A5049906059- Mycobacterium research and diagnosis
- Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology
- Infectious Diseases and Tuberculosis
- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing
- Cancer therapeutics and mechanisms
- Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
- COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
- Infections and bacterial resistance
- Botulinum Toxin and Related Neurological Disorders
- Diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis
- Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia detection and treatment
- Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens research
- Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology
- Pharmacological Effects of Natural Compounds
- Insect Utilization and Effects
- Digestive system and related health
- Innovative Microfluidic and Catalytic Techniques Innovation
- Quinazolinone synthesis and applications
- Bacillus and Francisella bacterial research
- Phenothiazines and Benzothiazines Synthesis and Activities
- Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
- Biochemical and Structural Characterization
- Transgenic Plants and Applications
- Poxvirus research and outbreaks
Istituto Superiore di Sanità
2013-2024
Roma Tre University
2009-2010
The control of tuberculosis (TB) is hampered by the emergence multidrug-resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium (Mtb) strains, defined as resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampin, two bactericidal drugs essential for treatment disease. Due worldwide estimate almost half a million incident cases MDR/rifampin-resistant TB, it important continuously update knowledge on mechanisms involved in development this phenomenon. Clinical, biological microbiological reasons account generation resistance,...
The antagonistic activity against gastrointestinal bacterial pathogens is an important property of probiotic bacteria and a desirable feature for pre-selection novel strains with potential. Pre-screening candidate probiotics antibacterial should be based on in vitro vivo tests. This study investigated whether the protective can evaluated using Galleria mellonella larvae as model. Larvae were pre-inoculated either two widely used bacteria, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG or Clostridium butyricum...
The activities of rifampin, rifapentine, bedaquiline, PA-824, clofazimine, nitazoxanide, isoniazid, amikacin, moxifloxacin, niclosamide, thioridazine, and pyrazinamide were tested against nonreplicating (dormant) Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv under conditions hypoxia at pHs 5.8 7.3, mimicking environments cellular granulomas caseous granulomas, respectively. At pH 5.8, several drugs killed dormant bacilli, with the best being rifampin rifapentine. only rifapentine efficiently while all...
Pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represents a challenge for healthcare structures. The molecular confirmation of samples from infected individuals is crucial and therefore guides public health decision making. Clusters possibly increased diffuse transmission could occur in the context next influenza season. For this reason, diagnostic test able to discriminate severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viruses urgently needed.
Previous studies on Escherichia coli demonstrated that sub-minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of fluoroquinolones induced the SOS response, increasing drug tolerance. We characterized transcriptional response to moxifloxacin in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Reference strain H37Rv was treated with and gene expression studied by qRT-PCR. Five regulon genes, recA, lexA, dnaE2, Rv3074 Rv3776, were a dose- time-dependent manner. A range concentrations peak observed at 2 × MIC (0.25 μg/mL) after...
Infections caused by Mycobacterium abscessus (Mab), an environmental non-tuberculous mycobacterium, are difficult to eradicate from patients with pulmonary diseases such as cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis even after years of antibiotic treatments. In these people, the low oxygen pressure in mucus biofilm may restrict Mab growth actively replicating aerobic (A) non-replicating hypoxic (H) stages, which known be extremely drug-tolerant. After exposure A H cells drugs, killing was monitored...
To evaluate whether antibodies specific for the vaccinia virus (VV) are still detectable after at least 45 years from immunization. confirm that VV-specific endowed with capacity to neutralize Mpox (MPXV) in vitro. test a possible role of polyclonal non-specific activation maintenance immunologic memory.
The emergence of the new pathogen SARS-CoV-2 determined a rapid need for monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to detect virus in biological fluids as tool identify infected individuals be treated or quarantined. majority commercially available antigenic tests rely on detection N antigen biologic fluid using anti-N antibodies, and their capacity specifically subjects by is questionable due several structural analogies among proteins different coronaviruses. In order produce specific BALB/c mice were...
Several COVID-19 vaccine strategies utilizing new formulations for the induction of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) and T cell immunity are still under evaluation in preclinical clinical studies. Here we used Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV)-based integrase defective lentiviral vector (IDLV) delivering different conformations membrane-tethered Spike protein mouse immunogenicity model, with aim inducing persistent nAbs against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants concern (VoC). modifications...
The activities of rifampin, nitazoxanide, PA-824, and sutezolid were tested against dormant Mycobacterium tuberculosis under conditions mimicking caseous granulomas (hypoxia at pH 7.3) in comparison with those the combination rifampin-isoniazid-pyrazinamide-ethambutol (R-I-Z-E), which is used for human therapy. Mycobacterial viability was monitored by CFU regrowth MGIT 960. As shown lack MGIT, rifampin-nitazoxanide-containing combinations, but not R-I-Z-E, killed cells 28 to 35 days. These...
We determined the genetic maps of megaplasmids six neutoroxigenic Clostridium butyricum type E strains from Italy using molecular and bioinformatics techniques. The are circular, not linear as we had previously proposed. differently-sized share a region that includes structural, metabolic regulatory genes. In addition, found 168 kb is present only in larger two tested strains, whereas it absent smaller four remaining strains. unique to contains, among other features, locus for clustered...
Heterogeneous mixtures of cellular and caseous granulomas coexist in the lungs tuberculosis (TB) patients, with Mycobacterium (Mtb) existing from actively replicating (AR) to dormant, nonreplicating (NR) stages. Within granulomas, pH is estimated be less than 6, whereas necrotic centres hypoxic, cholesterol/triacylglycerol-rich, varies between 7.2 7.4. To combat TB, we should kill both AR NR stages Mtb. Dormant Mtb remodels lipids its cell wall, so lipophilic drugs may active against living...
Antibodies targeting Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 have been suggested to account for the majority neutralizing activity in COVID-19 convalescent sera and several antibodies (nAbs) isolated, characterized proposed as emergency therapeutics form monoclonal (mAbs). However, variants are rapidly spreading worldwide from sites initial identification. The concern (VOC) B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), P.1 (Gamma) B.1.167.2 (Delta) showed mutations spike protein potentially able...
The susceptibility of 253 Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates to pyrazinamide (PZA) was assessed using the BACTECTM MGITTM 960 (M960) system. Resistant strains underwent paired repeat testing 1) a critical concentration 200 g/ml (PZA-200), and 2) reduced inoculum 0.25 ml. They were also examined BACTEC 460 (B460) reference method investigated for pncA mutations. On M960, 37 resistant. In PZA-200 assay, 20 these resistant 17 susceptible, while 18 19 susceptible with inoculum. B460...
Clostridium butyricum strains that atypically produce the botulinum neurotoxin type E (BoNT/E) possess a megaplasmid of unknown functions in their genome. In this study, we cured two neurotoxigenic C. megaplasmids, and compared obtained megaplasmid-cured to respective wild-type parental strains. Our results showed megaplasmids do not confer beta-lactam resistance on strains, although they carry several putative beta-lactamase genes. Instead, found are essential for growth at relatively low...
The lungs of tuberculosis (TB) patients contain a spectrum granulomatous lesions ranging from solid and well vascularized cellular granulomas, to avascular caseous granulomas. In current therapy kills actively replicating (AR) intracellular bacilli, while in low granulomas the oxygen tension stimulates aerobic microaerophilic AR bacilli transit into non-replicating (NR), drug-tolerant, extracellular stages. These stages, which do not have genetic mutations are often referred as persisters,...
Pyrazinamide (PZA) is a first-line key drug used in combination with other agents for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). Phenotypic and molecular assays testing susceptibility Mycobacterium (Mtb) to PZA have been developed, assay liquid medium at acidic pH Bactec MGIT 960 (M960) system being routinely mycobacteriology laboratories. However, false resistance by this method was reported occur several investigators, mostly due high Mtb inoculum, which may impair activity increasing medium. In...
Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is a serious threat in industrialized countries, but information from Southern Italy lacking. Here, we present the results of retrospective study TB cases diagnosed 2008-2013 Naples, largest city Italy.Six hundred ninety Mycobacterium strains were isolated at Ospedali dei Colli and resistance to first-line second-line drugs was determined.Multidrug-resistant (MDR) increased 2008 2013, with 77.4% migrants 41 countries. Overall, 4.5% MDR: Italian-born persons,...