Brucella Endocarditis Caused By Brucella Melitensis

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease endemically seen in Turkey, which occurs with various clinical findings. It can lead to complications affecting many systems. Endocarditis is an infrequent, but serious complication of brucellosis.The aim of this case presentation is to remind that endocarditis can be a complication of brucellosis and if is undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, progresses fatal in a high rate

Systemic and local antibiotic prophylaxis in the prevention of Staphylococcus epidermidis graft infection

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to investigate the in vivo efficacy of local and systemic antibiotic prophylaxis in the prevention of Staphylococcus (S.) epidermidis graft infection in a rat model and to evaluate the bacterial adherence to frequently used prosthetic graft materials. METHODS: Graft infections were established in the subcutaneous tissue of 120 male Wistar rats by implantation of Dacron/ePTFE grafts followed by topical inoculation with 2 × 10(7 )CFUs of clinical isolate of methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis. Each of the graft series included a control group, one contaminated group that did not receive any antibiotic prophylaxis, two contaminated groups that received systemic prophylaxis with teicoplanin or levofloxacin and two contaminated groups that received teicoplanin-soaked or levofloxacin-soaked grafts. The grafts were removed 7 days after implantation and evaluated by quantitative culture. RESULTS: There was significant bacterial growth inhibition in the groups given systemic or local prophylaxis (P < 0.05). Methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis had greater affinity to Dacron graft when compared with ePTFE graft in the untreated contaminated groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated that the usage of systemic or local prophylaxis and preference of ePTFE graft can be useful in reducing the risk of vascular graft infections caused by staphylococcal strains with high levels of resistance

TRADITIONAL FOOD OF MARDIN: DRIED GOAT MEAT

Goat meat is a preferred meat type because of its low fat content and nutritive properties. It has a species specific flavor and aroma, which is different from lamb meat, and is the main component of some of the meals in the traditional cuisine of a significant part of the Mediterranean basin countries. In the Southeastern Anatolia region, the goat meat is widely consumed for centuries in Mardin province either directly or as a component of the meals. Dried goat meat is prepared from the rib cage of the animals between January and February when the air temperature and humidity are very low. After slaughtering, the chest of the goat is divided into 2-3 pieces and the meat on the ribs is incised and salted and kept overnight in a basin. Then the salted meat pieces are hanged to the hooks with ropes in an empty room or in open air by avoiding from sun light for drying. Drying process is completed within 5-10 days depending on the weather conditions and meat thickness. Drying process is continued until the meat becomes hard like wood. Dried meat is traditionally stored in the bulgur. Nowadays, storage in deep freezer has become more prevalent due to the widespread use of freezers. Another way of preserving the dried goat meat is to store in brine. The ried meat product, which is kept as dry or in brine, is left in the water overnight to remove excesssalt as well as to soften it before consumption. Although dried goat meat was widely consumed until last 15-20 years, today demand for this meat is gradually falling. Determination of the effect of drying process on the microbiological, chemical and sensory properties of dried goat meat will contribute to the protection, publicity and sustainable production of this traditional meat product

REGIONAL FOOD: THE CASE OF MARDIN

Behavioral patterns vary from one society to another. The culture that has been intertwined with the society has a structure that covers life as a whole. The values created by humans that vary from fun to funeral ceremonies, from eating and drinking to creating literary works, are called culture. Moreover, getting hungry and eating to eliminate hunger are both biochemical phenomena, whereas the time and the style of eliminating this hunger are anthropological and cultural issues. Mardin that has been home to many cultures for a long time throughout history has a rich food culture. The food culture is one of the most important means of providing the cultural values of the community, including the preparation of the material of a meal, the whole of cooking and presentation stages. The diversity in the culture of food becomes concrete with social differences. These differences are identified with details such as; consumption of tea and coffee, traditional dishes consumed in the region, breakfast culture, meat meal habits, meal rules and tableware, the importance given to feasts, the habit of entering the kitchen and making food at home, the use of spices, the consumption of beverages, the consumption of bread and preparation of winter products. In addition to these details, the varieties of the ingredients used in the meals give information about the characteristics of the food culture. Twenty participants interviewed through which the values and characteristics of Mardin food culture were tried to be determined. In this study, twenty questions were asked and the values and characteristics of Mardin food culture were tried to be determined

(Stakeholders Opinion Concerning the Possibility of Mardin Being“City of Gastronomy” in UNESCO Creative Cities Network)

Çalışma, Mardin’de turizm konusunda faaliyet gösteren kamu kurumları, akademi, sivil toplum kuruluşları ve özel sektör temsilcilerinin katılımı ile yüz yüze görüşme tekniği kullanılarak önceden hazırlanan 17 soru hakkında görüş ve bilgilerin alınması yöntemi ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışma bulgularına göre; katılımcılar arasında Mardin mutfağının son derece zengin olduğu, turizm faaliyetlerinin çeşitlendirilmesi kapsamında bu zenginliğin ön plana çıkarılması konusunda bir fikir birliği bulunduğu, UNESCO-Yaratıcı Şehirler Ağı konusunda sadece bir paydaşın detaylı bilgi sahibi olduğu, Mardin’de Gastronomi turizmi konusundaki çalışmaların bireysel olarak yapılanlarla sınırlı olduğu, geniş kapsamlı ve planlı ileriye yönelik çalışmaların yeterli olmadığı ve bu çalışmaları yönlendirme konusunda bir kurum veya girişimin ön plana çıkmadığı bilgilerine ulaşılmıştır. Mardin’de UNESCO-Yaratıcı Şehirler Ağı girişimine üye olarak ya da çeşitli fon kaynakları ile yürütülecek çabalarla Gastronomi Turizmi alanında kısa sürede önemli ilerleme sağlanmasına yönelik potansiyel bulunmakta olduğu ve bunun akademi ya da ilgili kurum ve kuruluşları yönlendirebilecek bir kurum önderliğinde gerçekleştirilecek planlamalar ile kısa sürede gerçekleştirilebileceği sonucuna varılmıştır

FOOD MATERIALS USED IN MARDIN FOOD CULTURE

Mardin region, which has preserved its importance throughout the history of humanity, is a center of historical trade routes and network of cultural relations. The culture that is intertwined with the society has a structure that includes life as a whole. From festivity to funerals, from eating and drinking habits to presenting literary artifacts, all of the values human created are called culture. Components of culture such as love, hate, beliefs, taboos are linked to the stages of production, consumption and preparation of food which is from the habits of human beings. For these reasons, food culture is one of the most important cultural codes of society. Many people living in and around Mardin earn their livelihoods from the production of fruits, vegetables, grains and from animal husbandry. This is effective in the formation of dietary cultures. In the study, face to face interviews were conducted with twenty women who cook Mardin regional dishes and foodstuffs which are an important role in the food culture were examined according to the interviews results. Forty-four local products were identified in the negotiations. It has been determined that sheep meat is preferred more compared to the other kind of meat products, and the consumption of rice in the cereal products is preferred less than the consumption of bulgur. It has also been observed that the consumption of spices in the region is widespread

Implementation of HACCP in Food and Beverage Businesses in Mardin

The purpose of this study was to determine the application level of HACCP implementation and to determine barriers for HACCP implementation in food and beverage businesses in Mardin. In the study, a total of 87 catering managers (hotels, restaurants, kebab shops, fast food restaurants, patisseries, cafes) were interviewed face to face in Mardin province. A questionnaire was used to determine whether or not they had a HACCP system, the level of knowledge they have about the system, problems encountered in HACCP practices and the benefits of implementation. Of the total 87 businesses, 18 (20.6%) were found to have the HACCP system and 69 (79.3%) did not. However, it has been determined that 72.4% of the managers think it is important to have a system of food safety. The 32.6% of the managers implementing HACCP systems have reported that the system provide order and discipline in the employees. Businesses that do not apply HACCP have reported that the main difficulties concerning the system were the insufficient information on the HACCP system (47.6%) and inadequate support guidelines and the complexity of implementation (38.9%). The results of this study have shown that the number of businesses that implement HACCP is extremely small and that efforts to develop models that will increase the level of implementation should be made

GASTRONOMIC TOURISM (CULINARY TOURISM) AND TRADITIONAL FOODS: MARDIN

Gastronomic tourism can be described as the trips made by tourists to experience local food and beverages. Because as it is thought that approximately one in four of the tourism expenses devote to food and beverage spending, gastronomic tourism is an important source of income for the people of the region. At this point, gastronomic tourism plays an important role in increasing the demand for some tourism attraction centers and in creating new attraction centers. In recent years, geographical indications in our country for traditional food, which is the most important compound of gastronomic tourism, have increased. Geographical indications encourage traditional production and the preservation of the tastes of local food and beverage. Mardin, which is one of the important touristic places of our country with its rich cultural structure and historical places, is among the provinces that has the priority in terms of gastronomic tourism according to the 2014 TUSAD report. Although there are more than 40 regional dishes in Mardin, where many different religions and people live together, only 5 of them have geographical indications. These are Mardin rib fills, Mardin kibe, Mardin sembusek, Mardin ikbebet and Mardin imlebes (almond candy). At this point, the introduction of other regional tastes unique to Mardin will contribute to the expansion of traditional food production and the improvement of gastronomy tourism. In this study, traditional foods and beverages in Mardin province were investigated

Barriers to Implementation of HACCP System in Food and Beverage Enterprises: The Case of Mardin

Bu araştırmanın amacı, Mardin'deki yiyecek-içecek işletmecilerinde HACCP sistemi uygulamasında ortaya çıkan sorunları ve HACCP sistemine sahip olmayan işletmelerde sistemin uygulanmamasının nedenlerini belirlemektir. Çalışma Mardin’deki toplam 87 yiyecek–içecek işletmesi temsilcisi ile anket uygulanarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırma bulgularına göre; işletmelerin %20.7’sinde HACCP sistemi bulunmaktadır. Bu işletmelerin %38.9’u danışmanlık alacak kurum veya kişi bulamamalarını sistemi uygularken karşılaştıkları başlıca zorluk olarak belirtmektedir. İşletmelerinde HACCP sistemi bulunmayan 69 katılımcının %91.3’ü işletmelerinde gıda güvenliğini sağlamaya yönelik bir sistemin gerekli olduğunu ve %87.0’si sistemin kurulamamasındaki başlıca nedenin HACCP sistemi konusundaki bilgi eksikliği olduğunu belirtmişlerdir. Ülkemizde gıda güvenliğini sağlama konusunda yasal düzenlemeler bulunmakla birlikte, bu çalışma sonuçları uygulamada eksiklikler olduğunu ve bu eksikliklerin özellikle eğitim ve danışmanlık ihtiyacı konularında yoğunlaştığını göstermektedir. Gıda güvenliği konusundaki yetkili otoritelerce gıda güvenliğini sağlamaya yönelik sistemlerin kurulması konusundaki eğitim çalışmalarına önem verilmesi gerektiği düşünülmektedir.The aim of this study is to determine the problems of HACCP system in food and beverage enterprises in Mardin and the reasons for not applying the system in enterprises that do not have HACCP system. A questionnaire was administered with 87 food and beverage establishment representatives in Mardin. According to the research findings; 20.7% of enterprises have HACCP system. 38.9% of these enterprises stated that they could not find any institutions or people to receive consultancy as the main difficulty they faced in implementing the system. Of the 69 participants who do not have a HACCP system in their enterprises, 91.3% stated that a system to ensure food safety was required in their enterprises and 87.0% stated that the main reason for the failure of the system was the lack of information about the HACCP system. Although there are legal regulations on food safety in our country, the results of this study show that there are deficiencies in practice and these deficiencies are especially concentrated on the need for training and consultancy. It is thought that training activities should be given importance to the establishment of food safety systems by the competent authorities on food safety