Microbiologia Medica

A rare case of loiasis clinically manifested 9 years after the last epidemiological exposure

Giorgia Bizzotto — 2024-10-25

A 37-year-old Cameroonian patient, residing in Italy for the past nine years without returning to his home country, showed up at the Emergency Department of Cittadella Hospital with acute

hyperemia of the conjunctival tissue, tearing, itching, headache in the right hemisphere and transient edema at ankles and wrists. A foreign body suspected to be a parasite was detected while migrating through his right eye. However, primary identification of the worm was hindered due to partial damage during surgical removal. The laboratory team based on the patient’s history and clinical manifestation, suspected blood infection due to microfi- lariae species and collected a blood sample at 12 pm. Microfilariae of Loa loa were identified in May Grunwald- Giemsa (MGG) staining (count of 270 microfilariae/mL) from a K2-EDTA blood sample. Identification of the microfilariae was based on morphological features, patient country of origin, and periodicity of the life cycle of the parasite.

Epidemiology and diagnostics of intestinal parasitic infections in Italy: a multicentric survey

Libera Clemente — 2024-11-20

Background and Aims: parasitic infections are becoming more common in non-endemic countries because of intensified immigration and international travels; however, the parasitic disease burden is often underestimated because of underdiagnosis and lack of surveillance in industrialized countries. Also, in Italy, epidemiological data on intestinal parasites affecting humans are scarce and scattered in different areas of the country. The aim of this retrospective, observational study was to evaluate the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections employing Parasitological Stool Examination (PSE) and to verify the quality of the diagnostic methodologies adopted to identify intestinal parasites in Italian laboratories.

Materials and Methods: the study involved 28 Italian diagnostic laboratories and 36389 patients, from June 2015 to May 2016.

Results: our data showed that 3173 out of 36389 subjects (8.7%) were carriers of one or more pathogenic or non-pathogenic protozoa or helminths. When only organisms known to cause intestinal disease were considered, an overall positive rate of 3.8% was found (1400/36389). Among the 1400 patients carrying one or more pathogenic species, protozoan infections predominated and were identified in 1138 subjects (3.1%); Dientamoeba fragilis and Giardia duodenalis represent the main intestinal pathogens. Concerning parasitic worms, only 262 individuals (0.7%) exhibited helminth infection; the most frequent finding was represented by Enterobius vermicularis, followed by Taenia spp.

Conclusions: this survey also indicated that not all diagnostic laboratories can guarantee proper performance for parasitological diagnosis. In this context, close collaboration between physicians and clinical microbiologists is warranted to improve the diagnostics of intestinal parasitic infections, thus ensuring good quality service.

Respiratory viruses and SARS-CoV-2 virus circulation in the provinces of Lucca and Massa Carrara during the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 flu seasons

Veronica Cunsolo — 2024-11-20

Background and Aims: the study aimed to investigate the circulation of influenza viruses and SARS-CoV-2 in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 influenza seasons in the provinces of Lucca and Massa Carrara in the northwest of the Tuscany region.

Materials and Methods: a retrospective observational study was conducted on adult and pediatric patients who accessed hospital facilities in the considered area during the influenza periods (from September to April) of 2022-23 and 2023-24.

Results: the 2022-23 influenza season was characterized by the circulation of the A/H3N2 influenza virus (84% of the total), with a peak of positive samples from weeks 42 to 52 in 2022. Instead, the influenza A/(H1N1)pdm09 virus was responsible for 94% of influenza infections in the 2023-24 season, with a peak of positive samples between weeks 52 of 2023 and 3 of 2024.

Conclusions: effective virological diagnostics and constant monitoring of circulating viruses are mandatory to correctly address therapy and contain the viral circulation in the different influenza seasons.