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Bu çalışma, 14-17 Eylül 2016 tarihleri arasında Lizbon[Portekiz]'de düzenlenen 19. Meeting of the European Society for Clinical Virology'de bildiri olarak sunulmuştur. Background: Because of their similar modes of transmission, the simultaneous infection of viral hepatitis and human immunodeficiency virus are increasingly seen as a big problem related to human health. Aims: To determine the drug mutations in hepatitis B virus and/or hepatitis C virus co-infected human immunodeficiency virus-1 patients in Turkey. Study Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study. Methods: The present study was conducted between 2010 and 2017. HBsAg, anti-hepatitis C virus, and anti-human immunodeficiency vim were tested with ELISA. All anti-human immunodeficiency virus positive results by ELISA were verified for anti-human immunodeficiency virus positivity by a Western blot test, and Antihuman immunodeficiency virus positive patients with HBsAg andior anti-hepatitis C virus positivity were included in the study. Subtyping and genotypic resistance analyses were performed by population sequencing of the viral protease and reverse transcriptase regions of the human immunodeficiency virus-1 pol gene. Results: We detected 3896 human immunodeficiency virus-1 positive patients whose sera were sent from numerous hospitals across the country to our polymerase chain reaction unit for detection of drug resistance mutations and whose molecular laboratory tests were completed. Viral hepatitis co-infections were detected in 4.3% (n=170) of patients. Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus co-infection were observed in 3.2% and 0.5% of all human immunodeficiency virus-I infected patients, respectively. The major human immunodeficiency virus-1 subtype detected was group M, subtype B (62.9%). However, 13.5% of drug resistance mutation motifs were found in human immunodeficiency virus-1 genomes of patients included in the study. Conclusion: Due to similar transmission routes, HIV1 patients are at risk of hepatitis B and C virus co-infection. However, antiretroviral drug resistance mutation model is similar to patients with hepatitis negative. European Society for Clinical Virology

Gunal, Ozgur/0000-0002-7744-4123; KARABAY, OGUZ/0000-0003-1514-1685 WOS: 000490537600009 PubMed: 31580558 Objective: Treponema pallidum and HIV are transmitted frequently through sexual contact, these agents with epidemiological similarities co-infect the same host. The current number of HIV-infected cases in Turkey is increasing. For this reason, we aimed to reveal the characteristics of syphilis in HIV/AIDS cases. Methods: A retrospective longitudinal cohort study was performed, patients were followed up at 24 clinics in 16 cities from all seven regions of Turkey between January 2010 to April 2018. We examined the socio-demographic characteristics, laboratory parameters and neurosyphilis association in HIV/AIDS-syphilis co-infected cases. Results: Among 3,641 patients with HIV-1 infection, 291 (8%) patients were diagnosed with syphilis co-infection. Most patients were older than 25 years (92%), 96% were males, 74% were working, 23% unemployed, and 3% were students. The three highest prevalence of syphilis were in Black Sea (10.3%), Mediterranean (8.4%) and Marmara Regions (7.4%). As for sexual orientation, 46% were heterosexuals, 42% men who have sex with men (MSM), and no data available for 12%. Patients with the number of CD4+

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the attitudes of healthcare workers against seasonal influenza vaccine and the reasons for vaccine avoidance. Materials and Methods: This national survey was conducted from April 1st to June 30th in 2017. The study was carried out among health care workers working in primary, secondary and tertiary care settings. A total of 12 questions were sent to 5046 health care professionals from 55 different cities who agreed to participate in the survey.Results: 7% of the participants stated that they get vaccinated regularly every year. 65.8% of the participants stated that they don’t get vaccinated at all. The most important reason for those who did not receive influenza vaccination was their disbelief in the necessity of the vaccination (51.9%). The most common reason for the seasonal influenza vaccination was the prevention of influenza infection (56.7%).Conclusion: The results of the study showed that HCWs influenza vaccination rates are very low. Doctors have been found to have slightly better rates than other HCWs. The high level of education and the increase in professional experience had a positive effect on the vaccination rate. It is important to know the HCWs attitudes and behaviors towards the vaccination to increase the rates., Amaç: İnfluenza tüm dünyada önemli ölçüde morbidite, mortalite ve maliyet yükünden sorumludur. Sağlık çalışanları (HCP) mesleksel bulaş açısından risk altındadırlar. Bu çalışmada sağlık çalışanlarının mevsimsel influenza aşısına karşı tutumlarının ve aşıdan kaçınma nedenlerinin değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır.Gereç ve Yöntem: Bu çok merkezli ulusal anket çalışması 1 Nisan-30 Haziran 2017 tarihleri arasında gerçekleştirildi. Ankete katılmayı kabul eden 55 şehirden toplam 5046 HCP uzaktan katılım yoluyla cevaplamaları için toplam 12 sorudan oluşan bir anket gönderildi.Bulgular: Çalışmaya katılanların %7’si her yıl düzenli olarak aşı yaptırdığını belirtti. Hiç yaptırmıyorum diyenlerin oranı %65,8 idi. İnfluenza aşışını yaptırmayanların en önemli nedeni grip aşısının gerekliliğine inanmama idi (%51,9). Mevsimsel grip aşısı yaptıranların en önemli gerekçesi grip infeksiyonundan korunma (%56,7) idi.Sonuç: Sonuçlarımız, tüm HCP influenza aşılama oranlarının çok düşük olduğunu göstermiştir. Doktorların diğer HCP’lerden biraz daha iyi oranlara sahip olduğunu görülmüştür. Eğitim düzeyinin yüksek olması ve mesleki tecrübenin artması aşılama oranını olumlu yönde etkilemiştir. Sağlık çalışanlarının aşılanma oranlarının artırılabilmesi için öncelikle aşı konusundaki tutum ve davranışlarının bilinmesi gerekir.

Objectives: We described the clinical outcomes of the diabetic patients who had foot infections with multidrug resistant organisms. Methods: We included the patients with diabetic foot infections (DFI) from 19 centers, between May 2011 and December 2015. Infection was defined according to IDSA DFI guidelines. Patients with severe infection, complicated moderate infection were hospitalized. The patients were followed-up for 6 months after discharge. Results: In total, 791 patients with DFI were included, 531(67%) were male, median age was 62 (19-90). Severe infection was diagnosed in 85 (11%) patients. Osteomyelitis was diagnosed in 291(36.8%) patients. 536 microorganisms were isolated, the most common microorganisms were S. aureus (20%), P. aeruginosa (19%) and E. coli (12%). Methicillin resistance (MR) rate among Staphylococcus aureus isolates was 31%. Multidrug resistant bacteria were detected in 21% of P. aeruginosa isolates. ESBL (+) Gram negative bacteria (GNB) was detected in 38% of E. coli and Klebsiella isolates. Sixty three patients (8%) were rehospitalized. Of the 791 patiens, 127 (16%) had major amputation, and 24 (3%) patients died. In multivariate analysis, significant predictors for fatality were; dialysis (OR: 8.3, Cl: 1.82-38.15, p = 0.006), isolation of Klebsiella spp. (OR:7.7, Cl: 1.24-47.96, p = 0.028), and chronic heart failure (OR: 3, Cl: 1.01-9.04, p = 0.05). MR Staphylococcus was detected in 21% of the rehospitalized patients, as the most common microorganism (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Among rehospitalized patients, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus infections was detected as the most common agent, and Klebsiella spp. infections were found to be significantly associated with fatality. (C) 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for Infectious Diseases.

Host genetic factors may play an effective role on the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pathogenesis. APOBEC3 (apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide like-3) proteins are cellular antiviral proteins which inhibits HIV replication in the absence of vif (virion infectivity factor). In this study, we aimed to determine the APOBEC 3G/F hypermutations in HIV-1 strains isolated in Turkey. A total of 515 HIV-1 infected patients between June 2009 - February 2012 were included in the study. Three hundred ninety four cases were newly diagnosed antiretroviral-naive patients [349 male, 45 female; median age (range): 37.1 (2-69) years; median CD4+ T-cell count (range): 340 (1-1660) mm3; median HIV-RNA load (range): 5.76 + E5 (8.7 + E2-9.4 + E6) IU/ml] and 121 were under HAART therapy [99 male, 22 female; median age (range): 40.7 (20-70) years; median CD4+ T-cell count (range): 195 (6-720) mm3; median HIV-RNA load (range): 5.4 + E5 (1.37 + E3-1.07 + E7) IU/ml]. APOBEC 3G/F hypermutations in HIV-1 pol sequences (reverse transcriptase; codons 41-238 and protease; codons 1-99) analysed by nested RT-PCR and direct sequencing techniques. APOBEC 3G/F hypermutations have been determined by using of HIVdb-Stanford algorithm. The prevalence of overall APOBEC 3G/F hypermutations was 2.5% (13/515) in HIV-1 pol gene sequences in study group, and the rates were 2% (8/394) and 4.1% (5/121) in antiretroviral naive and treatment groups, respectively. However, the location and marker hypermutations of determined APOBEC in the HIV-1 pol gene sequences were RT and 3G in the Turkish patients. The hypermutated HIV-1 strains identified in HIV-1 infected patients may facilitate our understanding the nature and the consequences of HIV-1 infections. Moreover, investigations of the motif and frequency of APOBEC 3G/F hypermutations in HIV-1 proviral DNA samples and understanding their relationships with HIV-1 subtypes in Turkish patients would be beneficial.

WOS: 000384527500014, PubMed ID: 27625226, Aims: There is no report on the factors affecting the resolution of symptoms related to meningitis during treatment of tuberculous meningitis (TBM). Thus, we examined the factors associated with early therapeutic responses. Materials and Methods: This multicenter study included 507 patients with microbiologically confirmed TBM. However, 94 patients eligible for the analysis were included in this study from 24 centers. Six out of 94 patients died and the statistical analysis was performed with 88 survivors. Early and late responder groups were compared in the statistical analysis. P < 0.05 were considered to show a significant difference. Results: In the multivariate analysis, the presence of vasculitis (P = 0.029, OR = 10.491 [95% CI, 1.27u86.83]) was found to be significantly associated with a delayed fever response whereas hydrocephalus was associated with altered mental status for 9 days duration (P = 0.005, OR = 5.740 [95% CI, 1.68u19.57]). According to linear regression analysis, fever was significantly persisting (7 days) in the presence of vasculitis (17.5 vs. 7, P< 0.001) and hydrocephalus (11 vs. 7, P = 0.029). Hydrocephalus was significantly associated with persisting headache (21 vs. 12, P = 0.025), delayed recovery of consciousness (19.5 vs. 7, P = 0.001), and a delay in complete recovery (21 vs. 14, P = 0.007) in the linear regression analysis. Following institution of treatment, the complaints seemed to disappear in up to 2 weeks among TBM survivors. Conclusions: In the absence of hydrocephalus or vasculitis, one week of anti-tuberculosis treatment seems to be adequate for the resolution of TBM symptoms. Hydrocephalus and vasculitis delay the resolution of TBM symptoms in response to antimycobacterial treatment.

HIV-1 replication is rapid and highly error-prone. Transmission of a drug-resistant HIV-1 strain is possible and occurs within the HIV-1-infected population. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of transmitted drug resistance mutations (TDRMs) in 1,306 newly diagnosed untreated HIV-1-infected patients from 21 cities across six regions of Turkey between 2010 and 2015. TDRMs were identified according to the criteria provided by the World Health Organization's 2009 list of surveillance drug resistance mutations. The HIV-1 TDRM prevalence was 10.1% (133/1,306) in Turkey. Primary drug resistance mutations (K65R, M184V) and thymidine analogue-associated mutations (TAMs) were evaluated together as nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) mutations. NRTI TDRMs were found in 8.1% (107/1,306) of patients. However, TAMs were divided into three categories and M41L, L210W, and T215Y mutations were found for TAM1 in 97 (7.4%) patients, D67N, K70R, K219E/Q/N/R, T215F, and T215C/D/S mutations were detected for TAM2 in 52 (3.9%) patients, and M41L + K219N and M41L + T215C/D/S mutations were detected for the TAM1 + TAM2 profile in 22 (1.7%) patients, respectively. Nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-associated TDRMs were detected in 3.3% (44/1,306) of patients (L100I, K101E/P, K103N/S, V179F, Y188H/L/M, Y181I/C, and G190A/E/S) and TDRMs to protease inhibitors were detected in 2.3% (30/1,306) of patients (M46L, I50V, I54V, Q58E, L76V, V82A/C/L/T, N83D, I84V, and L90M). In conclusion, long-term and large-scale monitoring of regional levels of HIV-1 TDRMs informs treatment guidelines and provides feedback on the success of HIV-1 prevention and treatment efforts. © Copyright 2016, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 2016.

Hepatitis A is a widespread infectious disease. The prevalence of the disease is closely related to socioeconomic status (SES) and environmental factors. Understanding its prevalence is essential for instituting appropriate precautions. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hepatitis A and evaluate the associated demographic features in children and young adults in Istanbul. In total, 630 individuals between the ages of 5-24 were included in the study. They were classified into four age groups (5-9, 10-14, 15-19 and 20-24 years). The seropositivity of hepatitis A in the whole study population was 40%. Age-specific prevalence was 11.4% in children 5-9 years old, 29% in those 10-14 years old, 49.7% in those 15-19 years old and 69% in those 20-25 years old. Seropositivity was associated with increasing age, low SES, large family size, low maternal educational level, use of unsafe drinking water and living in regions with poor infrastructure and incomplete urbanization. When we compared our results with previous seroprevalence studies performed in Istanbul, we found an epidemiological shift towards increasing age. Factors associated with changes in prevalence were urbanization and associated infrastructure improvement, knowledge of the disease by the population, use of good hygiene and use of vaccination in those at high risk.

Brucellosis is a zoonotic infection and has endemic characteristics. Neurobrucellosis is an uncommon complication of this infection. The aim of this study was to present unusual clinical manifestations and to discuss the management and outcome of a series of 18 neurobrucellosis cases. Initial clinical manifestations consist of pseudotumor cerebri in one case, white matter lesions and demyelinating syndrome in three cases, intracranial granuloma in one case, transverse myelitis in two cases, sagittal sinus thrombosis in one case, spinal arachnoiditis in one case, intracranial vasculitis in one case, in addition to meningitis in all cases. Eleven patients were male and seven were female. The most prevalent symptoms were headache (83%) and fever (44%). All patients were treated with rifampicin, doxycycline plus trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or ceftriaxone. Duration of treatment (varied 3-12 months) was determined on basis of the CSF response. In four patients presented with left mild sequelae including aphasia, hearing loss, hemiparesis. In conclusion, although mortality is rare in neurobrucellosis, its sequelae are significant. In neurobrucellosis various clinical and neuroradiologic signs and symptoms can be confused with other neurologic diseases. In inhabitants or visitors of endemic areas, neurobrucellosis should be kept in mind in cases that have unusual neurological manifestations. Keywords: neurobrucellosis, serology, diagnosis, neuroimaging

Background/aims The present study aimed to determine the changes in the epidemiology of hepatitis in recent years in an adult Turkish population. Materials and methods Overall, 852 patients with acute viral hepatitis from 17 centers were included in this study. Their sociodemographic characteristics, clinical courses, treatments, and laboratory findings were retrospectively analyzed. Results The most commonly found microorganisms were the hepatitis B virus (55.2%) and hepatitis A virus (37.6%), and the types of acute viral hepatitis differed significantly according to the age group (p≤0.001). The most frequently reported symptom was fatigue (73.7%), and the most common complications were cholecystitis (0.4%) and fulminant hepatitis (0.4%). The median hospital stay was 9 days (range 1-373). In total, 40.8% patients with acute hepatitis B virus developed immunity. Conclusion In Turkey, there are significantly large adolescent and adult populations susceptible to acute viral hepatitis. Therefore, larger vaccination programs covering these age groups should be implemented.

Uncomplicated lower urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most frequent infections in females. Increased resistance rates against commonly used antibiotics have led to the use of novel antimicrobials. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the bacteriological and clinical effects of single-dose fosfomycin trometamol (FMT) and 5-day ciprofloxacin in females with uncomplicated UTIs. In this randomized comparative study, 260 female patients between 18 and 65 years of age enrolled, of whom 142 completed the study. The most frequently isolated bacterial pathogen in the urine cultures of patients were Escherichia coli (82.3%) and Enterobacter spp. (8.4%). FMT sensitivity was 94% and ciprofloxacin sensitivity was 59% in Escherichia coli; in comparison, FMT sensitivity was 75% and ciprofloxacin sensitivity was 50% in Enterobacter spp. The MIC90 for FMT was 4 μg/ml. Of the 142 patients, 77 were treated with FMT and 65 were treated with ciprofloxacin. The clinical remission rate was 83% in the FMT group and 81% in the ciprofloxacin group; the bacterial eradication rate was 83% in the FMT group and 78% in the ciprofloxacin group, and there was no significant difference between the two study groups. In conclusion, a single dose of FMT (at 3 g) was as effective as ciprofloxacin, at 500 mg twice a day for 5 days, in the treatment of uncomplicated lower UTIs. It was concluded that the use of FMT as a first-line treatment in the empirical treatment of uncomplicated UTIs might have a positive impact on the problem of resistance to other antibiotics.

The incidence of drug-resistant pathogens differs greatly between countries according to differences in the usage of antibiotics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the phenotypic resistance of 321 methicillin resistance Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and 195 methicillin susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) in a total of 516 S. aureus strains to macrolide, lincosamide, streptogramin B (MLSB), ketolid, and linezolid. Disk diffusion method was applied to determine MLSB phenotype and susceptibility to different antibiotic agents. It was found that 54.6% of the isolates were resistant to erythromycin (ERSA), 48% to clindamycin, 55% to azithromycin, 58.7% to spiramycin, 34.7% to telithromycin, and 0.4% to quinupristin-dalfopristin, respectively. No strain resistant to linezolid was found. The prevalence of constitutive (cMLSB), inducible (IMLSB), and macrolides and type B streptogramins (M/MSB) among ERSA isolates (237 MRSA, 45 MSSA) was 69.6%, 18.2%, and 12.2% in MRSA and 28.9%, 40%, and 31.1% in MSSA, respectively. In conclusions, the prevalence of cMLSB was predominant in MRSA; while in MSSA strains, iMLSB and M/MSB phenotype were more higher than cMLSB phenotype resistance. The resistance to quinupristindalfopristin was very low, and linezolid was considered as the most effective antibiotic against all S.aureus strains. Keywords: Staphylococcus aureus, macrolide, lincosamide, streptogramin B, ketolid, linezolid, MLSB

AIM: To assess the correlation between imaging findings [computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)] and neurological status before and after the treatment of bacterial brain abscesses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CT and MRI images of 96 patients with brain abscesses were retrospectively evaluated in terms of the number, location and size of lesions, and the presence and extent of perilesional oedema and midline shift. An imaging severity index (ISI) based on these different radiological parameters was calculated. Initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores and ISI were assessed and the prognostic value of these two indices was calculated. The Pearson correlation test, Mann-Whitney test, Chi-square test, receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, together with comparison of ROC analyses and Fisher's exact test were used. RESULTS: There was a negative correlation between ISI and the initial GCS values: ISI increased as the GCS score decreased, indicating an inverse relationship (r=-0.51, p

WOS: 000364000400001, PubMed ID: 26538030, Background: Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistant to antituberculosis drugs is an increasingly common clinical problem. This study aimed to evaluate drug resistance profiles of TBM isolates in adult patients in nine European countries involving 32 centers to provide insight into the empiric treatment of TBM. Methods: Mycobacterium tuberculosis was cultured from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 142 patients and was tested for susceptibility to first-line antituberculosis drugs, streptomycin (SM), isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RIF) and ethambutol (EMB). Results: Twenty of 142 isolates (14.1 %) were resistant to at least one antituberculosis drug, and five (3.5 %) were resistant to at least INH and RIF, [multidrug resistant (MDR)]. The resistance rate was 12, 4.9, 4.2 and 3.5 % for INH, SM, EMB and RIF, respectively. The monoresistance rate was 6.3, 1.4 and 0.7 % for INH, SM and EMB respectively. There was no monoresistance to RIF. The mortality rate was 23.8 % in fully susceptible cases while it was 33.3 % for those exhibiting monoresistance to INH, and 40 % in cases with MDR-TBM. In compared to patients without resistance to any firstline drug, the relative risk of death for INH-monoresistance and MDR-TBM was 1.60 (95 % CI, 0.38-6.82) and 2.14 (95 % CI, 0: 34-13: 42), respectively. Conclusion: INH-resistance and MDR rates seemed not to be worrisome in our study. However, considering their adverse effects on treatment, rapid detection of resistance to at least INH and RIF would be most beneficial for designing anti-TB therapy. Still, empiric TBM treatment should be started immediately without waiting the drug susceptibility testing.

We aimed to investigate the predictors for limb loss among patients with diabetes who have complicated skin/soft-tissue infections. In this observational study, consecutive patients with diabetic foot infection (DFI) from 17 centres in Turkey, between May 2011 and May 2013 were included. The Turkish DFI Working Group performed the study. Predictors of limb loss were investigated by multivariate analysis. In total, 455 patients with DFI were included. Median age was 61 years, 68% were male, 65% of the patients were hospitalized, 52% of the patients had used antibiotics within the last month, and 121(27%) had osteomyelitis. Of the 208 microorganisms isolated, 92 (44.2%) were Gram-positive cocci and 114 (54.8%) were Gram-negative rods (GNR). The most common GNR was Pseudomonas; the second was Escherichia coli, with extended spectrum beta-lactamase positivity of 33%. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus species were found in 14% (29/208). Amputations were performed in 126/455 (28%) patients, 44/126 (34%) of these were major amputations. In multivariate analysis, significant predictors for limb loss were, male gender (OR 1.75, 95% Cl 1.04-2.96, p 0.034), duration of diabetes >20 years (OR 1.9, 95% Cl 1.18-3.11, p 0.008), infected ulcer versus cellulitis (OR 1.9, 95% Cl 1.11-3.18, p 0.019), history of peripheral vascular disease (OR 2, 95% Cl 1.26-3.27, p 0.004), retinopathy (OR 2.25, 95% Cl 1.19-4.25, p 0.012), erythrocyte sedimentation rate >70 mm/hr (OR 1.6, 95% Cl 1.01-2.68, p 0.05), and infection with GNR (OR 1.8, 95% Cl 1.08-3.02, p 0.02). Multivariate analysis revealed that, besides the known risk factors such as male gender, duration of diabetes >20 years, infected ulcers, history of peripheral vascular disease and retinopathy, detection of GNR was a significant predictor of limb loss. Clinical Microbiology and Infection (C) 2015 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

WOS: 000353295400011, PubMed ID: 25634680, Predicting unfavorable outcome is of paramount importance in clinical decision making. Accordingly, we designed this multinational study, which provided the largest case series of tuberculous meningitis (TBM). 43 centers from 14 countries (Albania, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Hungary, Iraq, Italy, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Syria, Turkey) submitted data of microbiologically confirmed TBM patients hospitalized between 2000 and 2012. Unfavorable outcome was defined as survival with significant sequela or death. In developing our index, binary logistic regression models were constructed via 200 replicates of database by bootstrap resampling methodology. The final model was built according to the selection frequencies of variables. The severity scale included variables with arbitrary scores proportional to predictive powers of terms in the final model. The final model was internally validated by bootstrap resampling. A total of 507 patients' data were submitted among which 165 had unfavorable outcome. Eighty-six patients died while 119 had different neurological sequelae in 79 (16 %) patients. The full model included 13 variables. Age, nausea, vomiting, altered consciousness, hydrocephalus, vasculitis, immunosuppression, diabetes mellitus and neurological deficit remained in the final model. Scores 1-3 were assigned to the variables in the severity scale, which included scores of 1-6. The distribution of mortality for the scores 1-6 was 3.4, 8.2, 20.6, 31, 30 and 40.1 %, respectively. Altered consciousness, diabetes mellitus, immunosuppression, neurological deficits, hydrocephalus, and vasculitis predicted the unfavorable outcome in the scoring and the cumulative score provided a linear estimation of prognosis.

Summary Objectives Although the decline of the morbidity and mortality in recent years, brain abscess is still one of the most important problems in Neurosurgery. Methods Ninety-six patients with brain abscess are analysed retrospectively, that treated between 1988 and 2001, according to age, the clinical symptoms, etiologic factors, infecting organisms, prognostic factors, localization, diagnostic and treatment methods and outcome. Results Seventy-two patients treated with aspiration (streotactic aspiration in 12 cases), 14 patients with excision. Ten patients treated medically alone. Seven patients in the aspiration group and one patient in the excision group were died. Cure without any morbidity obtained in 55 patients. A significant correlation determined with initial neurologic grade, meningismus, high fever (>38.50), leucocytosis (>20.000/mm 3 ) and mortality. There were no significant correlation the age groups and outcome, treatment groups and location of abscess, period of treatment, number of abscess, outcome according to GOS and factor, treatment period and received antibiotic. Conclusions In appropriate cases, medical treatment can be successful alone but surgery, aspiration, is gold standard for brain abscesses. In that way, definite diagnosis is obtained and pathogen is identified and cure is obtained in a short time.

Introduction: Hemodialysis units pose a risk for transmission of hepatitis viruses. In this study, we aimed to detect the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and hepatitis D virus (HDV) in our hospital’s hemodialysis unit and to determine the risk factors for transmission of hepatitis viruses. Materials and Methods: In Haydarpasa Numune Training and Research Hospital Hemodialysis Unit, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B core IgG antibody (anti-HBcIgG), hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs), antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti- HCV), and anti-delta total were studied by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method in the serum samples of 50 hemodialysis patients. Risk factors for transmission of hepatitis virus were identified in hemodialysis patients. As a control group, 50 healthy individuals were included. Result: In hemodialysis patients, HBsAg was determined as 6% and anti-HCV as 28%, whereas anti-HDV positivity was not detected. HBsAg, anti-HBcIgG, and anti-HBs frequencies did not show statistically significant differences between the two groups, while anti-HCV frequency was found to be significantly higher in hemodialysis patients (p= 0.001). The mean age of HBsAg-positive hemodialysis patients was found significantly lower than that of HBsAg-negative hemodialysis patients (p= 0.045). Similarly, anti-HCV-positive hemodialysis patients had a statistically lower mean age compared to anti-HCV-negative hemodialysis patients (p< 0.004). Increase in hemodialysis duration and amount of blood transfusion were shown statistically to not affect anti-HBcIgG positivity. Anti-HCV positivity was found statistically significantly higher in patients undergoing hemodialysis for more than 10 years (p= 0.003). Conclusion: In hemodialysis patients, transmission of hepatitis viruses will decrease with promotion of the use of erythropoietin instead of blood transfusion and implementation of alternative methods of dialysis.

Introduction : The objective of this study was to determine the transmitted drug resistance mutations (TDRMs) in newly diagnosed HIV-1 positive patients in Turkey. Material and Methods : The study was carried out between 2009 and 2014 and antiretroviral naive 774 HIV-1 infected patients from 19 Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Departments in Turkey were included; gender: 664 (86%) male, median age: 37 (range; 1–77), median CD4+T-cell: 360 (range; 1–1320) count/mm 3 , median HIV-RNA load: 2.10+E6 (range; 4.2+E2–7.41+E8) IU/mL. HIV-1 drug resistance mutations were detected by population based sequencing of the reverse transcriptase (codon 41–238) and protease (codon 1–99) domains of pol gene of HIV-1, and analyzed according to the criteria by the World Health Organization 2009 list of surveillance drug resistance mutations [1]. Results : The patients had TDRMs to NRTIs (K65R, M184V), NNRTIs (K101E, K103N/S, G190A/E/S, Y181I/C, Y188H/L) and PIs (M46L, I54V, L76V, V82L/T, N83D, I84V, L90M). The prevalence of overall TDRMs was 6.7% (52/774). Resistance mutations were found to be 0.7% (6/774), 4.1% (32/774) and 2.1% (17/774) to NRTIs, NNRTIs and PIs drug groups, respectively. Three patients had NRTIs+NNRTs resistance mutations (M184V+K103N) as multi-class drug resistance. However, thymidine analogue resistance mutations (TAMs) determined two distinct genotypic profiles in the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase: TAM1: M41L, L210W and T215Y, and TAM2: D67N, K70R, K219E/Q, and T215F. The prevalence of TAM1 and TAM2 were 7.7% (60/774) and 4.3% (34/774), respectively. Conclusions : The TDRMs prevalence of antiretroviral naive HIV-1 infected patients may be suggested current situation of Turkey. These long-term and large-scale results show that the resistance testing must be an integral part of the management of HIV infection in Turkey. (Published: 2 November 2014 ) Citation: Abstracts of the HIV Drug Therapy Glasgow Congress 2014 Sayan M et al. Journal of the International AIDS Society 2014, 17(Suppl 3) :19750 http://www.jiasociety.org/index.php/jias/article/view/19750 | http://dx.doi.org/10.7448/IAS.17.4.19750

WOS: 000345825900004, PubMed ID: 24849547, We aimed to provide data on the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) in this largest case series ever reported. The Haydarpasa-1 study involved patients with microbiologically confirmed TBM in Albania, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Hungary, Iraq, Italy, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Syria and Turkey between 2000 and 2012. A positive culture, PCR or Ehrlich-Ziehl-Neelsen staining (EZNs) from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was mandatory for inclusion of meningitis patients. A total of 506 TBM patients were included. The sensitivities of the tests were as follows: interferon- release assay (Quantiferon TB gold in tube) 90.2%, automated culture systems (ACS) 81.8%, Lowenstein Jensen medium (L-J) 72.7%, adenosine deaminase (ADA) 29.9% and EZNs 27.3%. CSF-ACS was superior to CSF L-J culture and CSF-PCR (p

Tufan, Zeliha Kocak/0000-0002-3294-014X; demirdal, tuna/0000-0002-9046-5666; Inal, Ayse Seza/0000-0002-1182-7164; ULCAY, ASIM/0000-0003-0531-0668; Pappas, Georgios/0000-0002-8425-6091; Mete, Bilgul/0000-0001-9091-6087; Karakas, Ahmet/0000-0002-0553-8454 WOS: 000314656100004 PubMed: 23210984 No detailed data exist in the literature on the accurate diagnosis of chronic brucellar meningitis or meningoencephalitis. A multicentre retrospective chart review was performed at 19 health centres to determine sensitivities of the diagnostic tests. This study included 177 patients. The mean values of CSF biochemical test results were as follows: CSF protein, 330.64 +/- 493.28mg/dL; CSF/ blood-glucose ratio, 0.35 +/- 0.16; CSF sodium, 140.61 +/- 8.14mMt; CSF leucocyte count, 215.99 +/- 306.87. The sensitivities of the tests were as follows: serum standard tube agglutination (STA), 94%; cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) STA, 78%; serum Rose Bengal test (RBT), 96%; CSF RBT, 71%; automated blood culture, 37%; automated CSF culture, 25%; conventional CSF culture, 9%. The clinician should use every possible means to diagnose chronic neurobrucellosis. The high seropositivitiy in brucellar blood tests must facilitate the use of blood serology. Although STA should be preferred over RBT in CSF in probable neurobrucellosis other than the acute form of the disease, RBT is not as weak as expected. Moreover, automated culture systems should be applied when CSF culture is needed.

PubMed ID: 22155822, No data on whether brucellar meningitis or meningoencephalitis can be treated with oral antibiotics or whether an intravenous extended-spectrum cephalosporin, namely, ceftriaxone, which does not accumulate in phagocytes, should be added to the regimen exist in the literature. The aim of a study conducted in Istanbul, Turkey, was to compare the efficacy and tolerability of ceftriaxone-based antibiotic treatment regimens with those of an oral treatment protocol in patients with these conditions. This retrospective study enrolled 215 adult patients in 28 health care institutions from four different countries. The first protocol (P1) comprised ceftriaxone, rifampin, and doxycycline. The second protocol (P2) consisted of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, rifampin, and doxycycline. In the third protocol (P3), the patients started with P1 and transferred to P2 when ceftriaxone was stopped. The treatment period was shorter with the regimens which included ceftriaxone (4.40 ± 2.47 months in P1, 6.52 ± 4.15 months in P2, and 5.18 ± 2.27 months in P3) (P = 0.002). In seven patients, therapy was modified due to antibiotic side effects. When these cases were excluded, therapeutic failure did not differ significantly between ceftriaxone-based regimens (n = 5/166, 3.0%) and the oral therapy (n = 4/42, 9.5%) (P = 0.084). The efficacy of the ceftriaxone-based regimens was found to be better (n = 6/166 [3.6%] versus n = 6/42 [14.3%]; P = 0.017) when a composite negative outcome (CNO; relapse plus therapeutic failure) was considered. Accordingly, CNO was greatest in P2 (14.3%, n = 6/42) compared to P1 (2.6%, n = 3/117) and P3 (6.1%, n = 3/49) (P = 0.020). Seemingly, ceftriaxone-based regimens are more successful and require shorter therapy than the oral treatment protocol. Copyright © 2012, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Aim CT-guided stereotactic methods have long been used for the diagnosis and treatment of intracranial masses. Intracranial tuberculoma is a rare form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Histological confirmation is the gold standard for a correct diagnosis. However, histopathological diagnosis and excision of these lesions have advantages over open surgical methods. This study presents our experience on the use of stereotactic biopsy and excision in the management of intracranial tuberculomas. Material and methods Thirteen patients with intracranial masses underwent stereotactic procedures for tissue samples to establish histopathological diagnosis. In 6 suitable patients, stereotactic microsurgical excision was performed for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, whereas only stereotactic biopsy was conducted in the remaining subjects. Results The tuberculoma diagnosis was established in 12 out of 13 cases (92%). Seizure control was achieved in all patients admitted with a history of seizures. There was no procedure-related mortality, none of the patients suffered permanent disability and most procedures were uneventful. Total resection without any residual mass was done. All patients responded to antituberculous treatment with complete lesion disappearance. Conclusion These findings suggest that CT-guided stereotactic surgery of intracranial tuberculomas has advantages over other methods, with a potential to become the first-line modality, particularly as a diagnostic tool, in the management of these lesions.

Introduction Central nervous system involvement is a rare but serious manifestation of brucellosis. We present an unusual case of neurobrucellosis with transient ischemic attack, intracerebral vasculopathy granulomas, seizures, and paralysis of sixth and seventh cranial nerves. Case presentation A 17-year-old Caucasian man presented with nausea and vomiting, headache, double vision and he gave a history of weakness in the left arm, speech disturbance and imbalance. Physical examination revealed fever, doubtful neck stiffness and left abducens nerve paralysis. An analysis of his cerebrospinal fluid showed a pleocytosis (lymphocytes, 90%), high protein and low glucose levels. He developed generalized tonic-clonic seizures, facial paralysis and left hemiparesis. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated intracerebral vasculitis, basal ganglia infarction and granulomas, mimicking the central nervous system involvement of tuberculosis. On the 31st day of his admission, neurobrucellosis was diagnosed with immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G positivity by standard tube agglutination test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in both serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples (the tests had been negative until that day). He was treated successfully with trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole, doxycyline and rifampicin for six months. Conclusions Our patient illustrates the importance of suspecting brucellosis as a cause of meningoencephalitis, even if cultures and serological tests are negative at the beginning of the disease. As a result, in patients who have a history of residence or travel to endemic areas, neurobrucellosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any neurologic symptoms. If initial tests fail, repetition of these tests at appropriate intervals along with complementary investigations are indicated.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the incidence, etiology and risk factors for mortality of patients with nosocomial candidemia. Subjects and Methods: This observational study was performed at Haydarpasa Numune Training and Research Hospital, a tertiary care hospital with 750 beds, between the years 2004 and 2007. Fifty defined cases with a nosocomial bloodstream infection caused by Candida species were included in the study. All demographic, microbiological and clinical records for each patient were collected using a standardized form. Blood culture was performed by automated blood culture system, and those samples positive for yeast were subcultured on Sabouraud agar. Results: The mean incidence density of nosocomial candidemia was 0.58/10,000 patient-days/year (range 0.17–1.4). Candidemia episodes increased from 0.17/10,000 to 1.4/10,000 patient-days/year (p < 0.0001). Candida albicans and non-albicans Candida accounted for 15 (30%) and 35 (70%) cases, respectively. The overall mortality was 56% and was significantly associated with stayingin the intensive care unit (odds ratio: 3.667, 95% confidence interval: 1.07–12.54, p = 0.034). Conclusion: This study showed that there was a significantly increased trend in the incidence of candidemia with high mortality during the study period.

Background: Mediastinitis is a dreaded complication of cardiac surgical procedures. The purpose of our study was to research the role of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) in the treatment of experimental mediastinitis and to investigate whether it potentiates the antibiotic effects of linezolid, teicoplanin, and vancomycin. Methods: The study included nine groups; an uncontaminated and a contaminated untreated control groups, and seven contaminated groups that received HBO or systemic antibiotics with linezolid, vancomycin, or teicoplanin, or a combination therapy consisting of one of these antibiotics and HBO. There were six adult male Wistar rats in each group. Contaminated groups were inoculated with 0.5 mL 108 CFU/mL methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the mediastinal and in the sternal layers. The antibiotic treatment continued 7 d. Twelve hours later at the end of the treatment, the rats were sacrificed, a sternotomy was performed for each rat and tissue samples from the upper ends of the sternum were aseptically obtained and evaluated microbiologically. Results: There was no difference between the therapeutic efficacy of linezolid, teicoplanin, or vancomycin (P > 0.05). When the groups were analyzed separately, treatment with a combination of HBO and antibiotic therapy reduced the bacterial count in comparison with HBO or antibiotic treatment alone (P < 0.05). The combination of teicoplanin or vancomycin and HBO, respectively, was not more effective in reducing the bacterial count in comparison with the combination of linezolid and HBO (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Linezolid and teicoplanin therapy was found as effective as standard vancomycin therapy for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) mediastinitis. Adjunctive HBO offered additional benefit to the antibiotic treatment of mediastinitis. © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Background: Nosocomial meningitis is a rare complication following neurosurgical procedures and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics and the risk factors associated with mortality in patients who developed nosocomial meningitis following neurosurgical operations. Setting and design: Tertiary care hospital and an observational study. Materials and Methods: The study subjects included 2265 patients who underwent various neurosurgical operations during 2003-05. The diagnosis of nosocomial meningitis was based on the Center for Disease Control criteria. Statistical analysis: It was performed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences for Windows 10.0 program. Results: The incidence of postoperative nosocomial meningitis was 2.7% (62 episodes in 49 patients among 2265 patients operated). Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter spp. were the most frequently isolated pathogens. Of the 49 with meningitis 20 (40.8%) patients died. In the logistic regression analysis model, Glascow coma scale score less than 10 (Odds Ratio (OR): 19.419, 95% Confidence Interval (CI); 1.637-230.41, P = 0.001), and low cerebrospinal fluid glucose level (≤ 30 mg/ dL) (OR: 10.272, 95% CI; 1.273-82.854, P = 0.002), and presence of concurrent nosocomial infection (OR: 28.744, 95% CI;1.647-501.73, P =0.001) were the independent risk factors associated with mortality. Conclusion: The mortality in patients who developed meningitis was high. The high percentage of concurrent nosocomial infections was associated with a high mortality rate which was a serious problem.

The prevalence of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains has been increasing every year, and treatment with various antimicrobial combinations has been offered alternatively in the clinical practice. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro effects of combinations of meropenem, cefepime, or piperacillin-tazobactam with ciprofloxacin against multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa strains by the time-kill method. The results show that both the combination of two beta lactams with ciprofloxacin and three beta lactams with ciprofloxacin against 4 of 5 multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa strains has no effect in vitro. The combination of one beta lactam (meropenem, cefepime, piperacillin-tazobactam) with ciprofloxacin has a synergistic effect against one strain of multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa that is ciprofloxacin susceptible and resistant to meropenem, cefepime, and piperacillin-tazobactam. None of the combinations had an antagonistic effect against these multidrug-resistant strains.

PubMed ID: 22177310, Background: Training of infectious disease (ID) specialists is structured on classical clinical microbiology training in Turkey and ID specialists work as clinical microbiologists at the same time. Hence, this study aimed to determine the clinical skills and knowledge required by clinical microbiologists.Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out between June 1, 2010 and September 15, 2010 in 32 ID departments in Turkey. Only patients hospitalized and followed up in the ID departments between January-June 2010 who required consultation with other disciplines were included.Results: A total of 605 patients undergoing 1343 consultations were included, with pulmonology, neurology, cardiology, gastroenterology, nephrology, dermatology, haematology, and endocrinology being the most frequent consultation specialties. The consultation patterns were quite similar and were not affected by either the nature of infections or the critical clinical status of ID patients.Conclusions: The results of our study show that certain internal medicine subdisciplines such as pulmonology, neurology and dermatology appear to be the principal clinical requisites in the training of ID specialists, rather than internal medicine as a whole. © 2011 Erdem et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.