Respiratory viral and atypical bacterial agents lead to infections in a large spectrum, from mild symptoms to respiratory failure. In the present study, we aimed to detect multiple viral and ...bacterial agents in the respiratory samples of inpatients by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Nasopharyngeal swabs and broncho-alveolar lavage samples from inpatients with respiratory infection symptoms at the Uludag University Hospital between December 1, 2015 and March 31,2018 were investigated. DNA/RNA was extracted using the EZ1 Virus Mini Kit v2.0 (Qiagen, Belgium) with the EZ1 extraction device (Qiagen, Belgium). The R-GENE® RT-PCR (Biomerioux, France) kit was used to detect influenza A, influenza B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus, rhinovirus/enterovirus (RV/EV), adenovirus, human bocavirus (hBoV), corona virus, parainfluenza virus, Chlamydia pneumoniae/Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Legionella pneumophila in Rotor-Gene Q (Qiagen, Belgium). Patients were aged between 0 and 90 years. Overall, 177 (56.9%) patients were men and 134 (43.1%) were women. A total of 311 samples were analyzed, of which 214 (68.8%) were positive. In total, 360 agents, including 338 viruses and 22 bacteria, were detected. The commonest agents were influenza A+B (n = 65, 18,1%), hBoV (n = 64, 17.8%), RV/EV (n = 56, 15.6%), and RSV (n = 47, 13.1%). Rapid diagnosis of viral infections by RT-PCR is important for the specific treatment of patients.
We aimed to determine the epidemiological change in influenza and other respiratory tract viruses isolated from patients with nasopharyngeal swab samples in our hospital during the COVID-19 period.
...We investigated nasopharyngeal swabs for respiratory viruses between March 2020 and February 2021 during the first year of pandemic in Turkey. We used QIAStat Dx Respiratory panel (Qiagen, Germany) in QIAStat Dx (Qiagen, Germany) for detection of respiratory viruses between March 2020 and February 2021. Respiratory panel kit included influenza A, B, influenza A H1N1, rhinovirus/enterovirus, parainfluenza (PIV) 1,2,3,4, coronaviruses (CoVs) NL 63, 229E, OC43 and HKU1, human metapneumovirus (MPV) A/B, bocavirus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) A/B and adenovirus.
We retrospectively analyzed the results of 319 nasopharyngeal swab samples. The average age of 199 (62.4%) male and 120 (37.6%) female patients between the ages of 0–92 was 16 years. We found that 101 (31.7%) samples were positive for viruses. Rhino/enteroviruses were the most common viruses in all age groups. Influenza positivity rate during the first year of pandemic declined to 2.3% from 17.3% among the previous year. MPV infection activity did not change during the pandemic.
According to our findings we argue that epidemiology of respiratory viruses has changed during the pandemic period. Despite the current clinical focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians should keep in mind that rhino/enterovirus and MPV infections may mimic COVID-19 and respiratory infections should be differentially diagnosed with rapid multiplex kits containing SARS-CoV-2, rhino/enterovirus and MPV.
Introduction Changes in the epidemiology of
infections, increasing resistance, and advances in treatment have increased the need to perform antifungal susceptibility testing in clinical laboratories. ...Standardized reference, the microbroth dilution method, and various commercial antifungal susceptibility test systems are used to determine antifungal susceptibility. This study aims to determine and compare the antifungal susceptibility of various
species isolated from blood cultures in our laboratory with the CLSI M27 microdilution reference method and VITEK 2 automated system (bioMérieux, Marcy-l'Étoile, France). Methods The antifungal susceptibility of a total of 140
strains to fluconazole, voriconazole, and amphotericin B, and a total of 92 strains to anidulafungin was tested with the CLSI M27 method and the VITEK 2 automated system. For fluconazole, voriconazole, and amphotericin B, essential and categorical agreement percentages were calculated between the two methods. Because there is no anidulafungin in the VITEK 2 system, anidulafungin results obtained with CLSI were compared with micafungin only in terms of categorical agreement. In the category comparison, CLSI clinical breakpoints were used; the epidemiological cut-off values were used when they were not available. Very major error, major error, and minor error rates were calculated. Results In general, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values obtained with VITEK 2 for azole group drugs were found to be one-fold higher than the CLSI MICs read at the 24th hour. While the essential agreement between the two methods was >90% for amphotericin B and voriconazole, it remained at 85% for fluconazole. Overall, the best categorical agreement was obtained with amphotericin B (99.3%), and the least categorical agreement was obtained with voriconazole (85.7%). A very major error was seen with amphotericin B (0.7%) and fluconazole (0.7%) in one
sis strain each. No resistance was detected with VITEK 2 in one
strain found to be resistant to fluconazole by the reference method. Major and minor error rates were higher for azole drugs than amphotericin B and anidulafungin/micafungin. Conclusion The VITEK 2 system is a fast and highly applicable system, and with these features, it is advantageous for routine laboratories. In this study, although the error rate was not very high, one fluconazole-resistant
and
strain could not be detected with VITEK 2. The increase in data on the antifungal performance of the VITEK 2 system, which is available in many routine laboratories due to its ability to be used for bacteria identification and sensitivity, will contribute to the usability of the system for this purpose. In this study, data that will support the literature information in terms of the antifungal performance of the VITEK 2 system are presented.
We aimed to compare the performance of carbapenemase classification in carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) obtained using the BD Phoenix CPO Detect panel (CPO panel) and Cepheid Xpert ...Carba-R assays. We analyzed 55 CRKP strains from clinical specimens collected between November 2020 and November 2022. The CPO panel was used to detect both antibiotic susceptibility and phenotypic carbapenemase classes, while Xpert Carba-R was employed to identify KPC, NDM, VIM, OXA-48, and IMP genes. Due to the limited availability of molecular kits, we arbitrarily selected 55 isolates, identified as carbapenemase-producing according to the CPO panel and with meropenem minimum inhibitory concentration values > 8 mg/L.
According to the Xpert Carba-R assay, 16 of the 55 isolates (29.1%) were categorised as Ambler Class A (11 of which matched CPO panel Class A identification); three isolates (5.5%) were identified as Class B and 27 isolates (49.1%) as Class D (in both cases consistent with CPO panel B and D classifications). A further eight isolates (14.5%) exhibited multiple carbapenemase enzymes and were designated as dual-carbapenemase producers, while one isolate (1.8%) was identified as a non-carbapenemase-producer. The CPO panel demonstrated positive and negative percent agreements of 100% and 85.7% for Ambler Class A, 100% and 100% for Class B, and 96.4% and 100% for Class D carbapenemase detection, respectively.
While the CPO panel's phenotypic performance was satisfactory in detecting Class B and D carbapenemases, additional confirmatory testing may be necessary for Class A carbapenemases as part of routine laboratory procedures.
Abstract Aspergillus fumigatus is the most important etiological agent of invasive aspergillosis. Recently, an increasing number of azole-resistant A. fumigatus isolates have been described in ...various countries. The prevalence of azole resistance was investigated in this study using our culture collection of A. fumigatus isolates collected between 1999 and 2012 from clinical specimens. Seven hundred and forty-six A. fumigatus isolates, collected from 419 patients, were investigated. First, all isolates were screened for resistance to itraconazole by subculturing on Sabouraud dextrose agar that contained 4 mg/L itraconazole. For isolates that grew on the itraconazole containing agar, the in vitro activities of amphotericin B, itraconazole, voriconazole and posaconazole were determined using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) M38-A reference method. After PCR amplification, the full sequence of the cyp51A gene and its promoter region was determined for all in vitro azole-resistant isolates. Itraconazole resistance was found in 10.2% of the A. fumigatus isolates. From 2000 onwards, patients were observed annually with an itraconazole-resistant isolate. According to in vitro susceptibility tests, amphotericin B exhibited good activity against all isolates whereas the azoles were resistant. Sequence analysis of the promoter region and CYP51A gene indicated the presence of TR34/L98H in 86.8% (n = 66) of isolates. This initial analysis of the resistance mechanism of A. fumigatus from Turkey revealed a common TR34/L98H mutation in the cyp51A gene.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) colitis is a critical condition associated with severe complications in ulcerative colitis (UC). This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of the presence of CMV DNA ...in intestinal mucosa tissue and blood samples in patients with active UC. This study included 81 patients with exacerbated symptoms of UC. Patient data were obtained from the Hospital Information Management System. CMV DNA in colorectal tissue and plasma samples were analyzed using a real-time quantitative PCR assay. CMV markers were detected using immunohistochemistry and hematoxylin-eosin staining. Immunohistochemistry positivity was observed in tissue samples from eight (9.9%) patients. Only one (1.2%) patient showed CMV-specific intranuclear inclusion bodies. CMV DNA was detected in 63.0% of the tissues (median: 113 copies/mg) and in 58.5% of the plasma samples (median: 102 copies/mL). For tissues, sensitivity and the negative predictive value (NPV) for qPCR were excellent (100.0%), whereas specificity and the positive predictive value (PPV) were low (41.9% and 15.7%, respectively). For plasma, sensitivity and NPV were high (100.0%) for qPCR, whereas specificity and PPV were low (48.6% and 24.0%, respectively). CMV DNA ≥392 copies/mg in tissue samples (sensitivity 100.0% and specificity 83.6%) and ≥578 copies/mL (895 IU/mL) in plasma samples (sensitivity 66.7% and specificity 100.0%) provided an optimal diagnosis for this test. The qPCR method improved patient management through the early detection of CMV colitis in patients with UC. However, reliance on qPCR positivity alone can lead to overdiagnosis. Quantification of CMV DNA can improve diagnostic specificity, although standardization is warranted.
The incidence of invasive fungal infections (IFIs) has increased due to intensive chemotherapy in childhood leukemia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence, risk factors, causative ...pathogens, and impact on survival of IFIs among pediatric leukemia patients.
The hospital records of 307 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL, n=238), acute myeloid leukemia (AML, n=51), and relapsed leukemia (n=18) between January 2010 and December 2015 were retrospectively evaluated.
A total of 1213 febrile neutropenia episodes were recorded and 127 (10.4%) of them were related to an IFI. Of 307 children, 121 (39.4%) developed IFIs. The mean age was significantly older in the IFI group compared to children without IFIs (p<0.001). IFIs were defined as possible, probable, and proven in 73.2%, 11.9%, and 14.9% of the attacks, respectively. Invasive aspergillosis (81.9%) was the most frequent infection, followed by invasive candidiasis (13.4%) and rare fungal diseases (4.8%). The majority of IFI attacks in both ALL and AML occurred during the induction phase. In total, the death rate was 24% and the IFI-related mortality rate was 18%. The mortality rate among children with IFIs was found to be significantly higher than that of children without IFIs (p<0.001). Overall and event-free survival rates at 5 years were also found to be significantly lower in the IFI group (p<0.001). Relapse (odds ratio: 8.49) was the most effective risk factor for mortality, followed by developing an IFI episode (odds ratio: 3.2) and AML (odds ratio: 2.33) according to multivariate regression analysis.
Our data showed that IFIs were more common in older children. Although proven and probable IFI episodes were more frequently diagnosed in cases of relapse and AML, children with ALL and AML had similar frequencies of experiencing at least one episode Conclusion: Our data showed that IFIs were more common in older children. Although proven and probable IFI episodes were more frequently diagnosed in cases of relapse and AML, children with ALL and AML had similar frequencies of experiencing at least one episode
This study aims to investigate trends in bloodstream infections and their antimicrobial susceptibility profiles over 12 years in our hospital. This retrospective study was carried out in the Bursa ...Uludag University Hospital, Turkey, during 2008–2019. Blood cultures from patients were performed using BACTEC System. Isolates were identified with Phoenix System until 2018 and “matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry” (MALDI-TOF MS) in 2019. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed with Phoenix System. Patient data came from the BD EpiCenter™ data management system. Escherichia coli was found to be the most common Gram-negative (11.6%), and coagulase-negative staphylococci were the most common Gram-positive (10.1%) monomicrobial growth. Overall, there was a significant increase in rates of extended-spectrum β-lactamase positive E. coli (p = 0.014) and Klebsiella pneumonia (p < 0.001), carbapenem-resistant E. coli (p < 0.001), and K. pneumoniae (p < 0.001) and colistin-resistant K. pneumoniae (p < 0.001) and Acinetobacter baumannii (p < 0.001) over 12 years. Carbapenem and colistin resistance has increased dramatically in recent years. We believe that regular monitoring of the distribution of pathogens and antibiotic susceptibility profiles, especially in intensive care units, can contribute to evidence for the increase in resistant microorganisms and help prevent their spread with antimicrobial stewardship and infection control policies.
The aim of this study is to investigate the distribution of anti-
immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immünoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies in patients with suspected toxoplasmosis admitted to the Practice and ...Research Center of Health of the Medical Faculty of Uludağ University.
The blood samples examined for the presence of anti-
IgG antibody and anti-
IgM antibody by an enzyme linked fluorescent assay test, anti-
IgG avidity value was evaluated by VIDAS (BioMérieux, France) kit.
In our study, anti-
IgG seropositivity in 3311 (30.7%) of 10.603 cases and anti-
IgM seropositivity in 1423 (9.7%) of 14.618 cases were detected. Seropositivity of anti-
IgG was 37.5% in women of childbearing age group. The avidity value was high in 56.1% (n=156) and low in 28.9% (n=80) of childbearing age group women with positive anti-
IgG and anti-
IgM test.
Especially in regions where seroprevalence is high, we think that pregnant women and women of childbearing age should be investigated in terms of
antibodies.
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