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Background Previous reports highlighted the efficacy of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against coronavirus disease 2019. Methods We conducted a prospective study on the clinical outcome and antiviral effects of mAbs added to standard of care therapy in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients with primary antibody defects. Results Median time of SARS-CoV-2 quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) positivity was shorter in 8 patients treated with mAbs (22 days) than in 10 patients treated with standard of care therapy only (37 days, P=.026). Median time of SARS-CoV-2 qPCR positivity from mAb administration was 10 days. Conclusions The SARS-CoV-2 mAbs treatment was effective and well tolerated in patients with primary antibody defects.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is challenging health care systems worldwide, raising the question of reducing the transplant program due to the shortage of intensive care unit beds and to the risk of infection in donors and recipients. We report the positive experience of a single Transplant Center in Rome, part of the National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani, one of the major national centers involved in the COVID-19 emergency.

Acute hepatitis B infection (AHB) is still a common viral acute hepatitis worldwide. As vaccination, antiviral treatment, and immigration are bound to affect the epidemiological landscape of HBV infections, and some of its aspects need to be investigated: (1) the circulation of vaccine escape mutants and of primary drug resistant strains, (2) the change in HBV genotype prevalence, and (3) the clinical implications of AHB and the probability of chronification. The serological, virological, and clinical parameters of 75 patients, acutely infected by HBV, were gathered for a retrospective study. Long-term follow up, either to complete seroconversion or for up to five years, was possible for 44 patients. Sequence analysis of the reverse transcriptase/HBsAg and precore regions was performed to investigate the molecular epidemiology and pathogenesis of recent infections by HBV. Genotype distribution in AHB in Italian patients was radically different from that of chronic infections, with a dramatic increase of extra-European genotypes (A1, F), suggesting that a proportion of AHBs are currently related to imported strains. None of the documented infections occurred in vaccinated individuals, while HBsAg variants (potentially vaccine escape variants) were rare and less prevalent than in chronic infections. No drug resistant strains were observed. Spontaneous viral clearance occurred in all but three cases. Time to viral clearance was inversely proportional to liver damage, but HBsAg titer on day 28 and, better still, HBsAg decay from day 0 to day 28 after admission, were the best predictors of chronification. They are, thus, potentially useful to guide antiviral treatment to prevent chronic evolution.

Body piercing is a social phenomenon on the rise especially among young people. This procedure may be complicated by serious bacterial and viral infections. We report a case of Staphylococcus aureus infective endocarditis and meningitis arising from the site of a nape piercing, after its removal. A 21-year-old Italian female was admitted to hospital with neurological impairment and sepsis. A diagnosis of endocarditis associated with meningitis by S. aureus, complicated by septic emboli in the brain, retina, skin and kidney, was formulated on the basis of modified Duke's criteria. The likely port-of-entry was the site of a nape piercing, removed two months before. In view of the widespread practice of body piercing, provision of correct and timely information concerning the associated serious risks is now imperative. Such information should emphasise the option for antibiotic prophylaxis, and the importance of careful local hygiene, even after piercing removal.

UNLABELLED Our objective was to describe morphologic and metabolic disorders in patients treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) since primary HIV infection (PHI). Our method was prospective evaluation of patients with PHI initiating HAART at the time of diagnosis. Outcome measures were: development of hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and of body shape abnormalities indicative of lipodystrophy, assessed through self-reported questionnaires and physical examination. RESULTS From May 1997 to April 2001, 41 patients (35 males) with PHI presented at the National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" in Rome, Italy. A protease inhibitor-including regimen was started in 30 patients, and a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase-inhibitor in 11. Median interval between enrollment and treatment initiation was 30 days (mean 39, range 10-150). Median HAART duration was 19 months (mean 21.2, range 3-47). Thirty-eight patients had undetectable (less than 80 cp/mL) HIV RNA after a median of 3 months (mean 4.1, range 1-15). Mean CD4 cells count increased from 632/mmc at baseline to 936/mmc at the last follow up. No cases of hyperglycemia (glucose level greater than 110 mg/dL) were observed. After a median of 6 months on HAART, 10 patients developed beyond grade 2 (greater than 240 mg/dL) hypercholesterolemia, 5 developed beyond grade 2 (greater than 400 mg/dL) hypertrygliceridemia, and two developed both. Body mass index did not change significantly. Five patients (12.2%) developed lipodystrophy after a median of 14.5 months (mean 15.3, range 2-30), with an incidence of 7.3 per 100 patient-years. CONCLUSIONS Dyslipidemia and lipodystrophy can occur in patients treated with HAART since PHI. This risk of should be taken into account when considering this early antiretroviral treatment of HIV infection.

Reduced circulation of hepatitis A virus lead to an increase of susceptible individuals, and outbreaks occurred recently. In Northern Italy an outbreak is ongoing, attributed to a monophyletic genotype IA strain, with mixed frozen berries as probable source. From 01/01/2013 to 07/15/2013, 30 cases were diagnosed at National Institute for Infectious Diseases, Rome, Italy, representing about twice the number of cases in whole 2012. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that most, although not all, infections were attributable to the same monophyletic genotype IA strain identified in the contemporary Northern Italy outbreak. This strain is also very similar to previous isolates from Venezuela.

Background Involvement of trochlear nerve during Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) Infection has been rarely described, and always in association with skin rash. Case presentation We describe the case of a patient with VZV infection presenting as isolated diplopia due to fourth cranial nerve palsy. The diagnosis has been obtained through the application of a standardized molecular diagnostic panel, and diplopia resolved after specific antiviral and corticosteroid therapy. Conclusion This case evidences that clinicians should be aware of atypical VZV infection, even in the absence of the typical skin rash.

After careful review of evidence-based literature, clinical and laboratory criteria for diagnosis of bacterial and fungal endocarditis are examined. The choice criteria for therapy of bacterial endocarditis, both empiric and directed against a specific pathogen, are reviewed, on the basis of the clinical and epidemiological context (prosthetic or native valve, left or right heart, drug addiction). Different treatment options are proposed, based on results of antibiotic resistance testing. Indications and contraindications for a parenteral home treatment and those for surgical treatment are examined, also according to the results of ultrasonography.

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) develops upon reactivation of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8) infection and virus dissemination to blood and tissue cells, including endothelial and KS spindle cells where the virus is mostly present in a latent form. However, this may likely require the presence of compromised host immune responses and/or the evasion of infected cells from the host immune response. In this regard, mechanisms of evasion of productively infected cells from both CTL and NK cell responses, and resistance of latently infected cells from specific CTL, have already been shown. Here we show that cells which are latently infected by HHV8 are indeed efficiently lysed by NK cells from individuals with a normal immune response. Notably, NK cell-mediated immunity was found to be significantly reduced in AIDS patients with progressing KS as compared to both HIV-negative patients with indolent classic KS or normal blood donors. However, it was restored after treatment with the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in AIDS-KS patients, that showed regression and clearance of HHV8 from PBMC. By contrast, AIDS-KS patients with a more aggressive disease and no clinical response had persistent HHV8 viremia associated with reduced NK cell cytotoxicity. These results suggest a key role for NK cells in the control of HHV8 latent infection, KS development, and in disease remission upon HAART.

A human immunodeficiency virus-negative woman with severe classic Kaposi's sarcoma, idiopathic leukopenia, and massive spread of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) in circulating cells showed stable disease remission in response to systemic interferon-alpha treatment that was accompanied by increased CD3(+) and CD4(+) T cell numbers and complete clearance of HHV-8 from the circulation. These results suggest a direct relationship between HHV-8 clearance from blood and regression of Kaposi's sarcoma and are consistent with the in vitro inhibitory effects of interferon-alpha on HHV-8 infection.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate, in Kaposi's sarcoma patients, the correlation between antibody titers to the lytic antigens of human herpesvirus 8, as assessed by immunofluorescence assay, and values obtained by an enzyme immunoassay. The methods showed a stringent correlation, r = 0.625 ( P < 0.001).

The investigation of the effects of inflammatory cytokines (IC) on the growth and differentiation of neural cells has provided new insights on the role of such soluble mediators in nervous system development and/or plastic remodeling as well as in the pathogenesis of inflammatory neurodegenerative disorders, which are characterized by chronic IC dysregulation in the central nervous system (CNS). Thus, the study of the interaction between CNS and immune-derived soluble signals in physiological or pathological conditions is of increasing interest. This review first discusses experimental evidence supporting the instructive/permissive role of immune-derived cytokines on CNS development and plasticity. Next, we focus on human neurological disease states such as multiple sclerosis and the neurodegeneration associated to the acquired immune deficiency syndrome in which different inflammatory cytokines have been proposed as potential neuropathogenic mediators.

Evidence indicates that, at least in the early stage, Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a cytokine-mediated disease and that it is consistently associated with a novel herpesvirus termed human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8). To gain insights into the mechanisms by which cytokines and HHV-8 may cooperate in disease pathogenesis, we examined the phenotype, the Th1 (γ-interferon [γIFN]) and Th2 (interleukin-4 [IL-4]) cytokine profile and the presence of HHV-8 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), and spindle cell cultures derived from skin lesions of patients affected by classical KS (C-KS) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-associated KS (AIDS-KS). TIL and spindle cell cultures were examined at day 0 or after culture in conditioned media from activated T cells (TCM) that contain the same cytokines increased in KS tissues. No differences were found in the immunophenotype of PBMC from C-KS patients versus controls, except for AIDS-KS patients who showed a T-CD8+ expansion. However, a preferential infiltration of T-CD8+ cells was found in all KS lesions examined, which was maintained after culture of TIL in TCM. γIFN production was found in both PBMC and cultures derived from all KS examined; some IL-4 positive supernatants were found only in three AIDS-KS cases. Uninvolved skin did not show appreciable lymphocyte infiltration or cytokine production. The culture conditions of the lesional skin allowed also the appearance of adherent, spindle-like cells bearing markers of tissue macrophages. Finally, most or all of the PBMC, lesions, and macrophagic cell cultures from the skin lesions were found to be positive for HHV-8 infection by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). These findings indicate that patients with KS express a Th1 phenotype with a prevalent γIFN production, likely accounted for by the local T-CD8+ infiltration. By analogy with other viral infections (ie, Epstein-Barr virus), this suggests that in loco recruitment of lymphoid cells and the subsequent γIFN production may be in response to or elicited by HHV-8 that was found in both PBMC and macrophagic cell cultures from the lesions of the same patients.