Lilleri Daniele
Biography
Daniele Lilleri received his MD from “Università degli Studi di Pavia” in 1998.
He worked as a fellow at Viral Diagnostic Service, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia from 1998 to 2003 and received the specialization diploma in Microbiology and Virology from “Università degli Studi di Milano” in 2003. He was research collaborator at Viral Diagnostic Service (2003-2010), then at Experimental Research Laboratories, Transplantation Area, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy. Since 2021 he is in the medical staff of Microbiology and Virology Unit. He was also visiting scientist at Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Bellinzona, Switzerland (2010-2016). He held lectures for the School of Medicine and for the School of Specialization in Microbiology and Virology, “Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi di Pavia”. He received the 2007 European Society for Clinical Virology “Abbott Diagnostic Award” for original contributions in the field of viral diagnosis.
His research activity was focused on:
– validation of new molecular assays for diagnosis and monitoring of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infections in immunocompetent and immunocompromised subjects;
– identification of pathogenetic features of HCMV infection;
– identification of immune correlates of protection from HCMV infection/disease in immunocompromised patients;
– HCMV infection in pregnancy and immune response;
– development of an anti-HCMV vaccine.
Keynote Lecture Abstract
Disease burden: primary and non-primary maternal cytomegalovirus infection
The role of maternal pre-conception immunity in preventing congenital cytomegalovirus infection (cCMV) is debated, although pre-conception immunity provides at least a partial protection against non-primary maternal infection and vertical transmission.
The relative contribution of primary and non-primary maternal infection (re-infections or reactivations) to cCMV may vary according to the different socioeconomic conditions and seroprevalence of the populations. Higher exposure may occur in countries with high seroprevalence and, thus, favor the occurrence of re-infections, which instead appear infrequent in Europe. Studies conducted in European countries and mathematical models suggest that about 50-60% of the cases of cCMV are a consequence of primary maternal infections.
The prevalence of cCMV in immune mothers in Italy and France is 0.2%, lower than that reported in the highly seroprevalent population of Brazil (0.5%). In Europe, contact with young children appears associated with cCMV in seronegative but not seropositive mothers, thus excluding exposure to cytomegalovirus and re-infection as the major cause of cCMV in immune mothers.
The risk for cCMV in immune mothers appears at least 10 times lower than that observed in seronegative mothers in contact with young children. The importance of identification, counseling and prospective monitoring of seronegative pregnant women is even more crucial now that both primary and secondary prevention of cCMV caused by primary maternal infection were proven effective. This policy should be virtually able to reduce by almost 50% the economical, psychological and health burden of cCMV in Europe.
