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P de Santis

Publications and source records attributed to P de Santis.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Bluetongue virus isolations from midges belonging to the Obsoletus complex (Culicoides, Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in Italy.

Between July and September 2002 there were outbreaks of bluetongue on three sheep holdings in the communities of San Gregorio Magno (Salerno, Campania), Laviano (Salerno, Campania) and Carpino (Foggia, Puglia), and the involvement of bluetongue virus (btv) was confirmed serologically and virologically. The mortality rate was at least 11 per cent and involved btv serotype 2 (btv-2) and serotype 9 (btv-9). These holdings were also surveyed for the Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) vectors; approximately 10,000 midges belonging to 15 species were captured, but they did not include a single specimen of the classical Afro-Asiatic bluetongue vector, Culicoides imicola. Species belonging to the Obsoletus complex dominated the light-trap collections, and Culicoides obsoletus Meigen, Culicoides scoticus Downes and Kettle and Culicoides dewulfi Goetghebuer constituted 90 per cent of all the Culicoides species captured. Fifty-six pools of the Obsoletus complex (excluding C dewulfi), each containing 100 individual midges and containing only parous and gravid females, were assayed for virus. btv-2 was isolated from three pools from San Gregorio Magno and Carpino, and btv-9 was isolated from one pool from Laviano. These results indicate that a species other than C imicola is involved in the current re-emergence of bluetongue in the Mediterranean Basin, but whether it is C obsoletus sensu stricto or C scoticus, or both, is uncertain.

Animals↗

Antigen heterogeneity among Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides SC isolates: discrimination of major surface proteins.

The protein and antigen profiles of 60 isolates, strains and the type strain PG1 of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides s.c. were compared by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblot analysis. Analysis using contagious bovine pleuropneumonia antisera and hyperimmune rabbit sera against several representative strains revealed some differences in protein profiles and variability in antigens among strains from different geographic regions. The most common antigenic bands had the molecular masses of 110, 95, 80, 69, 62, 60, 48, 44, 39 and 38 kDa. There were differences among European strains, where a larger group coming from Italy lacked the p98 antigen, thus, with one exception, distinguishing the Italian strains from Portuguese, French and Spanish strains. African, Australian and PG1 strains showed heterogenic profiles, with quantitative differences and in a few strains some antigenic bands were absent. The group constituting African, Australian and PG1 strains was characterised by the presence of 71.5/70 kDa antigens, which were not detected in European strains. Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides s.c. membrane proteins were characterised by Triton X-114 partitioning and p110, p98, p95, p62/60 and p48 were identified as immunogenic antigens. The simultaneous presence of these five antigens was common to all the sera examined and, therefore, indicates the diagnostic potential of immunoblotting. Most immunodominant antigens are surface-exposed proteins as determined by the trypsin treatment.

Africa↗

[Clinical and pathological characteristics of carcinoma of the kidney: computerized analysis].

To evaluate the significance of the clinical and pathological features and survivorship data, we analyzed 203 cases of renal carcinoma who underwent surgery at our department from 1974 to 1988. Tumor stages P2 and P3 and grades G2 and G3 were the most frequent. The series is large enough to permit classification according to tumor stage and grade and most of the possible associations. The diagnostic procedure and the surgical technique were consistent. Radical nephrectomy via the transperitoneal approach was performed in 153 patients. Transpleural thoracophrenolaparotomy was performed in 22 patients with a very large tumor mass in the upper pole. Extended classical nephrectomy via the lumbar approach was performed in 27 patients. Computer-assisted analysis of the clinical and pathological data showed tumor stage to be an important prognostic factor. Given a similar situation for tumor stage, the histologic grade has been shown to influence prognosis significantly. Other clinical or pathological parameters such as pseudocapsule, histological type and paraneoplastic biological and humoral changes often correlated with tumor stage or grade. Clinical staging is a point of reference for surgery. However, detection of microfoci of tumor metastasis that might be responsible for late reactivation of the disease is as yet not possible.

Adult↗