Heptavalent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine: growing knowledge and its implications for Italy

Introductive note A wide literature on Streptococcus Pneumoniae (Pn) infections is available, largely published in the recent years, after the introduction of the heptavalent conjugate vaccine in US and in Europe. This review is based on the most up-to-date scientific articles about this pathogen

A SOA-Based Solution to Monitor Vaccination Coverage Among HIV-Infected Patients in Liguria

Vaccination in HIV-infected patients constitutes an essential tool in the prevention of the most common infectious diseases. The Ligurian Vaccination in HIV Program is a proposed vaccination schedule specifically dedicated to this risk group. Selective strategies are proposed within this program, employing ICT (Information and Communication) tools to identify this susceptible target group, to monitor immunization coverage over time and to manage failures and defaulting. The proposal is to connect an immunization registry system to an existing regional platform that allows clinical data re-use among several medical structures, to completely manage the vaccination process. This architecture will adopt a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) approach and standard HSSP (Health Services Specification Program) interfaces to support interoperability. According to the presented solution, vaccination administration information retrieved from the immunization registry will be structured according to the specifications within the immunization section of the HL7 (Health Level 7) CCD (Continuity of Care Document) document. Immunization coverage will be evaluated through the continuous monitoring of serology and antibody titers gathered from the hospital LIS (Laboratory Information System) structured into a HL7 Version 3 (v3) Clinical Document Architecture Release 2 (CDA R2)

The intradermal vaccination: past experiences and current perspectives

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New approaches for the control of influenza: the intradermal vaccination

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Pneumococcal vaccination in adults: rationale, state of the art and perspectives

Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) is a leading cause of morbid- ity and mortality worldwide. Despite the availability, since the early 1980s, of a 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23), its recommendation and increased use in the last decades, and the indirect benefits against invasive pneumococcal diseases following the pediatric immunization strategies with the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7), pneumoccal diseases, particularly Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP), still remain a substantial burden among older adults in Western countries. The recent availability on the market of a second generation of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, with an enlarged spectrum ofprotection against some serotypes not included in the PCV7 (i.e., the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine ? PCV13), opens new interesting perspectives for improving the control of this sig- nificant health-care issue among the entire population. The most interesting and up-dated epidemiological data regard- ing the impact of SP in adults and the elderly in Western countries, together with the available evidence concerning the efficacy and effectiveness of the PPV23 in the same population, are reported and discussed below. The full article is free available on www.jpmh.or

The seedbeds of Tuberculosis: is it time to target congregate settings and workplaces?

Countries where the incidence of Tuberculosis (TB) is low display a low transmission rate in the general population, and this rate has progressively declined in recent decades; however, TB epidemiology has shown a shift of the disease burden from the general population to specific populations at higher risk, such as vulnerable individuals and hard-to-reach groups. In low-incidence countries, preventive and therapeutic strategies must therefore be geared towards targeted interventions in these populations, with the priority being to promptly identify and treat latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) rather than manage infectious cases. One of the most complex challenges in this area is to identify population subgroups with increased incidence/prevalence of LTBI/TB. The aim of this study was to provide a concise overview of the main studies and available evidence concerning the epidemiology of TB and LTBI in non-healthcare congregate settings, with specific emphasis on studies conducted in occupational settings and workplaces. Recognizing settings at increased risk might contribute to eliminating TB in low-incidence countries, a challenge which requires tailored responses.Occupational and preventive medicine has a major role to play in directing ad hoc policies and programs of LTBI surveillance. If TB is to be eradicated, it is essential to contain the seedbeds of infection: indeed, as long as a large reservoir of infected subjects exists, new active TB cases may arise at any time

State of the Art, Unresolved Issues, and Future Research Directions in the Fight against Hepatitis C Virus: Perspectives for Screening, Diagnostics of Resistances, and Immunization

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) still represents a major public health threat, with a dramatic burden from both epidemiological and clinical points of view. New generation of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) has been recently introduced in clinical practice promising to cure HCV and to overcome the issues related to the interferon-based therapies. However, the emergence of drug resistance and the suboptimal activity of DAAs therapies against diverse HCV genotypes have been observed, determining treatment failure and hampering an effective control of HCV spread worldwide. Moreover, these treatments remain poorly accessible, particularly in low-income countries. Finally, effective screening strategy is crucial to early identifying and treating all HCV chronically infected patients. For all these reasons, even though new drugs may contribute to impacting HCV spread worldwide a preventive HCV vaccine remains a cornerstone in the road to significantly reduce the HCV spread globally, with the ultimate goal of its eradication. Advances in molecular vaccinology, together with a strong financial, political, and societal support, will enable reaching this fundamental success in the coming years. In this comprehensive review, the state of the art about these major topics in the fight against HCV and the future of research in these fields are discussed

Drug resistance among influenza A viruses isolated in Italy from 2000 to 2005: are the emergence of Adamantane-resistant viruses cause of concern?

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Rs12979860 and rs8099917 single nucleotide polymorphisms of interleukin-28B gene: simultaneous genotyping in Caucasian patients infected with hepatitis C virus

Introduction. Recent studies have demonstrated the role of the interleukin 28B (IL28B) polymorphisms in predicting treatment induced and spontaneous clearance from Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, suggesting the possibility of tailored therapy in HCV infected patients. Genome-wide association studies have shown that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) near IL 28B gene on chromosome 19 are strong predictors of sustained virologic response (SVR) to pegylated interferon and ribavirin. This study was aimed at analyzing the co-prevalence of two common and clinically significant SNPs in a cohort of Ligurian patients. Methods. Two SNPs (rs12979860, rs8099917) were genotyped in the IL28B locus from 175 DNA samples collected from HCV- infected consecutive patients in a Laboratory of Liguria Region, northern Italy. A real-time polymerase chain reaction in a Cor- bett Research Termocycler (Rotor Gene 3000A) by fluorescent probes (Fast Set IL 28B©, Arrow Diagnostics) was used for the detection, according to the manufacturer?s instructions. Results. Carriers of rs12979860CT genotype predominated (87/175, 50%), homozygotes for allele C were 68/175 (39%) and the remaining were homozygotes for IFN-resistant allele T (11%). As for the rs8099917 SNP, genotypes were thus distributed: 96/175 (55%) carried the rs8099917 TT genotype, whereas 70/175 (40%) and 9/175 (5%), were heterozygotes or homozygotes for the G allele. The variants rs12979860CC and rs8099917TT were found in 39% and 54% of overall patients with HCV genotype 1, respec- tively. The combined assessment of examined SNPs resulted in three most prevalent genotypes (rs12979860CC/rs8099917TT, rs12979860CT/rs8099917TG and rs12979860CT/rs8099917TT) with a frequency of 35%, 31% and 18%, respectively. Discussion. Recent findings demonstrated that in carriers of rs12979860CT the determination of additional genotype of rs8099917 SNP could significantly improve the prediction of SVR. In our study cohort carriers of rs12979860CT represented 50% of all patients, who could take advantage with respect to SVR prediction by further determination of the rs8099917 SNP. The simultaneous genotyping of two IL28B SNPs should thus be recommended in HCV infected patients prior to treatment initiation

Performance testing of two new one-step real time PCR assays for detection of human influenza and avian influenza viruses isolated in humans and Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Introduction and Methods. Two real time one-step RT-PCRassays were developed for simultaneous detection and typingof influenza A and B viruses and detection of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). As regard influenza, primers were designedto amplify specific sequences of gene M of A/H1N1, A/H3N2,A/H5N1, A/H7N7 and A/H9N2 viruses and of gene NP of typeB viruses belonging both Yamagata and Victoria lineage. Specificity, analytical and clinical sensitivity, dynamic range, linearity of the new assays were evaluated.Results. Dynamic ranges for Influenza A and B, and RSV,were at least five logs and linearity was conserved. In orderto evaluate the specificity, 80 nasopharyngeal swabs resulting Influenza and RSV negative by multiplex nested PCR andcell culture, were tested and 79 resulted negative. The detection limits for influenza A and B, calculated by 95% probit,was 0,008 and 0,09 PFU, respectively, resulting more sensible than nested PCR. A total of 75 specimens (10 A/H1N1,