Luca Busani

Istituto Superiore di Sanità | ISS · Centre for Gender-specific Medicine

Phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA) are plasticizers used in many industrial products that can act as endocrine disruptors. In the frame of the LIFE PERSUADED project, we measured the urinary concentrations of BPA and Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) metabolites in 900 Italian women enrolled between 2015 and 2017 and living in North, Centre and Sout...

The monitoring of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacterial pathogens of animals is not currently coordinated at European level. To fill this gap, experts of the European Union Joint Action on Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infections (EU-JAMRAI) recommended building the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance network i...

Background: Building the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance network in Veterinary medicine (EARS-Vet) was proposed to strengthen the European One Health antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance approach. Objectives: To define the combinations of animal species/production types/age categories/bacterial species/specimens/antimicrobi...

A Strong Evidence Outbreak of Abstract: Salmonellosis is the second most commonly reported gastrointestinal infection in humans after campylobacteriosis, and an important cause of foodborne outbreaks in the EU/EEA. The vast majority (72.4%) of the salmonellosis foodborne outbreaks reported in EU in 2019 were caused by Salmonella Enteritidis, even i...

Fresh leafy (FL) and ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetables are recognized as an important source of foodborne disease outbreaks worldwide. Currently, there are no data available for the prevalnce of bacterial foodborne pathogens (FBPs) in raw vegetables consumed in Iran. Here, we evalated the presence of common bacterial FBPs among 366 samples of raw veget...

How ISS managed the infodemics during the Covid-19 first wave

According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) annual report, human salmonellosis is mostly related to consumption of contaminated poultry products. Since 2003 in Europe, the Salmonella serovars considered relevant for human health and subject to control in breeding hens of Gallu...

Background: The general population (including children) is exposed to chemical mixtures. Plasticizers such as Bisphenol A (BPA) and Phthalates (mainly Bis(2‐ethylhexyl)phthalate‐DEHP) are widespread contaminants classified as endocrine disrupters which share some toxicological profiles and coexist in food and environment. Methods: To identify hazar...

Background Building the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance network in Veterinary medicine (EARS-Vet) was proposed to strengthen the European One Health antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance approach. Objectives The objectives were to (i) define the combinations of animal species, production types, age categories, bacterial species...

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) should be tackled through a One Health approach, as stated in the World Health Organization Global Action Plan on AMR. We describe the landscape of AMR surveillance in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) and underline a gap regarding veterinary medicine. Current AMR surveillance efforts are of limited h...

Introduction. In May–June 2018, an outbreak of campylobacteriosis involved students and school staff from kindergartens and primary schools in Pescara, southern Italy. Aim. We present details of the epidemiological and microbiological investigation, and the findings of the analytical study, as well as the implemented control measures. Methodology....

Climate changes affect social and environmental health determinants such as clean air, ecosystems health, safe drinking water and safe sufficient food. Globally, people at greatest risk of adverse health effects associated with climate change include children, the elderly and other vulnerable groups. Temperature-related death and illness, extreme e...

Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a plasticizer used in several items, non-covalently bound to plastics and easily released, since metabolites were found in human matrices. DEHP is an endocrine disrupter and children are particularly vulnerable and susceptible to DEHP effects due to higher exposure levels and developmental stage. A juvenile tox...

The Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), a widespread plasticizer, is considered an endocrine disrupting chemical with main toxicological effects on reproductive and metabolic systems. Human biomonitoring (HBM) studies are promoted to evaluate the background exposure levels. In the frame of LIFE PERSUADED project, the HBM study measured DEHP main met...

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a plasticizer with endocrine disrupting properties particularly relevant for children health. Recently BPA has been associated with metabolic dysfunctions but no data are yet available in specific, long-term studies. This study aimed to evaluate BPA modes of action and hazards during animal juvenile life-stage, corresponding to...

Background: Some errors may occur in the disease registry system. One of them is misclassification error in cancer registration. It occurs because some of the patients from deprived provinces travel to their adjacent provinces to receive better healthcare without mentioning their permanent residence. The aim of this study was to re-estimate the inc...

Background: Some errors may occur in the disease registry system. One of them is misclassification error in cancer registration. It occurs because some of the patients from deprived provinces travel to their adjacent provinces to receive better healthcare without mentioning their permanent residence. The aim of this study was to re-estimate the in...

Background & Aims: The epidemiology of gluten-related disorders (GRDs) is still an open field to be explored. We conducted this systematic review based on the current epidemiology knowledge of GRDs, focusing on the changing prevalence of GRDs reported in the Asia-Pacific region. Methods: We searched Medline, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochr...

Misclassification error is a common problem of cancer registries in developing countries that leads to biased cancer rates. The purpose of this research is to use Bayesian method for correcting misclassification in registered cancer incidence of eighteen provinces in Iran. Incidence data of patients with colorectal cancer were extracted from Irania...

The original data of colorectal cancer incidence for both sexes, and age group, and calculated ASR, for all Iranian provinces which included in this study, 2005–2008. (RAR)

Phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA), plasticizers used in several products of daily life, are considered as endocrine disrupters, therefore children exposure is particularly relevant. The LIFE PERSUADED project aims to define the following: (a) the evaluation of internal levels of DEHP's metabolites and BPA in Italian children and their mothers, (b) t...

The Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) rickettsiosis is the predominant rickettsial disease among the spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae in the Mediterranean countries and North Africa. Its causative agent is Rickettsia conorii, although, SFG rickettsiosis - cases due to Rickettsia monacensis, Rickettsia massiliae and Rickettsia aeschlimannii wer...

Purpose: From May 2015 to March 2016, an outbreak due to Listeria monocytogenes serotype 1/2a and clinical pulsotype never previously isolated in Europe occurred in central Italy, involving 24 confirmed clinical cases. The article provides a description of the outbreak and the investigation carried out by a multidisciplinary network. Methodology:...

One of the problems in cancer registry of developing countries is misclassification error. This error leads to overestimation and underestimation of cancer rate in different provinces. The aim of this study is to use Bayesian method to correct for misclassification in registering cancer incidence in neighboring provinces of Iran. Incidence data of...

The spread of antibiotic resistance is one of the leading public health problems in Italy. A European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control country visit recently confirmed the major challenges and made important suggestions. In response, the Ministry of Health published the National Plan for Antimicrobial Resistance Containment, and a group of...

This report presents a comprehensive picture of all available information on the circulation in animals and humans of Mycobacterium bovis and other mycobacteria belonging to Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex from 2001 to 2016 in Italy. The disease has been described analyzing the official data available in Italy from the surveillance in animals an...

Aim The aim of this study was to identify the esophageal cancer (EC) high risk regions to evaluate changes of relative risks (RRs) for both genders by time in Iranian provinces. Background EC is one of the public health problems in Iran. In spite of this fact, there is not comprehensive study estimating RRs across the Iranian provinces. Methods I...

From 2004 to 2014, 106 cases of Human haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome were notified in Montenegro, with a peak in 2014. Most of the cases occurred in summer, in the North-east and Central Montenegro, a hilly/mountainous area, that provides suitable habitats for the main rodent carriers. Cases were mainly males (71) and exposures were often w...

Background: Human alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a severe zoonotic disease caused by the metacestode stage of Echinococcus multilocularis. AE is commonly associated with a long incubation period that may last for more than ten years. The objective of this systematic literature review was to identify and summarize the current knowledge on statisti...

Case-control studies reporting forest and funnel plot analysis on single potential risk factors. (DOCX)

List of studies included in the systematic review after full text screening. (DOCX)

PRISMA flow diagram. (DOC)

PRISMA checklist reporting items for this systematic reviews and meta-analyses. (DOC)

List of studies excluded from the systematic review after full text screening. (DOCX)

Cross-sectional studies reporting forest and funnel plot analysis on single potential risk factors. (DOCX)

Natural focal diseases are caused by biological agents associated with specific landscapes. The natural focus of such diseases is defined as any natural ecosystem containing the pathogen’s population as an essential component. In such context, the agent circulates independently on human presence, and humans may become accidentally infected through...

Food may be contaminated with many chemical substances at any level along the production chain. Chemicals that may be found in food items can simultaneously be present in other matrices, as air, water, soil and dust; therefore, human exposure to chemicals via food has to be summed to the exposure through all the other possible routes. The role play...

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are pollutants of anthropic origin with possible side effects on human health. Diet, and in particular fish and seafood, is considered the major intake pathway for humans. The present study investigated the levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) contaminatio...

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a family of persistent pollutants of anthropic origin which can reach humans mainly through diet, causing potentially dangerous effects on health. Fish and fishery products are a major source of exposure, but intra- and inter-specific contamination can be extremely variable. In the present study a single specie...

Background/aims: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are widely used as flame retardants and have shown endocrine disruption properties in experimental studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the exposure to PBDEs and alterations of puberty in girls referred for idiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP) and...

Background Salmonella Napoli is uncommon in Europe. In Italy however, it has been growing in importance since 2000. To date, no risk factors have been identified to account for its rise. This study aims at describing the epidemiology, spatial and spatio-temporal patterns of S. Napoli in Italy from 2000 to 2013, and to explore the role of several en...

Internal levels of selected endocrine disruptors (EDs) (i.e., perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), di-2-ethylhexyl-phthalate (DEHP), mono-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate (MEHP), and bisphenol A (BPA)) were analyzed in blood/serum of infertile and fertile men from metropolitan, urban and rural Italian areas. PFOS and PFOA levels...

Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) is involved in a wide spectrum of human diseases. Chickens have been suggested as reservoirs for fluoroquinolone (FQ)-resistant ExPEC strains. Here, we report the whole-genome sequences of 4 E. coli strains sharing the same sequence type (ST) (ST410) and that were isolated from human and avian sou...

Puberty is regulated by the endocrine system, which when disrupted can affect reproductive health. Endocrine disrupters (ED) are involved in the pathogenesis of idiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP). Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) are lipophilic, persistent ED used as flame retardants in several products; thus, human population is exp...

To estimate of food and nutrient intakes, 24-hour recalls are frequently used in dietary assessment, however intake data collected for a short period are a limited estimator of long-term usual intake. An important limitation of such data is that the within-person variability tends to inflate the intake distribution leading to a biased estimation of...

Background: In Latium (central Italy), arsenic concentrations exceeding the regulatory limit of 10 μg/L for drinking water are present in groundwater from a large area of volcanic origin. At least in part of the area, high arsenic concentrations have been detected also in soil and phytoavailable geogenic arsenic enters the food chain. As a result,...

SUMMARY We investigated the effect of climatic, demographic factors and intra-country geographical variations on the incidence of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in Italy. For this purpose, incidence rates of IMD cases reported in Italy between 1994 and 2012 were calculated, and a cluster analysis was performed. A geographical gradient was det...

In early May 2013, Germany reported through the Epidemic Intelligence Information Systems (EPIS) and the Early Warning and Response Systems (EWRS) seven Hepatitis A (HAV) cases associated with a travel history in Northern Italy. Following the alert, the Italian Integrated Epidemiological System of Acute Viral Hepatitis (SEIEVA) reported also an inc...

Since 1999, human cases of West Nile fever/neuroinvasive disease (WND) have been reported annually in Russia. The highest incidence has been recorded in three provinces of southern European Russia (Volgograd, Astrakhan and Rostov Provinces), yet in 2010-2012 the distribution of human cases expanded northwards considerably. From year to year, the nu...

In Italy, West Nile virus (WNV) equine outbreaks have occurred annually since 2008. Characterizing WNV vector habitat requirements allows for the identification of areas at risk of viral amplification and transmission. Maxent-based ecological niche models were developed using literature records of 13 potential WNV Italian vector mosquito species to...

SUMMARY We describe the epidemiological trends and spatial distribution of human brucellosis in Italy over 13 years (1998-2010). In the study period 8483 cases were notified in Italy, with a relevant decrease (-89%) from 1998 to 2010. Most cases were notified in southern Italy (Campania, Apulia, Calabria, Sicily). In these regions we observed relev...

SUMMARY Multilocus sequence types (STs) were determined for 232 and 737 Campylobacter jejuni/coli isolates from Dutch travellers and domestically acquired cases, respectively. Putative risk factors for travel-related campylobacteriosis, and for domestically acquired campylobacteriosis caused by exotic STs (putatively carried by returning travellers...

SUMMARY The Dutch and modified Hald source attribution models were adapted to Italian Salmonella data to attribute human infections caused by the top 30 serotypes between 2002 and 2010 to four putative sources (Gallus gallus, turkeys, pigs, ruminants), at the points of animal reservoir (farm), exposure (food), and both combined. Attribution estimat...

We describe trends of Salmonella enterica serovars isolated from humans in Italy from January 1980 to December 2011. A total of 229,279 Salmonella isolates were reported during this period. Serovars Enteritidis, Typhimurium, Infantis, Derby, 4,[5],12,:i:-, and Napoli accounted for 135,783 (59%) of these isolates. Temporal trends from 2000 to 2011 v...