Cutaneous Anthrax Outbreak in the Trakya Region of Turkey

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Meningitis Due to Bacillus Anthracis

The first case of haemorrhagic meningitis due to Bacillus anthracis in the European part of Turkey is reported here. B. anthracis, sensitive to penicillin, was isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid and blood cultures. Although appropriate therapy was administered, the patient died two days after hospitalization

Bacterial vaginosis

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) represents disordered bacterial vaginal flora. It is the most prevalent vaginal syndrome in women of childbearing age. G. vaginalis is one of the indicatur organisms for the BV syndrome. BV represents a complex change including not only G. vaginalis but also certain anaerobic bacteria as well in waginal flora. There is a redution in the prevalence and concent ration of lactobacilli. Yet the pathogenesis of BV remains unclear. The primary medical significance of BV is the association with opportunistic pathogens which are responsible for most of the genital tract infections in women. Interpretation of Gram-stained slides of vaginal swab specimens for the diagnosis of BV is objective, reproducible, and correlates well with clinical diagnosis

Comparison of Different Methods Used in Typing of Brucella Species That Cause Disease in Humans and Investigation of a Possible Relationship Between Biotypes and Phage Types of These Species

This study was planned to identify the species, biotype and phage type of Brucella spp. isolated gram blood, bone marrow and knee punction fluid of 29 patients from three different cities of Turkey. First isolation were done with standart methods and 3 of 29 (10.34%) isolates were found to be ‘’rough’’ as colony morphology and excluded from the study. Twenty-two (75.86%) isolates were found to be Brucella melitensis biotype 3 and 4 (13.79%) were B. melitensis biotype 1. None of the investigated isolates were B. melitensis Rev 1 which is also known as an isolate used for animal vaccination. As a result, B. melitensis biotype 3 was found to be the most prevalent biotype and followed by B. melitensis biotype 1. We found that B. melitensis Rev 1 biotype was not responsible from human brucellosis in our country. All of the results we got by the dye disc and conventional methods were found parallel. Dye disc method when compared with standart isolation method, were found to be easy to read and fast. Phage biotyping of all isolates were done to search a possible relation between the biotypes and phage types. Weybridge, Berkeley and Izatnagar were the phages that we used and fifteen of the isolates were found to belong to phage type C, whereas eleven of them were belong to phage type B. As a result, phage biotyping were found to be a good discrimination parameter between the same biotypes. We though that phage biotyping is an important method for epidemiologic studies and to understand the origin of a known isolate in an epidemic

Mantar Zehirlenmesinde Erken Başlangıçlı Muskarinik Bulgular ve Sendromik Sınıflandırma

Mushroom poisoning is a frequently encountered health problem around the globe. Depending on its type and toxin, it results in a wide spectrum of issues that range from asymptomatic findings to fatal organ failure. Since the toxin of the mushroom leading to poisoning is often unidentified, syndromic classification may benefit clinical management according to the findings of target organ system toxicity. A 64-year-old female patient with comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, hypertension and hyperlipidemia was admitted to the intensive care unit. Approximately four hours after consuming wild mushrooms the patient's diarrhea, muscle cramps, cold sweating, blurry vision, coughing and shortness of breath complaints have been begun. Her respiratory system examination revealed tachypnea, generalized bilateral rhonchus, bronchorrhea and wheezing. Patient was normotensive and had bradycardia (heart rate 35 beats/minute). She had anxiety and the Glasgow Coma score was 15. Her pupillary bilateral isochoric, miotic and light reflexes were diminished. In her arterial blood gas pH level 7.26, partial carbon dioxide pressure: 34 mmHg, potassium: 5.3 mmol/L, sodium: 130 mmol/L, lactate: 5.3 mmol/L, bicarbonate: 16 mEq/L and base excess: -10,3 mmol/L was found. Target organ system toxicity findings and timing of occurrence indicated early-onset cholinergic syndrome. Treatments that consisted of intravenous atropine, fluid, electrolytes and sodium bicarbonate alleviated the toxicity in a short period of time. Late mycologic examination results that followed the treatment revealed that the patient was poisoned by Inocybe lacera, a mushroom type that contains muscarine. With this case presentation, we summarized the syndromic classification that we use in the clinical management in the light of current information in the literature

Withdrawal of Staphylococcus aureus from intensive care units in Turkey

WOS: 000326241700021PubMed ID: 23663858Background: In the past, Staphylococcus aureus infections have displayed various patterns of epidemiologic curves in hospitals, particularly in intensive care units (ICUs). This study aimed to characterize the current trend in a nationwide survey of ICUs in Turkey. Methods: A total of 88 ICUs from 36 Turkish tertiary hospitals were included in this retrospective study, which was performed during the first 3 months of both 2008 (period [P] 1) and 2011 (P2). A P value <=.01 was considered significant. Results: Although overall rates of hospital-acquired infection (HAI) and device-associated infection densities were similar in P1 and P2, the densities of HAIs due to S aureus and methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA) were significantly lower in P2 (P < .0001). However, the proportion of HAIs due to Acinetobacter was significantly higher in P2 (P < .0001). Conclusions: The incidence of S aureus infections is declining rapidly in Turkish ICUs, with potential impacts on empirical treatment strategies in these ICUs. Copyright (C) 2013 by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved