Oleiculture in progress

The present work evaluates the limits and possibilities of development with regard to the most recent olive-growing techniques in light of up-to-date knowledge of species characteristics. After a brief introduction regarding the productive capacity of olive, the new taxonomic position of the cultivated species and a reorganization of the genus Olea is presented in the first part of the work. Examination follows of the assumed stages of domestication, spread (from the Bronze Age until decline in the 6-10th centuries A.D.) and then globalization of the species from the 19th century until the present. The second part addresses the spread of olive to the different continents, environmental limitations to its cultivation and the growth model that distinguishes it from most of the other cultivated woody species. The various problems that arise when olive is cultivated outside its areal of origin are considered, from induction processes to effective chilling requirements, as well as the effects of climatic environment on plant growth and product quality following shifts in areal. The paper concludes with a brief analysis of open questions relative to new models of cultivation

Il fiore e la biologia fiorale

Floral biology includes the series of processes which leads buds to evolve into flowers and fruits. Improving the knowledge on floral biology in olive is important both for scientific understanding and for practical reasons, since optimizing these applications results in better fruit yield. These processes are: induction (the conversion of vegetative to inflorescence buds), differentiations (the actual formation of flower parts in the bud), floral formation (the formation and evolution of the inflorescence and the flowers after bud brake), flowering (timing, flower types, andromonoecy), pollination, fertilization and compatibility, ovary abortion, fruit set. This papers describes all these steps and discusses the most recent knowledge on olive floral biology, including some recent theories like the “aging” theory, for which a minimum aging of the meristematic apex is necessary to allow floral induction and differentiation, and the “competition” theory, for which the greater competition for resources among flowers in cultivars with larger flower and fruit sizes, explains the greater ovary abortion and reduced fruit set in such cultivars. Finally, the very low fruit set and the apparently redundant flowering in olive is explained in evolutionary terms (mail fitness). The paper ends with concluding remark and practical suggestions for improving fruit yield, and provides answers to frequently asked questions.Realizzato nell'ambito del progetto "Ricerca ed Innovazione per l'Olivicoltura Meridionale", finanziato dal MiPAA

A new device to improve the mechanical winter pruning in olive trees hedgerows

The economic success of superintensive olive plantations is mainly due to the full mechanization of the harvesting and pruning. While the advantage of straddling machines is undoubted, winter mechanical pruning determines falls in productions. This is due to the indiscriminate suppression of both fertile leafy shoots destined to fruiting and growth, and exhausted parts of the plant. To reduce this damage, an innovative device has been developed, applied to a pruning machine, able to selectively cut the “aged” parts of vegetation. The selection is achieved by an air’s fluid dynamic action obtained throughout defined and directional air jets able to push the young and flexible shoots upwards and downwards; in this way they are saved by the cut, regenerating at least one year in advance the new fruiting hedge. Tests were carried out on the cultivar Arbequina, Tosca and Sikitita, in three superintensive olive groves located in the province of Grosseto, Rome and Latina, assessing the amount of leaves, shoots and branches, as well as fruits present at harvest, preserved from the pruning thanks to the action of the air flow, respectively for the East and West side of the rows. To get a profile of the biomass distribution along the cross section of the tree canopy, in the Grosseto farm a trial was also carried out to better assess leaves, shoots and branches distribution in the canopy. The statistical data analyses immediately evidenced two different populations due to the selective pruning. The work highlighted the remarkable effectiveness of the air jet in safeguarding the flexible and leafy vegetation and allowed to quadruple leaf surface and production

Management of splenic abscess: report on 16 cases from a single center

Summary Objectives Splenic abscess is an uncommon disease, with a reported incidence of 0.14–0.7% in autoptic series. The best treatment option remains unclear. We report our experience of percutaneous drainage of splenic abscess under ultrasound (US) guidance. Methods From 1979 to 2005, 16 consecutive patients (12 male and four female; mean age 39.9 years, range 16–72 years) were diagnosed with splenic abscess by means of US, and were treated with medical therapy alone or combined with US-guided percutaneous aspiration or catheter drainage. Results Ten of 16 patients had bacterial abscesses (including one case of tubercular abscess), two had an amebic abscess, and four had fungal abscesses. Seven of ten patients with bacterial abscesses were successfully treated with fine needle aspiration alone, one patient was successfully treated with fine needle aspiration for one abscess and catheter drainage for another, and one patient, who subsequently required a splenectomy for an abdominal trauma, successfully underwent percutaneous catheter drainage alone. Four patients with fungal lesions were treated with medical therapy alone, and two patients later required a splenectomy. One patient with a bacterial abscess due to endocarditis was treated with medical therapy alone, and his recovery was uneventful. Conclusions US-guided percutaneous aspiration of splenic abscesses is a safe and effective procedure. It can be used as a bridge to surgery in patients who are critically ill or have several comorbidities. Percutaneous aspiration may allow complete non-operative healing of splenic abscesses or temporize patients at risk for surgery

Comparative genomics of closely related strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae reveals genes possibly involved in colistin resistance

Strains of colistin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae are emerging worldwide, due to the increased use of this molecule in antibiotic-resistant nosocomial infections. Comparative genomics was performed on three closely related K. pneumoniae strains isolated from three patients in a single hospital in Bologna, Italy. Two of these isolates are colistin-resistant, while the third is sensitive to this antibiotic. The designed bioinformatic approach detected, among the three analyzed genomes, single nucleotide polymorphisms, insertions and deletions, specific patterns of gene presence and absence, in a total of 270 genes. These genes were analyzed by automatic and manual methods, to identify those potentially involved in colistin resistance, based on the data available in the literature and on the mechanism of action of colistin, the alteration of the outer membrane. Three of the identified genes (waaL, rfbA, vacJ), all presenting non-synonymous substitutions in the colistin resistant strains, resulted to be of special interest, due to the specific function of their protein products, involved in the biosynthesis of the outer bacterial membrane

Post-exposure rate of tuberculosis infection among health care workers measured with tuberculin skin test conversion after unprotected exposure to patients with pulmonary tuberculosis: 6-year experience in an Italian teaching hospital

BACKGROUND: This study assesses the risk of LTBI at our Hospital among HCWs who have been exposed to TB patients with a delayed diagnosis and respiratory protection measures were not implemented. METHODS: All HCWs exposed to a patient with cultural confirmed pulmonary TB and respiratory protection measures were not implemented were included. Data on TST results performed in the past (defined as T0) were recorded. TST was performed twice: first, immediately after exposure to an index patient (T1) and three months later (T2). The period of time between T0 and T1 was used to calculate he annual rate of tuberculosis infection (ARTI), while le period of time between T1 and T2 was used to calculate the post exposure annual rate of tuberculosis infection (PEARTI). RESULTS: Fourteen index patients were admitted; sputum smear was positive in 7 (58.3%), 4 (28.6%) were non-Italian born patients. 388 HCWs were exposed to index patients, a median of 27 (12-39) HCW per each index patient. One hundred eighty (46.4%) HCWs received BCG in the past. One hundred twenty two HCWs (31%) were TST positive at a previous routine screening and not evaluated in this subset. Among the remaining 255 HCWs with negative TST test in the past, TST at T1 was positive in 11 (4.3%). ARTI was 1.6 (95% CI 0.9-2.9) per 100 PY. TST at T2 was positive in 9 (3.7%) HCWs, that were TST negative at T1. PEARTI was 26 (95% CI 13.6-50) per 100 PY. At univariate analysis, older age was associated with post exposure latent tuberculosis infection (HR 1.12; 95% CI 1.03-1.22, p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: PEARTI was considerably higher among HCWs exposed to index patients than ARTI. These data underscore the overwhelming importance of performing a rapid diagnosis, as well as implementing adequate respiratory protection measures when TB is suspected

Foodborne Salmonellosis in Italy: Characterization of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium and Monophasic Variant 4,[5],12:i- Isolated from Salami and Human Patients.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (STm) and its monophasic variant 4,[5],12:i:- (VMSTm) have been responsible for an increased number of foodborne infections in humans in Europe in recent years. The aim of this study was to investigate the origin of three foodborne salmonellosis outbreaks that occurred in Pavia Province (Lombardy region, northern Italy) in 2010. Phenotypic and genetic characteristics of the STm and VMSTm isolates from patients and from food that were recovered in the framework of the three outbreaks were evaluated through serotyping, phage typing, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA). Salami from three artisan producers, which had all purchased meat from the same slaughterhouse, was the food source of infection in outbreak I. STm isolates were recovered from salami and patients with symptoms of gastroenteritis. These isolates had the same PFGE type and the same rare MLVA profile (3-18-9-NA-211). The same molecular profiles were found in an STm isolate from a salami, which likely was the source of another family outbreak (II). A VMSTm strain with common phenotypic and molecular profiles was isolated from three hospitalized patients and identified as the cause of another putative outbreak (III). During the following 3 years (2011 through 2013), 360 salami produced in Pavia Province were monitored for the presence of S. enterica . In 2011, no STm and VMSTm isolates were recovered from 159 salami tested. During 2012 and 2013, 13.9% of 201 tested salami harbored S. enterica , and half of the isolates were VMSTm, mainly in salami from those artisan producers involved in the previous outbreaks. These isolates were genetically variable, especially in terms of MLVA profiles. The data collected suggest that from 2012, VMSTm has replaced STm in the environments of the salami producers monitored in this study, and these data confirm the dominance of this emergent serovar along the pork supply chain

Genome of Superficieibacter maynardsmithii, a novel, antibiotic susceptible representative of Enterobacteriaceae

During a citywide microbiological screening project in Pavia (Italy) a bacterial strain isolated from the surface of an Automated Teller Machine was classified as a Klebsiella sp. by MALDI-TOF spectrometry, and shown to be susceptible to the most antimicrobial classes by phenotypic testing. After Illumina genome sequencing and subsequent assembly, a high-quality draft genome was obtained (size = 5,051,593 bp, N50=615,571 bp, largest contig = 1,328,029 bp, N_contig = 17, GC content = 51.58%, coverage= 141.42), absence of antimicrobial resistance genes was confirmed, but the strain resulted to be highly divergent from all Klebsiella, and more related to other Enterobacteriaceae. The higher values of 16S rRNA identity were with members of the genera Citrobacter, Salmonella, and "Superficieibacter." An ortholog-based phylogenomic analysis indicated a sister group relationship with "Superficieibacter electus," in a distinct Glade from other members of the Enterobacteriaceae family. In order to evaluate whether the novel genome represents a new species of "Superficiebacter," average nucleotide identity (ANI) and Hadamard analysis were performed on a dataset of 78 Enterobacteriaceae. The novel genome showed an ANI of 87.51% with S. electus, which compared on identity values between other members of the family, clearly indicates that the genome represents a new species within the genus "Superficieibacter." We propose for the new species the name "Superficieibacter maynardsmithii."Peer reviewe

Lyme Borreliosis, Po River Valley, Italy

We aimed to determine the presence of Ixodes ricinus ticks in heavily populated areas of the Po River Valley after report of a Lyme disease case. Eighteen percent of ticks examined from 3 locations were positive for Lyme disease borreliae. Lyme disease was diagnosed for 3 workers at risk for tick bite

A large-scale genomic snapshot of Klebsiella spp. isolates in Northern Italy reveals limited transmission between clinical and non-clinical settings

Genomic analyses of Klebsiella isolates sampled from multiple human, animal and environmental sources in Northern Italy explore Klebsiella population diversity and show that transmission of multidrug-resistant clones between clinical and environmental settings is scarce.The Klebsiella group, found in humans, livestock, plants, soil, water and wild animals, is genetically and ecologically diverse. Many species are opportunistic pathogens and can harbour diverse classes of antimicrobial resistance genes. Healthcare-associated Klebsiella pneumoniae clones that are non-susceptible to carbapenems can spread rapidly, representing a high public health burden. Here we report an analysis of 3,482 genome sequences representing 15 Klebsiella species sampled over a 17-month period from a wide range of clinical, community, animal and environmental settings in and around the Italian city of Pavia. Northern Italy is a hotspot for hospital-acquired carbapenem non-susceptible Klebsiella and thus a pertinent setting to examine the overlap between isolates in clinical and non-clinical settings. We found no genotypic or phenotypic evidence for non-susceptibility to carbapenems outside the clinical environment. Although we noted occasional transmission between clinical and non-clinical settings, our data point to a limited role of animal and environmental reservoirs in the human acquisition of Klebsiella spp. We also provide a detailed genus-wide view of genomic diversity and population structure, including the identification of new groups.Peer reviewe