Impact of Pseudomonas aeruginosa carriage on intensive care unit-acquired pneumonia: a European multicentre prospective cohort study.

Objectives: Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is a common causative pathogen of pneumonia acquired in the intensive care unit (ICU). The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of PA ICU pneumonia (PAIP) and to quantify its independent association with PA colonization at different body sites.

Methods: Adult patients on mechanical ventilation at ICU admission were prospectively enrolled across 30 European ICUs.

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among healthcare workers in Dutch hospitals after the 2020 first wave: a multicentre cross-sectional study with prospective follow-up.

Background: We aimed to estimate the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) seroprevalence and describe its determinants and associated symptoms among unvaccinated healthcare workers (HCWs) after the first wave of the pandemic.

Methods: HCWs from 13 Dutch hospitals were screened for antibodies against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 in June-July 2020 and after three months. Participants completed a retrospective questionnaire on determinants for occupational and community exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 experienced since January 2020.

Postoperative Staphylococcus aureus Infections in Patients With and Without Preoperative Colonization.

Importance: Staphylococcus aureus surgical site infections (SSIs) and bloodstream infections (BSIs) are important complications of surgical procedures for which prevention remains suboptimal. Contemporary data on the incidence of and etiologic factors for these infections are needed to support the development of improved preventive strategies.

Objectives: To assess the occurrence of postoperative S aureus SSIs and BSIs and quantify its association with patient-related and contextual factors.

Mixed strain pathogen populations accelerate the evolution of antibiotic resistance in patients.

Antibiotic resistance poses a global health threat, but the within-host drivers of resistance remain poorly understood. Pathogen populations are often assumed to be clonal within hosts, and resistance is thought to emerge due to selection for de novo variants. Here we show that mixed strain populations are common in the opportunistic pathogen P.

Gut to lung translocation and antibiotic mediated selection shape the dynamics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in an ICU patient.

Bacteria have the potential to translocate between sites in the human body, but the dynamics and consequences of within-host bacterial migration remain poorly understood. Here we investigate the link between gut and lung Pseudomonas aeruginosa populations in an intensively sampled ICU patient using a combination of genomics, isolate phenotyping, host immunity profiling, and clinical data. Crucially, we show that lung colonization in the ICU was driven by the translocation of P.

Prevalence of Livestock-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (LA-MRSA) Among Farm and Slaughterhouse Workers in Italy.

Objective: We measured the prevalence of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) in swine livestock workers, examined LA-MRSA resistance profile, and associated carriage with the working activities.

Methods: Information was collected on demographics and occupational history. Swabs were collected and tested for the isolation of S.

Uncommon G9P[4] group A rotavirus strains causing dehydrating diarrhea in young children in Italy.

Group A rotaviruses (RVA) are one of the major cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in young children, being responsible for up to 250.000 deaths worldwide, mostly in developing countries. The two outer capsid proteins VP7 (glycoprotein, G-genotype) and VP4 (protease-sensitive protein, P-genotype) are the basis for the binary RVA nomenclature.

Retrospective analysis of nosocomial infections in an Italian tertiary care hospital.

Nosocomial infections are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. Studies of their prevalence in single institutions can reveal trends over time and help to identify risk factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the nosocomial infections trend and identify the prevalence of predominant bacterial microorganisms and their drug resistance patterns in an Italian tertiary care hospital.

Barriers to influenza vaccine uptake in obese people in Italy: Changes 2005-2013.

Background: Obesity is an independent risk factor for developing flu-related complications.

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze influenza vaccine uptake (VU) in the Italian obese, before and after the introduction of obesity among the national recommendations, and to evaluate factors associated to VU.

Methods: The comparison of two editions of the national survey carried out in 2004-2005, before the inclusion of obese people among the specific high risk categories for flu complications, and in 2013, reaching a sample of 21,857 persons who declared to have a BMI>30.

May the drain be a way in for microbes in surgical infections?

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is among the most frequent hospital-acquired infections occurring in surgical patients and leads to increased morbidity, mortality, and costs. We aimed to identify risk factors for SSI in patients undergoing surgical procedures, with a particular attention to the use of drains.

Methods: This study includes all patients undergoing abdominal surgical procedures in 2 surgical wards in a teaching hospital in central Italy.

Catheter-associated urinary tract infection: Role of the setting of catheter insertion.

Background: This study aimed to describe the epidemiology of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) in patients admitted to a surgical ward in Central Italy and to analyze the associated risk factors.

Methods: An active surveillance program for CAUTI was carried out in patients catheterized for at least 48 hours. Place of catheter insertion (operating room, hospital ward, cystoscopy room, emergency care unit), indication for catheterization and its duration, among other risk factors were monitored until discharge.