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Institution
The National Institute for Infectious Diseases
(INMI), IRCCS Lazzaro Spallanzani is devoted since 1937 to the prevention,
diagnosis and care of infectious diseases. It is a 250-bed recently
built hospital with 10 Intensive Care Unit beds. The INMI has 4
infectious diseases unit for adult acute care and one unit for long
term rehabilitation: all rooms have a filter anteroom and, if needed,
can have a constantly verified negative-pressure with 16 changes
of air per hour. The INMI has also an outpatient clinic with more
than 10,000 patients per year and three different BSL3 and one BSL4
laboratory facilities where the routine and research laboratory
assays are commonly performed.
Recently, the attention of the INMI has been focused on threats
to health security, particularly those due to the emerging and re-emerging
infections (i.e., viral hemorrhagic fevers and SARS, in the last
months) or to the deliberate release of biological agents. The INMI
plays a pivotal role in the health threat ‘preparedness’
plans recently developed at national, European and international
level and the INMI is the national and international coordinator
of different research project in the field of epidemiology, prevention,
control and diagnosis of biological agents likely to be used as
bio weapon. Considerable work and multiple training interactive
courses have been done to improve the infection control measures
in the hospital and laboratory setting (i.e., facing the SARS epidemic).
Participants
The persons that are involved in the EC call on
SARS project are: Giuseppe Ippolito, Enrico Girardi, Emanuele Nicastri,
Vincenzo Puro, Maria Capobianchi, Antonino Di Caro, Damiano Travaglino,
Nicola Petrosillo. They are all full time employees of the INMI.
Roles in the project
Publications
6 recent publications:
1. Poccia F, Gioia C, Montesano C, Martini F, Horejsh P, Castilletti
C, Ippolito G. Flow cytometry and T-cell response monitoring after
smallpox vaccination. Emerg Infect Dis, 2003, in press
2. Puro V, Magnavita N, Ippolito G. SARS and Mask
J Hospit Infect 2003, in press
3. Serraino D, Puro V, Bidoli E, Piselli P, Girardi
E, Ippolito G. Anthrax, botulism and tularemia in Italy.
Infection. 2003;31:128-9.
4. Fasanella A, Losito S, Adone R, Ciuchini F,
Trotta T, Altamura SA, Chiocco D, Ippolito G. PCR assay to detect
Bacillus anthracis spores in heat-treated specimens. J Clin Microbiol.
2003;41:896-9.
5. Nicastri E, Girardi E, Ippolito G. Determinants
of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. J Biol Regul
Homeost Agents. 2001;15:212-7.
6. Armignacco O, Lauria FN, Puro V, Macri G, Petrecchia
A, Ippolito G. The model of response to viral haemorrhagic fevers
of the National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro
Spallanzani". J Biol Regul
Homeost Agents. 2001;15:314-21.
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