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Resistance of Candida krusei isolates to echinocandins, the recommended drugs to treat candidemia, has been associated with mutations in hot spot (HS) regions of the FKS1 gene or L701 M mutation in a region between HS1 and HS3 of FKS1. However, the role of L701 M mutation alone in causing reduced echinocandins susceptibility is still unclear. We analyzed a region between HS1 and HS3 of FKS1 of 25 C. krusei isolates from clinical samples. Susceptibility to echinocandins was determined by a commercial broth microdilution assay and by the microdilution method according to the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST). The L701 M mutation was detected in 22/25 (88%) C. krusei isolates with low MIC values in the absence of other HS mutations. The presence of isolated L701 M mutation in C. krusei clinical isolates susceptible to echinocandins suggests that this mutation may be just associated to polymorphism in the C. krusei population.

FilmArray Respiratory Panel (RP) (Idaho Technology, Inc., Salt Lake City, UT, USA) performance was retrospectively evaluated in respiratory samples collected from neonates in 2 reference neonatology units. Using the FilmArray RP assay, 121/152 (79.6%) samples were positive for at least 1 respiratory virus, while 31/152 (20.4%) were negative. FilmArray RP results were concordant in 68/72 (94.4%) respiratory samples tested with laboratory-developed real-time PCR assays, while in 4/72 (5.6%) samples, the FilmArray RP assay detected an additional virus (2 human rhinovirus/enterovirus and 2 bocavirus). In addition, FilmArray RP results for 70 of 80 (87.5%) respiratory samples tested were concordant with the Seegene Seeplex RV15® detection assay (Seegene, Inc., Seoul, South Korea), while 10/80 (12.5%) were discordant. The advantages of the FilmArray RP are the rapid detection of respiratory viruses (1 hour), the wide number of pathogens detectable in a single assay, and the reduced hands-on time.

Gastrointestinal viral syndromes are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in humans worldwide. Etiological agents include a large number of viruses encompassing several orders, families, and genera. During the period April 2011 to April 2012, 689 stool samples from as many patients hospitalized at the Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo of Pavia exhibiting gastrointestinal syndromes were examined for the presence of rotavirus, norovirus, astrovirus, adenovirus, rhinovirus, enterovirus, parechovirus, bocavirus, coronavirus, sapovirus, cosavirus, and aichi virus using polymerase chain reaction assays. Gastrointestinal viral agents were detected in 246 (36%) patients of the 689 analyzed. Adenovirus and norovirus were the most common viruses in this cohort, while aichi virus was the only gastrointestinal agent not detected. Surprisingly, rhinovirus was one of the most frequently detected viruses. However, a potential association with gastroenteritis remains to be confirmed.

The performance of immunochromatographic and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (RIDA®QUICK and RIDASCREEN®, R-Biopharm) was compared with real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction techniques for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal viral infections. The sensitivity of the immunologic methods was comparable to polymerase chain reaction for the diagnosis of rotavirus and astrovirus, while it was reduced for detection of norovirus and adenovirus.

The epidemiology of picornavirus infections along with associated risk factors for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) and duration of virus shedding were investigated in 985 hospitalized patients in the period October 2008-September 2009. One-third of patients were human rhinovirus (HRV)-positive. Of 336 HRV-associated episodes, 153 (45.5%) were sustained by HRV-A, 31 (9.2%) by HRV-B, and 93 (27.7%) by HRV-C, while 7 episodes showed multiple HRV types and 52 were sustained by undefined HRV species. Independent risk factors for LRTI included high viral load and age less than 5 years. Twenty (2.1%) patients were enterovirus (EV)-positive (12 had EV-68, 7 EV-104, and 1 E-13 infection). Half of the EV-positive patients had a LRTI and were younger with respect to patients with upper RTI (median 18 months versus 37 years; P0.001). HRVs are often the cause of LRTI in children less than 5 years, frequently in association with a high viral load.