Mikrobiyoloji bulteni最新文献

Infections related to the rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM), which are common in the environment, have clinical significance as they can affect both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. Treatment of RGM related infections is difficult, because they are resistant to many of the first-line tuberculosis agents, require a long-term multiple drug regimen, which is costly, and is associated with drugrelated toxicities. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of RGM isolated in Dokuz Eylül University Hospital and also to reveal epidemiological data. A total of 58 isolates [(Mycobacterium fortuitum (n= 35), Mycobacterium abscessus (n= 19) and Mycobacterium chelonae (n= 4)], which were isolated in Dokuz Eylül University Hospital between 2013 and 2018, were subjected to in vitro testing for nine antimicrobial agents (amikacin, cefoxitin, ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, doxycycline, imipenem, linezolid, moxifloxacin and tobramycin) with the broth microdilution method recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). For M.abscessus; 73.68% of the isolates were found susceptible to amikacin; 73.68% of isolates were susceptible to clarithromycin at early reading and only 21.05% of them remained susceptible at late reading time. No resistance to imipenem were observed. M.abscessus isolates were highly resistant to tobramycin, doxycycline and fluoroquinolones. Antibiotic susceptibility testing of M.chelonae isolates demonstrated 100% susceptibility for amikacin, clarithromycin and tobramycin. No resistance to linezolid, imipenem and moxifloxacin were observed. None of the isolates were susceptible to cefoxitin. Ciprofloxacin and doxycycline also showed poor in vitro activity against M.chelonae isolates. For M.fortuitum clarithromycin susceptibility decreased from 32.35% to 2.94% after an additional incubation until 14 days. All tested isolates of the M.fortuitum were susceptible to amikacin, ciprofloxacin and moxifloxacin. None of the M.fortuitum isolates exhibited resistance to cefoxitin and imipenem. Most of the M.fortuitum isolates were resistant to tobramycin and doxycycline. When the results were evaluated together, RGM isolates in this study were highly susceptible to amikacin; and were highly resistant to doxycycline. In conclusion, this study supported that the status of antimicrobial susceptibilities were different between species and also showed the importance for hospitals to know susceptibility patterns of isolates in their region. It should be noted that accurate species determination is critical for treatment as well as susceptibility status of rapidly growing mycobacteria to the antimicrobials in use.

This study was aimed to determine the efficacy of homologous (only CoronaVac or only Pfizer-BioNTech) and heterologous (CoronaVac and Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccines during the period when the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant was dominant in Türkiye. Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-2019) infection was confirmed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and data on vaccination status against COVID-19 were evaluated during the period of 15 January 2022-1 May 2022 when the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant was dominant among 1854 employees followed in the SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Cohort of Manisa Celal Bayar University (MCBU) Hospital Health Workers. Two separate reference groups were used in the evaluation of vaccine efficacy: those who were never vaccinated and those who received only two doses of CoronaVac. The efficacy of homologous and heterologous vaccine models was evaluated with relative risks and attributable risk percentages. MS Excel, SPSS 23.0 and STATA 14.1 package programs were used for statistical analysis. The mean age of the participants was 36.6 ± 10.0. During the period from January 15th to May 1st 2022, 372 hospital workers were infected with COVID-19. Taking the never vaccinated as the reference group, the most effective model was found to be only the three or more doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech primary vaccination model (85.8%, 95% CI= 40.7-96.6). Models consisting of a single dose of CoronaVac (6.5%, 95% CI= -56.3-44.2) or a single dose of Pfizer-BioNTech (17.7%, 95% CI= -30.2-48.0) booster dose administered after two doses of primary CoronaVac vaccination was not found to be effective against the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. When only two doses of primary CoronaVac vaccination model was taken as the reference group, the model consisting of two doses CoronaVac followed by two Pfizer-BioNTech booster doses was effective as 38.4% (95% CI= 15.4-55.3), whereas three doses of Pfizer-BioNTech booster model was effective as 56.4% (95% CI= 33.9-71.3). To conclude, none of the models other than the homologous or heterologous vaccine models containing at least three doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were effective compared to those unvaccinated. Compared with those who received only two doses of primary Coronavac, models with at least three doses of Pfizer-BioNTech reminder doses were more effective against the Omicron variant than other models.

Three obligate intracellular protozoan parasite species, namely Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania tropica and Toxoplasma gondii, causative agents of Chagas disease, Leishmaniasis and toxoplasmosis, respectively, which are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality and reside in macrophage cells, affect more than half of the world's population in connection with socio-economic and geographical factors and also causes neglected parasitic diseases of increasing importance. This study aimed to evaluate the ex vivo cultivation potential of T.cruzi, L.tropica and T.gondii parasites in J774, Vero and HeLa cells and to reproduce in a short time and in large amounts without losing their virulence properties. Ex vivo experimental models were created by infecting J774, Vero and HeLa cell lines confluently produced in cell culture flasks with T.cruzi, L.tropica and T.gondii parasites. In ex vivo cultivation, one passage was applied for seven days and three times in a row. Cells removed from the surface after each passage were plated on eight-well chamber slides. Giemsa stained slides were prepared and infection rates were evaluated by light microscopic examination. At the end of the study, it was observed that all three cell lines could be infected with T.cruzi, L.tropica and T.gondii parasites, and infection rates increased in all cell lines after consecutive passages. As a result of ex vivo cultivation, the best cell lines from which T.cruzi and L.tropica strains grew, were J774, Vero and HeLa, and HeLa, J774 and Vero cell lines for T.gondii strain, respectively (p<0.05). Trypanosoma cruzi, L.tropica and T.gondii parasites were successfully grown in J774, Vero and HeLa cell lines by ex vivo culture method in a short time and in large amounts without losing their virulence properties. Cell lines with the best ex vivo cultivation potential for T.cruzi and L.tropica parasites were J774, Vero and HeLa, respectively, while HeLa, J774 and Vero for T.gondii. It is thought that the data obtained in this regard will contribute to many studies on the development of vaccines, drugs and new diagnostic kits.

Mendelian susceptibility to mycobacterial diseases (MSMD) is a rare primary immune deficiency (PID). IL-12Rβ1 deficiency is the most frequently observed of more than 16 genetic defects that have been identified for MSMD. Genetic and immunological tests are remarkable in the diagnosis of PID. In this study, it was aimed to determine the expression of IFN-γR1 and IL-12Rβ1 in patients with MSMD, their relatives, and healthy individuals and to evaluate the importance of flow cytometry as a fast and reliable method in the diagnosis of MSMD. IFN-γR1 and IL-12Rβ1 expression levels were analyzed in 32 volunteers including six patients, six relatives, and 20 healthy individuals. The normal range of IFN-γR1 and IL-12Rβ1 levels among healthy individuals were determined. IL-12Rβ1 expression level in lymphocytes was found to be low in one patient's relative, and less than 1% in three patients and in one patient's relative. It was observed that the IL-12Rβ1 expression levels of the patient with STAT1 deficiency were increased compared to the healthy individuals. No difference was found in the expression levels of IFN-γR1 and IL-12Rβ1 in one patient, but IFN-γR1 expression was decreased in one patient compared to healthy individuals. Our results show that the determination of IL-12Rβ1 and IFN-γR1 deficiencies by flow cytometry can be used as a rapid and reliable method for the diagnosis of MSMD. The use of this method as a screening test will enable early diagnosis especially in patients whose genetic diagnosis has not been confirmed and clinically compatible with MSMD. In addition, it is thought that IL-12Rβ1 and IFN-γR1 range data obtained from healthy individuals will be considered as a reference source in routine and research studies to be conducted with MSMD.

One of the basic ethical principles in medical practice is to respect personal autonomy. However, it is a widely accepted view that when it comes to health problems that concern not only the individual but also the society, especially in epidemics of infectious diseases, individual autonomy can be violated by prioritizing the benefit of the community. This view is based on the scientific fact that epidemics can only be controlled by immunizing all susceptible individuals. However, whether all susceptible individuals can be compelled to be immunized remains a matter of debate around the world. Especially in the last three years, during the worldwide Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a significant part of the society has been hesitant about being vaccinated, and some have argued that vaccines should be rejected altogether. In the face of the situation outlined above, the question of "should immunization be mandatory?" has become more important than ever to be able to answer the question in a way that will ensure as broad consensus as possible. In this review article; it was discussed under which conditions mandatory immunization could be justified in terms of ethics and thus, it was aimed to contribute to the solution of the vital problem created by the phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy and rejection in terms of public health. To this aim, first of all, the need to clarify some concepts was mentioned. Afterwards, the arguments "must be compulsory", "should be optional", and "should not be done to anyone" were evaluated with their justifications and it was determined that the argument that immunization should be mandatory could be justified in terms of ethics. In the article, it was argued that the conflicts of "individual freedom X community benefit" and "personal autonomy X community benefit" did not exist in today's actual conditions, but it was stated that an individual with the knowledge of reality experiences a tension in the face of not putting this knowledge into practice. It was emphasized that in order to overcome this tension, consolidation of the theoretical background and also consideration of the macro determinants of vaccine hesitancy and rejection in practice were necessary. What needs to be done to re-establish trust in the medical institution was listed, and it was argued that the question of how to implement mandatory immunization could only be answered in a healthy way through a transformation process that will be implemented through a social dialogue.

Human monkeypox (MPX) disease is a re-emerging zoonotic infection caused by the monkeypox virus belonging to the same family as vaccinia and variola. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has documented an outbreak of MPX with atypical transmission paths throughout Europe. In this report, male-to-male sexual intercourse was first defined as a means of close humanto-human contact. The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Turkey announced via social media on June 30, 2022 that the first case confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the MPX virus in Turkey was admitted and isolated in a hospital. Four days after this statement, a 24-year-old Turkish man was hospitalized in our clinic with a bacterial infection of the penis and scrotum following local radiofrequency ablation therapy. A week ago, lesions resembling warts were noted in his medical history, for which a local radiofrequency ablation procedure was conducted at an external center. One day after his hospitalization, skin lesions of different stages (from macules, papules to umbilical papules) and several eruptions were detected on his face, nose tip, body, arms, and fingers, which gradually became more evident. After evaluating the risk factors, the patient was isolated with a preliminary diagnosis of MPX disease and samples were collected and sent for MPX virus detection to the reference laboratory according to the Ministry of Health guidelines. MPX virus nucleic acid was detected by PCR in samples taken from the lesion. The patient was discharged after 21 days of isolation and treatment for a secondary bacterial infection. In this case report the significance of differential diagnosis and screening tests for sexually transmitted infections (STI), a previously unreported case of MPX disease in Turkey, and a soft tissue infection that developed after local ablation treatment which was administered to a patient with MPX disease were presented. To be prepared for new and re-emerging infectious diseases, it was emphasized that well-structured continuing education based on current epidemiological data is required. Sexual contact has recently been identified as a new mode of transmission for MPX disease, and symptoms and signs may resemble those of other ulcerative sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as "molluscum contagiousum" or syphilis. ORF disease is also in the differential diagnosis of MPX disease in Turkey. In addition, patients admitted with unreported STIs are permitted to receive health services without additional screenings. For this reason, easily accessible sexually transmitted disease centers with a high diagnostic efficiency can provide greater control over these diseases.