Contamination of fresh produce sold on the Italian market with Cyclospora cayetanensis and Echinococcus multilocularis.

To investigate the presence of Cyclospora cayetanensis, Toxoplasma gondii and Echinococcus spp. in fresh produce sold in Italy, 324 locally produced 'ready-to-eat' (RTE) mixed-salad packages belonging to three brands and 324 berries packages (blueberries and blackberries imported from Peru and Mexico, respectively, and raspberries grown in Italy) were purchased at retail. Nine individual packages from each of the six types of fresh produce were collected monthly for one year, and with the same produce pooled, this resulted in a total of 72 pools for the whole year. Using microscopy (FLOTAC), a Cyclospora-like oocyst was detected in a blueberry sample and a taeniid egg was detected in a RTE-salad sample. Molecular tools confirmed these to be C. cayetanensis and Echinococcus multilocularis, respectively. Toxoplasma gondii was not detected in any of the samples. This study shows for the first time in Europe that imported berries on the Italian market may be contaminated with C. cayetanensis and RTE salads grown in Italy with E. multilocularis. The results indicate a new epidemiological scenario and highlight that current management of fresh produce, locally produced or imported, does not ensure products are free from parasite contamination.

Functional deficit of T regulatory cells in Fulani, an ethnic group with low susceptibility to Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

Previous interethnic comparative studies on the susceptibility to malaria performed in West Africa showed that Fulani are more resistant to Plasmodium falciparum malaria than are sympatric ethnic groups. This lower susceptibility is not associated to classic malaria-resistance genes, and the analysis of the immune response to P. falciparum sporozoite and blood stage antigens, as well as non-malaria antigens, revealed higher immune reactivity in Fulani. In the present study we compared the expression profile of a panel of genes involved in immune response in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from Fulani and sympatric Mossi from Burkina Faso. An increased expression of T helper 1 (TH1)-related genes (IL-18, IFNgamma, and TBX21) and TH2-related genes (IL-4 and GATA3) and a reduced expression of genes distinctive of T regulatory activity (CTLA4 and FOXP3) were observed in Fulani. Microarray analysis on RNA from CD4+ CD25+ (T regulatory) cells, performed with a panel of cDNA probes specific for 96 genes involved in immune modulation, indicated obvious differences between the two ethnic groups with 23% of genes, including TGFbeta, TGFbetaRs, CTLA4, and FOXP3, less expressed in Fulani compared with Mossi and European donors not exposed to malaria. As further indications of a low T regulatory cell activity, Fulani showed lower serum levels of TGFbeta and higher concentrations of the proinflammatory chemokines CXCL10 and CCL22 compared with Mossi; moreover, the proliferative response of Fulani to malaria antigens was not affected by the depletion of CD25+ regulatory cells whereas that of Mossi was significantly increased. The results suggest that the higher resistance to malaria of the Fulani could derive from a functional deficit of T regulatory cells.

Cryptosporidium Oocyst Contamination in Drinking Water: A Case Study in Italy.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of Cryptosporidium oocysts in a drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) located in a rural area of northern Italy. Influent and effluent samples were collected at the DWTP over three years (2013-2016). In parallel, tap water samples from a public drinking fountain were collected as well. All samples were analyzed for the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts by a common method based on an immunomagnetic separation (IMS)/immunofluorescence assay (IFA), complemented by 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining. A reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR) protocol was added to evaluate oocyst viability. The results highlighted a high variability of oocyst concentrations across all samples (mean 4.3 ± 5.8/100 L) and a high variability in the percentage of DAPI-positive specimens (mean 48.2% ± 40.3%). Conversely, RT-PCR did not reveal the presence of viable C. parvum and C. hominis oocysts. A nested PCR targeting Cryptosporidium 18S ribosomal DNA, carried out in two water samples, confirmed the presence of a Cryptosporidium genotype associated with wild animals in the river and in tap water. The results obtained underline the vulnerability of the investigated surface water to Cryptosporidium spp. contamination. Although the recovered Cryptosporidium genotype is not a human pathogen, its presence demonstrates the existence of a potential pathogen Cryptosporidium spp. contamination risk. Moreover, these results underline the importance of also considering unconventional (not bacterial) biological contaminations (protozoa) in water resources in rural areas, including those of developed countries.

Multiple sclerosis and anti-Plasmodium falciparum innate immune response.

Several epidemiological investigations conducted in Sardinia, insular Italy, indicate that the strong selective pressure of malaria along the centuries may have concurred to the elevated genetic MS-risk in this region. To test such hypothesis in an experimental setting, we have compared the immune response to P. falciparum (the causative agent of malaria) in Sardinian MS patients relative to their ethnic healthy controls and control MS patients of different ethnicity. To this purpose, the P. falciparum-driven peripheral mononuclear cell proliferation, the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines of the innate immunity such as TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-12 and the ability to inhibit the parasite growth have been tested in relation to HLA-DR alleles and TNF promoter polymorphisms known of being associated to MS. We found that P. falciparum-induced proliferation, cytokine production and parasite killing are significantly augmented in Sardinian MS patients as compared to controls (p<0.01). Additionally, a correlation is found with genes associated to Sardinian MS, namely the TNF(-376A) promoter polymorphism and the class II HLA-DRB1*0405 allele. In conclusion, we have found evidences that some genetic traits formerly selected to confer a protective responses to P. falciparum now partially contribute to the elevated MS susceptibility amongst Sardinians.

Outstanding plasmodicidal properties within a small panel of metallic compounds: Hints for the development of new metal-based antimalarials.

A variegate group of metallodrugs was evaluated in vitro for antimalarial activity through the pLDH test. The panel comprised one mononuclear gold(III) complex, (Aubipy), three dinuclear gold(III) compounds (Auoxo4, Auoxo5 and Auoxo6), three ruthenium(III) complexes (NAMI A, PMRU20, PMRU27), one ruthenium(II) complex (PMRU52), one bismuth(III) compound (Bismuth citrate), antimony trichloride (SbCl(3)) and arsenic trioxide (As(2)O(3)). This panel, although relatively small, was built up in such a way to include a variety of metal centers, structural motifs and metal coordination environments. In general, the tested compounds turned out to contrast effectively Plasmodium falciparum growth in vitro. In two cases, i.e. NAMI A and antimony trichloride, IC(50) values in the high nanomolar range were measured. Notably, the antiplasmodial effects appear not to be correlated to in vitro anticancer properties. The mechanistic and pharmacological implications of the obtained results are discussed.