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Balzanelli MG, Rastmanesh R, Distratis P, Lazzaro R, Inchingolo F, Del Prete R, Pham VH, Aityan SK, Cong TT, Nguyen KCD, Isacco CG. The Role of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein in Long-term Damage of Tissues and Organs, the Underestimated Role of Retrotransposons and Stem Cells, a Working Hypothesis. Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets 2024; 24:EMIDDT-EPUB-139081. [PMID: 38468535 DOI: 10.2174/0118715303283480240227113401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease in which Spike protein from SARS-CoV-2 plays a key role in transferring virus genomic code into target cells. Spike protein, which is found on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, latches onto angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptors (ACE2r) on target cells. The RNA genome of coronaviruses, with an average length of 29 kb, is the longest among all RNA viruses and comprises six to ten open reading frames (ORFs) responsible for encoding replicase and structural proteins for the virus. Each component of the viral genome is inserted into a helical nucleocapsid surrounded by a lipid bilayer. The Spike protein is responsible for damage to several organs and tissues, even leading to severe impairments and long-term disabilities. Spike protein could also be the cause of the long-term post-infectious conditions known as Long COVID-19, characterized by a group of unresponsive idiopathic severe neuro- and cardiovascular disorders, including strokes, cardiopathies, neuralgias, fibromyalgia, and Guillaume-Barret's like-disease. In this paper, we suggest a pervasive mechanism whereby the Spike proteins either from SARS-CoV-2 mRNA or mRNA vaccines, tend to enter the mature cells, and progenitor, multipotent, and pluripotent stem cells (SCs), altering the genome integrity. This will eventually lead to the production of newly affected clones and mature cells. The hypothesis presented in this paper proposes that the mRNA integration into DNA occurs through several components of the evolutionarily genetic mechanism such as retrotransposons and retrotransposition, LINE-1 or L1 (long interspersed element-1), and ORF-1 and 2 responsible for the generation of retrogenes. Once the integration phase is concluded, somatic cells, progenitor cells, and SCs employ different silencing mechanisms. DNA methylation, followed by histone modification, begins to generate unlimited lines of affected cells and clones that form affected tissues characterized by abnormal patterns that become targets of systemic immune cells, generating uncontrolled inflammatory conditions, as observed in both Long COVID-19 syndrome and the mRNA vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario G Balzanelli
- 118 SET, Department of Pre-hospital and Emergency, SG Giuseppe Moscati Hospital, 74120 Taranto, Italy
| | - Reza Rastmanesh
- The Nutrition Society, Boyd Orr House, 10 Cambridge Court, 210 Shepherds Bush Road, London, UK
| | - Pietro Distratis
- 118 SET, Department of Pre-hospital and Emergency, SG Giuseppe Moscati Hospital, 74120 Taranto, Ital
| | - Rita Lazzaro
- 118 SET, Department of Pre-hospital and Emergency, SG Giuseppe Moscati Hospital, 74120 Taranto, Ital
| | - Francesco Inchingolo
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Section of Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Raffaele Del Prete
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Section of Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Van H Pham
- Phan Chau Trinh University of Medicine, Quang Nam 70000, Vietnam
| | - Sergey K Aityan
- Northwestern University, Multidisciplinary Research Center; Oakland, CA 94612-USA
| | - Toai Tran Cong
- Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
| | - Kieu C D Nguyen
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Section of Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Ciro Gargiulo Isacco
- 118 SET, Department of Pre-hospital and Emergency, SG Giuseppe Moscati Hospital, 74120 Taranto, Italy
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Section of Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70124 Bari, Italy
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Ranieri EM, Denicolò S, Stolfa S, Dalfino L, Bavaro DF, Saracino A, Ronga L, Del Prete R, Mosca A. Looking for Stenotrophomonas maltophilia treatment: in vitro activity of ceftazidime/avibactam alone and in combination with aztreonam. J Chemother 2023; 35:610-613. [PMID: 37615040 DOI: 10.1080/1120009x.2023.2247199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
During the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (S.maltophilia) secondary pulmonary infections have increased, especially in critically ill patients, highlighting the need for new therapeutic options. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (SXT) is the treatment of choice but the increase of resistant strains or adverse drug reactions limited its clinical use. Recently ceftazidime/avibactam (CZA) has been approved for the treatment of multi drug resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria infections, including hospital acquired pneumonia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of ceftazidime/avibactam (CZA) alone and in combination with aztreonam (ATM) against S. maltophilia clinical isolates by E-test method. Susceptibility of SXT and levofloxacin (LEV) was also investigated. Our results showed 22% of resistance to CZA, 2% to SXT and 26% to LEV. CZA in combination with ATM demonstrated synergistic activity against 86% of the strains, including all those resistant to CZA. The combination of CZA with ATM provides a new therapeutic option for the treatment of severe respiratory infections in critically ill patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sofia Denicolò
- Section of Microbiology and Virology, University of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Stefania Stolfa
- Section of Microbiology and Virology, University of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Lidia Dalfino
- Anesthesia and Intensive Care Unit, Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, University of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | | | | | - Luigi Ronga
- Section of Microbiology and Virology, University of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | | | - Adriana Mosca
- Section of Microbiology and Virology, University of Bari, Bari, Italy
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Romanelli F, Stolfa S, Ronga L, Del Prete R, Bavaro DF, Saracino A, Dalfino L, Mosca A. Coinfections in intensive care units. Has anything changed with Covid-19 pandemia? Acta Biomed 2023; 94:e2023075. [PMID: 37326281 PMCID: PMC10308474 DOI: 10.23750/abm.v94i3.13429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM Since December 2019, the Coronavirus disease 2019, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (Sars-CoV-2), has spread from China, becoming a pandemic. Bacterial and fungal co-infections may lead to increase in COVID-19 severity with a decrease in patients survive. The aim of this work was to evaluate bacterial and fungal co-infections in COVID-19 patients admitted to ICU in comparison with patients recovered in ICU in pre-COVID-19 era in order to understand whether the pandemic had changed the incidence of overinfections in patients admitted to ICU. In fact, the epidemiological data should guide the choice of empirical therapy. METHODS During pandemic, AOUC Policlinico of Bari organized dedicated ICUs for patient with SARS-CoV-2. Blood cultures, urine, and tracheobronchial aspirate were included in the analysis. RESULTS Specimens of 1905 patients were analysed in this work. Comparing clinical isolates prevalence by material and COVID-19 vs. non-COVID-19 patients statistically significant differences were detected for A. baumannii complex, Aspergillus fumigatus, Escherichia coli, Haemophilus influenzae and Serratia marcescens isolated from tracheobronchial aspirates; C. albicans from urine samples, A. baumannii complex, Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium isolated from blood culture. CONCLUSIONS Although the organisms isolated in COVID-19 patients are consistent with those frequently associated with healthcare associated infection, our data suggest a particular prevalence in COVID-19 patients of A. baumannii, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Aspergillus spp. in the respiratory tract, C. albicans in urine and A. baumannii, E. faecalis and E. faecium in blood cultures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Romanelli
- a:1:{s:5:"en_US";s:115:"1Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy";}.
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Pham VH, Pham HT, Balzanelli MG, Distratis P, Lazzaro R, Nguyen QV, Tran VQ, Tran DK, Phan LD, Pham SM, Pham BT, Duc CV, Nguyen HM, Nguyen DNT, Tran NV, Pham ST, Queck C, Nguyen KDC, Inchingolo F, Del Prete R, Nguyen NHD, Santacroce L, Gargiulo Isacco C. Multiplex RT Real-Time PCR Based on Target Failure to Detect and Identify Different Variants of SARS-CoV-2: A Feasible Method That Can Be Applied in Clinical Laboratories. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:diagnostics13081364. [PMID: 37189465 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13081364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Shortly after its emergence, Omicron and its sub-variants have quickly replaced the Delta variant during the current COVID-19 outbreaks in Vietnam and around the world. To enable the rapid and timely detection of existing and future variants for epidemiological surveillance and diagnostic applications, a robust, economical real-time PCR method that can specifically and sensitively detect and identify multiple different circulating variants is needed. The principle of target- failure (TF) real-time PCR is simple. If a target contains a deletion mutation, then there is a mismatch with the primer or probe, and the real-time PCR will fail to amplify the target. In this study, we designed and evaluated a novel multiplex RT real-time PCR (MPL RT-rPCR) based on the principle of target failure to detect and identify different variants of SARS-CoV-2 directly from the nasopharyngeal swabs collected from COVID-19 suspected cases. The primers and probes were designed based on the specific deletion mutations of current circulating variants. To evaluate the results from the MPL RT-rPCR, this study also designed nine pairs of primers for amplifying and sequencing of nine fragments from the S gene containing mutations of known variants. We demonstrated that (i) our MPL RT-rPCR was able to accurately detect multiple variants that existed in a single sample; (ii) the limit of detection of the MPL RT-rPCR in the detection of the variants ranged from 1 to 10 copies for Omicron BA.2 and BA.5, and from 10 to 100 copies for Delta, Omicron BA.1, recombination of BA.1 and BA.2, and BA.4; (iii) between January and September 2022, Omicron BA.1 emerged and co-existed with the Delta variant during the early period, both of which were rapidly replaced by Omicron BA.2, and this was followed by Omicron BA.5 as the dominant variant toward the later period. Our results showed that SARS-CoV-2 variants rapidly evolved within a short period of time, proving the importance of a robust, economical, and easy-to-access method not just for epidemiological surveillance but also for diagnoses around the world where SARS-CoV-2 variants remain the WHO's highest health concern. Our highly sensitive and specific MPL RT-rPCR is considered suitable for further implementation in many laboratories, especially in developing countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Van Hung Pham
- Department of Microbiology, Phan Chau Trinh University, Dien Ban 550000, Vietnam
| | - Huong Thien Pham
- International Research Institute of Gene and Immunology, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
| | - Mario G Balzanelli
- SET-118, Department of Pre-Hospital and Emergency, SG Giuseppe Moscati Hospital, 74010 Taranto, Italy
| | - Pietro Distratis
- SET-118, Department of Pre-Hospital and Emergency, SG Giuseppe Moscati Hospital, 74010 Taranto, Italy
| | - Rita Lazzaro
- SET-118, Department of Pre-Hospital and Emergency, SG Giuseppe Moscati Hospital, 74010 Taranto, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Luan Duy Phan
- Nam Khoa Co., Ltd., Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
| | | | | | - Chien Vo Duc
- Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
| | - Ha Minh Nguyen
- Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
| | | | - Ngoc Van Tran
- HCMC Society of Medicine, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
| | | | - Camelia Queck
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia
| | - Kieu Diem Cao Nguyen
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Section of Dentistry, Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70121 Bari, Italy
| | - Francesco Inchingolo
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Section of Dentistry, Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70121 Bari, Italy
| | - Raffaele Del Prete
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Section of Dentistry, Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70121 Bari, Italy
| | - Nam Hai Dinh Nguyen
- Department of Microbiology, Phan Chau Trinh University, Dien Ban 550000, Vietnam
| | - Luigi Santacroce
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Section of Dentistry, Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70121 Bari, Italy
| | - Ciro Gargiulo Isacco
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Section of Dentistry, Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70121 Bari, Italy
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Santacroce L, Del Prete R, Charitos IA, Bottalico L. Mycobacterium leprae: A historical study on the origins of leprosy and its social stigma. Infez Med 2021; 29:623-632. [PMID: 35146374 PMCID: PMC8805473 DOI: 10.53854/liim-2904-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This article aims to investigate about the social stigma and the prejudice of society towards the patients with leprosy, but also to understand how this infectious disease has largely influenced human lifestyle and evolution analyzing the evolution of its treatments from past empirical treatments to actual multidrug therapy (MDT). References on leprosy were extensively searched in literature using PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, Springer link and Elsevier's (EMBASE.com) databases, but also in medical, religious and archaeological books. Leprosy's spread all around the world following human paths of migration from the African Continent to the Asian one and to Europe, instead its appearance in the New Continent is more recent. Wars, unhygienic conditions, social and health inequality created conditions for its spread since prehistorical times, and existing health disparities contributed to unequal morbidity and mortality, before its gradual decline after the Middle Ages due to the raise of other worse pandemics. Starting from Renaissance, a deeper knowledge on its pathophysiological mechanisms brought an increasingly advanced combined surgical and pharmacological treatment, but still in modern times many efforts have been made to erase its social stigma, changing its name in "Hansen's disease" included.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Santacroce
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Section of Microbiology, Policlinico University Hospital of Bari, Italy
- CEDICLO - Interdepartmental Research Center for Pre-Latin, Latin and Oriental Rights and Culture Studies, University of Bari, Italy
| | - Raffaele Del Prete
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Section of Microbiology, Policlinico University Hospital of Bari, Italy
| | - Ioannis Alexandros Charitos
- CEDICLO - Interdepartmental Research Center for Pre-Latin, Latin and Oriental Rights and Culture Studies, University of Bari, Italy
| | - Lucrezia Bottalico
- CEDICLO - Interdepartmental Research Center for Pre-Latin, Latin and Oriental Rights and Culture Studies, University of Bari, Italy
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Romanelli F, Stolfa S, Morea A, Ronga L, Prete RD, Chironna M, Santacroce L, Mosca A. Meropenem/vaborbactam activity in vitro: a new option for Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae treatment. Future Microbiol 2021; 16:1261-1266. [PMID: 34674551 DOI: 10.2217/fmb-2021-0007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim: Infections by Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing K. pneumoniae represent a major challenge because of limited treatment strategies. New β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor associations may help to deal with this challenge. The aim of this study is to evaluate the in vitro susceptibility of KPC-producing K. pneumoniae for meropenem/vaborbactam in comparison with ceftazidime/avibactam against. Materials and methods: Twenty-eight strains isolated from blood cultures were evaluated. Testing for susceptibility to meropenem/vaborbactam and ceftazidime/avibactam was performed by E-test gradient strip. Results: All the clinical isolates were susceptible to meropenem/vaborbactam, while one strain was resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam with a MIC of 32 μg/ml. The median MIC of ceftazidime/avibactam evaluated after standardization was higher compared with that of meropenem/vaborbactam. Conclusion: Meropenem/vaborbactam could be an important turning point in the treatment of KPC-producing K. pneumoniae infections, especially considering the emergence of ceftazidime/avibactam resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Romanelli
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari, Italy
| | - Stefania Stolfa
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari, Italy
| | - Anna Morea
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari, Italy
| | - Luigi Ronga
- UOC Microbiology & Virology, University Hospital, Piazza Giulio Cesare 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Raffaele Del Prete
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari, Italy.,UOC Microbiology & Virology, University Hospital, Piazza Giulio Cesare 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Maria Chironna
- Department of Biomedical Sciences & Human Oncology-Hygiene Section, University of Bari, Italy
| | - Luigi Santacroce
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari, Italy.,UOC Microbiology & Virology, University Hospital, Piazza Giulio Cesare 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Adriana Mosca
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari, Italy.,UOC Microbiology & Virology, University Hospital, Piazza Giulio Cesare 70124, Bari, Italy
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Della Vella F, Lauritano D, Pannone G, Del Prete R, Di Stasio D, Contaldo M, Petruzzi M. Prevalence of HPV in patients affected by oral Lichen planus: A prospective study using two different chair-side sampling methods. J Oral Pathol Med 2021; 50:716-722. [PMID: 33501732 DOI: 10.1111/jop.13164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 01/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human Papillomavirus (HPV) role in oral potentially malignant lesions remains unclear. Aims of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of HPV infection in a cohort of patients affected by oral lichen planus, to analyze the genotypes involved, and to compare the performance of two specimen collection methods: brushing and biopsy. METHODS Consecutive patients with oral lichen planus were enrolled. Each patient's clinical and anamnestic data were recorded before he/she underwent brushing and biopsy procedures. The collected samples were analyzed using RT-PCR. Prevalence of HPV infection was evaluated considering cytobrush and biopsy outcomes alone and combined. Correlation between HPV presence and sex, age, smoke, alcohol, kind of lichen planus, Hepatitis C virus, and involved mucosae was analyzed using chi-square test (significance at P < .05). Cohen's k coefficient was employed to compare brushing and biopsy. RESULTS Fifty-two patients affected by oral lichen planus were enrolled. Total HPV prevalence was 17%, when considering only the biopsy and the cytobrush the prevalence was 15% and 6%, respectively. None of the considered variables showed significant correlation with HPV (P > .05). The concordance between the two methods was "fair" (k = .305). CONCLUSIONS The biopsy appears more reliable than cytobrush to detect HPV in course of oral lichen planus. No statistical correlation emerged with the analyzed variables. The most frequently detected genotypes were HPV 6 and 11, while only two cases presented with HPV 16 and 53, known as human oncogenic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fedora Della Vella
- Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Dorina Lauritano
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Centre of Neuroscience Milan, University of Milan-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Pannone
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Raffaele Del Prete
- Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Dario Di Stasio
- Multidisciplinary Department of Medical-Surgical and Odontostomatological Specialties, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Contaldo
- Multidisciplinary Department of Medical-Surgical and Odontostomatological Specialties, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Massimo Petruzzi
- Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
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Santacroce L, Inchingolo F, Topi S, Del Prete R, Di Cosola M, Charitos IA, Montagnani M. Potential beneficial role of probiotics on the outcome of COVID-19 patients: An evolving perspective. Diabetes Metab Syndr 2021; 15:295-301. [PMID: 33484986 PMCID: PMC7804381 DOI: 10.1016/j.dsx.2020.12.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Probiotics can support the body's systems in fighting viral infections. This review is aimed to focus current knowledge about the use of probiotics as adjuvant therapy for COVID-19 patients. METHODS We performed an extensive research using the PubMed-LitCovid, Cochrane Library, Embase databases, and conducting manual searches on Google Scholar, Elsevier Connect, Web of Science about this issue. RESULTS We have found several papers reporting data about the potential role of probiotics as well as contrasting experimental data about it. CONCLUSIONS Most data show good results demonstrating that probiotics can play a significant role in fighting SARS-CoV-2 infection, also compared with their use in the past for various diseases. They seem effective in lowering inflammatory status, moreover in patients with chronic comorbidities such as cancer and diabetes, improving clinical outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Santacroce
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Microbiology and Virology Unit, Medical School, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Policlinico University Hospital of Bari, p.zza G. Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy; Department of Clinical Disciplines, School of Technical Medical Sciences, "A. Xhuvani" University of Elbasan, Rruga Ismail Zyma, 3001, Elbasan, Albania
| | - Francesco Inchingolo
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Dentistry Unit, Medical School, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Policlinico University Hospital of Bari, p.zza G. Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Skender Topi
- Department of Clinical Disciplines, School of Technical Medical Sciences, "A. Xhuvani" University of Elbasan, Rruga Ismail Zyma, 3001, Elbasan, Albania
| | - Raffaele Del Prete
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Microbiology and Virology Unit, Medical School, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Policlinico University Hospital of Bari, p.zza G. Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Michele Di Cosola
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Riuniti University Hospital of Foggia, Viale Luigi Pinto 1, 71122, Foggia, Italy
| | - Ioannis Alexandros Charitos
- Department of Emergency and Urgency, National Poisoning Center, Riuniti University Hospital of Foggia, Viale Luigi Pinto 1, 71122, Foggia, Italy.
| | - Monica Montagnani
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology - Section of Pharmacology, Medical School, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Policlinico University Hospital of Bari, p.zza G. Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy
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Charitos IA, Del Prete R, Inchingolo F, Mosca A, Carretta D, Ballini A, Santacroce L. What we have learned for the future about COVID-19 and healthcare management of it? Acta Biomed 2020; 91:e2020126. [PMID: 33525232 PMCID: PMC7927466 DOI: 10.23750/abm.v91i4.10253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Background and aim of the work: COVID-19 is a current global pandemic. However, comprehensive global data analyses for its healthcare management are lacking. Methods: In this study we have researched through published scientific articles and international health care guidelines to find out actually about our knowledge for this new pandemic from SARS-CoV-2 and related COVID-19 disease that emerged from December 2019 in China in order to better manage this health emergency. Results: The pathogens represented by microorganisms (bacteria, mycetes or viruses) show their effect after days and are responsible for epidemics/pandemics as dangerous as the greater their possibility of transmission, especially by inhalation, and therefore their infectivity. Conclusions: The appearance of new pathogenic viruses for humans such as the SARS-CoV-2, which previously were found only in the animal world occurs through the spillover (is the third documented of an animal coronavirus to humans), it is thought that it could also be the same also for the origin of this virus. Furthermore, the trend of this pandemic in one of the countries most affected by Italy after China was also considered. (www.actabiomedica.it)
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Raffaele Del Prete
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Microbiology and Virology Unit, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
| | - Francesco Inchingolo
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Section of Dentistry, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
| | - Adriana Mosca
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Microbiology and Virology Unit, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
| | - Domenico Carretta
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Section of Dentistry, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
| | - Andrea Ballini
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Campus Universitario "Ernesto Quagliariello", Bari, Italy; Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy.
| | - Luigi Santacroce
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Microbiology and Virology Unit, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
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Romanelli F, De Robertis A, Carone G, Dalfino L, Stufano M, Del Prete R, Mosca A. In Vitro Activity of Ceftazidime/Avibactam Alone and in Combination With Fosfomycin and Carbapenems Against KPC-producing Klebsiella Pneumoniae. New Microbiol 2020; 43:136-138. [PMID: 32596740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumonia (KPC-Kp) represents a major therapeutic challenge in critically ill patients. Ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ-AVI) is a new effective drug against KPC-Kp but, due to emerging resistant strains during monotherapy, the association with a second antibiotic has been advocated. Therefore, intravenous fosfomycin may be a possible choice for combination therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro susceptibility of CAZ-AVI alone and in combination with fosfomycin and carbapenems against KPC-Kp clinical isolates by E-test method. The combination of CAZ-AVI with carbapenems showed synergistic activity, whereas with fosfomycin showed addictive activity, suggesting that fosfomycin may be a carbapenem-sparing strategy in antimicrobial stewardship programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Romanelli
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari, Italy
| | - Annalisa De Robertis
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari, Italy
| | - Gianluca Carone
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari, Italy
| | - Lidia Dalfino
- Anesthesia and Intensive Care Unit, Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, University of Bari, Italy
| | - Monica Stufano
- Anesthesia and Intensive Care Unit, Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, University of Bari, Italy
| | - Raffaele Del Prete
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari, Italy
- UOC Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Adriana Mosca
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari, Italy
- UOC Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy
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Ronga L, Abbasciano A, Calia C, Mosca A, Battista M, Sparapano E, De Carlo C, Miragliotta G, Del Prete R. Trends in the antibiotic resistance of S. aureus clinical isolates: a 4 years retrospective study in a teaching hospital in South Italy. Infez Med 2019; 27:266-273. [PMID: 31545770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is responsible for life-threatening conditions, while in the meantime it has rapidly acquired resistance to several antibiotic classes. In the context of an effective empirical antibiotic therapy, an accurate evaluation of the resistance rates of S. aureus may be critical. The aim of this study was to determine the resistance rates of S. aureus in the years 2015-2018 and to assess the impact of specimen stratification on the resistance rates. We have retrospectively analysed S. aureus strains isolated from blood, bronchial aspirate, pus, sputum and urine collected from hospitalized and ambulatory care patients. The comparison between resistance rates from 2015 to 2018 and among different specimens was assessed by Fisher's exact test followed by Benjamini and Hochberg's correction of the p-values. Higher resistance rates were detected for penicillin followed by oxacillin, levofloxacin, erythromycin and clindamycin. Differences in the annual resistance rates were not statistically significant after the BH's correction. The comparison between cumulative S. aureus resistance rates stratified by specimens showed some statistically relevant differences among the five specimen types. In particular, p-values were statistically significant for clindamycin, erythromycin, gentamicin, levofloxacin, oxacillin, penicillin and vancomycin. Annual resistance rates of S. aureus clinical isolates remained constant over the course of time. Moreover, the stratification of the data by specimen may significantly impact on the evaluation of the resistance rates, at least for some antibiotics. Therefore, if the number of data is high, stratification by specimens may be recommendable to better approach an empirical antibiotic therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Ronga
- UOC Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Angela Abbasciano
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Carla Calia
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Adriana Mosca
- UOC Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy; Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Michelina Battista
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Eleonora Sparapano
- UOC Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Carmela De Carlo
- UOC Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Miragliotta
- UOC Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy; Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Raffaele Del Prete
- UOC Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy; Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
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Della Vella F, Pannone G, Patano A, Ninivaggi R, Del Prete R, Lauritano D, Petruzzi M. Detection of HPV in oral leukoplakia by brushing and biopsy: prospective study in an Italian cohort. Clin Oral Investig 2019; 24:1845-1851. [PMID: 31402398 DOI: 10.1007/s00784-019-03048-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
AIM The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of HPV infection in oral leukoplakia, specifying the HPV genotypes eventually involved. We also compared the micro-biopsy and brushing HPV detecting efficacy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Consecutive patients with a presumptive diagnosis of oral leukoplakia were enrolled. Demographical, behavioral data (smoking, alcohol) and lesion features were recorded. Each patient underwent a brushing procedure, performed with a cytobrush rubbed on the lesion, and then a biopsy was performed. The brushing and micro-biopsy specimens were both analyzed with the HPV 28 Anyplex II Seegene RT-PCR. The prevalence of HPV infection was calculated considering the two methods' outcomes separately and then combining both. Cohen's k coefficient was used to assess the agreement between the two methods. RESULTS Sixty-five patients were enrolled with a mean age of 60 years. The HPV infection prevalence was 17%, decreasing to 5% considering the brushing outcomes alone. The most frequently detected genotypes were 6 (12%), 11 (3%), 42 (3%), and 16 (3%). No statistically significant correlation was found between HPV infection and the variables analyzed, except for smoking and the type of mucosa (p < 0.05). The strength of agreement between cytobrush and micro-biopsy was "fair" (k = 0.384). CONCLUSIONS The present study showed a low prevalence of HPV infection in oral leukoplakia. The micro-biopsy appeared to be more reliable than brushing in detecting HPV DNA in oral leukoplakia, but the method invasiveness discourages its employ as a screening tool. The importance of HPV in the etiopathogenesis of oral potentially malignant lesions remains unclear; further studies are needed to establish the HPV role in oral leukoplakia. CLINICAL RELEVANCE HPV involvement in oral leukoplakia and an effective and appropriate detecting technique are still a debated issue. From this study, the restricted use of brushing did not appear sufficient to assess the presence of HPV infection with PCR techniques in samples obtained from oral leukoplakia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fedora Della Vella
- Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy.
| | - Giuseppe Pannone
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Assunta Patano
- Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Rossella Ninivaggi
- Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Raffaele Del Prete
- Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Dorina Lauritano
- Department of Medicine and Surgery
- University of Milan-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Massimo Petruzzi
- Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy.
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Del Prete R, Ronga L, Addati G, Magrone R, Abbasciano A, Decimo M, Mosca A, Miragliotta G. Trends in Klebsiella pneumoniae strains isolated from the bloodstream in a teaching hospital in southern Italy. Infez Med 2019; 27:17-25. [PMID: 30882374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a common nosocomial pathogen involved in many infectious diseases such as bacteraemia, urinary and respiratory tract infections. It is responsible for the rise in morbidity and mortality rates since most clinical isolates exhibit resistance to several antibiotics. Moreover, the epidemiology of these nosocomial infections is variable across countries and regions. From January 2015 to December 2017 we retrospectively analysed the bloodstream infections caused by K. pneumoniae strains in hospitalised patients with the aim of studying the temporal trends of wild type (WT), multi-drug resistant (MDR), extended drug resistant (XDR), pan-drug resistant (PDR) and carbapenem-resistant (CR) strains. In all, 439 K. pneumoniae isolates from 356 patients were collected from all units of the Policlinico of Bari. The majority of clinical isolates were collected from the intensive care unit (125, 28.47%), haematology (34, 7.74%), rehabilitation (27, 6.15%) and cardiac surgery wards (25, 5.69%). Moreover, the majority of the isolates were classified as CR (325, 74.03%, 95%CI: 69.61-78.19) and XDR (255, 58.09%, 95%CI: 53.31-62.72). Annual prevalence rates and monthly counts were analysed using the Chi Squared test for trends and the Poisson regression with multiple p-value correction according to Benjamini and Hochberg's procedure. The annual relative frequencies of the XDR and CR K. pneumoniae isolates decreased significantly from 63.37% to 48.44% and from 78.48% to 63.28% respectively, while WT K. pneumoniae significantly increased from 13.95% to 23.44%. Poisson regression analysis confirmed the presence of a decreasing monthly trend for the XDR and CR K. pneumoniae count series. In order to control the spread of antibiotic resistance, more inclusive surveillance data will be needed to either confirm these results or improve antibiotic stewardship measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Del Prete
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy; UOC Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Luigi Ronga
- UOC Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Grazia Addati
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Raffaella Magrone
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Angela Abbasciano
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Marilú Decimo
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Adriana Mosca
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy; UOC Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Miragliotta
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy; UOC Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy
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Patano A, Federico A, Benizio G, Del Prete R, Ninivaggi R, Petruzzi M. HPV 28 anyplex II seegene Real Time PCR on samples collected using cytobrush and microbiopsy for the detection of HPV infection in patients affected by oral lichen planus and leukoplakia. Front Physiol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/conf.fphys.2019.27.00079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Del Prete R, Ronga L, Addati G, Magrone R, Miragliotta G. Prevalence of Clostridium difficile and ribotype 027 infection in patients with nosocomial diarrhoea in Southern Italy. New Microbiol 2017; 40:264-268. [PMID: 28994447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Clostridium difficile is an emerging cause of healthcare-associated infections. The increasing frequency and severity is attributed to highly virulent ribotypes such as 027. The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze the prevalence of CDI and ribotype 027 in 481 clinical samples collected from hospitalized patients and sent to the laboratory of molecular biology, UOC Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria, Policlinico of Bari, Italy. Toxins A+B and DNA C. difficile detections were performed using immunochromatographic test and a multiplex real-time PCR assay, respectively. Overall, 37/366 (10.11%) patients were positive at the immunochromatographic assay. This result was confirmed in 31 (8.47%) samples from 31 different patients by molecular assay. Logist regression confirmed age >50 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 4.29, 95%CI:1.44-18.50) and hospitalization in the Infectious Diseases (aOR: 3.77, 95%CI: 1.34-9.85) ward were risk factors for CDI. The associated 027 ribotype deletion D117tcd was detected in seven (22.58%) of 31 positive patients. Exploratory analysis of monthly prevalence of 027 ribotype suggested a slight increase after August 2015. Our results show that a monitoring program is needed to either better assess the diffusion of CDI and ribotype 027 or also to establish the risk factors associated with the transmission in our healthcare facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Del Prete
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari " Aldo Moro", Bari
- UOC Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Luigi Ronga
- UOC Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Grazia Addati
- UOC Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Raffaella Magrone
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari " Aldo Moro", Bari
| | - Giuseppe Miragliotta
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari " Aldo Moro", Bari
- UOC Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy
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Del Prete R, Ronga L, Addati G, Magrone R, Di Carlo D, Miragliotta G. Prevalence, genotype distribution and temporal dynamics of human papillomavirus infection in a population in southern Italy. Infez Med 2017; 25:247-257. [PMID: 28956542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is considered the most important risk factor for the development of ano-genital region cancer in both women and men. Whereas low-risk genotypes are responsible for cutaneous and genital lesions, high-risk genotypes are associated with ano-genital cancer. The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyse the prevalence, genotype distribution and temporal dynamics of HPV infection in 2312 specimens from 2312 subjects (2149 women and 163 men) who attended the laboratory of molecular biology, UOC Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria, Policlinico of Bari, Italy. HPV DNA detection and genotyping was performed using a multiplex real-time PCR assay. In all, 1123/2312 subjects (48.57%) resulted positive for HPV DNA. In particular, HPV DNA was detected in (1056) 49.14% of females and (67) 41.10% of males. HPV co-infections were detected in 565 (24.44%) patients. High-risk and low-risk HPV genotypes were detected in 887 (38.37%) and 600 (25.95%) patients, respectively. The most prevalent HPV genotypes were HPV-42 (10.29%), HPV-16 (8.56%), HPV-31 (7.40%) and HPV-53 (7.14%). Statistically significant differences between female and male patients were not detected. Moreover, HPV prevalence remained constant in time while HPV-16, but not HPV-6, 11 and 18, showed a decreasing trend from 2013 (11.24%) to 2016 (6.67%). Other HPV genotypes showed some complex and different patterns. Our data showed an unusually high frequency of HPV-42 and a high prevalence of HPV infection in the patients analysed. Although evidence of a decreasing trend of HPV-16 could be a consequence of anti-HPV vaccination, corroboration from further studies will be needed. Moreover, the small number of studied males and the similarity to females in terms of HPV prevalence suggest that more active HPV screening and anti-HPV vaccination in the male population should be considered important tools to eliminate HPV sexual transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Del Prete
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy; UOC Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Luigi Ronga
- UOC Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Grazia Addati
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Raffaella Magrone
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Domenico Di Carlo
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Miragliotta
- Section of Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), School of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy; UOC Microbiology and Virology, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy
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Mosca A, Miragliotta L, Del Prete R, Tzakis G, Dalfino L, Bruno F, Pagani L, Migliavacca R, Piazza A, Miragliotta G. Rapid and sensitive detection of bla KPC gene in clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae by a molecular real-time assay. Springerplus 2013; 2:31. [PMID: 23450269 PMCID: PMC3581762 DOI: 10.1186/2193-1801-2-31] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2012] [Accepted: 01/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The aim of this study was the rapid identification of bla KPC gene in 38 Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates with reduced susceptibility to carbapenems. The modified Hodge Test (MHT) was carried out to phenotypically determine whether resistance to carbapenems was mediated by a carbapenemase. The detection of the bla KPC gene was performed by real-time acid nucleic sequence-based amplification (NASBA™™), specifically designed for the detection of KPC RNA target. RESULTS Thirty-two/38 isolates evaluated by MHT showed the production of carbapenemases, while all the strains exhibited the production of KPC by inhibition test with phenylboronic acid (the combined disk test with IPM/IPM plus phenylboronic acid). The detection of bla KPC gene by Nuclisens EasyQ KPC yielded positive results in 38/38 (100%) strains. The presence of bla KPC gene was confirmed in all K. pneumoniae isolates when tested by the gold standard PCR assay. CONCLUSIONS In consideration of the serious challenge represented by infections due to K. pneumoniae it appears necessary the rapid identification of carbapenemases in clinical settings as it is made possible by the use of NASBA™ assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Mosca
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine Microbiology, University of Bari, Piazza Giulio Cesare, Bari, 70124 Italy
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Mosca A, Del Prete R, Quaranta N, Miragliotta L. Tuberculous otitis media with facial paralysis: microbiological and clinical study. Microbiol Med 2011. [DOI: 10.4081/mm.2011.2347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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20
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Miragliotta G, Di Taranto A, De Nittis R, Antonetti R, Del Prete R, Mosca A. ESBL-producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae: prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility. Microbiol Med 2009. [DOI: 10.4081/mm.2009.2530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Miragliotta G, Mosca A, Del Prete R, De Nittis R, Antonetti R, Di Taranto A. Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis in a child vaccinated with pneumococcal heptavalent conjugate vaccine. New Microbiol 2009; 32:317-318. [PMID: 19845117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Pneumococcal meningitis is still today a life threatening disease among children under-5 worldwide. Although the heptavalent vaccine has demonstrated its ability to reduce the incidence of pneumococcal disease its efficacy is limited due to the restricted number of serotypes included. We report a case of a child with a Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis despite the use of heptavalent conjugate vaccine.
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Del Prete R, Di Taranto AM, Lipsi MR, Natalicchio MI, Antonetti R, Miragliotta G. Simultaneous detection of viruses and Toxoplasma gondii in cerebrospinal fluid specimens by multiplex polymerase chain reaction-based reverse hybridization assay. New Microbiol 2009; 32:143-146. [PMID: 19579690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The lack of rapidity and the low sensitivity and specificity of traditional laboratory methods limits their usefulness in the laboratory diagnosis of viral central nervous system (CNS) infections. This study describes the use of a commercially available multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR)-based reverse hybridization assay (RHA) for the simultaneous detection of the genomes of 8 viruses and Toxoplasma gondii in cerebrospinal fluids (CSF) from 181 patients suspected of having viral meningitis. Twenty-two/181 (12.15%) CSF samples resulted positive by mPCR. Eighteen/22 were positive for 1 viral pathogen, whereas a dual infection was detected in 4/22 samples. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was the most commonly detected virus (6/22), followed by herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) (5/22) and -2 (HSV-2) (4/22). Cytomegalovirus (CMV), human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6), and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) were detected in 1 specimen each. Two CSF samples were co-infected by HSV-1/HSV-2, 1 sample by HHV-6/T. gondii, and 1 sample by EBV/EV, respectively. Our data support the usefulness of mPCR as a rapid molecular method for the simultaneous detection of major viral pathogens and T. gondii in aseptic meningitis also to allow the earlier application of specific antiviral therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Del Prete
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Immunology, Infectious Diseases, University of Bari, Italy
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Santacroce L, Cagiano R, Carlaio RG, Del Prete R, Bottalico L. [Dentistry oral hygiene and endocarditis. Pathophysiology and prophylactic therapy]. Recenti Prog Med 2008; 99:516-521. [PMID: 19040131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Infectious endocarditis is a cardiac pathology of bacterial, viral or more rarely mycotic origin developing on the surfaces of the endocardium or heart valves. Predisposing conditions are congenital malformations of the heart or valvular acquired alterations, as well as the presence of a valvular prosthesis. The microorganisms involved in the etiology and pathogenesis of the damage of such infection (bacterias, viruses or yeasts) determine the formation of the endocardic vegetations typical of this condition. Such lesions can be located on the valvular or the parietal endocardium and sometimes on the endothelium of a great artery. In despite of the elevated standards of instrumental investigations and therapeutic protocols, the bacterial endocarditis represents a pathology of wide interest, scientific and social, due to its high rate of incidence, morbility and mortality. Still now infectious endocarditis causes death in 20-30% of the patients. Although the significant progress on prevention of the infectious diseases and of the cross infections in dentistry practice, from the tartar ablation up to the oncologic oral surgery, still now the skills of oral hygiene and dentistry represent a potential threat for the development of an infectious endocarditis in predisposed patients. The authors, on the base of the revision of the literature and of their own clinical experience, show the etiology, pathophysiology and the clinical pictures related to such complex disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Santacroce
- Dipartimento di Clinica Medica, Immunologia e Malattie Infettive, Unità di Tossicologia.
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Del Prete R, Di Taranto AM, Lipsi MR, Nirchio V, Antonetti R, Miragliotta G. Prevalence and genotypes identification of human papillomavirus infection in a population of South Italy. J Clin Virol 2008; 42:211-4. [PMID: 18339580 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcv.2008.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2007] [Revised: 01/22/2008] [Accepted: 01/23/2008] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A limited number of human papillomavirus (HPV) types account for the majority of invasive cervical cancer cases. OBJECTIVES To assess, in a southern Italian region, where HPV infection had not yet been investigated, the prevalence of type-specific HPV infection. STUDY DESIGN Multiplex PCR was used to test cervical specimens from 871 asymptomatic women. RESULTS The HPV infection rate was 23.1%, with the highest prevalence being observed in women aged 20-30 years (32.6%). Type 16 was the most frequent HPV type detected either in mono-infected (39.8%) or in multi-infected (46.3%) women. CONCLUSIONS The HPV infection rate was higher than reported from other Italian areas. Our results further emphasise the importance of vaccinations to immunize females before they acquire HPV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Del Prete
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Immunology, Infectious Diseases, University of Bari, Piazza Giulio Cesare, 70124 Bari, Italy
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Miragliotta G, Antonetti R, Di Taranto A, Mosca A, Del Prete R. Direct detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in pulmonary and extrapulmonary samples by BDProbeTec ET system. New Microbiol 2005; 28:67-73. [PMID: 15782628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
BDProbeTec ET (Becton Dickinson, Sparks, Md, USA) is a fully automated walkaway system based on strand displacement amplification (SDA) technology that provides a method for the direct detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) target sequence. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of BDProbeTec ET system to detect MTBC directly from clinical specimens and compare the results with staining and culture. From February 2002 through December 2003 a total of 1521 [pulmonary (n=1329) and extrapulmonary (n=192)] specimens from 1518 patients were examined by BDProbeTec ET system for the detection of MTBC and the results were compared to those obtained by microscopy and liquid culture (BACTEC 9000 MB, Becton Dickinson). MTBC was cultivated from 65 specimens (60 pulmonary and 5 extrapulmonary) of which 43 (66.2%) (42 pulmonary and 1 extrapulmonary) were smear positive and 22 (33.8%) (18 pulmonary and 4 extrapulmonary) were smear negative. BDProbeTec ET detected MTBC in 58 (55 pulmonary and 3 extrapulmonary) of the 65 culture-positive specimens. Although the BDProbeTec ET system gave five false-negative results among the 18 smear-negative culture-positive pulmonary specimens, our results demonstrate that the BDProbeTec ET system is a reliable tool in smear-positive samples and given its technical characteristics it can be used for the rapid detection of MTBC in either pulmonary or extrapulmonary samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Miragliotta
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Bari, Italy.
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Ciarrocchi G, De Benedetto F, Fogliani V, Magliano E, Del Prete R, Miragliotta G. Valutazione del ruolo delle IgM, IgG, IgA sieriche e delle IgA dello sputo nella diagnosi di polmonite comunitaria da Chlamydia pneumoniae: studio italiano policentrico. Microbiol Med 2004. [DOI: 10.4081/mm.2004.2994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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Del Prete R, Quaranta M, Lippolis A, Giannuzzi V, Mosca A, Jirillo E, Miragliotta G. Detection of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in stool samples of patients with inflammatory bowel disease by IS900-based PCR and colorimetric detection of amplified DNA. J Microbiol Methods 1998. [DOI: 10.1016/s0167-7012(98)00036-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Mosca A, D'Alagni M, Del Prete R, Simone A, De Santis A, Miragliotta G. Rapid recovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex from clinical specimens using the BACTEC 9000 MB system, a new automated fluorimetric technique. Clin Microbiol Infect 1997; 3:352-355. [PMID: 11864132 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.1997.tb00625.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the new non-radioactive automated method BACTEC 9000 MB system for the rapid detection of mycobacteria in clinical specimens. METHODS: Ninety clinical specimens from 90 patients with a clinical diagnosis of tuberculosis were tested by both BACTEC 9000 and standard microbiological methods, and the results compared. RESULTS: The BACTEC 9000, in comparison with the standard method, showed significantly higher detection rates (45 of 90 positive versus 34), shorter time to culture positivity (mean time 18.8 versus 27.4 days) and lower contamination rate (2.2% versus 5.5%). CONCLUSIONS: These results encourage the use of this new system and suggest its use in microbiological laboratories involved in mycobacteriology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Mosca
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Bari, Policlinico-Piazza G. Cesare, and
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Del Prete R, Buongiorno MR, Mosca A, Miragliotta G. Inhibition of Mononuclear Cell Procoagulant Activity by Lipophosphoglycan of Leishmania donovani. Clin Microbiol Infect 1995; 1:31-34. [PMID: 11866718 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.1995.tb00021.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Since fibrin formation is an expression of the response of the host to parasite spread, the lipophosphoglycan (LPG) of Leishmania donovani and its carbohydrate fragment (PG) were examined for their capacity to inhibit procoagulant activity (PCA) production by human mononuclear cells stimulated with Escherichia coli endotoxin in vitro. METHODS: the putative inhibitory effect of LPG and its PG fragment was evaluated on the basis of their in vitro capacity to prolong significantly the time required for coagulation induced by endotoxin-stimulated mononuclear cells. RESULTS: LPG exhibited the most inhibitory activity, whereas the carbohydrate domain was not effective. These results are in agreement with the notion that LPG (but not PG) has an inhibitory effect on protein kinase C activity which plays a key role in the production of PCA by human monocytes. CONCLUSIONS: From a pathophysiological point of view, these data suggest the possibility that Leishmania avoids fibrin entrapment in the host through this inhibitory mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Del Prete
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Bari, Policlinico, Piazza G. Cesare, I-70124 Bari, Italy
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