I primi risultati del progetto Waste4Think a Seveso

<p>Article published in the magazine "Recycling" - issue January-February 2018. Preliminary results of the introduction of the PAYT in Seveso and social actions implemented.</p

<i>Bartonella</i> spp. Bacteremia in Blood Donors from Campinas, Brazil

<div><p><i>Bartonella</i> species are blood-borne, re-emerging organisms, capable of causing prolonged infection with diverse disease manifestations, from asymptomatic bacteremia to chronic debilitating disease and death. This pathogen can survive for over a month in stored blood. However, its prevalence among blood donors is unknown, and screening of blood supplies for this pathogen is not routinely performed. We investigated <i>Bartonella</i> spp. prevalence in 500 blood donors from Campinas, Brazil, based on a cross-sectional design. Blood samples were inoculated into an enrichment liquid growth medium and sub-inoculated onto blood agar. Liquid culture samples and Gram-negative isolates were tested using a genus specific ITS PCR with amplicons sequenced for species identification. <i>Bartonella henselae</i> and <i>Bartonella quintana</i> antibodies were assayed by indirect immunofluorescence. <i>B. henselae</i> was isolated from six donors (1.2%). Sixteen donors (3.2%) were <i>Bartonella</i>-PCR positive after culture in liquid or on solid media, with 15 donors infected with <i>B. henselae</i> and one donor infected with <i>Bartonella clarridgeiae</i>. Antibodies against <i>B. henselae</i> or <i>B. quintana</i> were found in 16% and 32% of 500 blood donors, respectively. Serology was not associated with infection, with only three of 16 <i>Bartonella</i>-infected subjects seropositive for <i>B. henselae</i> or <i>B. quintana</i>. <i>Bartonella</i> DNA was present in the bloodstream of approximately one out of 30 donors from a major blood bank in South America. Negative serology does not rule out <i>Bartonella</i> spp. infection in healthy subjects. Using a combination of liquid and solid cultures, PCR, and DNA sequencing, this study documents for the first time that <i>Bartonella</i> spp. bacteremia occurs in asymptomatic blood donors. Our findings support further evaluation of <i>Bartonella</i> spp. transmission which can occur through blood transfusions.</p></div

Flowchart of the culture and PCR-based procedures performed to determine <i>Bartonella</i> prevalence in 500 blood donors from Campinas, Brazil.

<p>Flowchart of the culture and PCR-based procedures performed to determine <i>Bartonella</i> prevalence in 500 blood donors from Campinas, Brazil.</p