Infectious diseases & clinical microbiology最新文献

{"title":"Amphotericin B Resistant <i>Aspergillus</i> spp.: Report of Two Cases.","authors":"Abdurrahman Kaya, Sibel Yıldız Kaya, İlker İnanç Balkan, Sena Alkan, Ahmet Furkan Kurt, Tuğrul Elverdi, Seval Ürkmez, Şeniz Öngören, Gökhan Aygün","doi":"10.36519/idcm.2024.371","DOIUrl":"10.36519/idcm.2024.371","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Aspergillus</i> spp. are ubiquitous, and people are frequently exposed to their spores in the environment and hospital settings. Despite frequent inhalation of the spores, <i>Aspergillus</i> infection is infrequent in humans, except in immunosuppressed hosts. Although amphotericin B (AmB) has been a first-line antifungal for invasive <i>Aspergillus</i> infections for 50 years, its success rate in these patients remains unsatisfactory. Resistance to AmB is sporadic, but the fungus can acquire resistance. Herein, we report two patients unresponsive to AmB, and eventually, we found that the fungi were resistant to AmB. The <i>Aspergillus flavus</i> species complex was recovered from endotracheal aspirate in one case. In the other case, the <i>Aspergillus fumigatus</i> species complex was recovered from a skin biopsy on liposomal amphotericin B (L-AmB) treatment. We used conventional methods for both <i>Aspergillus</i> spp. Initially, serum galactomannan tests were negative in the patients. The radiological results of two patients were compatible with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, and later, the serum galactomannan levels in the cases increased rapidly during routine blood screening. Eventually, both patients died in intensive care.</p>","PeriodicalId":519881,"journal":{"name":"Infectious diseases & clinical microbiology","volume":"6 4","pages":"343-348"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11687227/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142916386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison of a Commercial SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test with Real-Time PCR.","authors":"Muhammet Çağrı Yıldız, Harun Ağca, Anıl Ardıç, İmran Sağlık, Beyza Ener","doi":"10.36519/idcm.2024.421","DOIUrl":"10.36519/idcm.2024.421","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The study compared the mö-screen Corona Antigen Test (Qiagen, Germany) with RT-PCR in suspected COVID-19 patients.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>Two hundred combined oro-nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from patients with suspected COVID-19 to evaluate the analytical performance of the mö-screen Corona Antigen Test compared to qualitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in symptomatic patients.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mö-screen Corona Antigen Test showed an overall agreement with a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 100%, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 100%, and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 100%. We semi-quantitatively evaluated the mö-screen Corona Antigen Test and found a -0.706 correlation between cycle threshold (Ct) values and antigen test results (<i>p</i><0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The accuracy achievable by the mö-screen Corona Antigen Test, combined with the rapid turnaround time compared to RT-PCR, suggests that rapid antigen tests can be used for rapid diagnosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":519881,"journal":{"name":"Infectious diseases & clinical microbiology","volume":"6 4","pages":"298-305"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11687234/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142916791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Henoch-Schönlein Purpura in a Patient with AIDS: A Case Report and Literature Review.","authors":"Abdurrahman Kaya, Gülşen Yörük, Merve Canpolat, Adem Tunç, Didem Gereklioğlu, Ali Mert","doi":"10.36519/idcm.2024.366","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.36519/idcm.2024.366","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this paper, we reported a 27-year-old man presenting with Henoch-Schönlein purpura in an acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patient with Kaposi sarcoma. He died from sepsis-related organ failures in the hospital. Relevant literature was also discussed to illustrate this disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":519881,"journal":{"name":"Infectious diseases & clinical microbiology","volume":"6 3","pages":"243-247"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11472022/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142485301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sandfly Virus Infection in Adana, Türkiye.","authors":"Yusuf Ziya Demiroğlu, Mert Ahmet Kuşkucu, Önder Ergönül","doi":"10.36519/idcm.2024.333","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.36519/idcm.2024.333","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We described the clinical and laboratory characteristics of the patients infected by sandfly viruses between August and September 2008 in Adana, Türkiye. The immunofluorescence antibody test (EUROIMMUN Medizinische Labordiagnostika AG, Lübeck, Germany) was used for diagnosis. Antibodies of immunoglobulin M (IgM) type against Cyprus and Sicily species of phleboviruses were detected in 15 patients. In one patient, IgM antibodies against Naples and Tuscany species were found to be positive. The mean age of the patients was 28, and 47% was female. The most common symptoms were myalgia, fatigue, fever, and arthralgia. The mean duration of fever was four days, and the mean duration of the symptoms was 7-10 days. The median platelet count was 137,000/mL, the median white blood cell count was 3040/mL, the median aspartate transaminase (AST) was 57 (22-1251) IU/L, the median alanine transaminase (ALT) was 71 (17-1137) IU/L, the median creatinine kinase was 314 (33-4638) IU/L, and the median lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was 193 (111-490) IU/L. The sandfly virus infections should be differentiated from similar viral infectious diseases such as Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.</p>","PeriodicalId":519881,"journal":{"name":"Infectious diseases & clinical microbiology","volume":"6 3","pages":"233-237"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11465435/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142485304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antimicrobial Use Among Outpatients at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital in Dodoma Central Zone of Tanzania: A Prospective Descriptive Study.","authors":"Kauke Bakari Zimbwe, Yusto Julius Yona, Charity Alphonce Chiwambo, Devis Antony Mhagama, Alphonce Bilola Chandika, Humphrey Sawira Kiwelu, Reuben Sunzu Mkala, Omary Salim Kizenga, Mfaume Michael Mleke, Moshi Moshi Shabani","doi":"10.36519/idcm.2024.394","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.36519/idcm.2024.394","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Irrational antimicrobial use (AMU) has led to an exponential increase in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in hospitals and communities, which creates challenges in treating infectious diseases caused by bacteria. This study aimed to evaluate antimicrobial prescriptions and usage patterns for treating bacterial infections among outpatients at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital (BMH).</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>A prospective descriptive study design was used to evaluate the AMU trend. The data were collected from August 2022 to October 2022 from outpatient pharmacies at BMH using the World Health Organization/International Network of Rational Use of Drugs (WHO/INRUD) indicators. The simple random sampling method was employed to select the prescriptions. The WHO AWaRe (Access, Watch, and Reserve) classification was used to classify common antimicrobials. We analyzed the prevalence of outpatient AMU, including the types of antimicrobials, indications, and compliance with treatment guidelines. We also examined the number of antimicrobials per prescription and the adherence to drug use.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We examined 1557 prescriptions, 406 (26.1%) (WHO recommendation 20.0-26.8%) of which included antimicrobials. All prescriptions with antimicrobials were written in generic names, drug utilization-90% (DU90%) was 100% (WHO recommendation 100%). The number of parenteral antimicrobials prescribed was 79 (19.5%) (WHO recommendation 13.4-24.1%). Furthermore, prescriptions with antimicrobials that complied with the current Standard Treatment Guidelines and National Essential Medicine List in Tanzania (STG/NEMLIT) were 369 (90.9%) (WHO recommendation 100%). Most antimicrobials were prescribed as monotherapy, accounting for 265 (65.3%). There were 1.4 (WHO recommendation 1.6-1.8) antimicrobials per prescription. Our study identified 21 commonly prescribed antimicrobials, whereby 9 (42.9%) (WHO recommendation >60%) antimicrobials were Access, 10 (47.6%) (WHO recommendation <20%) Watch, and 2 (9.5%) (WHO recommendation <1%) Reserved classes.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our study showed that BMH has optimal practices for prescribing and using antimicrobials for outpatients. It further underlined the need to expand and strengthen antimicrobial stewardship efforts to reinforce prescribing antimicrobials.</p>","PeriodicalId":519881,"journal":{"name":"Infectious diseases & clinical microbiology","volume":"6 3","pages":"174-184"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11465431/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142485298","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Thoracic Tuberculous Spondylodiscitis with Abscess Formation.","authors":"Handan Alay, Rümeysa Temur-Çelik, Bahar Yılmaz-Çankaya","doi":"10.36519/idcm.2024.396","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.36519/idcm.2024.396","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":519881,"journal":{"name":"Infectious diseases & clinical microbiology","volume":"6 3","pages":"255-256"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11472021/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142485275","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A New Biomarker Copeptin in Determining Disease Severity in COVID-19.","authors":"Pınar Korkmaz, Duru Mıstanoğlu-Özatağ, Havva Keskin, Havva Koçak, Selcen Uçar","doi":"10.36519/idcm.2024.324","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.36519/idcm.2024.324","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Copeptin is released from the posterior pituitary gland into systemic circulation in response to various stimuli, including stress. We aimed to evaluate the role of copeptin in determining the severity of the disease in patients with COVID-19.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>The study was conducted prospectively in two centers between June 1, 2022, and October 1, 2022. Severe and mild-moderate COVID-19 patients were compared in terms of clinical, laboratory and imaging findings, and serum copeptin levels at hospitalization.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 90 patients were included in the study; 45 patients were in severe disease groups. Dyspnea, loss of appetite, and loss of smell were significantly more common in the severe disease group (<i>p</i><0.001, <i>p</i>=0.025, and <i>p</i><0.001, respectively). Among the tomography findings, the consolidation frequency was similar in both groups (<i>p</i>=0.259). C-reactive protein (CRP), D-dimer, ferritin, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), procalcitonin, troponin and copeptin levels were higher in the severe group (<i>p</i><0.05); hemoglobin, total protein and vitamin D levels were lower (<i>p</i>=0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) values for severe disease were 0.643 for copeptin (<i>p</i>=0.019), 0.656 for CRP (<i>p</i>=0.011), 0.684 for procalcitonin (<i>p</i>=0.004), 0.657 for ferritin (<i>p</i>=0.01), 0.72 for D-dimer (<i>p</i>=0), 0.688 for troponin (<i>p</i>=0.002), and 0.672 for age (<i>p</i>=0.005).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In our study, copeptin was identified as a new prognostic biomarker indicating the severity of the disease in patients with COVID-19.</p>","PeriodicalId":519881,"journal":{"name":"Infectious diseases & clinical microbiology","volume":"6 3","pages":"225-232"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11472025/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142485296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Efficacy of Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Multicenter Real-Life Data.","authors":"Yunus Gürbüz, Aysel Kocagül-Çelikbaş, Nefise Öztoprak, Bilgehan Aygen, Ayşe Batırel, Arif Doğan Habiloğlu, Nazlım Aktuğ-Demir, Sabahat Çeken, Neşe Demirtürk, Mehmet Reşat Ceylan, Şengül Üçer, Faruk Karakeçili, Sevil Alkan, Nevin İnce, Anıl Akça, Veli Günay, Duru Mustanoğlu-Özatağ, Güle Çınar, Sami Kınıklı, Orhan Yıldız, Petek Şarlak-Konya, Şua Sümer, Dilek Yekenkurul, Mehmet Çelik, Umut Devrim Binay, Zahide Aşık-Otman","doi":"10.36519/idcm.2024.344","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.36519/idcm.2024.344","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to demonstrate the real-life efficacy and safety of glecaprevir /pibrentasvir in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C, as well as to identify the problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the follow-up and treatment of patients.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>The study was conducted retrospectively with the participation of researchers from universities or training and research hospitals. It included patients with chronic hepatitis C who were over 18 years of age, treatment-naïve or treatment-experienced, had detectable HCV RNA and were receiving glecaprevir/pibrentasvir treatment.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Only 188 of the 385 patients who participated in the study came to the follow-up visit 12 weeks after treatment, and all of them had a sustained virological response. It was thought that a significant portion of the 177 patients who did not come to the follow-up visit at 12 weeks after treatment refrained from coming to the hospital due to the COVID-19 pandemic. None of the patients who attended the follow-up visits required treatment discontinuation due to adverse events.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Glecaprevir/pibrentasvir is a highly effective and relatively safe drug in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected the follow-up and treatment processes of patients. New measures are needed for the follow-up and treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C during pandemics.</p>","PeriodicalId":519881,"journal":{"name":"Infectious diseases & clinical microbiology","volume":"6 3","pages":"216-224"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11465448/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142485306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Associated Factors for Liver Fibrosis and Histological Activity Index in Treatment-Naïve HBeAg-Positive Chronic Hepatitis B Infection: Insights from a Retrospective Analysis.","authors":"Kadir Görkem Güçlü, Ceyda Geyiktepe-Güçlü, Gülşah Tunçer, Serkan Sürme, Betül Çopur, Merve Çağlar-Özer, Khalis Mustafayev, Mustafa Yıldırım, Gönül Şengöz, Filiz Pehlivanoğlu","doi":"10.36519/idcm.2024.376","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.36519/idcm.2024.376","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The study aimed to identify predictors of advanced fibrosis score and histological activity index (HAI) in HBeAg-positive patients to facilitate early disease detection and reduce the need for invasive biopsies.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>The single-center retrospective study included treatment-naïve HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. Patients with HAI ≥6 and/or fibrosis ≥2 were considered to have significant liver damage. Independent determinants were identified by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Cut-off values for variables were determined by receiver operating characteristics (ROCs) curve analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study enrolled a cohort of 66 patients, with 51.5% male and a median age of 26 (22.7-34.2) years. In assessing necroinflammation, no significant differences were observed in age and gender between patients with HAI <6 and HAI ≥6. However, patients with HAI ≥6 exhibited higher aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels compared to those with HAI <6. Furthermore, lower albumin levels and platelet (PLT) counts, along with higher fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) scores, were associated with HAI ≥6. In the evaluation of fibrosis, while gender distribution did not differ significantly, patients with fibrosis grade ≥2 were older and had higher HAI scores, HAI ≥6 ratios, and FIB-4 scores compared to those with fibrosis grade <2. Multivariate analysis identified albumin as a significant predictor for both HAI ≥6 and fibrosis grade ≥2. The area under ROC (AUROC) values of albumin for predicting HAI ≥6 and fibrosis ≥2 were 0.696 and 0.698, respectively, indicating moderate predictive ability.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Albumin was found to be an independent predictor of liver damage in HBeAg-positive CHB patients. The fact that the optimal threshold values detected for both HAI ≥6 and fibrosis ≥2 in this patient group were close to normal values suggests that clinicians should be more cautious in monitoring albumin levels and other pre-defined parameters to avoid delays in diagnosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":519881,"journal":{"name":"Infectious diseases & clinical microbiology","volume":"6 3","pages":"185-194"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11465446/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142485299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Addressing the Ripple Effect of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in Pakistan and the Imminent Risk of a Global Health Crisis.","authors":"Moiz Ahmed Khan, Summaiya Zafar","doi":"10.36519/idcm.2024.430","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.36519/idcm.2024.430","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":519881,"journal":{"name":"Infectious diseases & clinical microbiology","volume":"6 3","pages":"252-254"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11465430/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142485297","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}