Infections in a Unit of Cardio Surgery: Study at a General Hospital in Padua, Italy.

is a slow-growing non-tuberculous mycobacterium already known for being able to colonize cardio surgery heater-cooler units (HCUs). This study aims to describe the real magnitude of the phenomenon, providing a methodological protocol and the results of a longitudinal survey. In the period 1 January 2017-23 May 2022, over 1191 samples were collected on 35 HCUs of two different manufacturers.

Successful Control of an Outbreak by Phenotypically Identified Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Background: Premature newborns represent a vulnerable population, at high risk of acquiring nosocomial infections during neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission. Multidrug-resistant organisms represent the greatest concern due to their intrinsic virulence and the limited therapeutic options. Resistant are a growing threat for critically ill neonates, with increasing numbers of NICU outbreaks caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing being described.

Epidemiological and clinical features of imported malaria at the three main hospitals of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region, Italy.

Background: Imported malaria cases continue to occur in non-endemic regions among travellers returning from tropical and subtropical countries. At particular risk of acquiring malaria is the group of travellers identified as immigrants who return to their home country with the specific intent of visiting friends or relatives (VFRs) and who commonly believe they are immune to malaria and fail to seek pre-travel advice. Our aim was to review the current trends of imported malaria in the three main hospitals of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region (FVG), North Eastern Italy, focusing in particular on patient characteristics and laboratory findings.

Recurrent skin infection associated with nasal carriage of Panton-Valentine leukocidin-positive methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus closely related to the EMRSA-15 clone.

We report the case of a soldier with recurrent skin infection associated with nasal carriage of a Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)-producing methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), closely related to the EMRSA-15 clone. MSSA isolates causing infection not requiring hospitalization usually go unnoticed; however, their typing may be useful to understand the global distribution of successful staphylococcal lineages related to epidemic clones. PVL-positive MSSA strains might serve as reservoirs from which virulent methicillin-resistant strains may evolve and spread.

Direct molecular detection of pathogens in blood as specific rule-in diagnostic biomarker in patients with presumed sepsis: our experience on a heterogeneous cohort of patients with signs of infective systemic inflammatory response syndrome.

The practical value of blood cultures in the diagnosis of sepsis is impaired by a delay in the turnaround time to result and by the fact that blood culture positive can be found for only about 30% of these patients. Conventional laboratory signs of sepsis and acute phase protein biomarkers are sensitive and easy to use, but often also very nonspecific. Molecular diagnostic reflects currently the most promising avenue to decrease time to result and to influence decision making for antibiotic therapy in the septic host.

When should adenoviral non-gonococcal urethritis be suspected? Two case reports.

The impact of Adenovirus as agent of non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU) is still poorly documented in the literature. We describe two cases showing that adenoviral infection should be reasonably hypothesized in men with dysuria and scant urethral discharge in addition to meatus inflammation and/or edema (meatitis) or conjunctivitis. Case 1: a 55-year-old man came to our observation in July 2012 referring a 5-day-history of intense dysuria and scant mucoid urethral discharge.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection rate after implementation of an antibiotic care bundle based on results of rapid molecular screening.

Aim: Colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a risk factor for subsequent invasive MRSA infection, particularly in patients admitted to critical areas. We conducted a surveillance among patients admitted to our Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to determine whether the implementation of a specific MRSA antibiotic care bundle (ACB) based on rapid molecular screening for MRSA and de-colonization, reduced the total MRSA infection rate.

Materials And Methods: A total of 431 and 577 nasal swabs were obtained from ICU patients at admission from April 2009 through December 2010 (pre-ACB period) and, after the bundle implementation, from January 2011 through December 2012 (post-ACB period), respectively.

An antibiotic care bundle approach based on results of rapid molecular screening for nasal carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the intensive care unit.

The potential role of active methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) surveillance in the intensive care unit (ICU), has been recently proposed as a guide for antibiotic treatment in patients suspected of being infected with MRSA by using an antibiotic care bundle (ACB) approach. A group of 376 consecutive ICU patients were prospectively screened for nasal carriage of MRSA using a real-time polymerase chain reaction test. The study group consisted of 244 (64.

Evaluation of the Sysmex UF1000i flow cytometer for ruling out bacterial urinary tract infection.

Background: Urine culture is one of the most frequently requested tests in microbiology, and it represents the gold standard for the diagnosis of UTIs. Considering the high prevalence of negative results and the long TAT of the culture test, the use of a rapid and reliable screening method is becoming more and more important, as it reduces the workload, the TAT of negative results, and above all, unnecessary antibiotic prescription.

Methods: The Sysmex UF1000i is a new urine flow cytometry analyzer capable of quantifying urinary particles, including BACT, WBCs, and YLCs.

Molecular identification of bloodstream pathogens in patients presenting to the emergency department with suspected sepsis.

The rapid detection of pathogens in blood is critical for a favorable outcome of patients with suspected sepsis. Although blood culture (BC) is considered the criterion standard for diagnosis of bloodstream infection, it often takes several days to detect the causative organism. In this study, we compared BC with a commercially available multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to detect bacteria and fungi in blood samples from 144 patients admitted to the emergency department with suspected sepsis.

[Disappearance of Streptococcus pyogenes macrolide resistance in an area of northeastern Italy: a possible link with rational long-acting macrolide consumption].

Many studies have shown a correlation between higher consumption of long-acting macrolides and the development of resistance of S. pyogenes but, to our knowledge, no studies have reported the disappearance of S. pyogenes macrolide resistance.

App1: an antiphagocytic protein that binds to complement receptors 3 and 2.

In previous studies, we showed that the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans (Cn) produces a specific and unique protein called antiphagocytic protein 1 (App1), which inhibits phagocytosis of Cn by alveolar macrophages (AMs). Phagocytosis of Cn by AMs occurs mainly through a complement- or Ab-mediated mechanism. Among AM receptors, complement receptor 3 (CR3) and FcRgamma are the most common receptors involved in the phagocytic process.

NPM/ALK binds and phosphorylates the RNA/DNA-binding protein PSF in anaplastic large-cell lymphoma.

The oncogenic fusion tyrosine kinase nucleophosmin/anaplastic lymphoma kinase (NPM/ALK) induces cellular transformation in anaplastic large-cell lymphomas (ALCLs) carrying the t(2;5) chromosomal translocation. Protein-protein interactions involving NPM/ALK are important for the activation of downstream signaling pathways. This study was aimed at identifying novel NPM/ALK-binding proteins that might contribute to its oncogenic transformation.

Constitutive activation of Jak2 contributes to proliferation and resistance to apoptosis in NPM/ALK-transformed cells.

Objective: The t(2;5) translocation results in a 80-kDa oncogenic fusion protein consisting of NPM and the kinase domain of the tyrosine kinase ALK and is present in over half the cases of anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). NPM/ALK exerts its transforming potential via activation of multiple signaling pathways promoting growth factor independence and protection from apoptosis. Jak/Stat signaling is aberrantly activated in several human hematopoietic malignancies.