Adenovirus and Rotavirus in Children with Acute Gastroenteritis

Aim: Infectious diarrhea is one of the most important causes of mortality during childhood period in our country. Little is known about the epidemiology of rotavirus and adenovirus infections in Turkey. With this study, we aimed to determine the incidence of rotavirus and enteric adenovirus gastroenteritis in patients admitted to our pediatrics outpatient clinic

Tetanus and diphtheria immunity among term and preterm infant-mother pairs in Turkey, a country where maternal and neonatal tetanus have recently been eliminated

The aim of our study was to investigate the anti-tetanus and anti-diphtheria antibody titres and the placental transfer of these antibodies in a group of vaccinated and unvaccinated mothers and their term or preterm offsprings. Anti-tetanus and anti-diphtheria toxoid IgG antibodies were measured quantitatively by ELISA in 91 infant-mother pairs. Protective concentrations of anti-tetanus and anti-diphtheria were found in 58.3 and 50 % of mothers in the unvaccinated group and 94.5 and 85.5 % of the mothers in the vaccinated group. Protective concentrations were found in 63.9 and 50 % of cord samples, respectively, in the unvaccinated group and in 96.4 and 85.5 % of cord samples, respectively, in the vaccinated group (p = 0.0001). There were no differences in the maternal and cord geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) of anti-toxoid antibodies between those who received two doses or one dose of Td. The GMCs of maternal and cord anti-tetanus and anti-diphtheria were statistically similar between preterm and term groups. Placental transfer ratios (TR) for anti-tetanus and anti-diphtheria were 175 and 150 %, respectively, in the preterm group and 213 and 178 %, respectively, in the term group. There was a strong correlation between maternal and cord anti-toxoid antibody levels. Maternal vaccination was the only predictor of having protective concentrations of anti-toxoid antibodies in cord blood

Molecular identification and subtype distribution of Blastocystis sp. in farm and pet animals in Turkey

A total of 1340 fresh fecal samples from farm and pet animals in Central Anatolia and the Middle Black Sea Region of Turkey were investigated using a PCR assay targeting the SSU rRNA of Blastocystis sp. An overall Blastocystis sp. prevalence of 19.4% (183/940) was found in farm animals, including cattle, sheep, water buffaloes, and chickens. Fecal samples of dogs, cats, and horses were negative. The highest prevalence of Blastocystis sp. was found in sheep (38.2%) among the farm animals. The SSU rRNA sequence analysis revealed two animalspecific subtypes, including ST10 in cattle and sheep and ST14 in water buffaloes. The zoonotic subtype ST7 was identified in chickens. Our results indicated a high prevalence of animal-specific subtypes in livestock and zoonotic subtype ST7 in chickens, highlighting the potential risk of chickens for zoonotic transmission of Blastocystis in the research area. This study is the first large-scale evaluation of Blastocystis in animal hosts in Turkey, and contributes to the molecular epidemiology and genetics of Blastocystis. Our results should be considered by authorities as an indication of the zoonotic importance of Blastocystis sp. and the need for surveillance in public health intervention programs

Pneumonia severity indices predict prognosis in coronavirus disease-2019.

Background. - Early recognition of the severe illness is critical in coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) to provide best care and optimize the use of limited resources

Outcome of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus related acute lower respiratory tract infection among hospitalized newborns: A prospective multicenter study

PubMed ID: 26365531Aim: To determine the incidence and outcomes of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-related acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRI) including morbidity, nosocomial infection and mortality among newborn infants who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).Methods: A multicenter, prospective study was conducted in newborns who were hospitalized with community acquired or nosocomial RSV infection in 44 NICUs throughout Turkey. Newborns with ALRI were screened for RSV infection by Respi-Strip®-test. Main outcome measures were the incidence of RSV-associated admissions in the NICUs and morbidity, mortality and epidemics results related to these admissions.Findings: The incidence of RSV infection was 1.24% (n: 250) and RSV infection constituted 19.6% of all ALRI hospitalizations, 226 newborns (90.4%) had community-acquired whereas 24 (9.6%) patients had nosocomial RSV infection in the NICUs. Of the 250 newborns, 171 (68.4%) were full-term infants, 183 (73.2%) had a BW >2500 g. RSV-related mortality rate was 1.2%. Four NICUs reported seven outbreaks on different months, which could be eliminated by palivizumab prophylaxis in one NICU.Conclusion: RSV-associated ALRI both in preterm and term infants accounts an important percent of hospitalizations in the season, and may threat other high-risk patients in the NICU. © 2015 Taylor & Francis

Outcome of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus related acute lower respiratory tract infection among hospitalized newborns: A prospective multicenter study

PubMed ID: 26365531Aim: To determine the incidence and outcomes of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-related acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRI) including morbidity, nosocomial infection and mortality among newborn infants who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).Methods: A multicenter, prospective study was conducted in newborns who were hospitalized with community acquired or nosocomial RSV infection in 44 NICUs throughout Turkey. Newborns with ALRI were screened for RSV infection by Respi-Strip®-test. Main outcome measures were the incidence of RSV-associated admissions in the NICUs and morbidity, mortality and epidemics results related to these admissions.Findings: The incidence of RSV infection was 1.24% (n: 250) and RSV infection constituted 19.6% of all ALRI hospitalizations, 226 newborns (90.4%) had community-acquired whereas 24 (9.6%) patients had nosocomial RSV infection in the NICUs. Of the 250 newborns, 171 (68.4%) were full-term infants, 183 (73.2%) had a BW >2500 g. RSV-related mortality rate was 1.2%. Four NICUs reported seven outbreaks on different months, which could be eliminated by palivizumab prophylaxis in one NICU.Conclusion: RSV-associated ALRI both in preterm and term infants accounts an important percent of hospitalizations in the season, and may threat other high-risk patients in the NICU. © 2015 Taylor & Francis