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At the time of writing, FIND has listed four CE-marked SARSCoV-2 antigen tests. We evaluated the recently CE-approved rapid POCT SD-Biosensor for SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein detection in nasopharyngeal secretions from 330 patients admitted to the Emergency Room for a suspect of COVID-19 and travelers returning home from high risk countries. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, negative and predictive values were consistent with the use of the test to mass-screening for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance.

OBJECTIVE The current study aimed to investigate whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA was associated with viral, inflammatory and neuronal damage biomarkers in people living with HIV (PLWH). DESIGN A cross-sectional diagnostic study on CSF fluid samples in patients undergoing lumbar punctures for clinical reasons, to better understand the role of EBV and CMV in the CNS on HIV RNA replication, blood-brain-barrier (BBB) damage and biomarkers of neuronal damage/inflammation. METHODS EBV, CMV DNA and HIV RNA were measured on CSF, through real time (RT)-PCR, from PLWHs undergoing lumbar punctures for clinical reasons (excluding oncho-haematological comorbidities). Immune-enzymatic assays evaluated blood-brain barrier inflammation and damage. Patients were stratified according to plasma HIV RNA levels in viremic (≥50 copies/ml) and aviremic (

In Emergency Room, Point-of-care antigen testing for SARS-CoV-2 antigen can expedite clinical strategies for patient management. We tested 1,232 consecutive patients during Italian second wave peak using the recent LumiraDx microfluidic assay. This assay showed high concordance (96.9 %), sensitivity and specificity compared to molecular testing, being highly valuable.

Background Zika virus (ZIKV) remains a public health concern due to its association with fetal malformation and neurologic disease. Objective To report a reference centre experience on ZIKA virus (ZIKV) infection in travelers from epidemic countries from January 1 to September, 30, 2016 in Italy North-West (a geographic area covering 4.424 million inhabitants, corresponding to almost 73% of Italy North-West area). Study design One hundred and twelve febrile travelers were studied to rule out a tropical fever [e.g. malaria, dengue (DENV), chikungunya (CHIKV), West Nile (WNV) and ZIKV]. Molecular tests for detecting ZIKV RNA were applied on serum or urine as well as IgG and IgM specific serology. Results ZIKV was the most frequent “tropical infection (11.6%) with 12 infected travelers and one sexual partner of an infected traveler. At the time of the diagnosis, ZIKV RNA was detected in the blood from 9 patients (69%) within 7 days from symptom onset; afterwards, the virus was detected only in urine (5 patients) and ZIKV IgM was reactive in 9 patients (69%). Travelers with ZIKV infection tested negative for DENV, CHIKV, WNV and malaria and completely recovered. Other infections identified in travelers were DENV (5 patients, 4.5%), CHIKV (1, 0.9%), malaria (Plasmodium vivax, 1, 0.9%), measles (1, 0.9%) and tuberculosis (1, 0.9%). Conclusions The etiologic diagnosis of a febrile illness in travelers where ZIKV is endemic is highly desirable as they are sentinel of a challenging epidemiology including the risk of autochthonous transmission in non endemic countries where the competent or carrier vector is present.

BackgroundCentral nervous system (CNS) may be infected by several agents, resulting in different presentations and outcomes. Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) markers could be helpful to differentiate specific conditions and setting an appropriate therapy.MethodsPatients presenting with signs and symptoms were enrolled if, before receiving a diagnostic lumbar puncture, signed a written informed consent. We analyzed CSF indexes of blood–brain barrier permeability (CSF to serum albumin ratio or CSAR), inflammation (CSF to serum IgG ratio, neopterin), amyloid deposition (1–42 β-amyloid), neuronal damage (Total tau (T-tau), Phosphorylated tau (P-tau), and 14.3.3 protein) and astrocyte damage (S-100β).ResultsTwo hundred and eighty-one patients were included: they were mainly affected by herpesvirus encephalitis, enterovirus meningoencephalitis, bacterial meningitis (Neisseria meningitidis and Streptococcus pneumoniae), and infection by other etiological agents or unknown pathogen. Their CSF features were compared with HIV-negative patients and native HIV-positive individuals without CNS involvement. 14.3.3 protein was found in bacterial and HSV infections while T-tau and neopterin were abnormally high in the herpesvirus group. P-tau, instead, was elevated in enterovirus meningitis. S-100β was found to be high in patients with HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections but not in those with Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV). Thirty-day mortality was unexpectedly low (2.7%): patients who died had higher levels of T-tau and, significantly, lower levels of Aβ1–42.ConclusionThis work demonstrates that CSF biomarkers of neuronal damage or inflammation may vary during CNS infections according to different causative agents. The prognostic value of these biomarkers needs to be assessed in prospective studies.

Chronic hepatitis delta (CHD) is the most severe chronic hepatitis, with no satisfactory treatment options and severe clinical outcomes. This infection is frequent in the migrant subjects from endemic areas, especially from Africa and East-Europe. The pegylated (PEG)-interferon α (IFN) is limited by side effects and poor response. In this retrospective analysis, we reported our experience of treatment with PEG-IFN in a cohort of immigrant patients affected by CHD. We evaluated the virological responses are as follows: complete response (CR; clearance of hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg] and hepatitis D virus [HDV]-RNA), partial response (PR; HBsAg clearance with HDV-RNA+), and null response (NR; HBsAg and HDV-RNA+). Clinical outcomes were clinical stabilization, disease progression, hepatic decompensation, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), death, and liver transplantation. Forty-six patients were included. At the end of treatment (ET), 11 patients gained a CR (23.9%), 10 were PR (21.7%), and 16 were NR (34.8%). After 1 year, 10 remained with CR (21.7%), after 2 years, 9 (19.5%), and at 3 years, 8 (17.4%). Relapse rate was 2.2%, 4.4%, and 6.5% at year 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Favorable factors were CR at the ET (odds ratio [OR] = 4.559, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.219-7.116; P = 0.003), PEG-IFN course greater than 1 (OR = 1.240, 95% CI: 0.998-4.839; P = 0.012), prolonged treatment (OR = 1.276, 95% CI: 0.816-3.108; P = 0.018), quantitative hepatitis B surface antigen (qHBsAg) decline at 12 weeks greater than 0.5 log IU/mL (OR = 4.816, 95% CI: 2.190-8.194; P

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) often accesses the central nervous system (CNS) where it may lead to blood brain barrier (BBB) integrity disruption, facilitating the migration of immune cells into brain parenchyma. Our aim was to study the association between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) EBV DNA and HIV-1 compartmental replication. 281 HIV-positive adults undergoing lumbar punctures for clinical reasons (excluding those with lymphoproliferative disorders) and CSF samples were examined. CSF virological, neurodamage (tau, p-tau, 1-42 beta amyloid) and immune activation (neopterin and S100beta) markers were measured by immune-enzymatic, ELISA and PCR validated methods. Two hundred eighty one patients were included; 111 (40.5 %) were naïve for antiretroviral treatment. CSF EBV DNA was detectable in 25 (21.9%) naïve and 26 (16%) treated patients at low levels (ImportanceEBV is a human gamma-herpesvirus with a seroprevalence in adults approaches 95% and the pattern of clinical manifestations is very heterogeneous and varies from asymptomatic or mild viral infection to a tightly linked with several malignancies as nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Burkitt’s lymphoma. HIV-infected and immunocompetent patients were both at risk of primary infection and complications linked to EBV.Primary tropism of EBV is for lymphocytes (type B, T and NK), epithelial, endothelial and smooth muscle cells and establishes lifelong latent infection. Central nervous system could be affected by this herpesvirus in primary infection and reactivation and EBV-DNA is not an uncommon finding in CSF in HIV-infected population. The significance of our research is in identifying the presence of a link between HIV and EBV CNS replication.

Aims In limited resource settings monitoring antiretroviral (ARV) treatment efficacy is restrained by the lack of access to technological equipment. The aim of the study was to assess the use of dried plasma (DPS) and blood spots (DBS) to facilitate ARV monitoring in remote settings where clinical monitoring is the primary strategy. Methods A cross-sectional study in HIV-positive ARV-treated patients in Kiremba, Burundi was performed. DBS were used for HIV-1 viral load (limit of the assay 250 copies ml−1) and genotypic drug resistance tests and dried plasma spots were used for concentration measurements. Results Three hundred and seven patients [201 female (88.6%), 14 children (4.5%)] were enrolled. HIV-1 viral load was 1000 copies ml−1 in 250 (81.7%), 33 (10.8%) and 23 patients (7.5%). Eleven samples out of 23 were successfully amplified revealing nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-resistance associated mutations [in seven (58.3%) and six patients (50%)]. Nevirapine trough concentrations were

In the absence of effective prophylaxis and treatment, therapeutic options in HIV-positive patients with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) are limited to antiretroviral therapy: nevertheless, outcome is poor. We conducted a retrospective study (2009-2015) describing the outcome of 25 HIV-positive patients with detectable cerebrospinal fluid JC virus DNA: 14 had a probable PML while the others had evidence of other inflammatory central nervous system (CNS) affecting disorders. In the former group, 6-month mortality was 45.5% vs 21.4 in the latter one: survival was higher than previously described but no predictor of poor outcome was identified. Two patients treated with 5HT2-inhibitors survived. The contributing role of JCV replication in other CNS-affecting disorders needs to be assessed as well as the benefits of 5HT2-inhibitors in HIV-positive patients with proven PML.

Background In patients with A(H1N1)pdm09 infection, severe lung involvement requiring admission to intensive care units (ICU) has been reported. Mutations at the hemagglutinin (HA) receptor binding site (RBS) have been associated with increased virulence and disease severity, representing a potential marker of critical illness. Objectives To assess the contribution of HA-RBS variability in critically ill patients, A(H1N1)pdm09 virus from adult patients with severe infection admitted to ICU for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support (ECMO) during influenza season 2009–2011 in Piemonte (4·2 million inhabitants), northwestern Italy, was studied. Patients and methods We retrospectively analyzed HA-RBS polymorphisms in ICU patients and compared with those from randomly selected inpatients with mild A(H1N1)pdm09 disease and outpatients with influenza from the local surveillance program. Results By HA-RBS direct sequencing of respiratory specimens, D222G and D222N viral variants were identified in a higher proportion in ICU patients (n = 8/24, 33·3%) than in patients with mild disease (n = 2/34, 6%) or in outpatients (n = 0/44) (Fisher's exact test P

Background EBV-related post-transplant lymphoproliferative diseases are usually accompanied by increased EBV DNA in peripheral blood. Monitoring EBV DNAemia is the basis for weighing decisions regarding initiation of pre-emptive or anti-EBV-related tumor therapy. However, the definition of clinically relevant cut-off values is hampered by the lack of standardization in EBV DNA testing. Objectives To estimate inter-laboratory variability and to evaluate the impact of different matrices in EBV DNA load determination in Italian laboratories involved in monitoring of virus infections in transplanted patients. Study design Two different proficiency panels were distributed among seven centers: the first contained cell-associated and cell-free EBVs; the second was prepared by spiking both cell-associated and cell-free EBVs in EBV DNA-negative whole blood from EBV seropositive healthy donors. Samples were extracted and amplified with different methods. Intra-laboratory and inter-laboratory variabilities was evaluated. Results 337 EBV DNA determinations were performed. Sensitivity was 100% for both panels, specificity was 100% for the first and 74% for the second panel, where whole blood was utilized as the matrix. Discrepant results in the second panel were restricted to samples containing low copy numbers. Quantification fell within ±0.5 log in 73% of the determinations. Values for cell-associated samples tended to be more heterogeneous than those obtained from cell-free samples. Good overall linearity was observed for each sample type; inter-laboratory variability ranged from 4.71% to 12.86%. Conclusions The results of this multicenter study indicate that EBV DNAemia may be reliably quantified by different laboratories using a variety of commercial and in-house molecular assays.

mend a value of .100 for optimal fluconazole exposure when the MIC is tested using EUCAST methodology. Rough estimates of minimum AUC/MIC ratios of fluconazole against C. albicans isolated from bile and/or ascites [expressed as (bile or ascites Cmin.24 h)/MIC for Candida isolate in bile or ascites] were well above this threshold (.600) in our patients. We recognize that the absence of real AUC measurements may be a limitation, since our approach led to gross underestimation of drug exposure. However, the findings confirm the valuable role that fluconazole may have in the treatment of Candida cholangitis and/or peritonitis caused by susceptible strains in LTx patients, and supports the usefulness of TDM for optimizing fluconazole exposure in this setting.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type-1 (HIV-1) drug-resistance testing is challenging for viral loads below 1,000 copies/mL, but, according to HIV-1 guidelines, it should be considered for improving patient management and treatment options. High-recovery and high-purity extraction methods can enhance standard performances of HIV-1 genotyping assays based on direct full-population sequencing. Aim of the present study was to evaluate performances of the NucliSENS easyMAG (NeM) (BioMerieux, Marcy l'Etoile, F) semi-automated nucleic acid extraction system combined with the direct full-population sequencing ViroSeq HIV-1 genotyping (Abbott, IL, US), for detecting drug resistance in samples with HIV-1 RNA

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has recently emerged in the Caribbean. In Italy, CHIKV vector is documented in the Po river valley; therefore, a risk for autochthonous outbreaks is present. We report a case series of seven imported CHIKV infections in travelers returning from the Caribbean and Latin America occurring between June and November 2014, in the area of Turin, Northwest Italy, 3 years after the last imported cases were reported. These cases are a reminder of the need to always consider CHIKV infection in travelers from these epidemic areas as well as the importance of a prompt diagnosis.

In the era of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs), hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotyping tests at baseline are controversial. The HCV NS3-Q80K polymorphism is associated with resistance to the recently approved NS3 inhibitor simeprevir (SMV) when combined with PEG-interferon and ribavirin (PEG-IFN/RBV) and alternative therapy should be considered for patients with baseline Q80K. The aim of this study was to provide an estimate of Q80K prevalence at baseline in a study group of 205 DAA-naïve patients (21% of them with HIV coinfection) using NS3 full-population direct sequencing to detect resistance-associated amino acid variants (RAVs). NS3 RAVs were identified in 56 patients (27.3%). Q80K was the most frequently reported one (41%), in both HIV/HCV-coinfected and HCV-monoinfected patients, but it was only detectable in cases of HCV-subtype 1a infection. Therefore, in clinical practice, an NS3-Q80K genotyping test prior to simeprevir plus PEG-IFN/RBV treatment is highly recommended.

Recent technologic innovations allow for quantitative assessment of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) levels in serum; this has been used to monitor the course of chronic HBV hepatitis (CHB) and predict treatment response. LIAISON-XL Murex HBsAg Quant assay (DiaSorin, Saluggia, I) is the newest immunoassay CE approved to quantify HBsAg.To compare LIAISON-XL performances with ARCHITECT-QT HBsAg (Abbott Diagnostics, IL, USA), as reference test.Sequential serum samples (n=152) from 14 HBe-negative patients with CHB, the majority of them infected by HBV genotype D undergoing antiviral treatment, were retrospectively tested with both assays. The 2nd WHO Standard 00/588 for HBsAg was used as reference.LIAISON-XL and ARCHITECT-QT correlated by r=0.95, p0.0001; by Bland-Altman analysis agreement of mean difference was 0.21 ± 0.15 log 10 IU/mL, 95% CI: -0.07 to 0.5). Performance of LIAISON-XL against the 2nd WHO Standard was r=0.998, p0.0001 (95% CI: 0.993-0.999) with results nearer to the expected WHO values compared to ARCHITECT-QT. Median baseline HBsAg level was similar with the two methods before antiviral treatment, throughout fluctuations of HBsAg level in treatment non-responders and during the decrease of HBsAg titer in treatment responders. Correlation between HBsAg levels and HBV DNA was statistically significant for both the two immunoassays (LIAISON-XL: r=0.4988, 95% CI: 0.3452-0.6264, p0.0001; ARCHITECT-QT: r=0.480, 95% CI: 0.3233-0.6111, p0.0001).Correlation between HBsAg measurement with LIAISON-XL and ARCHITECT-QT was high. LIAISON-XL accurately quantified HBsAg in clinical samples at baseline or during antiviral therapy; it can be applied for HBsAg quantification in clinical practice and decision making in CHB.

We evaluated performances of the molecular test Septi Fast (SF) for the detection of agents of bloodstream infection (BSI) in patients with suspected sepsis, the majority of them under antibiotic treatment and at high prevalence of HIV-1 infection (10.5%). Matched SF and blood culture (BC) samples (n=1186) from 1024 patients were studied. Two hundred fifty-one episodes of BSI out of 1144 were identified with the combined methods (22%). SF identified more episodes of BSI than BC: 206 versus 176 (χ 2 =7.008, P =0.0081) and a significantly higher number of Gram-negative bacteria than BC (77 versus 53, χ 2 =9.12; P =0.0025), as well as of polymicrobial infections (χ 2 =4.50, P =0.0339). In conclusion, SF combined with BC improved the diagnosis of sepsis, especially in immunocompromised patients.

We describe seven cases of meningitis in a group of young Italian travelers coming back from India. Virologic studies identified echovirus-4 as the cause of this cluster of cases, the first imported echovirus outbreak in Italy. Enteroviruses may play an important role in undiagnosed fevers in travelers.

Enteroviruses (EVs) are common human viral pathogens, causing a variety of diseases, including aseptic meningitis. Recently, EV aseptic meningitis outbreaks have been reported across Europe, but, in Italy, knowledge of recent EV molecular epidemiology is very limited.We report an outbreak of EV aseptic meningitis in 10 adults in North-Western Italy, from October to November 2012. Patients were parents or close relatives of children5 years old attending the same class of a nursery school, suffering from a mild febrile upper respiratory disease. Phylogenetic relationship with other European circulating strains was analyzed updating E30 circulation in Italy in recent years.EVs were detected from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens with a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and virus isolation was achieved from rectal and pharyngeal swabs. For cluster definition and phylogenetic studies, viral VP1 region was directly amplified and sequenced from CSF.EVs were identified in CSF from all patients and from rectal and pharyngeal swabs in 7 of them. Direct sequencing of CSF revealed the presence of the same Echovirus 30 (E30) in all patients and phylogenetic analysis identified it as a diverging clade within E30 genotype VII, the most recent strain circulating in UK, Finland and Denmark since 2006.Molecular techniques allowed the rapid identification and typing of E30 from CSF. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the cluster might be due to a new E30 variant within the genotype VII currently circulating in Europe, thus updating the epidemiology of EV circulation in Italy.

SUMMARY. Complete eradication of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is rarely achieved. Treatment options include currently available nucleos(t)ide analogues and pegylated interferon. The aim of our exploratory study was to assess the effectiveness of sequential therapy for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) vs the current standard of care. We evaluated an association with entecavir and pegylated interferon alfa-2a (PEGIFN) in 20 patients with hepatitis B, high HBV viremia and genotypes A, B, C and E. Patients received entecavir alone for 12 weeks, then entecavir and PEG-IFN for 12 weeks, lastly PEG-IFN alone for 36 weeks. The results were compared with 20 patients (control group) treated in the past with 48 weeks of PEG-IFN monotherapy. Our results show that complete sustained virological response (SVR) and partial SVR were, respectively, 60% and 80% in the study group and 10% and 30% in the control group; anti-HBe seroconversion rate were 76.9% vs 15%, and anti-HBs seroconversion were 20% vs 0%, respectively. We found a correlation among different genotypes and virological and serological outcomes – genotype C has a better virological response, while genotype A had a better serological response, and E genotype had a poor response. These results show that a sequential approach is a promising strategy of treatment in patients with CHB and high viremia in comparison with PEG-IFN monotherapy. The E genotype seems to have the worse rate of response and requires other treatment strategies.

Background Domestic outbreaks of Dengue (DENV) fever from imported cases have to be considered a possible risk in non-endemic countries where Dengue vectors are present, such as in Italy. Objective To review imported acute/recent DENV infections in a one-year survey in a North West Italy region where the presence of Aedes albopictus is documented. Study design We retrospectively reviewed laboratory and clinical records of Italian febrile travelers from Dengue endemic areas referring to the local reference Centre for Infectious Disease, covering a population of about 4 million people. Results Acute/recent DENV infection was identified in 15 out of 91 travelers from endemic areas (16.5%) including 12 primary and 3 secondary infections; in 6 patients the virus was detectable in blood according to molecular real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction-based assays: in 9 patients the diagnosis of DENV infection was accomplished by the combination of specific IgM reactivity, high IgG titers, IgG seroconversion from negative to positive and increasing (four-fold) IgG titers in paired serum samples. Two cases of DENV infections were imported from South Egypt in patients travelling together, confirming the importance of returning travelers as sentinels of a rapidly changing epidemiology in specific geographic areas. Conclusions Our findings outline the high rate of imported Dengue infection in North West Italy and emphasize the need for a continued Dengue surveillance in non-endemic countries as well as a careful evaluation and follow-up of febrile patients returning from Dengue endemic countries.

We describe seven cases of meningitis in a group of young Italian travelers coming back from India. Virologic studies identified echovirus-4 as the cause of this cluster of cases, the first imported echovirus outbreak in Italy. Enteroviruses may play an important role in undiagnosed fevers in travelers.

Background: In Burundi Triomune® is the first-line HIV treatment and it is estimated to reach 30% of those in need, but efficacy monitoring does not rely on viral load (VL) quantification, due to cost and technical limitations. Furthermore nevirapine (NVP) is known to have a highly variable pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacogenetics (PG), but no data are currently available in this population. Supplement: Abstracts of the Tenth International Congress on Drug Therapy in HIV Infection http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1758-2652-13-S4-info.pdf Conference: Tenth International Congress on Drug Therapy in HIV Infection 7-11 November 2010 Glasgow, UK (Published: 8 November 2010) doi:10.1186/1758-2652-13-S4-P179 Cite this article as: Calcagno et al.: A filter-based cross-sectional analysis of an HIV-positive, HAART-treated cohort in rural Burundi: pharmacokinetics, pharmacogenetics and viral load. Journal of the International AIDS Society 2010 13(Suppl 4):P179. Full text: PubMed Central: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3112959/

Tipranavir (TPV) is a nonpeptidic protease inhibitor with potent in vitro activity against most human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 (HIV-1) strains resistant to other protease inhibitors (PIs) (1, 14, 15). In vitro data have shown that resistance to TPV develops slowly (5). When TPV is coadministered with ritonavir (RTV) as a booster, TPV has been shown to have potent antiviral activity in multidrug-experienced patients (3, 6, 9, 12). In the RESIST-1 and the RESIST-2 studies, the efficacy and safety of TPV-RTV (500 mg/200 mg twice daily) in 1,509 highly treatment-experienced HIV-1-positive patients were assessed. Analysis at 48 weeks showed that the TPV-RTV-containing regimens significantly improved the immune and virological responses (VRs) compared to the responses to an RTV-boosted comparator PI plus an optimized background (OB) regimen (3, 6, 8). Different factors have been found to be associated with the virological and immunological responses: a lower viral load (VL) at the baseline, the use of enfuvirtide (T20) as a part of the OB regimen, the presence of two or more active drugs in the OB regimen (OB score [OBS], ≥2) (3, 6, 8), and the baseline numbers of specific TPV-associated resistance mutations (TPV RMs) (2). Moreover, the TPV trough concentration (Ctrough) and phenotypic inhibitory quotient (IQ) have also been shown to be associated with the VR at week 24 (12a, 16). The genotypic IQ (gIQ), which is the ratio between the PI Ctrough and the number of PI-associated mutations, is simpler to derive than the IQ in the clinical setting. The gIQ has previously been shown to be a predictor of the therapeutic response to PI-based salvage regimens, e.g., lopinavir or fosamprenavir (7, 10, 11, 13). Preliminary data showed that TPV-gIQ correlated with the early and the middle VRs (2a, 2b). However, no data are yet available on the predictive value of the TPV gIQ on the long-term efficacy of TPV-based regimens. Therefore, the aim of our study was to perform a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic evaluation of the predictors of the VR at week 48 to salvage TPV-containing regimens in the clinical setting.

The report is an overview of enterovirus epidemiology in Piemonte during a 5-year period from 2000 to 2004 with an investigative protocol recording epidemiologic, clinical, and laboratory data. A total of 1232 clinical cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were collected from patients having clinical manifestations of aseptic meningitis (AAM) or encephalitis. Enterovirus detection was performed by isolation on cell culture (MRC5, BGM, Hep 2 e VERO) according to World Health Organization recommended protocols, and molecular methods based on reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. Isolates were identificated by indirect immunofluorescence staining with commercially available monoclonal antibodies and serotype identification was performed by seroneutralization (Lim and Benyesh-Melnick) of the cytopathic effect using pools of specific antisera. Twenty-six patients (2.1%), 15 males and 21 females, were found positive for Enterovirus with at least one of the test used.The average age was 23 (6-43).A total of 26 Non-Polio Enterovirus (NPEV) strains were isolated (11 Echovirus, 5 Coxsackievirus, 10 not identified); the dominant strain of the outbreak was identified as a human Echovirus 6 (4 cases) followed by Echo 31 (3), Coxsackie B5 (3), Echo 17 (2) Echo 9, 11, (1) and Coxsackie A16 (1). The yearly distribution of positive cases was homogeneous; a seasonal variation was noted with a predominance in summer-autumn; the higher transmission period starts in May and peaks in June-July; sporadic cases were also observed in winter and spring.