Combining Gram stain and 16S qPCR improved diagnostic accuracy for suspected pneumonia and could become a new metric in the rapid diagnosis of lower respiratory tract infections.

The frequency of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) in hospitals and the risk of delaying effective treatment result in the culture of respiratory secretions for nearly all patients with suspected pneumonia. Culture delays contribute to over prescribing and use of broader spectrum antibiotics. The need for improved rapid diagnostics for early assessment of suspected hospital pneumonia.

bacteremia secondary to acute appendicitis: a case report with review of literature.

This report describes a rare instance of bacteremia secondary to acute appendicitis in a young man. Initially presenting with symptoms typical of appendicitis, he was diagnosed through clinical examination, laboratory tests, and computed tomography imaging, which confirmed an inflamed appendix with sealed perforation and abscess. , a Gram-negative anaerobe commonly found in the human gut, was identified as the causative agent through blood culture.

Rainfall analysis and deriving design storm for hydrological modelling of Koyna dam catchment area in Maharashtra state of India.

Rainfall is a key hydro meteorological variable. Climate change is disrupting the hydrological cycle and altering the usual cycle of rainfall, which frequently results in long-lasting storms with significant rainfall. A first step in hydrologic design of project is to determine the design storm or rainfall events to be used.

Association Between Proton Pump Inhibitor Use and Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase Urinary Tract Infection in Adults: A Retrospective Study.

Purpose: To study the association between proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use and the risk of urinary tract infection (UTI) caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL).

Patients And Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2018 and September 2019. Adults with ESBL-UTIs were compared to adults with UTIs caused by gram-negative bacteria (GNB) and those with UTIs caused by miscellaneous organisms.

bacteremia: An unusual pathogen of septic abortion.

infections in humans have rarely been reported. To the best of our knowledge, has not been previously recognized as a causative agent of obstetric or gynecological infections. Timely identification of this unusual pathogen and the use of targeted antimicrobial therapy are crucial to avoid consequences and treatment failure.

Epidemiology of urinary tract infection in adults caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae - a case-control study from Qatar.

Background: Community-acquired urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most common infection caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing organisms.

Aim: to estimate the prevalence of ESBL-UTI in adults and to identify potential risk factors that may predispose to ESBL-UTI.

Methods: A retrospective study involving adult patients with UTI caused by ESBL-producing organisms was undertaken.

A lineage usually associated with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) serotypes is the most common cause of serotype 35B invasive disease in South Africa, following routine use of PCV.

Pneumococcal serotype 35B is an important non-conjugate vaccine (non-PCV) serotype. Its continued emergence, post-PCV7 in the USA, was associated with expansion of a pre-existing 35B clone (clonal complex [CC] 558) along with post-PCV13 emergence of a non-35B clone previously associated with PCV serotypes (CC156). This study describes lineages circulating among 35B isolates in South Africa before and after PCV introduction.

Investigation of a COVID-19 Outbreak and Its Successful Containment in a Long Term Care Facility in Qatar.

The objective of this study is to investigate the COVID-19 outbreak and its successful containment in a long-term care facility, Qatar. It was a retrospective case series of 24 COVID-19 positive patients inclusive of elderly, patient attenders, and front-liners from 06th to 18th June 2020. Laboratory, radiological, and treatment findings were assessed from electronic records.

Molecular characteristics of Neisseria meningitidis in Qatar.

The aim of the current study is to review the molecular characteristics of Neisseria meningitidis (N. meningitidis) in Hamad Medical Corporation, which is the provider of secondary and tertiary care in the state of Qatar. A total of 39 isolates of N.

Molecular characterization of clinical carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales from Qatar.

One hundred forty-nine carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales from clinical samples obtained between April 2014 and November 2017 were subjected to whole genome sequencing and multi-locus sequence typing. Klebsiella pneumoniae (81, 54.4%) and Escherichia coli (38, 25.

Epidemiological and Clinical Features of Typhi Infection Among Adult Patients in Qatar: A Hospital-based Study.

Objectives: We sought to describe the epidemiological and clinical features of typhoid fever in Qatar.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of adult patients treated for typhoid fever at Hamad General Hospital and Alkhor Hospital between 2005 and 2012.

Results: The mean age of the 354 patients enrolled in the study was 28.

Acute Bacterial Meningitis in Qatar: A Hospital-Based Study from 2009 to 2013.

Background And Objectives: Bacterial meningitis is a common medical condition in Qatar. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics of bacterial meningitis, the frequency of each pathogen, and its sensitivity to antibiotics and risk factors for death.

Patients And Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at Hamad General Hospital between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2013.

Genetic Relatedness Among Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Isolated Along the Animal Food Supply Chain and in Gastroenteritis Cases in Qatar Using Multilocus Sequence Typing.

Introduction: Pathogenic Escherichia coli has been listed among the most important bacteria associated with foodborne illnesses around the world. We investigated the genetic relatedness among Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) isolated along the animal food supply chain and from humans diagnosed with gastroenteritis in Qatar.

A decade of intestinal protozoan epidemiology among settled immigrants in Qatar.

Background: The World Health Organization estimates that about 3.5 billion people worldwide are affected by intestinal parasitic infections. Reports have already emphasized the role of immigrants in outbreaks of parasitic diseases in industrialized countries.

The risk of carriage of spp. and in food animals in dynamic populations.

spp. and are foodborne pathogens of global importance. We assessed their risks and associated factors in a highly dynamic population of animals.

Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens Associated with the Risk of Gastroenteritis in the State of Qatar.

Objective: To assess the risk of gastroenteritis associated with bacterial foodborne pathogens and identify associated factors in a highly diverse population.

Material And Methods: A series of case-control studies were carried out to address the stated objective. The study population consisted of individuals who were admitted to the Hamad Medical Corporation hospitals and stool analysis indicated positive findings to Campylobacter spp.

Helminth infections among long-term-residents and settled immigrants in Qatar in the decade from 2005 to 2014: temporal trends and varying prevalence among subjects from different regional origins.

Background: Travel and migration from developing regions, where tropical diseases are common, to more developed industrialised nations can contribute to the introduction and subsequent spread of infections. With its rapidly expanding economy, Qatar has attracted vast numbers of immigrant workers in the last two decades, often from countries with poor socio-economic levels. Many used to arrive with patent intestinal parasitic infections.

Antimicrobial susceptibility and molecular epidemiology of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae from intensive care units at Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar.

Background: The emergence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing isolates has important clinical and therapeutic implications. High prevalence of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae has been reported in the literature for clinical samples from a variety of infection sites. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the prevalence of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae, and to perform molecular characterization and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of clinical isolates from patients admitted to the intensive care units at Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar, from November 2012 to October 2013.

Distribution and factors associated with Salmonella enterica genotypes in a diverse population of humans and animals in Qatar using multi-locus sequence typing (MLST).

Salmonella enterica is one of the most commonly reported causes of bacterial foodborne illness around the world. Understanding the sources of this pathogen and the associated factors that exacerbate its risk to humans will help in developing risk mitigation strategies. The genetic relatedness among Salmonella isolates recovered from human gastroenteritis cases and food animals in Qatar were investigated in the hope of shedding light on these sources, their possible transmission routes, and any associated factors.

Does emerging Clarithromycin resistance signal an obituary to empirical standard triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection?

Despite 30 years of its discovery, the ideal therapeutic regimen against Helicobacter pylori is still evasive. Clarithromycin-based standard triple therapy which has been considered the first line empirical therapy has been failing in many parts of the world, due to rising resistance against Clarithromycin, forcing the use of alternate regimens. In this context, we studied the local antibiotic resistance patterns against H.

In vitro antimicrobial susceptibility testing of human Brucella melitensis isolates from Qatar between 2014 - 2015.

Background: Brucellosis is one of the most common zoonotic disease affecting humans and animals and is endemic in many parts of the world including the Gulf Cooperation Council region (GCC). The aim of this study was to identify the species and determine the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Brucella strains isolated from clinical specimens, from Qatar.

Results: We evaluated 231 Brucella isolates.

Analysis of resistance to antimicrobials and presence of virulence/stress response genes in Campylobacter isolates from patients with severe diarrhoea.

Campylobacter infections are a major cause of diarrhoea world-wide and two of the antimicrobials used for their control (erythromycin and ciprofloxacin) have been losing efficacy in recent years. In a sample of 174 genotyped isolates from the stools of patients with severe diarrhoea in Qatar, collected between 2005 and 2012, 63.2% showed resistance to ciprofloxacin, 8.

Polymerase chain reaction ribotyping of Clostridium difficile isolates in Qatar: a hospital-based study.

Background: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is not generally reported to public health authorities in the Middle East and its true prevalence remains largely unknown. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of CDI and its associated ribotypes among C. difficile isolates in Qatar.

Molecular identification and susceptibility pattern of clinical Nocardia species: Emergence of Nocardia crassostreae as an agent of invasive nocardiosis.

Background: Nocardia species are rare, opportunistic organisms that cause disease in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals.

Objective: To investigate the clinical presentations of various Nocardia infections based on the 16S ribosomal RNA gene of the isolate, as well as related risk factors and susceptibility patterns to antimicrobial agents.

Methods: Thirteen patients with a diagnosis of nocardiosis were included in the present study.