity and mortality. In these areas, the dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine combination resulted in clinical response, a more rapid clearance of parasitaemia, compared to chloroquine therapies, and reduction of recrudescence or reinfection.

Methods: We describe five cases of Plasmodium vivax malaria in returning travelers treated with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine.

Serological evaluation for Chagas disease in migrants from Latin American countries resident in Rome, Italy.

Background: Chagas disease (CD) is a systemic parasitic infection caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, whose chronic phase may lead to cardiac and intestinal disorders. Endemic in Latin America where it is transmitted mainly by vectors, large-scale migrations to other countries have turned CD into a global health problem because of its alternative transmission routes through blood transfusion, tissue transplantation, or congenital. Aim of this study was to compare the performance of two commercially available tests for serological diagnosis of CD in a group of Latin American migrants living in a non-endemic setting (Rome, Italy).

Lactobacillus crispatus mediates anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 induction in response to Chlamydia trachomatis infection in vitro.

Chlamydia trachomatis, a human pathogen, is a Gram-negative bacillus and a compulsory intracellular parasite. It is the most common cause of bacterial sexually transmitted infections in both industrialized and developing countries. In women, untreated genital infections can result in devastating consequences such as pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, and even infertility.