Bollettino dell'Istituto sieroterapico milanese最新文献

We have evaluated the prevalence of anti HIV-2 antibodies in a population of 139 individuals at risk for AIDS, attending the center for drug addiction of the Rho hospital. 79.85% of our patients were positive for anti HIV-1 antibodies. 51 patients (36.69%) were positive for anti HIV-2 antibodies in an immunoenzymatic method, but only 16 patient (11.51%) have been confirmed in Western Blot. We stress, therefore, the necessity of confirming the positivity for anti HIV-2 antibodies with the Western Blotting method. 14.41% of our anti HIV-1 positive patients were also anti HIV-2 positive, but no one showed an isolate positivity for anti HIV-2 antibodies.

The antigenemia and the patterns of antibodies to core protein (p24) and envelope glycoproteins (gp41, gp120) have been investigated in 81 patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection followed prospectively for 24 months. HIV antigen was detectable in 23 (28.4%) patients at entry to the study (13/13 with AIDS and 10/23 with ARC) and in 33 (40.7%) at the end (25/28 with AIDS, 5/12 with ARC e 3/14 with LAS). Anti-p24 were positive in 51 (63.0%) patients at the entry (26/30 symptomless, 13/15 with LAS e 12/23 with ARC) and in 41 (50.6%) at the end of the study (23/27 symptomless, 9/14 with LAS, 7/12 with ARC e 2/28 with AIDS). All patients were positive for anti-gp41 and showed no significant changes in the antibody titers during the two years of follow-up; by contrast, anti-gp120 was undetectable in most patients (26/28) with AIDS. Clinical progression in a high proportion of patients was associated with the appearance of HIV antigen, with the decline of anti-p24 titers and with no antibody reactivity to gp120 glycoprotein.

The screening for hepatitis B virus infection markers of 976 hospital employees pointed out that: the prevalence of subjects who are positive to at least one marker is relatively low (17.52%); the areas with higher rates of prevalence are: the infections diseases division and the radiological area; there is a statistically significant difference as for the positivity of one of the hepatitis B markers among the disaggregated non-medical staff for every single functional area. The data here collected are compared with those collected in other hospitals.

We studied complement (C') involvement in paediatric coeliac disease (CD) and dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) in relation to lesions and function of enteric mucosa and to diet. For this purpose, 50 children affected by CD and 42 affected by DH were subdivided in 3 groups: in the first (I) were included subjects in free diet, in the second (II) children during gluten-free diet (GFD) and in the third (III) subjects after gluten reintroduction in diet. Only in CD we found significant modifications of some C' parameters. In fact C3 and C4 levels increase in II group in GFD (respectively p less than 0.02 and p less than 0.03) and result inversely correlated to an arbitrary score for the evaluation of the enteric histological lesions (p less than 0.02 and p less than 0.01). C3d/C3 ratio levels, as catabolic index of C3, result always greater than normal in both diseases, but significantly decrease only in II group of CD children (p less than 0.02), where they result also positively correlated to the histological score (p less than 0.05). Circulating immune complex-like material is higher in DH, but incidence of pathological values decrease in II group only in CD (p less than 0.04). These data suggest probable significant differences in the pathogenetic mechanisms of CD and DH involving C'.

All surgically treated cases of hydatidosis registered in Sardinia from 1969 to 1984 have been analysed. The 16-year period clearly shows that unilocular hydatid disease caused by larvae of tapeworm, Echinococcus granulosus, is endemic in Sardinia. In this region there are foci of human infection notably in the sheep rearing areas, of Nuoro and Sassari. The incidence of human hydatidosis shows a marked regional variation varying during the last survey (1982-1984) between 16.9/1000 in the province of Nuoro to 8.3/1000 in the province of Cagliari. Not all population is at equal risk e.g. 47.1/1000 is the incidence in shepherds respect to 8.9/1000 in employed in services. In Sardinia, although there are a wide variety of suitable intermediate host species, is sheep the determinant host for the perpetuation of the parasite's life cycle. The prevalence rate in cattle, pigs and goats in under 30% while the sheep incidence is extraordinarily high, over 90% are infected. The dogs showed a prevalence rate of 10-20%, the infection was more frequent in shepherd-dogs and strays. The rate of hydatidosis in man appears significantly correlated with number of dogs and sheep per inhabitants. Two factors are, at present, determinant in the dissemination of hydatidosis: the common sardinian practice of slaughtering sheep at home and the indiscriminate proliferation of dogs which mainly live as strays. The epidemiological picture and the economic consequences of hydatidosis in man and livestock, a damage of 28 billions of liras per year, strongly suggest this disease as a major public health problem in Sardinia.

In this research 113 sera have been analysed with three methods for IgM treponema-specific determination: IgM-SPHA, IgM-EIA and 19S IgM FTA-ABS. Among these sera, 33 samples related to non-treated patients at different stages of infection, and 80 samples to treated patients. The results point out a light sensibility of the IgM-SPHA in primary lues. The IgM-EIA test has performed a good specificity, but displayed a sensibility lower to the 19S IgM FTA-ABS, which proved the best of tests. About the cases of treated lues at different stages, in 23 samples with VDRL negative has been found no positivity at three tests used, while in 49 samples with VDRL positive 8 are resulted positive at 19S IgM FTA-ABS.

From 1984 to 1986, 1038 Gram positive cocci (865 Staphylococci and 173 Enterococci) have been tested for sensitivity to teicoplanin by the agar diffusion method: only one strain (Staphylococcus haemolyticus) resulted to have no zone of inhibition around the teicoplanin disk. All Staphylococcus haemolyticus strains showed higher MIC: 2.79 mcg/ml after 24h of incubation and 20.50 mcg/ml after 48h. The reduced teicoplanin sensitivity of Staphylococcus haemolyticus was not detected by the agar diffusion test.

A survey on the prevalence of Hantaan and leptospiral antibodies on mammalogists and rodent control personnel was performed. None of the 66 trappers studied (using IFI ) had detectable Hantaan antibody, while only 2 out of 20 mammalogists presented antibody at low titer (1:32). For leptospiral antibody the microagglutination test (MAT) using live leptospires as antigen was performed. 14 out of 66 trappers, or 21.2 per cent, had antibodies, at titer of 1:50 or more, to various leptospiral serovars: L.icterohaemorrhagiae in 12 cases, L.hardjo in 1 case, L.bratislava in 1 case. On the contrary, none of the mammalogists showed positivity for any of 16 serovars used. The environmental risk factors could justify the high prevalence of leptospiral antibodies in the field workers (trappers), while continuous laboratory contacts with rodents explain the presence of Hantaan virus antibodies in mammalogists .

The aim of the present work is to assess whether reactivation of viral replication occurred in children affected by chronic hepatitis undergoing long term immunosuppressive therapy. 123 serum samples belonging to 25 children were retrospectively evaluated for HBV-DNA and HBeAg. Sera were collected prior to and during the protocol treatment (steroids alone or with azathioprine). Presence of HBV-DNA was evaluated by means of molecular hybridization technique, using a radiolabelled probe of cloned HBV-DNA. Sera (100 1) were denatured and transferred into nylon membrane (spot) then prehybridized and hybridized. After washing in stringent conditions, the filter was exposed in autoradiographic cassette with Kodak film XOmat5. Positivity was semiquantitatively evaluated by blackening of the spot. Increase or appearance of HBV-DNA was observed in the sera from 24/25 pts. HBeAg became positive in 4/5 pts previously negative. Obtained data shows reactivation of viral replication during immunosuppressive therapy. Data are especially significant in those cases in which such activity has apparently ceased or not been detected; HBV may be considered as a latent virus.