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Despite the global economic development, diarrhoea remains an important health concern worldwide. The epidemiological importance of Shigella spp. infections is very high, being the leading cause of bacterial diarrhoea. Clinically, shigellosis can manifest as watery diarrhoea or dysentery, with bloody stool, accompanied by fever and abdominal pain. Children and the elderly are most susceptible to developing severe forms. In this review, we highlight the rise of antibiotic-resistant Shigella spp. strains and provide an overview of recent shigellosis outbreaks. Shigellosis is an infectious disease that should not be neglected, as evidenced by the many outbreaks reported throughout the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic resistance is a global, far-reaching phenomenon. Natural resistance to antibiotics, expressed or inducible, is common in Enterobacterales and can occur through the production of different enzymes such as penicillinases, ESBLs or cephalosporinases. In association with other resistance mechanisms, strains that lead to untreatable infections can emerge. Improper infection control measures are responsible for the selection and spread of these strains. The dissemination of acquired Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamases (ESBLs) across the globe is well known, a wide spectrum of enzymes being responsible for their different hydrolytic activity. Another important set of enzymes, the cephalosporinases (with the chromosomal cephalosporinase AmpC as the most important), are also concerning as their hyper-expression can alter wide spectrum beta-lactams, like carbapenems. These mechanisms can be readily observed through phenotypic tests, like antibiotic interactions on the disk diffusion antibiogram, or derepression / inhibition of enzymes using key antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thyroid Tuberculosis (TT) is an extremely rare condition. Taking into account that Romania ranks first in the EU regarding the incidence of tuberculosis, we aimed to evaluate the involvement of Mycobacterium tuberculosis at thyroid level. We have conducted a thorough search of all papers on this subject published both nationally and internationally to shed some light on this uncommon condition. We obtained 594 articles for the period 1914- 2013, of which 337 were directly related to the subject, the majority of them presenting clinical cases; 4 out of all articles were written by Romanian authors. The evaluation of all suspected cases using classical and modern techniques of diagnosis is strictly necessary; histopathological examination should be performed in each case and the results objectified and accumulated in an accessible database. We consider it very important to establish diagnostic criteria to facilitate comparison of cases (at national and international level) and to implement an active surveillance of TT, which should lead to better management of patients with TT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]