The epidemiology and outcomes of infective endocarditis in a tertiary care hospital in Oman

Objectives We undertook this study to describe the epidemiological and clinical features of infective endocarditis (IE) and to study the complications and management of IE in a tertiary care hospital in Oman. Methods This is a retrospective study of 58 adult patients (>13 years of age) admitted to the Royal Hospital with IE from June 2006 to June 2011. Results Of the 58 patients, 40 (69%) were males, and 18 (31%) were females (ratio 2.2). The median age was 43.6 years (range: 14–85). Forty-eight cases (82.7%) had native valves, nine patients (15.6%) had prosthetic valves, and one case (1.7%) had a pacemaker. The most commonly involved valves were mitral (33, 56.9%) and aortic (23, 39.7%). The blood cultures were positive in 47 (81%) patients, and the most commonly isolated organisms were Streptococci spp., which were found in 20 (34.5%) patients, and Staphylococci spp., which were found in 19 (32.8%) patients. The complication rate was 21%. A total of 15 (25.9%) patients underwent surgical intervention, and the in-hospital mortality rate was 27.6%. Conclusions Native-valve IE is the predominant type of endocarditis and is more of an acute disease. The prevalence of Staphylococci spp. IE is similar to that of Streptococci spp. IE, and its associated mortality remains high

A hospital acquired outbreak of Bacillus cereus gastroenteritis, Oman

Objectives To investigate the course of a hospital acquired outbreak of Bacillus cereus gastroenteritis outbreak, and the interventions that were taken to prevent such an outbreak from occurring again. Methods On May 3–5 2008, 58 cases of gastroenteritis were reported among patients and their attendants in a referral hospital in Oman. All affected had eaten meals served by the hospital kitchen the previous day. An outbreak investigation team conducted active surveillance and interviewed people about symptoms and food consumed on the preceding day in the hospital. Food samples from the kitchen and faecal samples from the kitchen staff and those affected were cultured. An environmental audit of the kitchen was conducted. Results The majority of the 58 persons affected by the outbreak were adult females, predominantly attendants of patients. 90% had diarrhoea and 10% had vomiting, usually mild. All those affected were managed symptomatically except for two patient attendants who required intravenous rehydration. The meal exposure histories implicated at least one meal from the kitchen. Many violations of basic food hygiene standards were observed in the kitchen. Toxin producing B. cereus was isolated from faeces of 3/12 (25%) patients and 19/25 (76%) of food handlers, and 35/61 (57%) of food samples from the kitchen. Conclusion This is the first report of a nosocomial outbreak of foodborne B. cereus infection from this region. The importance of appropriate epidemiological and microbiological investigation and public relations management is emphasized, in addition to the need for continuing training of food handlers and rigorous enforcement of food hygiene regulations

Epidemiological Characteristics of Pandemic Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Oman

Objectives: The aim of the current study was to describe COVID-19’s epidemiological characteristics in Oman during the initial stages of the outbreak and compare findings with other countries’ reports. Methods: Data were drawn from a descriptive, records-based review of reported cases of COVID-19 collected through the national COVID-19 Surveillance System from February to April 2020. Results: A total of 2,443 confirmed cases were reported during the study period. The overall first-time testing rate for this period was 851.7 per 100,000, the positivity rate was 53.1 (confidence intervals [CI]: 51.0–55.2) and the death rate was 0.32 (CI: 0.20–0.54) per 100,000 population, respectively. The overall national positive ratio was 5.7% and ranged from 2.2–7.1% across various governorates. Muscat Governorate had the highest positive ratio (12.5%). People in the 51–60 year old age group (RR = 1.97), males (RR = 1.24), non-Omanis (RR = 2.33) and those living in Muscat (RR = 2.14) emerged as categories with significant demographic risk for COVID-19 cases when compared to the national average. The mean age was 35.6 ± 13.4. Asymptomatic cases accounted for nearly 16%. Conclusion: The overall rate of COVID-19 cases and deaths were low in Oman compared to the rest of the world during the study period. Keywords: Coronavirus; COVID-19; SARS-CoV2; Epidemiology; Pandemic; Oman