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Biomedical subjects

S Carnevale

Publications and source records attributed to S Carnevale.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Chloroplast DNA phylogeography of European ashes, Fraxinus sp. (Oleaceae): roles of hybridization and life history traits.

We investigated range-wide phylogeographic variation in three European ash species (Fraxinus sp., Oleaceae). Chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) microsatellites were typed in the thermophilous Fraxinus angustifolia and Fraxinus ornus and the observed haplotypes and the geographic distribution of diversity were compared to cpDNA data previously obtained in the more cold-tolerant Fraxinus excelsior. We found wide-ranging haplotype sharing between the phylogenetically close F. angustifolia and F. excelsior, suggesting hybridization (i) in common glacial refuges in the Iberian Peninsula, northern Italy, the eastern and/or Dinaric Alps and the Balkan Peninsula, and/or (ii) during postglacial recolonization. The data allowed us to propose additional glacial refuges for F. angustifolia in southern Italy and in Turkey, and populations from the latter region were particularly polymorphic. There was evidence for refuge areas in Italy, the Balkan Peninsula and Turkey for F. ornus, which did not share any single chloroplast haplotype with the other species. In both F. angustifolia and F. ornus, cpDNA diversity (h(S) = 0.027 and h(S) = 0.009, respectively) was lower and fixation levels (G(ST) = 0.964 and G(ST) = 0.983, respectively) higher than in sympatric F. excelsior (h(S) = 0.096, G(ST) = 0.870). These diversity patterns could be due to temperature tolerance or the demographic history.

DNA, Chloroplast↗
PubMed2001

Isosporosis and unizoite tissue cysts in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Isospora belli, a coccidian parasite in humans, has been described as causing chronic diarrhea and acalculous cholecystitis in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Diagnosis can be made at the tissue level in the epithelium of the small bowel and by fecal examination. Disseminated extraintestinal forms are uncommon. We studied 118 adult patients with AIDS and chronic diarrhea using stool analysis and endoscopy with duodenal biopsy specimen collection. These samples were processed by routine histology and transmission electron microscopy. Isosporosis was diagnosed in 8 cases. In 2 of them, unizoite tissue cysts were present in the lamina propria, with negative results in stool materials. The cysts were located within a large parasitophorous vacuole. There were no structural means of differentiating the species level of Isospora based on morphology using light or electron microscopy. We believe further work should be done to determine if unizoite tissue cysts are part of the cycle of I belli or of other species of Isospora that could be pathogenic in immunocompromised hosts.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2001

Immunodiagnosis of human fascioliasis by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a micro-ELISA.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and micro-ELISA were evaluated for their ability to detect anti-Fasciola hepatica antibodies in humans by using excretory-secretory antigen. The sensitivity of each method was 100%, but the specificity was 100% for ELISA and 97% for micro-ELISA. The micro-ELISA could be used as a screening assay and ELISA could be used as a confirmatory method for the serodiagnosis of human fascioliasis.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Diagnosis of Enterocytozoon bieneusi by PCR in stool samples eluted from filter paper disks.

We report a PCR-based assay for the detection of Enterocytozoon bieneusi. We extracted DNA from feces which had been applied to filter paper disks and evaluated four preserving solutions. Infected specimens were identified by electrophoresis of amplicons from concentrated formalin-fixed samples and unconcentrated fresh feces. Our findings demonstrate that this methodology is effective for sample collection, mailing, and diagnosis of this pathogen.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

In situ hybridization: a molecular approach for the diagnosis of the microsporidian parasite Enterocytozoon bieneusi.

Microsporidia are emerging as opportunistic pathogens in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Enterocytozoon bieneusi is the most commonly reported microsporidium that is detected in gastrointestinal specimens. This report describes an in situ hybridization technique with a 30-base specific synthetic DNA probe for detection of E bieneusi by light microscopy. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded duodenal biopsy specimens from three patients with AIDS, chronic diarrhea, and E bieneusi infection confirmed by electron microscopy were used in this study. Light microscopic examination after colorimetric detection allowed the identification of different stages of the pathogen's life cycle in the cytoplasm of enterocytes. No cross-reactivity was noted between the probe and human DNA. Our study underscores the applicability of a synthetic-labeled oligonucleotide for the detection and identification of E bieneusi in clinical samples.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1997

[Classic strategies for diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis in patients with AIDS and chronic diarrhea].

Cryptosporidium sp., a protozoa organism, has been increasingly recognized in association with severe enteritis in patients with the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. The studied subjects included 84 adult patients with AIDS and chronic diarrhea. We describe 14 patients with intestinal infection caused by Cryptosporidium sp. The mean CD4 count in these patients was < or = 300 cells/mm3 (7 out of 14). Examination of duodenal aspirates and feces included dimethylsulfoxide, auramine and acid-fast preparation of concentrated samples. We carried out videoesophagogastroduodenoscopy (VEDA) to visually inspect the mucosa and obtain biopsy specimens. VEDA revealed granular duodenum in ten patients and jasper duodenum in one of them. Duodenal biopsy specimens were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, Giemsa and Azure II. Histologic changes included atrophy (3/14), duodenitis (2/14) or both (3/14). Transmission electron microscopy was used for the identification of developmental stages of Cryptosporidium sp.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1997

[Morphological study of Enterocytozoon bineousi in patients with AIDS and chronic diarrhea].

Microsporidia are protozoan parasites responsible for significant gastrointestinal disease in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. We report the clinical features of three patients with chronic diarrhea and intestinal microsporidiosis caused by Enterocytozoon bieneusi. The average value for CD4 in these patients was < or = 50 cells/mm3. The spores were detected in smears from stool samples and duodenal aspirates stained with trichrome blue in all patients. Light microscopy of semi-thin plastic sections revealed parasites and spores in the enterocytes and were associated with villous atrophy (2 out of 3). Thin section-electron microscopy showed a variety of developmental stages of the microsporidio. Patients treated with Albendazole had an unsatisfactory clinical response to therapy. Enterocytozoon bieneusi infection may be an important cause of diarrhea in patients with AIDS in our country.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1996

Detection of the microsporidian parasite Enterocytozoon bieneusi in specimens from patients with AIDS by PCR.

Microsporidia are protozoa parasites responsible for significant gastrointestinal disease in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus. We evaluated a PCR assay of stool samples, duodenal aspirates, and biopsy specimens from patients with Enterocytozoon bieneusi infection. A 210-bp DNA fragment of the unique rRNA intergenic spacer could be amplified from all samples infected with E. bieneusi, but no amplification was seen by using DNA purified from samples with Septata intestinalis or other parasites and from negative control human cells. These results suggest that the PCR in stool samples may be a useful tool for the diagnosis of intestinal microsporidiosis in patients with AIDS.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Immunodiagnosis of fasciolosis using recombinant procathepsin L cystein proteinase.

Cathepsin L1, a cysteine protease secreted by the gastrodermis of juvenile and adult Fasciola hepatica, was expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein containing the proregion, supplied with six histidyl residues at the N-terminal end (rproCL1). In this study we tested its potential as antigen for the serologic diagnosis of F. hepatica infections by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The analyzed human sera included 16 positive samples, 99 negative controls and 111 from individuals affected by other parasitic and non parasitic diseases. The sensitivity and specificity of the rproCL1-ELISA were 100%. We also assessed the ability to detect antibodies in sera from 10 experimentally infected sheep, obtaining preliminary results that shown a response since the third week post infection in all the studied animals. Therefore, the recombinant rproCL1-based ELISA could be a standardized test for the accurate diagnosis of fasciolosis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗