The Series will provide microbiologists, hygienists, epidemiologists and infectious diseases specialists with well-chosen contributed volumes containing updated information in the areas of basic and applied microbiology involving relevant issues for public health, including bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections, zoonosis and anthropozoonosis, environmental and food microbiology.

The increasing threat of the multidrug-resistant microorganisms and the related host immune response, the new strategies for the treatment of biofilm-based, acute and chronic microbial infections, as well as the development of new vaccines and more efficacious antimicrobial drugs to prevent and treat human and animal infections will be also reviewed in this series in the light of the most recent achievements in these fields.

Special attention will be devoted to the fast diffusion worldwide of the new findings of the most advanced translational researches carried out in the different fields of microbiological sciences, with the aim to promote a prompt validation and transfer at clinical level of the most promising experimental results.

Provides updated information in the areas of basic and applied microbiology as well as in the field of infectious diseases affecting humans and animals Opens the debate on relevant issues for public health such as the epidemiology and pathogenesis of emerging and re-emerging microbial infections and the role of vaccines in the prophylaxis of severe infectious diseases Broadens the current understanding of multidrug-resistance and the host immune response Informs on the new strategies for treatment of acute and chronic microbial infections, including the biofilm-based ones Aims to promote a prompt validation and transfer at clinical level of the most promising experimental results

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Imported and indigenous cases of invasive meningococcal disease W:P1.5,2:F1-1:ST-11: the migration link. Italy, June-November 2014, Paola Stefanelli, Cecilia Fazio, Arianna Neri, Giovanni Rezza, Santino Severoni, Paola Vacca, Teresa Fasciana, Alessandro Bisbano, Francesca Di Bernardo and Anna Giammanco.- *Partial protection induced by 2011-2012 influenza vaccine against serologically evidenced A(H3N2) influenza virus infections in elderly institutionalized people, Barbara Camilloni, Michela Basileo, Giuseppe Menculini, Paolo Tozzi, Anna Maria Iorio*.- Fungal occurrence in the hair and skin of symptomatic pets in Turin, Italy, Valeria Allizond, Vivian Tullio, Anna Maria Cuffini*, Janira Roana, Daniela Scalas, Elisa Simona Marra, Giorgia Piersigilli, Narcisa Mandras, Giuliana Banche.- Infectious agents associated with head and neck carcinomas, Andrea Hettmann, Anett Demcsák, Gábor Decsi, Ádám Bach, Dóra Pálinkó,László Rovó, Katalin Nagy, Mária Takács, Janos Minarovits*.- Increase in peripheral CD3-CD56brightCD16- natural killer cells in Hashimoto's thyroiditis associated with HHV-6 infection, Roberta Rizzo*, Maria Chiara Zatelli, Antonella Rotola, Enzo Cassai, Ettore Degli Uberti, Dario Di Luca, Elisabetta Caselli.- In vitro and in vivo biofilm wound models and their application.- Gilles Brackman* and Tom Coenye.- The Lactobacillus plantarum Eno A1 enolase is involved in immunostimulation of Caco-2 cells and in biofilm development, Valeria Vastano, Annunziata Pagano, Alessandra Fusco, Gianluca Merola, Margherita Sacco, Giovanna Donnarumma*.- Role of sonication in the microbiological diagnosis of implant-associated infections: beyond the orthopedic prosthesis, Oliva A, Pavone P, D'Abramo A, Iannetta M, Mastroianni CM,Vullo V.- The isolation, identification and analyses of Lactobacillus genus bacteria with probiotic potential, Tatiana A. Cherdyntseva, Irina B. Kotova and Alexander I. Netrusov.- *In vitro activity of tigecycline against Acinetobacter baumannii: Global epidemiology and resistance mechanisms.-* Spyros Pournaras, Vasiliki Koumaki, Vasiliki Gennimata, Evangelia Kouskouni, and AthanassiosTsakris*.