Browsing by Autor "Franco Paradisi"

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A Neuroepidemiological Survey in Rural Bolivia: Background and Methods
(Karger Publishers, 1998) Alessandra Nicoletti; A. Reggio; Alessandro Bartoloni; Gaetano Failla; Filippo Bartalesi; Mimmo Roselli; Herlan Gamboa; Esteban González Salazar; Franco Paradisi; G Tempera
A door-to-door survey was carried out in rural areas of the Cordillera province, Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia. A cluster sample of 10,124 inhabitants was selected. The aim was to determine the prevalence of the most common neurological diseases (epilepsy, stroke, parkinsonism and peripheral neuropathy) in this population using a modification of the World Health Organization screening instrument. 1,130 subjects screened positive and were then investigated by neurologists. In this paper we describe the background and methods of the survey and the characteristics of the population.
Anticuerpos contra Trichinella spiralis en la población rural de la provincia Cordillera, Bolivia
(Pan American Health Organization, 1999) Alessandro Bartoloni; Gabriella Cancrini; Filippo Bartalesi; Alessandra Nicoletti; Gerardo Méndez Prado; José Rosado; Mimmo Roselli; Franco Paradisi
A seroepidemiological study was conducted to determine the prevalence of antibodies to Trichinella spiralis among rural residents of Cordillera province, Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia. Using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), 234 serum samples were examined, and antibodies were detected in seven of the samples (3%). The results document for the first time the presence of human infestation with Trichinella in Bolivia and suggest the need to strengthen trichinelosis surveillance in the municipal slaughterhouses, to prevent the clandestine slaughter of animals, and particularly to ensure that residents and meat producers in the area become aware of the dangers of this zoonosis.
Epilepsy and Neurocysticercosis in Rural Bolivia: A Population‐based Survey
(Wiley, 2005) Alessandra Nicoletti; Alessandro Bartoloni; Vito Sofia; Filippo Bartalesi; Josè Rosado Chavez; Rimberto Osinaga; Franco Paradisi; Jean‐Luc Dumas; Victor C. W. Tsang; A. Reggio
Our data confirm a high frequency of NCC among a well-defined prevalent cohort of epilepsy patients.
High Prevalence of Acquired Antimicrobial Resistance Unrelated to Heavy Antimicrobial Consumption
(Oxford University Press, 2004) Alessandro Bartoloni; Filippo Bartalesi; Antonia Mantella; Emanuela Dell’Amico; Mimmo Roselli; Marianne Strohmeyer; Herlan Gamboa Barahona; Virgilio Prieto Barrón; Franco Paradisi; Gian María Rossolini
In a very remote rural Bolivian community where the use of antimicrobials has been minimal and where exchanges with the exterior are very limited, 67% of subjects were found to be carriers of fecal Escherichia coli with acquired resistance to >/=1 antimicrobial agent(s); the highest rates were observed for tetracycline (64%), ampicillin (58%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (50%), and chloramphenicol (41%). The most relevant implication of these findings is that, in certain settings, the spread and maintenance of antimicrobial resistance can occur, regardless of whether selective pressure generated by the use of antimicrobials is present.
Population Structure and Resistance Genes in Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria from a Remote Community with Minimal Antibiotic Exposure
(American Society for Microbiology, 2007) Lucia Pallecchi; Chiara Lucchetti; Alessandro Bartoloni; Filippo Bartalesi; Antonia Mantella; Herlan Gamboa; Alessandra Carattoli; Franco Paradisi; Gian María Rossolini
In a previous study, we detected unexpectedly high levels of acquired antibiotic resistance in commensal Escherichia coli isolates from a remote Guaraní Indian (Bolivia) community with very low levels of antibiotic exposure and limited exchanges with the exterior. Here we analyzed the structure of the resistant E. coli population from that community and the resistance mechanisms. The E. coli population (113 isolates from 72 inhabitants) showed a high degree of genetic heterogeneity, as evidenced by phylogenetic grouping (77% group A, 10% group B1, 8% group D, 5% group B2) and genotyping by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis (44 different RAPD types). The acquired resistance genes were always of the same types as those found in antibiotic-exposed settings [blaTEM, blaPSE-1, catI, cmlA6, tet(A), tet(B), dfrA1, dfrA7, dfrA8, dfrA17, sul1, sul2, aphA1, aadA1, aadA2, aadA5, aadB, and sat-1]. Class 1 and class 2 integrons were found in 12% and 4% of the isolates, respectively, and harbored arrays of gene cassettes similar to those already described. The cotransferability of multiple-resistance traits was observed from selected isolates and was found to be associated with resistance conjugative plasmids of the F, P, and N types. Overall, these data suggest that the resistance observed in this remote community is likely the consequence of the dissemination of resistant bacteria and resistance genes from antibiotic-exposed settings (rather than of an independent in situ selection) which involved both the clonal expansion of resistant strains and the horizontal transfer/recombination of mobile genetic elements harboring resistance genes.
Seroprevalence of antibodies to Trichinella spiralis among rural residents of Cordillera province, Bolivia
(1999) Alessandro Bartoloni; Gabriella Cancrini; Filippo Bartalesi; Alessandra Nicoletti; Gerardo Méndez Prado; José Rosado; Mimmo Roselli; Franco Paradisi
Seroprevalence of varicella zoster and rubella antibodies among rural populations of the Chaco region, south‐eastern Bolivia
(Wiley, 2002) Alessandro Bartoloni; Filippo Bartalesi; Mimmo Roselli; Antonia Mantella; Francesca Dini; Esteban Salazar Carballo; Virgilio Prieto Barrón; Franco Paradisi
OBJECTIVE To determine the seroprevalence of antibodies against varicella zoster virus (VZV) and rubella virus among the population of two rural areas, Camiri and Villa Montes, Chaco region, south‐eastern Bolivia. METHODS In a cross‐sectional study, serum samples from randomly selected subjects were screened for VZV‐ and rubella antibodies using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS The prevalence of VZV antibodies was 80% (391 of 489). No significant differences were observed between genders and study areas. The prevalence increased with age with a seropositivity rate of 21.2% in the 1–4‐year‐old children, 56.9% in the 5–9 age group and 83.7% in the 10–14 age group, and reached 98.2% in over 45‐year olds. The prevalence of rubella virus antibodies was 76.9% (377 of 490), without significant differences between genders and study areas. Similar to the trend observed for VZV antibodies, the seroprevalence increased with age with a seropositivity rate of 18.1% in the 1–4‐year‐old children, 53.9% in the 5–9 age group and 78.4% in the 10–14 age group, and reached 94.7% in over 45‐year‐old subjects. Among the 95 women of childbearing age (15–44 years) the susceptibility rate was 11.6%. CONCLUSIONS A common seroimmunological profile was evidenced for the two infections. The age‐specific profile of VZV seropositivity differs from that reported for other tropical countries where higher median age of seroconversion and lower seroprevalence among adults are observed. Data concerning the prevalence of immunity to rubella may be useful to evaluate the impact of the recently introduced rubella immunization programme.