inducing-meningococcal-meningitis-serogroup-c-mice-via-intracisternal

Inducing Meningococcal Meningitis Serogroup C in Mice via Intracisternal Delivery

Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) is a narrow-host-range microorganism, globally recognized as the leading cause of bacterial meningitis. ...

University of Naples Federico II

 is a gram-negative facultative intracellular bacterium and is the causative agent of cat-scratch disease. Our previous data have established that  colonization is able to prevent  damages through the polysaccharide A (PSA) in an experimental murine model. In order to determine whether the PSA is essential for the protection against pathogenic effects of  in immunocompromised hosts, SCID mice were co-infected with  wild type or its mutant  ΔPSA and the effects of infection on murine tissues have been observed by High-Frequency Ultrasound (HFUS), histopathological examination, and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). For the first time, echostructure, hepatic lobes length, vascular alterations, and indirect signs of hepatic dysfunctions, routinely used as signs of disease in humans, have been analyzed in an immunocompromised murine model. Our findings showed echostructural alterations in all infected mice compared with the Phosphate Buffer Solution (PBS) control group; further, those infected with  and co-infected with  ΔPSA presented the major echostructural alterations. Half of the mice infected with  and all those co-infected with  ΔPSA have showed an altered hepatic echogenicity compared with the renal cortex. The echogenicity score of co-infected mice with  ΔPSA differed significantly compared with the PBS control group (p < 0.05). Moreover the inflammation score of the histopathological evaluation was fairly concordant with ultrasound findings. Ultrastructural analysis performed by TEM revealed no significant alterations in liver samples of SCID mice infected with  wild type while those infected with  ΔPSA showed the presence of collagen around the main vessels compared with the PBS control group. The liver samples of mice infected with  showed macro-areas rich in collagen, stellate cells, and histiocytic cells. Interestingly, our data demonstrated that immunocompromised SCID mice infected with  and co-infected with  ΔPSA showed the most severe morpho-structural liver damage. In addition, these results suggests that the HFUS together with histopathological evaluation could be considered good imaging approach to evaluate hepatic alterations.

Novel Approach for Evaluation of  Protective Role against  Liver Damage in Immunocompromised Murine Model.

This report describes a case of congenital toxoplasmosis in a newborn in Southern Italy. A pregnant mother had been admitted at the 20th week of her pregnancy on account of pharyngodynia and laterocervical lymphadenopathy. Although serological testing of the mother's serum documented a seroconversion with positive IgG and IgM anti-Toxoplasma antibodies during II trimester, the woman refused to perform prenatal diagnosis for congenital toxoplasmosis. Fetal ultrasound scan already showed mild asymmetrical triventricular hydrocephaly and cerebral calcifications. After birth, real-time PCR on cerebrospinal fluid and blood samples of the newborn showed a positive result for 529bp-repeat element DNA of T. gondii, In addition brain magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography showed a characteristic diffuse brain tissue loss associated with hydrocephalus. For the first time molecular characterization of T. gondii isolate was performed directly from the newborn's CSF samples by using nested-PCR-RFLP of sag-2 and pk1 genes. The PCR-RLFP analysis revealed that the isolate belongs to the clonal type II, the predominant lineage causing human toxoplasmosis, as confirmed by DNA sequencing.

Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii strain directly from human CSF samples of congenital toxoplasmosis clinical case.

To evaluate the antimicrobial activity of hydroalcoholic extracts of pomegranate ( L.) peel and juice, against the microorganisms considered the main etiologic agents of dental caries.

Elena Scaglione

Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology

University of Naples Federico II

Inducing Meningococcal Meningitis Serogroup C in Mice via Intracisternal Delivery

Elena Scaglione

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology

University of Naples Federico II

Inducing Meningococcal Meningitis Serogroup C in Mice via Intracisternal Delivery

Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology