Vaccine coverage and determinants of incomplete vaccination in children aged 12-23 months in dschang, west region, cameroon: a cross-sectional survey during a polio outbreak

Inadequate immunization coverage with increased risk of vaccine preventable diseases outbreaksremains a problem in Africa. Moreover, different factors contribute to incomplete vaccination status. This study wasperformed in Dschang (West Region, Cameroon), during the polio outbreak occurred in October 2013, in order toestimate the immunization coverage among children aged 12–23 months, to identify determinants for incompletevaccination status and to assess the risk of poliovirus spread in the study population.Methods:A cross-sectional household survey was conducted in November-December 2013, using the WHOtwo-stage sampling design. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information fromconsenting parents of children aged 12–23 months. Vaccination coverage was assessed by vaccination card andparents’recall. Chi-square test and multilevel logistic regression model were used to identify the determinants ofincomplete immunization status. Statistical significance was set atp90 %, and 73.4 % children completedthe recommended vaccinations before 1-year of age. In the final multilevel logistic regression model, factorssignificantly associated with incomplete immunization status were: retention of immunization card (AOR: 7.89;95 % CI: 1.08–57.37), lower mothers’utilization of antenatal care (ANC) services (AOR:1.25; 95 % CI: 1.07–63.75),being the≥3rdborn child in the family (AOR: 425.4; 95 % CI: 9.6–18,808), younger mothers’age (AOR: 49.55;95 % CI: 1.59–1544), parents’negative attitude towards immunization (AOR: 20.2; 95 % CI: 1.46–278.9), and poorerparents’exposure to information on vaccination (AOR: 28.07; 95 % CI: 2.26–348.1). Longer distance from the vaccinationcenters was marginally significant (p=0.05).Conclusion:Vaccination coverage was high; however, 1 out of 7 children was partially vaccinated, and 1 out of 4 didnot complete timely the recommended vaccinations. In order to improve the immunization coverage, it is necessary tostrengthen ANC services, and to improve parents’information and attitude towards immunization, targeting youngerparents and families living far away from vaccination centers, using appropriate communication strategies. Finally, theestimated OPV-3 coverage is reassuring in relation to the ongoing polio outbrea

An epidemiological survey on the prevalence of Salmonella in swine in central Italy

The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of Salmonella spp. in swine herds in Italy. Samples of faeces from finishing swine farms, cecal contents and ileo-cecal lymphnodes from pigs at slaughter were analysed for Salmonella. Samples of blood serum and meat juice were collected from the same groups, and tested for antibodies against Salmonella O-antigens with an ELISA test kit. 6.5% of faeces from finishing swine resulted positive, with 40% of the groups showing at least one positive sample, while Salmonella was isolated from 28.5% of cecal samples (85% of the groups) and 26.4% of lymph nodes (75% of the groups). The results of serology showed positivity in 100% of the herds and 95% of groups at slaughter. S. Typhimurium, S. Infantis, S. Derby were the most frequent isolated serotypes

meningococcal c conjugate vaccine effectiveness before and during an outbreak of invasive meningococcal disease due to neisseria meningitidis serogroup c cc11 tuscany italy

Abstract Introduction In Tuscany, Italy, where a universal immunization program with monovalent meningococcal C conjugate vaccine (MCC) was introduced in 2005, an outbreak of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) due to the hypervirulent strain of Neisseria meningitidis C/cc11 occurred in 2015–2016, leading to an immunization reactive campaign using either the tetravalent (ACWY) meningococcal conjugate or the MCC vaccine. During the outbreak, IMD serogroup C (MenC) cases were also reported among vaccinated individuals. This study aimed to characterize meningococcal C conjugate vaccines (MenC-vaccines) failures and to estimate their effectiveness since the introduction (2005–2016) and during the outbreak (2015–2016). Methods MenC cases and related vaccine-failures were drawn from the National Surveillance System of Invasive Bacterial Disease (IBD) for the period 2006–2016. A retrospective cohort-study, including the Tuscany' population of the birth-cohorts 1994–2014, was carried out. Based on annual reports of vaccination, person-years of MenC-vaccines exposed and unexposed individuals were calculated by calendar-year, birth-cohort, and local health unit. Adjusted (by birth-cohort, local health unit, and calendar-year) risk-ratios (ARR) of MenC invasive disease for vaccinated vs unvaccinated were estimated by the Poisson model. Vaccine-effectiveness (VE) was estimated as: VE = 1-ARR. Results In the period 2006–2016, 85 MenC-invasive disease cases were reported; 61 (71.8%) from 2015 to 2016. Twelve vaccine failures occurred, all of them during the outbreak. The time-interval from immunization to IMD onset was 20 days in one case, from 9 months to 3 years in six cases, and ≥7 years in five cases. VE was, 100% (95%CI not estimable, p = 0.03) before the outbreak (2006–2014) and 77% (95%CI 36–92, p  Conclusions In Tuscany, MenC-vaccine failures occurred exclusively during the 2015–2016 outbreak. Most of them occurred several years after vaccination. VE during the outbreak-period was rather high supporting an effective protection induced by MenC-vaccines

High prevalence of anti-hepatitis e virus antibodies among blood donors in central Italy, february to march 2014

Prevalence of anti-hepatitis E virus (HEV) antibodies is highly variable in developed countries, which seems partly due to differences in assay sensitivity. Using validated sensitive assays, we tested 313 blood donors attending a hospital transfusion unit in central Italy in January and February 2014 for anti-HEV IgG and IgM and HEV RNA. Data on HEV exposure were collected from all donors. Overall anti-HEV IgG prevalence was 49% (153/313). Eating raw dried pig-liver sausage was the only independent predictor of HEV infection (adjusted prevalence rate ratio = 2.14; 95% confidence interval: 1.23–3.74). Three donors were positive for either anti-HEV IgM (n = 2; 0.6%) or HEV RNA (n = 2; 0.6%); they were completely asymptomatic, without alanine aminotransferase (ALT) abnormalities. Of the two HEV RNA-positive donors (both harbouring genotype 3), one was anti-HEV IgG- and IgM-positive, the other was anti-HEV IgG- and IgM-negative. The third donor was positive for anti-HEV IgG and IgM but HEV RNA-negative. HEV infection is therefore hyperendemic among blood donors (80% men 18–64 years-old) from central Italy and associated with local dietary habits. Nearly 1% of donors have acute or recent infection, implying potential transmission to blood recipients. Neither ALT nor anti-HEV IgM testing seems useful to prevent transfusion-transmitted HEV infection. © 2016, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

miRVine: a microRNA expression atlas of grapevine based on small RNA sequencing

miRNAs are the most abundant class of small non-coding RNAs, and they are involved in post-transcriptional regulations, playing a crucial role in the refinement of genetic programming during plant development. Here we present a comprehensive picture of miRNA regulation in Vitis vinifera L. plant during its complete life cycle. Furthering our knowledge about the post-transcriptional regulation of plant development is fundamental to understand the biology of such an important crop

The Grape Gene Reference Catalogue as a Standard Resource for Gene Selection and Genetic Improvement

Effective crop improvement, whether through selective breeding or biotech strategies, is largely dependent on the cumulative knowledge of a species' pangenome and its containing genes. Acquiring this knowledge is specially challenging in grapevine, one of the oldest fruit crops grown worldwide, which is known to have more than 30,000 genes. Well-established research communities studying model organisms have created and maintained, through public and private funds, a diverse range of online tools and databases serving as repositories of genomes and gene function data. The lack of such resources for the non-model, but economically important, Vitis vinifera species has driven the need for a standardised collection of genes within the grapevine community. In an effort led by the Integrape COST Action CA17111, we have recently developed the first grape gene reference catalogue, where genes are ascribed to functional data, including their accession identifiers from different genome-annotation versions (https://integrape.eu/resources/genes-genomes/). We present and discuss this gene repository together with a validation-level scheme based on varied supporting evidence found in current literature. The catalogue structure and online submission form provided permits community curation. Finally, we present the Gene Cards tool, developed within the Vitis Visualization (VitViz) platform, to visualize the data collected in the catalogue and link gene function with tissue-specific expression derived from public transcriptomic data. This perspective article aims to present these resources to the community as well as highlight their potential use, in particular for plant-breeding applications

HIV prevalence among adults in Rome: results of the MeDi (Measuring health Disparities in HIV prevention) survey. Part 2

Background. In Italy, out of 60 millions of inhabitants, 3000 (2700-4000) new HIV infections are estimated each year. As combined antiretroviral therapy (ART) prolongs life for HIV sufferers, the prevalence of HIV-infection is likely to increase over time. Few studies have assessed factors associated with being HIV positive in people accessing public outpatient clinics and, in particular, the influence of socio-economic circumstances on HIV prevalence. This study aims to evaluate the association between subjects’ serostatus and socio-economic determinants measured at the individual and neighbourhood levels.Methods. Data from a large anonymous survey performed in 2012-2014 on more than 10 000 individuals 18-59 years old who underwent 21 public ambulatories in Rome were analysed. Subjects’ socio-demographic characteristics, sexual orientation, number of sexual partners, HIV risk behaviour and HIV testing uptake were collected by a selfadministered questionnaire. Level of area deprivation was measured at the postal code level by the index of social disadvantage (ISD). Multilevel Poisson regressions were carried out to take heterogeneity between clusters (post code and clinics) into account.Results. Self-reported HIV-prevalence was 2.0% among subjects ever been tested (13.7% for the homosexual/lesbians 7.0% for the bisexual and 1.3% for the heterosexual). About 1% of subjects self-identified as low risk was HIV infected. This prevalence increased up to 2% in the age group 18-34 and up to 5% in the non-heterosexuals (i.e. self- identified homosexuals/lesbians and bisexuals). At the individual level, HIV-prevalence decreased linearly from lowest to highest levels of education. Living in a deprived neighbourhood was not associated with HIV-infection.Conclusions. Our study confirms high HIV prevalences among homosexuals/lesbians. Some infections occur in subjects who do not report high risk behaviours for HIV transmission

Prevalence and attitudes to HIV testing among adults visiting public outpatient clinics in Rome: results of the MeDi (Measuring health Disparities in HIV prevention) survey. Part 1

Background. It is estimated that, in Italy, 12 000-18 000 (11-13% of 130 000) HIV-infected subjects are not aware of their serostatus. People in this condition may visit the healthcare system multiple times without being diagnosed. If tested on one of these occasions, they could modify their high-risk behaviours and benefit from treatment, factors that reduce HIV transmission. In Italy, no data on HIV testing in the general population are available so far and little is known on the relationship between socioeconomic determinants (at individual and neighbourhood levels) and testing uptake.Methods. A large anonymous survey was performed in 2012-2014 on more than 10 000 individuals 18-59 years old who underwent 21 public ambulatories in Rome to determine the proportion of subjects tested for HIV and factors related to testing uptake. Subjects’ socio-demographic characteristics, sexual orientation, number of sexual partners, HIV risk behaviour, HIV testing uptake were collected by a self-administered questionnaire. Level of area deprivation was measured at the postal code level by the index of social disadvantage (ISD). Multilevel Poisson regressions were carried out to take heterogeneity between clusters (post code and clinics) into account.Results. Among people participating in the study, 58.1% of subjects self-reported to have been tested at least once for HIV. Those who had one high risk behaviour for HIVinfection were 11% more likely to test than those not reporting any, and subjects who had had a STI (sexually-transmitted-infection) in the past were 12% more likely to test than those who had not had a STI. However only 44% (54% among subjects aged 18-35 years) of those with self-reported risks of contracting HIV had been tested at least once in life. This percentage increases, as expected, with the level of education, but, even so, about 40% of university educated subjects self-reporting risks of contracting HIV had never undergone an HIV test.Conclusions. This study highlights that, while the percentage of subjects tested is even higher than observed in other western nations, only 44% of subjects, self-reporting risks of contracting HIV, had tested at least once in life and about 40% of university educated subjects self reporting risks of contracting HIV had never tested.

Estimated effectiveness of a primary cycle of protein recombinant vaccine nvx-cov2373 against COVID-19

Importance: Protein recombinant vaccine NVX-CoV2373 (Novavax) against COVID-19 was authorized for its use in adults in late 2021, but evidence on its estimated effectiveness in a general population is lacking. Objective: To estimate vaccine effectiveness of a primary cycle with NVX-CoV2373 against SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptomatic COVID-19. Design, setting, and participants: Retrospective cohort study linking data from the national vaccination registry and the COVID-19 surveillance system in Italy during a period of Omicron predominance. All adults starting a primary vaccination with NVX-CoV2373 between February 28 and September 4, 2022, were included, with follow-up ending on September 25, 2022. Data were analyzed in February 2023. Exposures: Partial (1 dose only) vaccination and full vaccination (2 doses) with NVX-CoV-2373. Main outcomes and measures: Notified SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptomatic COVID-19. Poisson regression models were used to estimate effectiveness against both outcomes. Adjusted estimated vaccine effectiveness was calculated as (1 - incidence rate ratio) × 100. Results: The study included 20 903 individuals who started the primary cycle during the study period. Median (IQR) age of participants was 52 (39-61) years, 10 794 (51.6%) were female, and 20 592 participants (98.5%) had no factors associated with risk for severe COVID-19. Adjusted estimated vaccine effectiveness against notified SARS-CoV-2 infection in those partially vaccinated with NVX-CoV2373 was 23% (95% CI, 13%-33%) and was 31% (95% CI, 22%-39%) in those fully vaccinated. Estimated vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic COVID-19 was 31% (95% CI, 16%-44%) in those partially vaccinated and 50% (95% CI, 40%-58%) in those fully vaccinated. Estimated effectiveness during the first 4 months after completion of the primary cycle decreased against SARS-CoV-2 infection but remained stable against symptomatic COVID-19. Conclusions and relevance: This cohort study found that, in an Omicron-dominant period, protein recombinant vaccine NVX-CoV2373 was associated with protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptomatic COVID-19. The use of this vaccine could remain an important element in reducing the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

The transcription factor VviNAC60 regulates senescence- and ripening-related processes in grapevine

: Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is one of the most widely cultivated fruit crops because the winemaking industry has huge economic relevance worldwide. Uncovering the molecular mechanisms controlling the developmental progression of plant organs will prove essential for maintaining high-quality grapes, expressly in the context of climate change, which impairs the ripening process. Through a deep inspection of transcriptomic data, we identified VviNAC60, a member of the NAC transcription factor family, as a putative regulator of grapevine organ maturation. We explored VviNAC60 binding landscapes through DNA affinity purification followed by sequencing and compared bound genes with transcriptomics datasets from grapevine plants stably and transiently overexpressing VviNAC60 to define a set of high-confidence targets. Among these, we identified key molecular markers associated with organ senescence and fruit ripening. Physiological, metabolic, and promoter activation analyses showed that VviNAC60 induces chlorophyll degradation and anthocyanin accumulation through the up-regulation of STAY-GREEN PROTEIN 1 (VviSGR1) and VviMYBA1, respectively, with the latter being up-regulated through a VviNAC60-VviNAC03 regulatory complex. Despite sharing a closer phylogenetic relationship with senescence-related homologues to the NAC transcription factor AtNAP, VviNAC60 complemented the non-ripening(nor) mutant phenotype in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), suggesting a dual role as an orchestrator of both ripening- and senescence-related processes. Our data support VviNAC60 as a regulator of processes initiated in the grapevine vegetative- to mature-phase organ transition and therefore as a potential target for enhancing the environmental resilience of grapevine by fine-tuning the duration of the vegetative phase