Mikrobiyoloji bulteni最新文献

{"title":"[Successful Treatment of Two Cases of Plasmodium falciparum Malaria that Developed Recrudescence after Artemether-Lumefantrine Therapy].","authors":"Mustafa Arslan, Umut Berberoğlu","doi":"10.5578/mb.2025037","DOIUrl":"10.5578/mb.2025037","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>There are increasing reports of failure of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) in malaria\u0000patients returning from endemic areas. ACT has been used globally as first-line treatment for Plasmodium falciparum malaria. However, with the emergence of artemisinin-resistant strains of P.falciparum and\u0000their spread across Southeast Asia, there is a risk that these resistant strains could reach areas of high\u0000malaria incidence in Africa and elsewhere. In this case report, two cases of malaria imported from Africa,\u0000initially treated with six doses of artemether-lumefantrine (AL) were presented. Two middle-aged men\u0000returning from Gabon and Uganda developed symptoms of malaria in Türkiye and were hospitalized\u0000and diagnosed as P.falciparum malaria. Both patients were treated with AL. After being discharged from\u0000the hospital with marked improvement, they re-admitted to the hospital with high fever and chills and\u0000showed late signs of clinical failure. One patient was completely cleared of parasites with six doses of\u0000AL treatment and the other after non-ACT antimalarial (quinine and doxycycline) treatment and no\u0000recrudescence occurred. AL, an artemisinin-based combination, is a frequently preferred preparation for\u0000the treatment of malaria cases seen in Türkiye. It should be kept in mind that even if parasitemia is cleared\u0000in the peripheral blood smear after three days of appropriate AL treatment, treatment failure may be seen\u0000in patients and this treatment failure may also include cases of African P.falciparum malaria.</p>","PeriodicalId":18509,"journal":{"name":"Mikrobiyoloji bulteni","volume":"59 3","pages":"404-412"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144775798","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[The Relationship Between HIF-1α, MMP-9, and IL-8 Levels and the Development of Diabetic Foot Ulcers].","authors":"Nurdan Pür, Fatma Kesmez Can, Nurinnisa Öztürk, Kamber Kaşali, Basri Pür","doi":"10.5578/mb.20250315","DOIUrl":"10.5578/mb.20250315","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a serious complication of diabetes, leading to high morbidity and\u0000mortality rates. Early diagnosis of DFUs is critical for improving patients’ quality of life and reducing the\u0000burden on healthcare systems. This study aimed to identify biomarkers that can predict the early development of DFUs and evaluate their potential for clinical applications. The study included three groups:\u0000diabetic patients with DFUs, diabetic patients without ulcers and healthy individuals. Serum levels of\u0000hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α), matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9) and IL-8 were measured\u0000in blood samples and these biomarkers were compared with acute phase reactants such as C-reactive\u0000protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and procalcitonin. The diagnostic values of these\u0000biomarkers were assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. HIF-1α levels were found\u0000to be significantly elevated in patients with DFUs and ROC analysis revealed that this biomarker had the\u0000highest diagnostic sensitivity and specificity [area the under curve (AUC= 0.99, p= 0.001)]. The increase\u0000in HIF-1α levels suggested that hypoxic responses remain active during the early stages of DFU but decrease in advanced stages due to impaired tissue response to hypoxia. MMP-9 levels were observed to\u0000increase proportionally with Wagner stages and were positively correlated with ESR, indicating its role in\u0000chronic inflammation and tissue damage. IL-8 levels were significantly elevated in DFU patients, yet their\u0000lack of correlation with other inflammatory markers suggested that IL-8 might have a more specific role\u0000in the inflammatory process. HIF-1α emerges as a key biomarker in the early detection of DFUs due to its\u0000central role in hypoxia-driven tissue repair and angiogenesis. Owing to its high specificity and sensitivity\u0000(AUC= 0.99), it should be considered a promising biomarker for routine clinical monitoring. The role of\u0000MMP-9 in chronic inflammation and tissue degradation suggests that this biomarker may contribute to\u0000the development of therapies aimed at preventing tissue damage. Similarly, the role of IL-8 in specific\u0000inflammatory processes may lead to the development of novel therapeutic approaches targeting neutrophil modulation. Regular monitoring of HIF-1α, MMP-9, and IL-8 could facilitate the early diagnosis and\u0000prevention of DFUs. Additionally, the clinical application of these biomarkers may improve patient quality\u0000of life while reducing the economic burden on healthcare systems. Future prospective studies may provide more robust evidence to support the widespread clinical use of these biomarkers.</p>","PeriodicalId":18509,"journal":{"name":"Mikrobiyoloji bulteni","volume":"59 3","pages":"352-366"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144775799","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Are Ureaplasma Species Being Disregarded in Urinary Tract Infections?]","authors":"Rukiye Berkem, Tuğçe Özyol Atkaya","doi":"10.5578/mb.20250326","DOIUrl":"10.5578/mb.20250326","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ureaplasma parvum and Ureaplasma urealyticum can colonize the urinary and genital tracts and cause\u0000various infections. Due to their fastidious growth requirements, these organisms cannot be identified by\u0000routine laboratory diagnostic methods. Therefore, more detailed studies are needed to investigate their\u0000incidence in the community, resistance characteristics, and clinical manifestations. This study aimed to\u0000demonstrate the presence of ureaplasmas in patients with suspected urinary tract infections. As a part of\u0000the study objectives, a commercial real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRt-PCR) panel kit\u0000targeting U.urealyticum and U.parvum was used and the results were confirmed by sequence analysis. A\u0000total of 603 midstream urine samples submitted to our laboratory from patients with suspected urinary\u0000tract infections were analyzed using a urinary tract infection qRt-PCR panel kit (Bioeksen, Türkiye). Of the\u0000195 samples found positive for U.urealyticum and/or U.parvum, 130 with sufficient sample volume were\u0000subjected to next generation sequencing (NGS) using the MinION™ system with a rapid barcoding kit\u0000(SQK-RBK110.96), both from Oxford Nanopore Technologies® (UK), according to the manufacturer’s instructions after storage at -20 °C. Of the 195 (32.33%) samples found positive by qRt-PCR, 138 (70.76%)\u0000were positive for U.parvum, 46 (23.58%) for U.urealyticum and 11 (5.64%) showed the presence of both\u0000species. Sequence analysis was performed on 130 of the 195 qPCR-positive samples that had sufficient\u0000volume. In 17 of these samples, no amplification product was observed during electrophoresis and five\u0000yielded insufficient sequencing data (< 10 coverage). As a result, sequence analysis data could not be\u0000obtained for 22 samples, while valid results were obtained for 108 samples. Among these 108 samples,\u0000102 (94.44%) showed concordant results between qPCR and NGS, while six (5.56%) showed discordant\u0000results. One of the six discordant samples was identified as U.urealyticum by qPCR, while it was identified as U.parvum in the sequence analysis. In the remaining five samples, only one of the two species\u0000detected by qPCR could be demonstrated by NGS, the other could not be demonstrated. In three of the\u0000five samples, only U.parvum could be demonstrated by sequence analysis and in two, only U.urealyticum\u0000could be demonstrated. In the study, U.parvum and/or U.urealyticum positivity was found at a rate of\u000032.33% in midstream urine samples. In this study, it was aimed to draw attention to the fact that these\u0000microorganisms may be a possible cause of urinary tract infections due to their high positivity rates and\u0000they should not be ignored in clinical evaluations.</p>","PeriodicalId":18509,"journal":{"name":"Mikrobiyoloji bulteni","volume":"59 3","pages":"292-306"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144775702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Investigation of Cryptococcus neoformans Mating Capability in Peloidotherapy Muds].","authors":"Mustafa Şengül, Aylin Döğen, Sedef Zeliha Öner, Gülin Fındıkoğlu Ergin, Çağrı Ergin, Macit İlkit","doi":"10.5578/mb.202503156","DOIUrl":"10.5578/mb.202503156","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The human pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans has been isolated from a variety of environmental\u0000sources, including avian excreta, soil, trees, and decaying wood. In addition to the biological characteristics of the yeast, the structure and properties of the external environment play a pivotal role in the\u0000process of environmental colonization. Peloidotherapy has been used since ancient times in the Aegean\u0000Region (near Denizli, Türkiye) as a treatment or supportive therapy for pathological disorders and musculoskeletal conditions. This therapy involves either immersing patients in natural pools or rehydrating\u0000dried mud and applying it directly to the body. Notably, the organic content of these peloids is quite\u0000low. Additionally, commercially packaged peloidotherapy muds undergo high-temperature treatments,\u0000which alter their physicochemical properties. While it is possible that sexual reproduction might occur\u0000during environmental colonization by cryptococcal species, even in environments with low organic content, there is currently insufficient data to confirm this phenomenon in peloids. The aim of this study\u0000was to investigate the sexual reproduction of C.neoformans in peloids with low organic content, which\u0000are used in peloidotherapy practices in our country.The aim of this study was to investigate the sexual\u0000reproduction of C.neoformans in muds with poor organic content used in peloidotherapy in our country.\u0000In this study, commercially packaged peloid samples (1 g/L, filtered in distilled water) from three active\u0000sources in the Denizli Basin -Sarayköy, Gölemezli, and Karahayıt- were used to prepare media with varying pH levels, supplemented with 3 g/L CaCO3 and 1 g/L agar. Two reference strains, C.neoformans KN99\u0000Aa and KN99 Aα, were tested for their ability to mate on these media. Over the course of a month, the\u0000plates were periodically examined for sexual structures, including filaments, hyphae, clamp connections,\u0000basidia and basidiospores. Sexual structures were observed in two of the three samples, indicating that,\u0000despite their low organic content, reusable and commercially available peloids can support C.neoformans, particularly under conditions of immunosuppression. Moreover, the low organic content and the\u0000mineral variability of peloids across regions provide a unique environment for studying factors that influence the natural life cycle of significant human pathogens like C.neoformans.</p>","PeriodicalId":18509,"journal":{"name":"Mikrobiyoloji bulteni","volume":"59 3","pages":"367-375"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144775704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Investigation of the Antimicrobial Effects of Long-Term Used Drugs and In Vitro Interaction with Antimicrobial Agents].","authors":"Alparslan Semih Salan, Suzan Ökten","doi":"10.5578/mb.202503165","DOIUrl":"10.5578/mb.202503165","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;People with chronic diseases have to use medication regularly and for a long time. Antimicrobial\u0000agents may be used concominantly together with these drugs. This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial effects and interactions of frequently used drugs in chronic conditions when combined with\u0000other antimicrobial agents. The selected drugs included atorvastatin and rosuvastatin (statins), metoprolol and propranolol (beta-blockers) and lansoprazole and esomeprazole (proton pump inhibitors). In our\u0000study, standard microorganisms and resistant isolates in the culture collection obtained from the department of microbiology were studied. The antimicrobial activity of the drugs was determined using the microdilution method, while their combined effects with antibiotics were assessed using the checkerboard\u0000method. Our study showed that combining certain medications with antibiotics significantly reduced the\u0000minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values (ampicillin MIC for Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin\u0000MIC for Enterococcus faecalis, ciprofloxacin MIC for Escherichia coli, imipenem MIC for Klebsiella pneumoniae, meropenem MIC for Acinetobacter baumannii, gentamicin MIC for Pseudomonas aeruginosa).\u0000In the presence of atorvastatin and rosuvastatin, MIC values of antibiotics against resistant S.aureus,\u0000E.faecalis, A.baumannii and K.pneumoniae isolates decreased by 4-fold or more. For the same agents, in\u0000resistant P.aeruginosa isolates, gentamicin MIC values was reduced by 2-64 fold and ciprofloxacin MICs\u0000for ciprofloxacin-resistant E.coli isolates decreased by 8-fold and 2-fold, respectively. When antibiotics\u0000were combined with propranolol, MIC values decreased by 64-fold for resistant E.faecalis and K.pneumoniae isolates, 2-64 fold for resistant S.aureus, and 4-64 fold and 2-64 fold for resistant P.aeruginosa and\u0000A.baumannii isolates, respectively. Ciprofloxacin’s MIC value for resistant E.coli isolates decreased by 2-4\u0000fold. Similarly, the combination of metoprolol with antibiotics reduced MIC values by 64-fold for resistant\u0000P.aeruginosa, A.baumannii and E.faecalis isolates and by 2-64 fold and 32-64 fold for resistant S.aureus\u0000and K.pneumoniae isolates, respectively. However, for resistant E.coli isolates, ciprofloxacin MIC value only\u0000decreased by 2-fold with metoprolol. Combining antibiotics with lansoprazole or esomeprazole reduced\u0000MIC values significantly. For resistant A.baumannii, meropenem MIC values decreased by 32-64 and 2-64\u0000fold, respectively. Ampicillin’s MIC value for S.aureus decreased by 2-64 and 32-64 fold, imipenem MICs\u0000for K.pneumoniae by 2-64 fold, and ciprofloxacin MIC values for E.coli by 2-4 and 2-fold. For resistant\u0000P.aeruginosa isolates, the MIC of antibiotics decreased by 64-fold when combined with lansoprazole and\u0000by 2-64 fold when combined with esomeprazole. Additive effects were observed for S.aureus, P.aeruginosa, K.pneumoniae, A.baumannii, and E.faecalis resistant isolates when antibiotics were combined with\u0000these","PeriodicalId":18509,"journal":{"name":"Mikrobiyoloji bulteni","volume":"59 3","pages":"269-291"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144775794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Management of Infants Born to HIV-Infected Mothers: Eighteen Years of Single-Center Experience].","authors":"Elif Dede, Neslihan Mete Atasever, Beril Yaşa, Meltem Bor, Asuman Demirbuğa, Behiye Benaygül Kaçmaz, Ayper Somer, Selda Hançerli Törün","doi":"10.5578/mb.20250318","DOIUrl":"10.5578/mb.20250318","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The most common route of transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in children is perinatal transmission. HIV can be transmitted from mother to baby during pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of mothers and babies born to HIV-infected\u0000mothers and the methods applied to prevent perinatal HIV transmission and their outcomes. Data of\u0000babies born to HIV-infected mothers who were followed up at our tertiary hospital between January\u00002007 and December 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic and perinatal information of the\u0000patients, breastfeeding status, antiretroviral (ARV) prophylaxis, presence of congenital anomalies, HIV\u0000infection of the parents, characteristics of the mothers regarding HIV infection and pregnancy course\u0000were recorded. In our study, 65 of the 120 (54.2%) babies born to HIV-infected mothers were male.\u0000Of the patients, 62.5% (n= 75) were referred from other centers. Nineteen (15.8%) cases were born\u0000preterm and 11 (9.2%) cases were born small for gestational age. Ninety-one (75.8%) of the cases were\u0000born via cesarean section. Congenital cardiac anomalies were detected in two (1.7%). It was observed\u0000that 70 (58.3%) of the mothers were diagnosed before pregnancy, 40 (33.3%) during pregnancy and\u000010 (8.3%) at birth. The majority of mothers (59.2%) were between the ages of 20-30 and 26.7% were\u0000foreign nationals. ARV treatment was initiated in 70 (58.3%) of the mothers prior to pregnancy and in\u000030 (25%) during pregnancy. Of the mothers, 73.3% (n= 88) had HIV-1 RNA values < 20 copies/mL and\u000082.5% (n= 99) had CD4 counts ≥ 200 cells/mm3 in the last trimester. Of these cases, 82 (68.3%) were\u0000infants of low-risk mothers and 38 (31.7%) were infants of high-risk mothers. Despite being high risk,\u000015 cases received only zidovudine prophylaxis due to problems in drug supply. Appropriate prophylaxis\u0000could not be provided to five babies referred from external centers due to their late applications (days\u00003, 5, 2, 3, 29). HIV-RNA values were positive in the follow-up of four (3.1%) of our cases. It is possible to\u0000reduce and eliminate perinatal HIV transmission by using effective measures. This study highlights the\u0000importance of identifying the problems experienced by referred babies, providing more education on\u0000this issue and providing prophylactic drugs that are suitable for newborn formulation.</p>","PeriodicalId":18509,"journal":{"name":"Mikrobiyoloji bulteni","volume":"59 3","pages":"307-319"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144775796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Quantification of Influenza A/B Virus and RSV Validation Standards using Digital PCR].","authors":"Alihan Bulgurcu, Ayça Arzu Sayiner","doi":"10.5578/mb.20250320","DOIUrl":"10.5578/mb.20250320","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Method verification or validation studies using quantitative standards are required for diagnostic tests\u0000to be used in microbiological diagnostic laboratories. Standards containing whole viruses instead of\u0000synthetic nucleic acids or plasmids ensures that all steps of the assay, including extraction, reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), are evaluated as in real life. Commercial quantitative\u0000standard materials for nucleic acid tests are limited for respiratory viruses. In this study, we aimed to\u0000develop quantitative nucleic acid standards for influenza A (infA), influenza B (infB) viruses and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) using digital PCR (dPCR). In the study, the amount of viral nucleic acids in\u0000samples prepared by pooling nasopharyngeal swab samples known to be positive for RSV, infA, infB RNA\u0000were determined by dPCR (QIAcuity, Qiagen) using commercial primer/probe sets (Qiagen, Germany).\u0000Nucleic acid extraction was performed using a commercial kit (Xi’an Tianlong Science&Technology Co,\u0000China). The analytical sensitivity (LoD) and lower limit of quantitation (LoQ), intra- and inter-study reproducibility and linearity of the dPCR method for infA, infB and RSV were determined. Samples were\u0000analysed by both dPCR and real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and the relationship between Ct values and\u0000dPCR quantification results was evaluated by linear regression. Statistical analysis were performed using\u0000GraphPad Prism 10.4.0 (GraphPad, USA) and Excel Analysis ToolPak. The LoD values of the dPCR method\u0000for infA, infB and RSV were 93.75, 15.59 and 26.23 copies/mL, respectively. The intra-study reproducibility (coefficient of variation, CV%) of the dPCR method ranged from 0.06 to 7.97, being higher in\u0000samples with low viral load. Inter-study reproducibility was 0.73 to 5.41. Linearity analysis performed\u0000with dilutions in the range of 3-4 log10 for infA and in infB and seven log10 for RSV showed r2≥ 0.99 for all\u0000three viruses. The concentrations measured by dPCR were correlated with qRT-PCR Ct results. When the\u0000intra- and inter-study reproducibility results of dPCR and qRT-PCR tests were compared, the CV% value\u0000of dPCR was significantly lower (p= 0.0312). The results of the study showed that the dPCR method is a\u0000highly reproducible and reliable method for obtaining quantitative standards. The quantitative standards\u0000obtained can be used to develop assays for viral load determination and/or to perform method confirmation analysis of such assays. In conclusion, in this study reliable quantitative nucleic acid standards for\u0000infA, infB and RSV were obtained by dPCR using pooled patient samples and performance analysis of the\u0000dPCR method was determined. This study was an example of the production of quantitative viral nucleic\u0000acid standards by dPCR.</p>","PeriodicalId":18509,"journal":{"name":"Mikrobiyoloji bulteni","volume":"59 3","pages":"320-337"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144775797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Evaluation of Pertussis Cases in Our Hospital: Five-Year Analysis].","authors":"Salim Yakut, Arjen Ulaba, Fadile Yildiz Zeyrek","doi":"10.5578/mb.202502140","DOIUrl":"10.5578/mb.202502140","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study aimed to evaluate the demographic characteristics, seasonal distribution, clinical features,\u0000vaccination status and mortality rates of patients with Bordetella pertussis/parapertussis detected in our\u0000hospital between January 2019 and June 2024. Nasopharyngeal swab samples obtained using eSwab\u0000(Flocked swab, Copan Diagnostics, Italy) from patients who applied to our hospital with the complaints\u0000of upper/lower respiratory tract infection between January 2019 and June 2024 were tested in viral\u0000transport medium in our hospital’s microbiology laboratory using Film Array multiplex polymerase\u0000chain reaction (BioFire, bioMérieux Diagnostics, France) device in accordance with the manufacturer’s\u0000recommendations and the results were evaluated. Demographic characteristics of the patients, presenting\u0000complaints, follow-up in outpatient clinic/ward/intensive care unit, agents detected in nasopharyngeal\u0000samples, need for mechanical ventilation, vaccination status and recovery/death status were obtained\u0000from the Hospital Information Management System. In this study, B.pertussis was detected in 34 patients\u0000and B.parapertussis in 13 patients. Six of the patients were adults, 41 were in the pediatric age group\u0000and half of the pediatric age group (n= 20) were younger than six months. Vaccination information\u0000could not be obtained for six patients. Eighteen patients were unvaccinated, 17 were fully vaccinated\u0000for their age and six were incompletely vaccinated. While only five patients were detected during the\u0000coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic, 42 patients were detected in the post-pandemic period. It is\u0000particularly noteworthy that 20 cases were seen in the first six months of 2024. Eight patients in the\u0000pediatric age group were followed up in intensive care and four of them were younger than six months.\u0000In adult patients, three patients were followed up in intensive care and two were of advanced age (66\u0000and 70 years). Eight of the patients admitted to the ICU required mechanical ventilation and five of\u0000these patients (three under six months, two two years old) died. In three of the patients who died, the\u0000causative agent was B.pertussis and they were unvaccinated and in two patients, the causative agent was\u0000B.parapertussis, one of these patients was unvaccinated and the other had four doses of the vaccine. As\u0000a result, it was determined that there was a significant increase in pertussis cases compared to the years,\u0000the number of cases doubled in the first six months of 2024 compared to the previous year, mortality\u0000increased especially in young children and infants, and most severe cases were unvaccinated. In addition,\u0000the loss of two out of 13 cases with B.parapertussis showed that infections due to B.parapertussis can also\u0000be severe and fatal. Besides, only one of the patients with B.parapertussis was unvaccinated, suggesting\u0000that the vaccine against B.pertussis does not provide cross-protection against B.parapertussis.</p>","PeriodicalId":18509,"journal":{"name":"Mikrobiyoloji bulteni","volume":"59 2","pages":"132-144"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143981443","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Successful Treatment of Glandular Tularemia with Azithromycin in a Pregnant Patient and Literature Review].","authors":"Mustafa Arslan, Ahmet Mert Cavnar, Meral Turan","doi":"10.5578/mb.202502133","DOIUrl":"10.5578/mb.202502133","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tularemia is a zoonosis caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. F.tularensis is a small pleomorphic,\u0000non-motile, obligate aerobe, gram-negative bacterium that shows facultative intracellular parasitism.\u0000It is known to cause disease in both humans and animals and is one of the most infectious bacteria\u0000known. The disease has different clinical forms depending on the route of bacterial entry into the body.\u0000The routes of transmission of the disease include drinking water contaminated with the bacteria, tick\u0000bites, consuming game meat, handling tissues or fluids from infected animals and inhaling infected\u0000aerosols. While there is a potential for pregnant animals to miscarry, the frequency of this risk in humans\u0000remains uncertain due to the low number of tularemia cases during pregnancy. F.tularensis has four\u0000subspecies, which differ in virulence and geographical distribution. The subspecies found in Türkiye is\u0000F.tularensis subspecies holarctica, which has a better clinic. In the treatment of tularemia, aminoglycosides\u0000(streptomycin, amikacin), quinolones and tetracyclines are used. However, due to the fetotoxicity of\u0000these agents, their use during pregnancy is problematic. The World Health Organization recommends\u0000using gentamicin or ciprofloxacin for the treatment of tularemia during pregnancy. In this case report,\u0000tularemia infection that developed in the second trimester of pregnancy was presented and the relevant\u0000literature was reviewed., A 23-year-old patient in the 16th week of her pregnancy presented with painful\u0000swelling in the neck. Following the detection of a microagglutination test titer of over 1/1280 for\u0000tularemia in her blood sample sent to General Directorate of Public Health National High Risk Pathogens\u0000Reference Laboratories, the patient was diagnosed as tularemia. Gentamicin treatment was planned for\u0000the patient who had glandular tularemia however, due to the refusal of this treatment by the patient and\u0000her relatives, oral azithromycin (500 mg/day for six weeks) was initiated instead. The patient was closely\u0000monitored with clinical, laboratory findings, and obstetric ultrasonography until delivery. A complicationfree birth occurred at the 39th week of pregnancy. Postnatal follow-up for two months revealed that\u0000both the mother and the baby were in good health. A PubMed search using the keywords “tularemia,\u0000pregnancy, azithromycin” identified case reports from three different countries (Austria, France and\u0000the United States of America) in which tularemia cases during pregnancy were successfully treated\u0000with azithromycin. To our knowledge, the presented case is the fourth case successfully treated with\u0000azithromycin in the literature. While tularemia cases during pregnancy have previously been reported in\u0000Türkiye, this case report represents the first documented experience with the use of azithromycin for the\u0000treatment within the country.</p>","PeriodicalId":18509,"journal":{"name":"Mikrobiyoloji bulteni","volume":"59 2","pages":"242-249"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144033052","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Molecular Characterization of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis and Canine Leishmaniasis Strains Isolated from Northern Cyprus and Their Clinical Reflections in Mice Models].","authors":"Emrah Güler, Ahmet Özbilgin, İbrahim Çavuş, Yener Özel, Cumhur Gündüz, Kaya Süer, Tamer Şanlidağ","doi":"10.5578/mb.202502149","DOIUrl":"10.5578/mb.202502149","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infection caused by Leishmania species in tropical and subtropical regions.\u0000Cyprus, located in the Eastern Mediterranean basin, is considered endemic for leishmaniasis. In our study,\u0000we aimed to investigate the origins of two Leishmania strains isolated from Turkish Republic of Northern\u0000Cyprus by sequencing and to establish in vivo animal models by examining the clinical reflections of\u0000these strains in mice. A biopsy material was taken from a seven-year-old girl with a lupoid lesion on her\u0000forehead and amastigotes were detected in the smears. Following culture of the specimen on enriched\u0000NNN media and detection of promastigotes, the patient was diagnosed with cutaneous leishmaniasis\u0000(CL) (no: 504). A four-year-old boxer dog was taken to a veterinary clinic with complaints of weight\u0000loss, weakness, hair loss and lymphadenopathy. A blood sample was taken from the dog, cultured in\u0000enriched NNN media and canine leishmaniasis (CanL) was diagnosed with the growth of promastigotes\u0000(no: 753). Leishmania promastigotes obtained from CL and CanL cases were cryopreserved and stored\u0000in the Parasite Bank, Manisa Celal Bayar University. When the isolates were to be used, they were transferred to RPMI-1640 medium and grown to the concentration of 107 promastigotes/mL required for the\u0000study. The isolates were identified to the species level using primers specific for ITS-1 and cpb E/F regions\u0000of Leishmania. A phylogenetic tree was constructed according to the data obtained from the sequence\u0000analysis. In addition to the Northern Cyprus Leishmania isolates for in vivo studies, one each of Leishmania\u0000donovani (MLd) and Leishmania tropica (MLt) isolates from Manisa were included for comparison. Eight\u0000study groups and two control groups (uninfected) were formed with five Mus musculus (Balb/c) mice in\u0000each group (total 10 groups and 50 Balb/c mice). Four mouse study groups were separately used with\u0000MLt, 753, MLd and 504 strains to establish the CL animal model. The other four mice groups were used for the VL animal model with the same strains. In addition, one group each for the CL and VL models was\u0000used as a negative control group. Mice in the CL groups were infected with 100 µL of the prepared promastigote suspension on the sole of the right foot intradermally and the width and height of the sole of\u0000the foot were measured weekly for six weeks. Mice in VL groups were infected with 100 µL promastigote\u0000suspension intraperitoneally and VL symptoms were monitored. Thirty days after the injection, the spleen\u0000and liver were removed by autopsy and their sizes were measured. In our study, one of the two Northern\u0000Cyprus Leishmania isolates molecularly characterised was Leishmania donovani (human strain, no: 504)\u0000and the other was Leishmania tropica (canine strain, no: 753). Mice in the CL and VL groups developed\u0000symptoms of CL and VL, respectively, and both Manisa and Northern Cyprus isolates had similar reflections in mice. In the literature","PeriodicalId":18509,"journal":{"name":"Mikrobiyoloji bulteni","volume":"59 2","pages":"203-216"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144009934","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}