Prevalence study of Legionella spp. contamination in ferries and cruise ships

BACKGROUND: In the last years, international traffic volume has significantly increased, raising the risk for acquisition of infectious diseases. Among travel-associated infections, increased incidence of legionellosis has been reported among travellers. Aim of our study was: to describe the frequency and severity of Legionella spp. contamination in ferries and cruise ships; to compare the levels of contamination with those indicated by the Italian ministerial guidelines for control and prevention of legionellosis, in order to assess health risks and to adopt control measures. METHOD: A prevalence study was carried out on 9 ships docked at the seaports of northern Sardinia in 2004. Water samples were collected from critical sites: passenger cabins, crew cabins, kitchens, coffee bars, rooms of the central air conditioning system. It was performed a qualitative and quantitative identification of Legionella spp. and a chemical, physical and bacteriological analysis of water samples. RESULTS: Forty-two percent (38/90) water samples were contaminated by Legionella spp.. Positive samples were mainly drawn from showers (24/44), washbasins (10/22). L. pneumophila was isolated in 42/44 samples (95.5%), followed by L. micdadei (4.5%). Strains were identified as L. pneumophila serogroup 6 (45.2%; 19 samples), 2–14 (42.9%), 5 (7.1%) and 3 (4.8%). Legionella spp. load was high; 77.8% of the water samples contained > 10(4 )CFU/L. Low residual free chlorine concentration (0–0,2 mg/L) was associated to a contamination of the 50% of the water samples. CONCLUSION: Legionella is an ubiquitous bacterium that could create problems for public health. We identified Legionella spp. in 6/7 ferries. Microbial load was predominantly high (> 10(4 )CFU/L or ranging from 10(3 )to 10(4 )CFU/L). It is matter of concern when passengers are subjects at risk because of Legionella spp. is an opportunist that can survive in freshwater systems; high bacterial load might be an important variable related to disease's occurrence. High level of contamination required disinfecting measures, but does not lead to a definitive solution to the problem. Therefore, it is important to identify a person responsible for health safety in order to control the risk from exposure and to apply preventive measures, according to European and Italian guidelines

Social deprivation indexes and anti-influenza vaccination coverage in the elderly in Sardinia, Italy, with a focus on the Sassari municipality

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between social deprivation indices and anti-influenza vaccine coverage in the Sardinian elderly population (over 65yearsold).This relationship was firstly observed in a regional context. An already-known deprivation index was used, and its trivial relationship with the anti-influenza vaccine coverage was evaluated. Secondly, the same relationship was assessed for the homogeneous area of the Municipality of Sassari. This required adoption of an ad hoc deprivation index, which allowed us to stratify the population into deprivation groups and to correlate the vaccine coverage to socio-economic variables.Results showed that the regional anti-influenza vaccine coverage linearly increased with the decrease in the deprivation. This trend was confirmed for the Municipality of Sassari. Pearson's analysis highlighted factors that significantly correlate to vaccine coverage.In Sardinia, the relationship between anti-influenza vaccination coverage and socio-economic health status was consistent with the international panorama, therefore highlighting the necessity to arrange interventions to promote vaccination coverage in the elderly population

Antimicrobial activities of essential oils against common hospital Fungi species

Introduction: In hospitals and other healthcare settings the presence of airborne and sedimented fungi is an extrinsic risk factor for opportunistic infections involving both immunocompromised and non-immunocompromised persons. In hospitalized patients, it is estimated that 9% of hospital-acquired infections are caused by fungi. Lethality rate varies from 40% to 100% depending on the immunosuppression degree of stakeholders. To prevent healthcare-associated infections, the control of environmental fungal contamination through use of sanitizing/disinfecting practices is basic. However, the widespread use of common disinfectants could promote the growth of antibiotic-resistant superbugs and cause environmental harm. These aspects stimulated the search of new antimicrobial agents. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of essential oils of Mentha insularis Req., Mentha pulegium L., Mentha requienii Bentham, Artemisia caerulescens L. ssp. densiflora (Viv), Rosmarinus officinalis L. var. albiflorus, Rosmarinus officinalis L. var. lavandulescens, and Ocotea puchury major Mart. against fungi species frequently found in hospitals and potentially responsible for opportunistic mycoses. Methods: The essential oils’ antifungal activity was carried out by agar disc diffusion technique. Results: All tested essential oils are effective, though to a different degree, against both molds that yeasts assessed. The major antifungal activity was showed by Mentha oils. Particularly, Mentha requienii and Mentha insularis oils were active until 1:8 dilution against Rhodotorula spp. and 1:16 dilution against mixed molds, while M. pulegium was strongly active until 1:2 against both fungi. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, few or no data are available in literature on the activity of essential oils against hospital environmental isolates of fungi. Results suggest their potential application in sanitation procedures of the hospital, and in general, of the “care settings”

<i>Thymus catharinae Camarda</i>: comparazione fitochimica della composizione dell'olio essenziale ottenuto da popolazioni puntuali vegetanti spontanee in Sardegna e valutazione della attività biologica

Sono stati intrapresi studi fitochimici al fine di descrivere compiutamente diverse popolazioni spontanee in Sardegna di Thymus catharinae. In diverse zone dell’interno della Sardegna, sono state effettuate raccolte puntuali della specie, al fine di verificare eventuali differenze fitochimiche legate al substrato, all’altitudine ed all’esposizione delle piante e infine valutarne l’attività antiradicalica ed antimicrobica

Air microbial contamination in dental clinics: comparison between active and passive methods

The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between the microbial air contamination values obtained by active sampling (colony-forming units per cubic metre, CFU/m3) and by passive sampling (Index of microbial air contamination, IMA) and to calculate the corresponding equations. Air sampling was performed in ten dental clinics (DC), before (T0), during (T1) and after (T2) the clinical activity, for five consecutive days, once a month for a period of three months, for a total of 450 air samplings. The correlation was evaluated using the Spearman test, and a p value below 0.05 was considered statistically significant. A statistically significant correlation was found considering both the results obtained from the total observations and from the single sampling times, T0, T1 and T2. Different correlation patterns were observed stratifying by DC. Both methods were able to evaluate the microbial air quality and highlight critical situations; therefore, both can be used with this aim. However, in particular during the activity, passive sampling resulted more sensitive, and for its simplicity, economy and standardization by IMA, as suggested by several authors, can be suggested for routine monitoring

Microbial Monitoring as a Tool for Preventing Infectious Risk in the Operating Room: Results of 10 Years of Activity

Environmental microbial contamination in the operating room (OR) can favour contamination of the surgical wound, posing the risk of infection of the surgical site. Thus, environmental monitoring is a useful tool for assessing environmental health and the effectiveness and efficiency of the measures adopted to control the risk of infection in the OR. This work aimed to analyse the long term environmental quality of 18 ORs throughout Sardinia, Italy, through the quantitative and qualitative characterisation of the microbial flora present in the air and on surfaces, in order to evaluate the trend over time, including in relation to any control measures adopted. The results of the sampling carried out in the period from January 2010 to December 2019 have been extrapolated from the archive-database of the Laboratory of the Hygiene and Control of Hospital Infections Unit of the University Hospital in Sassari. During the period in question, 188 air evaluations were carried out, both in empty rooms and during surgery, and 872 surface samples were taken. When the air was monitored, it emerged that significant contamination was detectable in a reduced number of examinations and a limited number of rooms. Microbial load values higher than the reference values may have been mainly determined by sub-optimal operation/maintenance of the air conditioning system. Surface testing showed a good level of sanitisation, given the low percentage of non-compliant values detected. The possibility of having data available on environmental quality is a useful educational and training tool both for those responsible for sanitisation procedures and the surgical team, in order to increase awareness of the effects of a lack of compliance with behavioural standards

Antimicrobial Resistance, Healthcare-Associated Infections, and Environmental Microbial Contamination

In the context of clinical risks, infectious risk, i [...

What really affects student satisfaction? An assessment of quality through a University-wide student survey

The analysis of students satisfaction for their university experience is important within the educational evaluation. In this study was explored the satisfaction of students to identify which aspects of teaching may be cause of dissatisfaction. A survey questionnaire contains items on motivations, teaching quality and services was compiled in anonymous by the students that attending the courses of the Faculty of Sci-ence (University of Sassari, Sardinia) during the second semester of the 2009/2010 academic year. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was assessed by Cronbach’s Alpha. A preliminary chi square test at stepwise logistic regression analysis was applied to evaluate the association between student satisfac-tion and motivation, quality of teacher and services, at a 0.05 significance level. Only 403 questionnaires were considered good with a response rate of 82.6%. The student’s satisfaction is significant different by gender (p = .009). Significant are the items on the interest for scientific studies, the acquisition of the de-gree as social prestige and future work (p &lt; .05); also, the ability of teacher to stimulate and attract the student, the encouragement, the advice to the students and the his professionality are significantly associ-ated with the students satisfaction (p &lt; .05). In males the main factor associated to the satisfaction is to have achieved always good results in school (OR = 2.84, p = .036); instead, in females, the interest in science (OR = 4.75, p = .023), the title of degree to acquire a social prestige (OR = 2.00, p = .033) and the possibility of a future work (OR = 2.09, p = .028). Although good judgments made by students, however, require further attention, such as such as the abandonment of the university, the time of graduation degree, the future career, for better analysis of aspects related to the satisfaction of the quality of teaching

Il Consumo di ecstasy nella popolazione giovanile: i risultati di uno studio epidemiologico regionale

Il suo nome scientifico metilen-diossi-3,4-mentanfetamina (MDMA) è sconosciuto a molti di noi, ma il suo nome comune, ecstasy gode di una notevole popolarità, favorita dai mass media che portano davanti ai nostri occhi la triste realtà legata al consumo di questa “nuova” droga fra i giovani ed i giovanissimi. L’ecstasy è considerata la sostanza principale tra le cosiddette droghe su misura o designer drugs prodotte in laboratorio ed il suo utilizzo risale alla I Guerra mondiale, dove fu destinata all’esercito tedesco per aumentare la resistenza alla fatica ed alla fame. La facilità di sintesi chimica di questa sostanza ed il conseguente proliferare di laboratori clandestini, difficilmente individuabili, hanno consentito il rapido diffondersi di questo composto che, dagli underground statunitensi ha raggiunto, negli anni ’80, il Sud dell’Europa e l’Italia, diffondendosi all’interno di una cultura musicale di evasione, nota come rave (Peroutka, 1987; Randall, 1992), cioè in quella parte della popolazione giovanile che cercava ed ancora oggi è alla ricerca dell’esasperazione del divertimento nelle discoteche, nelle feste private e nei locali notturni (Forsyth, 1996; Forsyth, 1997).</br

Ten-Year Evaluation of Thermal Comfort in Operating Rooms

The microclimate is a particularly important environmental aspect in operating rooms (ORs), where more than in other hospital environments, it is extremely important, and at the same time extremely difficult, to reconcile the needs of different types of occupants (patients and operators). Moreover, unsuitable microclimatic conditions may affect the onset of infection. The present study aimed to analyze the periodic monitoring of the microclimatic conditions carried out in ORs over 10 years, to verify the adequacy of the thermal comfort conditions for all occupants. The evaluation of thermal comfort was carried out using the Fanger indices and the standards required by current legislation and specific guidelines. Non-compliant values for at least one parameter were found in 98.8% of the examinations performed in the ORs. A condition of thermal discomfort was calculated for 3.6% of healthcare professionals and 98.3% of patients. The monitoring of microclimatic conditions is particularly important in the OR as an indicator of inadequate functioning of the air conditioning system, which might affect the thermal comfort of all occupants and lead to microbial contamination of the room