Article
Microbiology
Nadeem Ullah, Ling Hao, Jo-Lewis Banga Ndzouboukou, Shiyun Chen, Yaqi Wu, Longmeng Li, Eman Borham Mohamed, Yangbo Hu, Xionglin Fan
Summary: Rifampicin is a key first-line drug against tuberculosis, with specific protein expression differences identified in rifampicin-resistant strains related to cell wall and cell processes. Differential protein regulation in resistant strains highlights potential targets for effective management of drug-resistant tuberculosis.
Article
Microbiology
Freda E-C Jen, Jennifer L. Edwards, Ibrahim M. El-Deeb, Mark J. Walker, Mark von Itzstein, Michael P. Jennings
Summary: The ionophore PBT2, when used alone, has shown potential in killing both N.meningitidis and MDR N. gonorrhoeae, making it a candidate therapy for MDR N. gonorrhoeae infections.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sophia Schonherr-Hellec, Eirini Chatzopoulou, Jean-Philippe Barnier, Yoann Atlas, Sebastien Dupichaud, Thomas Guilbert, Yves Dupraz, Julie Meyer, Catherine Chaussain, Carolin Gurin, Xavie Nassif, Stephane Germain, Laurent Muller, Mathieu Coureuil
Summary: This article describes the implantation of engineered human microvasculature in mice, which allows the study of human pathogens. Using Neisseria meningitidis as an example, the authors demonstrate the strength and opportunities associated with this approach.
Article
Immunology
Yusuke Ota, Reina Okada, Hideyuki Takahashi, Ryoichi Saito
Summary: This study established a mismatched PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay for detecting mutations in gyrA associated with ciprofloxacin-resistant Neisseria meningitidis. The assay showed correlation with gyrA sequencing and has the potential to contribute to appropriate antibiotic selection for meningococcal chemoprophylaxis and prevent the spread of ciprofloxacin-resistant N. meningitidis.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Abigail Norris Turner, Alexandria Carter, Yih-Ling Tzeng, David S. Stephens, Morgan Brown, Brandon Snyder, Adam C. Retchless, Xin Wang, Jose A. Bazan
Summary: The study showed that urethral infection with the US_NmUC did not offer protection against gonorrhea despite high sequence similarity in shared protein antigens.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Dmitry Ershov, Minh-Son Phan, Joanna W. Pylvanainen, Stephane U. Rigaud, Laure Le Blanc, Arthur Charles-Orszag, James R. W. Conway, Romain F. Laine, Nathan H. Roy, Daria Bonazzi, Guillaume Dumenil, Guillaume Jacquemet, Jean-Yves Tinevez
Summary: TrackMate is an automated tracking software that is used for analyzing bioimages. The new version, TrackMate 7, addresses modern research challenges by integrating advanced segmentation algorithms into tracking pipelines. This new version demonstrates its effectiveness across a wide range of bio-imaging experiments, combining machine and deep learning-based image segmentation with accurate object tracking for improved 2D and 3D tracking in biological research.
Article
Microbiology
Justine Schaeffer, Kathrin Lippert, Sonja Pleininger, Anna Stoeger, Petra Hasenberger, Silke Stadlbauer, Florian Heger, Angelika Eigentler, Alexandra Geusau, Alexander Indra, Franz Allerberger, Werner Ruppitsch
Summary: This study found that around 30% of Austrian Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains investigated were already resistant to rifampicin, limiting its benefit as a treatment option for gonorrhea.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Alessia Biolchi, Sara Tomei, Laura Santini, Rita La Gaetana, Elena Mori, Patricia Novy, Rino Rappuoli, Rafik Bekkat-Berkani, Marzia Monica Giuliani, Mariagrazia Pizza
Summary: This study evaluated the ability of the 4-component MenB vaccine (4CMenB) to induce bactericidal activity against 15 outbreak strains in adolescents. Results showed that after two doses of 4CMenB, antibodies from 65% to 100% of US adolescents were able to kill the outbreak strains at specific dilutions. The study also found similar percentages of Chilean and US adolescents with bactericidal activity against certain strains following vaccination.
PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASE JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Lene Fogt Lundbo, Zitta Barrella Harboe, Hakon Sandholdt, Lars Smith-Hansen, Palle Valentiner-Branth, Steen Hoffmann, Thomas Benfield
Summary: A Danish case-control study found that certain comorbidities increased the risk of invasive meningococcal disease ranging from 2- to 40-fold. These comorbidities included renal disease, immunological disorders, liver disease, cancer, and solid organ transplantation. Vaccination and appropriate medical care may be necessary for these populations with increased risk.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Hideyuki Takahashi, Masatomo Morita, Hajime Kamiya, Munehisa Fukusumi, Masatomi Sunagawa, Haruna Nakamura-Miwa, Yukihiro Akeda, Ken Shimuta, Makoto Ohnishi
Summary: This study used molecular methods to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of 291 meningococcal strains isolated in Japan over a 17-year period. The most common serogroups were MenY and MenB, with MenY being the most abundant in patients with invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), and MenY, MenB, and non-groupable strains being the most abundant among isolates from healthy carriers. The dominant sequence types among Japanese IMD isolates were ST-1655 and ST-23, while ST-11026 and ST-23 were dominant among Japanese non-IMD isolates. Phylogenetic analyses revealed genetic similarities between Japanese isolates and isolates from Europe and China in certain clonal complexes.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Weitao Hu, Taiyong Fang, Xiaoqing Chen
Summary: This study identified DEGs associated with ulcerative colitis (UC) using bioinformatics analysis, providing potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets. The DEGs, hub genes and miRNAs identified may serve as biomarkers for UC, but further research is needed to understand their biological roles in the disease.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Na Li, Qin Guo, Qiao Zhang, Bai-Jun Chen, Xiao-An Li, Yan Zhou
Summary: This study identified numerous differentially m(6)A methylated sites and genes in CRC, suggesting potential mechanisms of m(6)A-mediated gene expression regulation in colorectal cancer.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Mingliang Chen, Odile B. Harrison, Holly B. Bratcher, Zhiyan Bo, Keith A. Jolley, Charlene M. C. Rodrigues, James E. Bray, Qinglan Guo, Xi Zhang, Min Chen, Martin C. J. Maiden
Summary: The study revealed the expansion of quinolone-resistant Neisseria meningitidis clone China(CC4821-R1-C/B) from China to other countries, highlighting the potential of causing a pandemic on a global scale.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Ryoichi Saito, Jun Nakajima, Isaac Prah, Masatomo Morita, Samiratu Mahazu, Yusuke Ota, Ayuka Kobayashi, Shuji Tohda, Hajime Kamiya, Hideyuki Takahashi, Makoto Ohnishi
Summary: This study assessed the susceptibility profiles of 87 N. meningitidis strains in Japan to various antibiotics and identified sporadic cases of antibiotic-resistant invasive lineages. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring antibiotic resistance in N. meningitidis to prevent the spread of resistant strains and ensure effective treatment.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Mengmeng Yue, Juan Xu, Jianxing Yu, Zhujun Shao
Summary: A systematic review was conducted to assess the carriage prevalence of Neisseria meningitidis in China. The study found that the weighted proportion of carriage was 2.86%, with variations between provinces and age groups. Serogroup B accounted for the highest proportion among positive carriers. Understanding the epidemiology and transmission dynamics of meningococcal infection is crucial for optimizing immunization strategies.
BMC INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Susanne Jacobsson, Michelle J. Cole, Gianfranco Spiteri, Michaela Day, Magnus Unemo
Summary: The study investigated 15,803 Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates from 27 European countries between 2009 and 2016, finding that sexual orientation was the main variable associated with gonococcal antimicrobial resistance. Resistance to cefixime and ciprofloxacin, as well as resistance combined with decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone, were positively associated with urogenital infections and heterosexual males, while azithromycin resistance was positively associated with heterosexual males. No significant associations were found regarding anatomical site of infection.
BMC INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Paola Stefanelli, Antonino Bella, Giorgio Fedele, Serena Pancheri, Pasqualina Leone, Paola Vacca, Arianna Neri, Anna Carannante, Cecilia Fazio, Eleonora Benedetti, Stefano Fiore, Concetta Fabiani, Maurizio Simmaco, Iolanda Santino, Maria Grazia Zuccali, Giancarlo Bizzarri, Rosa Magnoni, Pier Paolo Benetollo, Stefano Merler, Silvio Brusaferro, Giovanni Rezza, Antonio Ferro
Summary: The seroprevalence study in northeastern Italy revealed a 23% prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, three times higher than officially reported cases. The highest prevalence was in the 40-49 age group, and symptoms like anosmia and ageusia were strongly associated with seropositivity.
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Tjede Funk, Anastasia Pharris, Gianfranco Spiteri, Nick Bundle, Angeliki Melidou, Michael Carr, Gabriel Gonzalez, Alejandro Garcia-Leon, Fiona Crispie, Lois O'Connor, Niamh Murphy, Joel Mossong, Anne Vergison, Anke K. Wienecke-Baldacchino, Tamir Abdelrahman, Flavia Riccardo, Paola Stefanelli, Angela Di Martino, Antonino Bella, Alessandra Lo Presti, Pedro Casaca, Joana Moreno, Vitor Borges, Joana Isidro, Rita Ferreira, Joao Paulo Gomes, Liidia Dotsenko, Heleene Suija, Jevgenia Epstein, Olga Sadikova, Hanna Sepp, Niina Ikonen, Carita Savolainen-Kopra, Soile Blomqvist, Teemu Mottonen, Otto Helve, Joana Gomes-Dias, Cornelia Adlhoch
Article
Infectious Diseases
Laura Pellegrinelli, Cristina Galli, Valeria Primache, Laura Bubba, Gabriele Buttinelli, Paola Stefanelli, Elena Pariani, Sandro Binda
Summary: The study reported the Acute Flaccid Paralyses Surveillance (AFPS) activity in the Lombardy region of Northern Italy from 2016 to 2018, confirming the absence of poliovirus while detecting viruses with high nucleotide similarity to NPEVs detected in Europe. This highlights the importance of monitoring NPEVs through AFPS for providing valuable and up-to-date information.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Virology
Stefano Fontana, Daniela Cimini, Katia Marinelli, Giada Gori, Vania Moroni, Patrizia Bagnarelli, Lucia Collini, Elisabetta Pagani, Elisa Masi, Gabriele Buttinelli, Stefano Fiore, Concetta Amato, Valter Carraro, Paola Stefanelli
Summary: The investigation in Italy found a homogenous laboratory capacity for non-polio enterovirus infection diagnosis, with two outbreaks of Echovirus 30 identified in 2019. These results highlight the need to monitor the circulation of non-polio enterovirus to ascertain the real burden of the disease in the country.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Giorgio Fedele, Gianluca Russo, Ilaria Schiavoni, Pasqualina Leone, Eleonora Olivetta, Valentina Perri, Maria Antonella Zingaropoli, Maria Rosa Ciardi, Patrizia Pasculli, Claudio Maria Mastroianni, Paola Stefanelli
Summary: The kinetics of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody response were determined in fifteen hospitalized COVID-19 patients, showing that patients with milder symptoms were more prone to an early IgG/IgA response. Neutralization of Spike binding to ACE2 correlated with anti-Spike IgG and IgA, and the IgG and IgA antibody response persisted at the 6 months follow-up.
DIAGNOSTIC MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Valeria Micheli, Fiorenza Bracchitta, Alberto Rizzo, Alessandro Mancon, Davide Mileto, Alessandra Lombardi, Paola Stefanelli, Maria Rita Gismondo
Summary: This article reports the first case of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 variant in Italy, detected through whole-genome sequencing of an Italian traveler from Mozambique. Further investigations are needed to understand the potential impact of specific mutation profiles on vaccine efficacy. The case highlights the crucial role of rapid and continuous surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 variant circulation.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Paola Stefanelli, Filippo Trentini, Giorgio Guzzetta, Valentina Marziano, Alessia Mammone, Monica Sane Schepisi, Piero Poletti, Carla Molina Grane, Mattia Manica, Martina Del Manso, Xanthi Andrianou, Marco Ajelli, Giovanni Rezza, Silvio Brusaferro, Stefano Merler
Summary: The dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2 in Italy is the Alpha variant, while the Gamma variant co-circulates at a substantial proportion. However, the Gamma variant is unable to outcompete the Alpha variant, likely due to its lower transmissibility.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Arianna Neri, Annapina Palmieri, Grazia Prignano, Massimo Giuliani, Alessandra Latini, Cecilia Fazio, Paola Vacca, Luigina Ambrosio, Andrea Ciammaruconi, Silvia Fillo, Anna Anselmo, Antonella Fortunato, Romano Lista, Paola Stefanelli
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate and characterize meningococcal carriage among healthy men who have sex with men in Italy. The results showed that serogroup B meningococcal carriage was the most frequent among the MSM participants, with genetic analysis revealing similarity among strains belonging to the same clonal complex.
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Valentina Marziano, Giorgio Guzzetta, Alessia Mammone, Flavia Riccardo, Piero Poletti, Filippo Trentini, Mattia Manica, Andrea Siddu, Antonino Bella, Paola Stefanelli, Patrizio Pezzotti, Marco Ajelli, Silvio Brusaferro, Giovanni Rezza, Stefano Merler
Summary: The study assessed the impact of Italy's vaccination program and indicated that vaccination is gradually reducing social distancing restrictions and allowing for societal reopening. Vaccination not only offset the effect of the Delta variant in summer, but also holds the possibility of a return to pre-pandemic society with a coverage exceeding 90%.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Paola Stefanelli, Cecilia Fazio, Paola Vacca, Arianna Neri, Luigina Ambrosio, Giovanni Rezza
Summary: The study investigated the impact of social distancing measures on the transmission of invasive meningococcal disease in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings showed a significant decline in IMD incidence, indicating that the measures implemented to contain SARS-CoV-2 also affected other infectious diseases transmitted through direct contact and droplets.
PATHOGENS AND GLOBAL HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Stefano Fontana, Gabriele Buttinelli, Stefano Fiore, Concetta Amato, Marco Pataracchia, Majlinda Kota, Jela Acimovic, Mia Blazevic, Mirsada Mulaomerovic, Lubomira Nikolaeva-Glomb, Andreas Mentis, Androniki Voulgari-Kokota, Luljeta Gashi, Pranvera Kacaniku-Gunga, Christopher Barbara, Jackie Melillo, Jelena Protic, Svetlana Filipovic-Vignjevic, Patrick M. O'Connor, Alessandra D'Alberto, Riccardo Orioli, Andrea Siddu, Eugene Saxentoff, Paola Stefanelli
Summary: This study analyzed six years of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance data from 2015 to 2020 in 10 countries linked to the WHO Regional Reference Laboratory in Italy. The study also included data on polio vaccine coverage from 2015 to 2019 and enterovirus identification and typing. The findings showed a general underreporting of AFP cases and a high heterogeneity in non-polio enterovirus (NPEV) types. The polio vaccine coverage varied among countries based on available data.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marta De Angelis, David Della-Morte, Gabriele Buttinelli, Angela Di Martino, Francesca Pacifici, Paola Checconi, Luigina Ambrosio, Paola Stefanelli, Anna Teresa Palamara, Enrico Garaci, Camillo Ricordi, Lucia Nencioni
Summary: Studies have shown that the A5+ mixture is more effective in inhibiting influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 infections, reducing viral protein expression and viral release. Additionally, A5+ treatment significantly decreases IL-6 cytokine production in influenza virus-infected cells.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alessandra Lo Presti, Anna Carannante, Cecilia Fazio, Arianna Neri, Paola Vacca, Luigina Ambrosio, Florigio Lista, Silvia Fillo, Paola Stefanelli
Summary: This study investigated the phylogenetic relationships, evolutionary patterns, and selective pressure of FHbp subfamilies A and B variants in MenB. The analysis revealed sequence diversity and greater variations and positive selective pressure in subfamily B FHbp sequences compared to subfamily A. The study emphasizes the importance of continued genomic surveillance for meningococci and monitoring genetic diversity and molecular evolution of FHbp variants.
Article
Immunology
Giorgio Guzzetta, Flavia Riccardo, Valentina Marziano, Piero Poletti, Filippo Trentini, Antonino Bella, Xanthi Andrianou, Martina Del Manso, Massimo Fabiani, Stefania Bellino, Stefano Boros, Alberto Mateo Urdiales, Maria Fenicia Vescio, Andrea Piccioli, Silvio Brusaferro, Giovanni Rezza, Patrizio Pezzotti, Marco Ajelli, Stefano Merler
Summary: Italy imposed a national lockdown on March 11, 2020 to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The net reproduction number dropped below 1 14 days after lockdown and remained stable at approximately 0.76 in all regions for at least 3 weeks.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)