Current preventive policies and practices against Vaccine-Preventable Diseases and tuberculosis targeted for workers from hospitals of the Sardinia Region, Italy

Introduction: Health care Workers are exposed to infectious diseases more than the general population. Many of these infections are preventable by vaccination. The objective in this study is to investigate whether, how, and which vaccination underwent Sardinia Health Care Workers (HCWs) and the variability of policies in different Hospital Health Managements of the whole region. Methods: In March 2013, we enrolled the Hospital Health Management of all the 32 Sardinia hospitals. We investigate on immunity against vaccine-preventable diseases and education campaigns about recommended vaccinations for HCWs. Flu, hepatitis B, measles-mumps-rubella, varicella and tuberculosis were the objects of our research. Results: In most of the hospitals, influenza vaccination coverage among HCWs is less than 6%. Hepatitis B antibody assay was performed in all the respondent hospitals but only 14 had available data as collected electronically. Most of the hospitals did not perform serological tests for the evaluation of antibodies against Varicella, Measles, Mumps and Rubella in their HCWs. In 30 hospitals Mantoux test was replaced or integrated by âin vitroâ test for health surveillance protocols. Conclusions: This method produced a large amount of data in small time and at a low cost. Sending back data to respective Hospital Health Management (HHM) we took a step towards greater awareness of the issue of biological risks of HCWs and of vaccine coverage

Evidence of Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) infection in human and pigs in Sardinia, Italy

Introduction. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of anti-HEV antibodies in humans sera and to study HEV prevalence in swine from different Sardinian farms, testing viral HEV-RNA in bile samples. Methods. In the first six months of 2008, 532 subjects of whom 402 blood donors and 130 workers at zoonotic risk, were enrolled. Anti-HEV were determined with an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In positive subjects, RNA was extracted and tested by RT-Nested-PCR. From July 2006 to March 2007, 95 bile samples were collected from randomly selected pigs. RNA was extracted from 250 ?l of bile and tested by RT-Nested-PCR. Results. The overall prevalence of anti-HEV antibodies was 4.3%; 5.0% among blood donors and 2.3% among workers at zoonotic risk, with no statistically significant differences between sex, age classes and occupation. The search for HEV-RNA in the subjects positive for antibodies, gave negative results. HEV genome was detected in 6 of the 95 swine bile samples tested. Sequences were clustered within the genotype 3 and are edited on GenBank under accession number: from FJ850960 to FJ850962 and from FJ883000 to FJ883002. Discussion. The overall prevalence of anti-HEV shows that the virus circulates without giving origin to cases of acute hepatitis. The low prevalence value found in workers at zoonotic risk do not apparently support the hypothesis of professional risk. In this study, HEV-RNA was isolated from pigs in Sardinia for the first time confirming the role of swine as HEV reservoir and the possibility of virus transmission to humans

Transcriptome and metabolome reprogramming in tomato plants by Trichoderma harzianum strain T22 primes and enhances defence responses against aphids

Beneficial fungi in the genus Trichoderma are among the most widespread biocontrol agents of plant pathogens. Their role in triggering plant defences against pathogens has been intensely investigated, while, in contrast, very limited information is available on induced barriers active against insects. The growing experimental evidence on this latter topic looks promising, and paves the way towards the development of Trichoderma strains and/or consortia active against multiple targets. However, the predictability and reproducibility of the effects that these beneficial fungi is still somewhat limited by the lack of an in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the specificity of their interaction with different crop varieties, and on how the environmental factors modulate this interaction. To fill this research gap, here we studied the transcriptome changes in tomato plants (cultivar “Dwarf San Marzano”) induced by Trichoderma harzianum (strain T22) colonization and subsequent infestation by the aphid Macrosiphum euphorbiae. A wide transcriptome reprogramming, related to metabolic processes, regulation of gene expression and defence responses, was induced both by separate experimental treatments, which showed a synergistic interaction when concurrently applied. The most evident expression changes of defence genes were associated with the multitrophic interaction Trichoderma-tomato-aphid. Early and late genes involved in direct defence against insects wereinduced (i.e. peroxidase, GST, kinases and polyphenol oxidase, miraculin, chitinase), along with indirect defence genes, such as sesquiterpene synthase and geranylgeranyl phosphate synthase. Targeted and untargeted semi-polar metabolome analysis revealed a wide metabolome alteration showing an increased accumulation of isoprenoids in Trichodermatreated plants. The wide array of transcriptomic and metabolomics changes nicely fit with the higher mortality of aphids when feeding on Trichoderma treated plants,herein reported,and with the previously observed attractiveness of these latter towards the aphid parasitoid Aphidius ervi.Moreover, Trichoderma treated plants showed the over-expression of transcripts coding for several families of defence-related transcription factors (bZIP, MYB, NAC, AP2-ERF, WRKY), suggesting that the fungus contributes to the priming of plant responses against pest insects. Collectively, our data indicate that Trichoderma treatment of tomato plants induces transcriptomic and metabolomic changes, which underpin both direct and indirect defence responses

Temperature Differentially Influences the Capacity of Trichoderma Species to Induce Plant Defense Responses in Tomato Against Insect Pests

Species of the ecological opportunistic, avirulent fungus, Trichoderma are widely used in agriculture for their ability to protect crops from the attack of pathogenic fungi and for plant growth promotion activity. Recently, it has been shown that they may also have complementary properties that enhance plant defense barriers against insects. However, the use of these fungi is somewhat undermined by their variable level of biocontrol activity, which is influenced by environmental conditions. Understanding the source of this variability is essential for its profitable and wide use in plant protection. Here, we focus on the impact of temperature on Trichoderma afroharzianum T22, Trichoderma atroviride P1, and the defense response induced in tomato by insects. The in vitro development of these two strains was differentially influenced by temperature, and the observed pattern was consistent with temperature-dependent levels of resistance induced by them in tomato plants against the aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae, and the noctuid moth, Spodoptera littoralis. Tomato plants treated with T. afroharzianum T22 exhibited enhanced resistance toward both insect pests at 25°C, while T. atroviride P1 proved to be more effective at 20°C. The comparison of plant transcriptomic profiles generated by the two Trichoderma species allowed the identification of specific defense genes involved in the observed response, and a selected group was used to assess, by real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR), the differential gene expression in Trichoderma-treated tomato plants subjected to the two temperature regimens that significantly affected fungal biological performance. These results will help pave the way toward a rational selection of the most suitable Trichoderma isolates for field applications, in order to best face the challenges imposed by local environmental conditions and by extreme climatic shifts due to global warming

Detection and genotyping of human Papillomavirus in urine samples from unvaccinated male and female adolescents in Italy

The introduction of vaccination against Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in adolescent girls in 2006 has focused virological surveillance on this age group. As few studies have evaluated HPV infections in young populations, further data are needed in order to improve and extend prophylactic policy and to monitor epidemiological changes. The present study aimed at evaluating overall and type-specific HPV prevalence in both female and male adolescents in Italy. HPV DNA detection and genotyping was performed on urine samples collected from 870 unvaccinated adolescents (369 females, 501 males, 11-18 years of age) in five cities in Italy. Following DNA extraction by means of a commercial kit (NucliSENS®-miniMAG®, bioMérieux), the L1 gene fragment was PCR amplified and genotyped by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. HPV DNA was detected in 1.5% of all samples, and in 3% and 0.4% of samples from females and males, respectively. In approximately 70% of HPV DNA positive adolescents, the infection was due to a single genotype, with 88.9% of genotypes belonging to the HR-clade. The only two HPV-positive boys (14 and 18 years old) had HPV-70 genotype. Only one of the 11 HPV-infected girls was in the 11-14 age-group. HPV prevalence was 4.2% in girls aged 15-18 years and 60% of infections were due to vaccine types HPV-16 or HPV-6/-11. This is one of the few studies, the first conducted in Italy, on HPV infection in adolescents. Urine testing is the easier way of detecting HPV infection in younger populations. Our data revealed a very low HPV prevalence, and no infections were observed in the 12-year-old vaccine target population. The majority of infections were seen in females aged 15-18 years. Overall, more than 50% and 30% of the potentially persistent HPV infections detected in this group could have been prevented by the quadrivalent and the bivalent vaccines, respectively

Epigenetic Alterations in Inborn Errors of Immunity

The epigenome bridges environmental factors and the genome, fine-tuning the process of gene transcription. Physiological programs, including the development, maturation and maintenance of cellular identity and function, are modulated by intricate epigenetic changes that encompass DNA methylation, chromatin remodeling, histone modifications and RNA processing. The collection of genome-wide DNA methylation data has recently shed new light into the potential contribution of epigenetics in pathophysiology, particularly in the field of immune system and host defense. The study of patients carrying mutations in genes encoding for molecules involved in the epigenetic machinery has allowed the identification and better characterization of environment-genome interactions via epigenetics as well as paving the way for the development of new potential therapeutic options. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of the role of epigenetic modifications in the immune system and outline their potential involvement in the pathogenesis of inborn errors of immunity

Antimeningococcal and antipneumococcal vaccination determinants: A European systematic literature review

EACKGROUND: ESCULAPIO is a multicenter project, funded by the Italian Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, aimed at implementing communication strategies to improve vaccination knowledge and attitudes among different target populations. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the Sicilian research unit was, in the first phase, to identify, through systematic literature revision, which vaccination determinants play a role in the uptake of recommended vaccines included in the Italian Vaccination Plan. DESIGN: A systematic literature review was carried out on studies describing the determinants underlying pneumococcal and meningococcal vaccination uptake. The analysis was limited to papers published in English from 2000 to date. RESULTS: A total of 188 (meningococcal) and 731 (pneumococcal) papers were found. After selection by publication data, country (Europe), article type (original article), target population (healthy subjects), 7 (meningococcal) and 4 ( pneumococcal) manuscripts were finally included in the analysis. For meningococcal vaccination a better socioeconomic status is related to vaccination acceptance, whereas distance from immunization service is a negative determinant. For pneumococcal vaccination the determinants related to vaccination uptake are older parental age and a strong vaccine recommendation. Conversely, when the vaccine needs to be paid for, a refusal is more likely. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that payment for vaccination is a major barrier and communication about meningococcal and pneumococcal vaccination should be targeted towards specific population groups, especially through the counseling activities by health professionals

Temperature Differentially Influences the Capacity of Trichoderma Species to Induce Plant Defense Responses in Tomato Against Insect Pests

Species of the ecological opportunistic, avirulent fungus, Trichoderma are widely used in agriculture for their ability to protect crops from the attack of pathogenic fungi and for plant growth promotion activity. Recently, it has been shown that they may also have complementary properties that enhance plant defense barriers against insects. However, the use of these fungi is somewhat undermined by their variable level of biocontrol activity, which is influenced by environmental conditions. Understanding the source of this variability is essential for its profitable and wide use in plant protection. Here, we focus on the impact of temperature on Trichoderma afroharzianum T22, Trichoderma atroviride P1, and the defense response induced in tomato by insects. The in vitro development of these two strains was differentially influenced by temperature, and the observed pattern was consistent with temperature-dependent levels of resistance induced by them in tomato plants against the aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae, and the noctuid moth, Spodoptera littoralis. Tomato plants treated with T. afroharzianum T22 exhibited enhanced resistance toward both insect pests at 25°C, while T. atroviride P1 proved to be more effective at 20°C. The comparison of plant transcriptomic profiles generated by the two Trichoderma species allowed the identification of specific defense genes involved in the observed response, and a selected group was used to assess, by real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR), the differential gene expression in Trichoderma-treated tomato plants subjected to the two temperature regimens that significantly affected fungal biological performance. These results will help pave the way toward a rational selection of the most suitable Trichoderma isolates for field applications, in order to best face the challenges imposed by local environmental conditions and by extreme climatic shifts due to global warming