Early Warning Approach to Identify Positive Cases of SARS-CoV-2 in School Settings in Italy.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some studies suggested that transmission events could originate from schools. This study aimed to evaluate early-warning methods for identifying asymptomatic COVID-19 cases by implementing screening programs in schools. This study was conducted between September 2021 and May 2023, employing a rotation-screening plan for COVID-19 detection on a sample of students aged 14 to 19 years attending secondary schools in the regions of Tuscany, Veneto, Apulia and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

Evaluating Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Methods for Cefiderocol: A Review and Expert Opinion on Current Practices and Future Directions.

Background: Cefiderocol (FDC) presents challenges in antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). The reference standard is the broth microdilution (BMD) method with iron-depleted cation-adjusted Mueller-Hinton broth (ID-CAMHB). Still, it is cumbersome for routine clinical laboratory use, while variable accuracy has been reported with available commercial systems.

Evaluation of a digital remote extraction analysis and monitoring tool for key performance indicators (KPIs) in the blood culture process.

Purpose: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) pose a significant health threat, requiring effective diagnostic processes to ensure appropriate treatment. Monitoring the quality of blood cultures (BCs) process (the cornerstone of BSIs etiological diagnosis) is critical. This study aimed to describe an automated tool, BD DREAM™ (Digital Remote Extraction Analysis & Monitoring), designed for monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) in the BCs process.

Antimicrobial Photodynamic Activity of the Zn(II) Phthalocyanine RLP068/Cl Versus Antimicrobial-Resistant Priority Pathogens.

The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance among pathogens are significantly reducing available therapeutic options, highlighting the urgent need for novel and complementary treatment strategies. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is a promising alternative approach that can overcome antimicrobial resistance through a multitarget mechanism of action, exerting direct bactericidal and fungicidal effects with minimal risk of resistance development. Although aPDT has shown efficacy against a variety of pathogens, data on its activity against large collections of clinical multidrug-resistant strains are still limited.

Fatal Infection: Post-Mortem Assessment and Review of the Literature.

, which has recently been reclassified as and subsequently as , is a rare human pathogen linked to infections of high morbidity and mortality, often presenting as fulminant toxic shock syndrome. Although most documented cases involve individuals with pre-existing health issues, such as immunosuppression and cancer, or those who have undergone specific gynecological procedures, there are few instances reported in otherwise healthy individuals. In this report, we present a case of fatality associated with infection in a young individual with a history of drug abuse, following post-mortem examinations.

Molecular Assays on Cutaneous Swabs as an Effective, Non-Invasive Diagnostic Technique for Cutaneous Leishmaniasis: Results from a Retrospective Study Conducted in Italy.

Background: The case confirmation of CL relies on the direct demonstration of the parasite in clinical specimens from skin tissues. Despite most research efforts focusing on biopsy samples as the preferred diagnostic specimen for the detection of spp., the use of non-invasive sampling, such as cutaneous swabs, combined with the use of molecular assays, has shown promising results.

Detection of β-lactam resistance genes in Gram-negative bacteria from positive blood cultures using a microchip-based molecular assay.

Background: Accurate detection of β-lactam resistance genes in bloodstream infections is critical for guiding antimicrobial therapy. This study evaluates the Alifax Gram-negative resistance (GNR) microchip assay for detecting β-lactam resistance genes directly from positive blood cultures (PBCs) for Gram-negative (GN) bacteria, including Enterobacterales, , and .

Methods: Simulated (n=146) and clinical (n=106) GN-PBC samples were tested for , , , , -like, -like, -ESBL, group, and -like genes using the GNR microchip assay.

Evaluation of QuickMIC system for rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Gram-negative pathogens from positive blood cultures, including strains producing extended-spectrum β-lactamases and carbapenemases.

The accuracy and turnaround time (TAT) of the QuickMIC system (QMIC) for rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of Gram-negative pathogens from positive blood cultures were evaluated, in comparison with a standard-of-care workflow based on culture and AST with broth microdilution. Essential agreement (EA) and bias were evaluated according to the ISO 20776-2:2021, category agreement (CA), categorical overestimation (CO), and underestimation (CU) rates were evaluated according to the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing(EUCAST) breakpoints, and major discrepancy (MD) and very major discrepancy (VMD) rates were evaluated according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines and breakpoints. QMIC yielded evaluable data for 103/118 blood cultures (87.

SAND: a comprehensive annotation of class D β-lactamases using structural alignment-based numbering.

Class D β-lactamases are a diverse group of enzymes that contribute to antibiotic resistance by inactivating β-lactam antibiotics. Examination of class D β-lactamases has evolved significantly over the years, with advancements in molecular biology and structural analysis providing deeper insights into their mechanisms of action and variation in specificity. However, one of the challenges in the field is the inconsistent residue numbering and secondary structure annotation across different studies, which complicates the comparison and interpretation of data.

Meropenem-Vaborbactam for Treatment of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales: A Narrative Review of Clinical Practice Evidence.

Among drug-resistant bacteria, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) are a major clinical challenge with limited options for treatment. In the last several years, new treatment options have emerged for CRE, including meropenem-vaborbactam (MVB). MVB was studied clinically in the TANGO-I and TANGO-II trials, which evaluated the combination in complicated urinary tract infections and in different types of CRE infections, respectively.

The Etiology and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Community-Onset Urinary Tract Infections in a Low-Resource/High-Resistance Area of Latin America.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common and are typically treated empirically, based on local antimicrobial resistance (AMR) data, which are often scarce in low- and middle-income countries. This study examines the AMR patterns of pathogens causing community-onset (CO) UTIs in the Bolivian Chaco. Urine samples were collected from subjects with suspected CO-UTIs and analyzed by culture techniques.

Next-generation diagnostics of bloodstream infections enabled by rapid whole-genome sequencing of bacterial cells purified from blood cultures.

Background: Blood culture (BC) remains the cornerstone for diagnosis of bloodstream infections (BSI), but the long turn-around time (TAT) hampers timely selection of appropriate chemotherapy. Novel molecular approaches have been developed to provide faster results but are also affected by limitations. We developed a analytical workflow named LC-WGS (Whole-Genome Sequencing of Liquid Colony) for rapid whole-genome sequencing-based diagnosis of BSI, evaluating its accuracy performance over standard of care (SoC) diagnostic procedures.

Evaluation of Xpert Carba-R Assay Performance from FecalSwab™ Samples.

: The emergence and spread of carbapenemase-producing (CPE) represents a significant challenge prompting the need to optimize diagnostic tools to detect CPE carriers. The Xpert Carba-R assay (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA, USA), a Real-Time PCR-based test, can detect the , , , and carbapenemase genes directly from rectal swabs. This study assessed the performance of the Xpert Carba-R assay using FecalSwab™ (Copan, Brescia, Italy), a liquid-based collection device.

Dealing with Challenges Posed by Antimicrobial Resistance in Long-Term Acute-Care Rehabilitation Facilities.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as one of the major challenges for human health, with a remarkable burden of mortality, morbidity, and healthcare-associated costs [...

Inflammatory biomarkers and childhood maltreatment: A cluster analysis in patients with eating disorders.

Eating Disorders (EDs) are severe psychiatric disorders, with growing evidence pointing towards the role of childhood maltreatment (CM) influencing their onset, severity, and response to treatment. Preliminary evidence showed that CM could be associated with an elevation of inflammatory biomarkers across the different EDs. The objective of the study was to elucidate the interplay between CM, ED-specific psychopathology, and inflammatory biomarkers.

Evidence of dissemination of a -type integrative and conjugative element to , mediating acquisition of and other resistance determinants.

A strain positive for the metallo-beta-lactamase gene and resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was unexpectedly isolated from a surveillance rectal swab. The characterization of the strain revealed carriage of a 91 kb integrative and conjugative element (ICE) harboring several resistance determinants [, , , , ∆, , and ], closely related with a group of -type ICEs widespread among and other pseudomonads. Results highlighted the possible spreading of similar elements to , mediating the acquisition of relevant resistances.

[The CCM Project "Phenotypic and molecular screening methodologies for the detection of coloniza-tions due to carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE)"].

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CREs) are globally considered to be a major threat to public health. National and international guidelines emphasize the importance of routine active surveillance policies to prevent their transmission. Consequently, screening for the evaluation of the status of colonization by CREs in hospitalized patients in Italy is considered essential to contain and control the spread of these microorganisms and their evolution towards infection.

[Sexually transmitted infections: a new hub&spoke model to control the increasing trend of STIs in Italy and prevent their spread].

The project "Experimentation of new integrated hospital-territory organizational models for the prevention and control of sexually transmitted infections: facilitated diagnostic-care pathways and offer of free targeted screening" was developed as part of the CCM 2019 programme, funded by the Italian Ministry of Health, being coordinated by the Italian National Health Institute (ISS), in collaboration with Sapienza University of Rome. Three clinical units located in Turin, Milan, and Cagliari, specialized in sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnosis and treatment, and three highly specialized microbiology laboratories located in Trieste, Florence, and Palermo were involved.The objectives were to develop an innovative network model for the treatment of STIs based on multidisciplinary centres with high quality of care for STIs (hub-IST) and territorial structures (spoke-IST), to plan and test integrated facilitated care pathways for STIs, to evaluate the priorities, feasibility, and sustainability of prevention interventions.

The Uprise of Human Leishmaniasis in Tuscany, Central Italy: Clinical and Epidemiological Data from a Multicenter Study.

Human leishmaniasis is facing important epidemiological changes in Southern Europe, driven by increased urbanization, climate changes, emerging of new animal reservoirs, shifts in human behavior and a growing population of immunocompromised and elderly individuals. In this evolving epidemiological landscape, we analyzed the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of human leishmaniasis in the Tuscany region of Central Italy. Through a multicentric retrospective analysis, we collected clinical and demographic data about all cases of leishmaniasis recorded between 2018 and 2023.

Verifying the feasibility of wastewater-based epidemiological monitoring for the small catchment and sewage networks with significant pretreatment.

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged as a valuable tool for COVID-19 monitoring, especially as the frequency of clinical testing diminishes. Beyond COronaVIrus Disease 19 (COVID-19), the tool's versatility extends to addressing various public health concerns, including antibiotic resistance and drug consumption. However, the complexity of sewage systems introduces noise when measuring chemical tracer concentrations, potentially compromising their applicability for modeling.