Principal Investigator:

Dr. Sandro Binda

 

Members:

Dr. Maria Barbi

Dr. Laura Pellegrinelli

Ms. Valeria Primache

 

The group’s research activity is focused on:

The activity of the research group is focused to control and counter the risk of reintroduction in our country of  wild or vaccine-derived neurovirulent polioviruses. As the active surveillance of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) is deemed to be the most powerful means for assessing the presence of such polioviruses in a population our group operates through the reinforcement and the operational improvement in the Lombardy region of the national network for the AFP surveillance which is coordinated by ISS and Ministry of Health. Our group is also carrying on environmental surveillance of polio- and non-polio enteroviruses as a support for AFP surveillance.

 

Currently, the research has its primary focus on two major research lines:

- Topic 1. Active AFP surveillance

• Systematic active search of AFP cases from all Lombardy region hospitals involved in the AFP network in order to fulfil the strict WHO quality criteria
• As subnational WHO-GPLN (Global Polio Laboratory Network) laboratory, prompt carrying out of virological examination of biological samples from AFP cases in order to trace polioviruses and to characterise them both antigenically and molecularly

- Topic 2. Environmental surveillance of polio- and non-polio enteric viruses

• Evaluation of enteric viruses contamination of Milan sewage by means of the systematic analysis of samples collected at the entrance of treatment plants.

 

Recent/relevant Publications

Patti A.M. et al. (….Binda S. …..). Surveillance of Poliomyelitis in Italy: immunity status of Italian population against polio and environmental circulation of Poliovirus. Ann. Ig. 2002; 14 (suppl.5): 1-57.

      Signorini L, Barbi Μ, Matterelli A, Binda S, Didò P, Caroppo S, Primache V, Pisani S, Messino C, Brunelli Μ, Costa P, Ronca E, Fausti C, Castelli F. Prevalence of Anti-poliovirus Type 1, 2 and 3 Antibodies in Unvaccinated Italian Travelers JTM (Journal of Travel Medicine) 2004; 11: 34-37.

Ruggeri FM., Delogu R., Petouchoff T., Tcheremenskaia O., De Petris S., Fiore L. and the RotaNet-Italy Study Group (….Binda S., Primache V.,  Barbi M.) Molecular characterization of rotavirus strains from children with diarrhea in Italy, 2007-2009. Journal of Medical Virology 2011; 83: 1657-1668.

 

Contacts

Dr. Sandro Binda:  tel. 02-50315125 sandro.binda@unimi.it 

Dr. Laura Pellegrinelli:  tel. 02-50315128 laura.pellegrinelli@unimi.it  

Ms. Valeria Primache:  tel. 02-50315123  valeria.primache@unimi.it