Non-mumps parotitis associated with influenza A/H3N2: A case series from Southern Italy during the 2024-2025 influenza season.

Parotitis, commonly associated with the mumps virus, can also result from other viral infections. We report a case series of 21 children and preadolescents presenting with mumps-like parotitis in Southern Italy between January and February 2025, all of whom had been vaccinated against mumps. In all cases, mumps virus was not detected by real-time PCR in clinical samples.

Multicenter Cross-sectional Study on the Epidemiology of Human Metapneumovirus in Italy, 2022-2024, With a Focus on Adults Over 50 Years of Age.

Background: Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) infections have a significant impact on public health. However, the extent of this burden in Italy remains poorly defined due to a lack of comprehensive data. The aim of this cross-sectional multicenter study was to understand the epidemiology of hMPV in Italy, particularly in older adults.

Outpatient Testing for HIV in Italy, 2018-2023-Preliminary Data.

HIV testing is crucial towards the control of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) epidemic. Monitoring trends of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing over time may help interpret the incidence of new HIV diagnoses and effectiveness of HIV testing strategies. We started a research project aimed at assessing testing rates for HIV infection among Italian outpatients in 2018-2023.

First seroprevalence study of West Nile Virus (WNV) infection in blood donors after the upsurge of West Nile Neuroinvasive Disease (WNND) cases in southern Italy in 2023.

Background: Mosquito-borne diseases are an emerging threat in Europe. West Nile virus (WNV) is an arbovirus commonly transmitted in an enzootic cycle involving ornithophilic mosquitoes as major vectors. In recent years, global climate change has been identified as a significant driver of the increased spread of this virus.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Hospitalizations in the Elderly in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Southern Italy as a Useful Proxy for Targeting Vaccine Preventive Strategies.

RSV infection causes severe respiratory illness and mortality in the elderly, especially in the presence of comorbidities. Early identification of infection would result in appropriate clinical-therapeutic management, avoiding hospitalizations, the risk of healthcare-associated infections, and inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions, thus reducing healthcare costs and fighting antimicrobial resistance. The aim of this study was to assess RSV hospitalizations in subjects >64 years hospitalized in a large tertiary care hospital in Southern Italy, in order to assess their usefulness as a proxy for targeting a potential vaccination strategy.

Echovirus 11 lineage I and other enteroviruses in hospitalized children with acute respiratory infection in Southern Italy, 2022- 2023.

Objectives: A new variant of echovirus 11 (E11) infection is a major health concern in neonates. Here, we describe the clinical and virological characteristics of enterovirus (EV) infections in children hospitalized with acute respiratory infection in Southern Italy.

Methods: Between July 2022 and August 2023, 173 EV infections were identified.

Abrupt Increase in Detection of Locally Acquired West-Nile-Virus-Lineage-2-Mediated Neuroinvasive Disease in a Previously Non-Endemic Area of Southern Italy (2023).

West Nile virus (WNV) is a public health concern in Europe. Rising temperatures and the migration of potential vectors promote the spread of viruses to previously unaffected areas. In 2023, the Apulia region of Southern Italy experienced an unexpected increase in West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND); no such cases had been reported in the previous 10 years.

Relationship between oral lesions and severe SARS-CoV-2 infection in intensive care unit patients.

Objective: Oral lesions received increased attention as likely new signs or secondary manifestations of COVID-19. Therefore, we clinically examined oral cavity of patients with COVID-19 and investigated oral lesions and patient comorbidities as possible risk factors of COVID-19 disease outcome.

Methods: From January to March 2022, a prospective study was conducted by recruiting all COVID-19 patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and Respiratory Intensive Care Unit of Maxi-Emergencies Hospital in Bari, Italy.

Peri-oral Monkeypox Virus Infection: A Clinical Report with Confirmatory Polymerase Chain Reaction Findings.

Mpox Virus (MPXV) is a zoonotic infectious disease first identified in 1970 in rural villages in rainforest areas of central and western Africa when smallpox was in the final stages of eradication. Since May 2022, cases and sustained transmission chains of monkeypox have been reported for the first time in countries where the disease is not endemic and without cases having direct or immediate epidemiological links to areas of West or Central Africa (travel, importation of mammals). On 23 July 2022, WHO declared monkeypox a "Public Emergency of International Concern" (PHEIC).

What's Next for Flu? Out-of-Season Circulation of Influenza Viruses in Southern Italy, August 2022.

The COVID-19 pandemic has modified the seasonal pattern of respiratory infections. The objective of the present study is to characterize the out-of-season circulation of influenza viruses and an influenza outbreak that occurred in southern Italy in August 2022. Nasopharyngeal swabs collected from patients with influenza-like illnesses (ILI) were tested for the presence of influenza and other respiratory viruses.

Monkeypox Virus Infections in Southern Italy: Is There a Risk for Community Spread?

The ongoing outbreak of the Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is characterized by sustained human-to-human transmission, particularly among men who have sex with men (MSM). The aim of the study was to describe the characteristics of the MPXV infection identified in Southern Italy. Clinical samples for each suspected case identified from 1 June to 1 August 2022 were tested for MPXV, and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on two strains.

Seroprevalence of vector-borne pathogens in outdoor workers from southern Italy and associated occupational risk factors.

Background: Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) represent an emerging global threat to public health due to the geographical expansion of arthropod vectors. The study aims to assess the seroprevalence of selected vector-borne pathogens (VBPs) in different groups of outdoor workers and the occupational risk factors for exposure to arthropod bites.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 170 workers recruited in two different regions of southern Italy, including farmers, forestry workers, veterinarians, geologists/agronomists and administrative employees, and tested for IgG antibodies against Bartonella henselae, Borrelia spp.

Out-of-Season Epidemic of Respiratory Syncytial Virus during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The High Burden of Child Hospitalization in an Academic Hospital in Southern Italy in 2021.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is the most common cause of hospitalization in young children. In the last 2 years, public health measures aimed at controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2 have affected the epidemiology and seasonality of RSV worldwide. The aim of this descriptive retrospective observational study was to describe the characteristics of children hospitalized with RSV in an academic tertiary care hospital in Southern Italy in 2021.

COVID-19 Variants in Critically Ill Patients: A Comparison of the Delta and Omicron Variant Profiles.

Background: Coronavirus disease is a pandemic that has disrupted many human lives, threatening people's physical and mental health. Each pandemic wave struck in different ways, infectiveness-wise and mortality-wise. This investigation focuses on critically ill patients affected by the last two variants, Delta and Omicron, and aims to analyse if any difference exists between the two groups.

Characteristics of the First 284 Patients Infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 Subvariant at a Single Center in the Apulia Region of Italy, January-March 2022.

Since its initial detection, the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sublineage BA.2 has been spreading rapidly worldwide. The aims of this study were to describe the first 284 patients infected with the Omicron BA.

Autochthonous Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant in Booster-Vaccinated (3 Doses) Healthcare Workers in Southern Italy: Just the Tip of the Iceberg?

The Omicron variant of concern (VOC), first detected in Italy at the end of November 2021, has since spread rapidly, despite high vaccine coverage in the Italian population, especially in healthcare workers (HCWs). This study describes an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection in 15 booster-vaccinated HCWs. On 16 December 2021, two HCWs working in the same ward were infected with SARS-CoV-2.

No evidence of SARS-CoV-2 in hospitalized patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome in five Italian hospitals from 1st November 2019 to 29th February 2020.

Background: On 9th January 2020, China CDC reported a novel coronavirus (later named SARS-CoV-2) as the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Identifying the first appearance of virus is of epidemiological importance to tracking and mapping the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in a country. We therefore conducted a retrospective observational study to detect SARS-CoV-2 in oropharyngeal samples collected from hospitalized patients with a Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) enrolled in the DRIVE (Development of Robust and Innovative Vaccine Effectiveness) study in five Italian hospitals (CIRI-IT BIVE hospitals network) (1st November 2019 - 29th February 2020).

Changing Features of COVID-19: Characteristics of Infections with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta (B.1.617.2) and Alpha (B.1.1.7) Variants in Southern Italy.

Differences in the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients infected with the Alpha and Delta SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in a large region of Southern Italy were assessed. Two cohorts of positive patients were compared. The Alpha group consisted of 11,135 subjects diagnosed between 21 March and 21 April 2021, and the Delta group consisted of 499 positive subjects diagnosed between 21 July and 21 August 2021.

Work-Related Human T-lymphotropic Virus 1 and 2 (HTLV-1/2) Infection: A Systematic Review.

Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 and 2 (HTLV-1/2) belong to the delta group of retroviruses which may cause a life-long infection in humans, HTLV-1 leading to adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma and other diseases. Different transmission modes have been described, such as breastfeeding, and, as for other blood-borne pathogens, unsafe sexual activity, intravenous drug usage, and blood transfusion and transplantation. The present systematic review was conducted to identify all peer-reviewed studies concerning the work-related infection by HTLV-1/2.

Update on the Epidemiology of Macrolide-Resistant in Europe: A Systematic Review.

Macrolide-resistant (MR-MP) infections cause upper and lower respiratory tract infections in both children and adults, and are characterized by a longer duration of symptoms. Here, we undertook a systematic review of studies on MR-MP in Europe. The review meets PRISMA guidelines.

The Challenge of Using an Antigen Test as a Screening Tool for SARS-CoV-2 Infection in an Emergency Department: Experience of a Tertiary Care Hospital in Southern Italy.

Background: In emergency hospital settings, rapid diagnosis and isolation of SARS-CoV-2 patients are required. The aim of the study was to evaluate the performance of an antigen chemiluminescence enzymatic immunoassay (CLEIA) and compare it with that of Real-time Reverse transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR), the gold standard assay, to assess its suitability as a rapid diagnostic method for managing patients in the emergency department (ED).

Methods: Consecutive patients with no previous history of SARS-CoV-2 infection attending the ED of the Policlinico Hospital of Bari between 23rd October and 4th November 2020 were enrolled.

Severe COVID-19 by SARS-CoV-2 Lineage B.1.1.7 in Vaccinated Solid-Organ Transplant Recipients: New Preventive Strategies Needed to Protect Immunocompromised Patients.

Background: Solid-organ transplant (SOT) recipients are at a high risk of severe COVID-19, and are priority for vaccination. Here, we describe three cases of severe COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 B.1.