A new humanized antibody is effective against pathogenic fungi in vitro

Invasive fungal infections mainly affect patients undergoing transplantation, surgery, neoplastic disease, immunocompromised subjects and premature infants, and cause over 1.5 million deaths every year. The most common fungi isolated in invasive diseases are Candida spp., Cryptococcus spp., and Aspergillus spp. and even if four classes of antifungals are available (Azoles, Echinocandins, Polyenes and Pyrimidine analogues), the side effects of drugs and fungal acquired and innate resistance represent the major hurdles to be overcome. Monoclonal antibodies are powerful tools currently used as diagnostic and therapeutic agents in different clinical contexts but not yet developed for the treatment of invasive fungal infections. In this paper we report the development of the first humanized monoclonal antibody specific for beta-1, 3 glucans, a vital component of several pathogenic fungi. H5K1 has been tested on C. auris, one of the most urgent threats and resulted efficient both alone and in combination with Caspofungin and Amphotericin B showing an enhancement effect. Our results support further preclinical and clinical developments for the use of H5K1 in the treatment of patients in need

Incidence and role of Salmonella in seafood safety

Seafood products are appreciated worldwide for their high nutritional value and are increasingly popular among consumers. Consumer preferences range from fresh products, eaten raw or minimally processed, to variously prepared (salted, smoked, cured, canned) and ready-to-eat (RTE) products. Moreover, seafood products are a major food category in international trade and are frequently shipped very long distances. All these factors expose seafood to various contaminants, including those of microbiological origins, such as Salmonella. The presence of Salmonella in seafood may derive from contamination occurring in the natural aquatic environment, in aquaculture or during processing. In addition, the isolation of Salmonella serovars that are resistant and multiresistant to antibiotics continues to raise concerns. In this review various aspects associated with the microbiological risk posed by the presence of Salmonella in seafood are examined. The most recent data of incidence are presented, and some prevention and control strategies are considered

Application of real-time PCR to Pseudomonas aeruginosa monitoring in a public swimming pool.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) is an opportunistic pathogen that can be found in recreational water, often in form of biofilm, thus more resistant to disinfection procedures. Microbiological testing for Pa is included in monitoring practices recommended by WHO to swimming pool managers as internal control. Since a persistent contamination with low levels of Pa was found in a local indoor swimming pool, the efficacy of a method in real-time PCR was evaluated, in comparison with the reference method UNI EN ISO 16266:2008, to promptly locate the contamination site within the water treatment system and proceed with disinfection. Results indicated the higher sensitivity of the molecular detection, able to give definite results with a consistent reduction of analysis time (2. days vs 4-5 of the reference method). In conclusion, real-time PCR can be a useful, rapid and sensitive tool, for the control of microbiological risk in public swimming pool. © 2013 Elsevier B.

Disinfection efficacy of chlorine and peracetic acid alone or in combination against Aspergillus spp. and Candida albicans in drinking water

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the fungicidal activity of chlorine and peracetic acid in drinking water against various pathogenic Aspergillus spp. and Candida albicans strains. A. nidulans exhibited the greatest resistance, requiring 10 ppm of chlorine for 30 min contact time for a complete inactivation. Under the same experimental conditions, peracetic acid was even less fungicidal. In this case, A. niger proved to be the most resistant species (50 ppm for 60 min for complete inactivation). All Aspergillus spp. were insensitive to 10 ppm even with extended exposure (>5 h). The combination of chlorine and peracetic acid against Aspergillus spp. did not show synergistic effects except in the case of A. flavus. Complete growth inhibition of C. albicans was observed after about 3 h contact time with 0.2 ppm. C. albicans was less sensitive to peracetic acid. Hence the concentrations of chlorine that are usually present in drinking water distribution systems are ineffective against several Aspergillus spp. and peracetic acid cannot be considered an alternative to chlorine for disinfecting drinking water. The combination of the two biocides is not very effective in eliminating filamentous fungi at the concentrations permitted for drinking water disinfection

Involvement of Stat1 in the Phagocytosis of M. avium.

Mycobacterium avium is an intracellular pathogen preferentially infecting human macrophages where they activate the JAK/STAT1 pathway. This activation enhances the survival of infected cells, but, at the same time, makes macrophages optimal targets for drugs development against p-tyr701stat1In this study, we demonstrate that the fast and transient activity of the JAK/STAT1 pathway occurs immediately after macrophages internalization of heat-killed M. avium or inert particles. Furthermore, we show that a persistent Stat1 pathway activation occurs only when an intracellular M. avium infection is established in macrophages

Molecular detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in recreational water

The aim of this study was the development of a new molecular assay for Pseudomonas aeruginosa identification in recreational water. The method includes bacterial cell concentration through membrane filtration, a short (6 h) culture enrichment step, DNA extraction and its amplification through a Real-Time PCR assay. The performance of the molecular approach was evaluated on 44 samples of swimming pool water and compared with the reference method UNI EN ISO 16266:2008. Positivity rates of 6% and 74% in pool and inlet water, respectively, with the standard culture method, and of 23% and 74% with the molecular method were found. Statistical analysis indicated ‘‘substantial agreement’’ (Cohen’s Kappa index: 0.6831) between the two approaches. RAPD typing of P. aeruginosa isolates showed identical fingerprint profiles, indicating their epidemiological correlation. The developed protocol showed very high specificity and a detection limit of 10 genomic units. This technique has the potential to screen large numbers of environmental samples, and could be proposed as part of a self-monitoring plan for recreational facilities, improving surveillance and early warning systems