Tularemia in Bursa, Turkey: 205 cases in ten years.

Tularemia is a zoonotic disease caused by the coccobacillus F. tularensis. Small epidemics and sporadic cases were seen around Bursa since November 1988.

Hepatic expression of viral antigens, hepatocytic proliferative activity and histologic changes in liver biopsies of children with chronic hepatitis B after interferon-alpha therapy.

Aims/background: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of interferon-alpha (IFNalpha) treatment on necro-inflammatory changes, viral antigen expression and hepatocytic proliferation rate assessed by Ki-67 protein in liver biopsies of children with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

Methods: The study included 18 children at prepubertal age. Histologic changes were assessed using a modified scoring system for grading of histological activity index and staging of fibrosis.

Efficacy of interferon therapy on serum fibronectin levels in children with chronic hepatitis B infection.

Background: Fibronectin (FN) is a glycoprotein, the major sources of which are hepatocytes, Kupffer cells and endothelial cells. It has many biological functions including adhesion between cells, immunity, blood coagulation and platelet aggregation. Serum FN levels are generally decreased in pathological blood coagulation and inflammation.

Comparative efficacy of cefixime and ampicillin-sulbactam in shigellosis in children.

Shigellosis is still an important health problem in developing and underdeveloped countries as it is resistance to commonly used antibiotics including ampicillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, chloramphenicol and tetracycline. Between May 1996 and October 1996, in a prospective randomized double-blind trial, cefixime was compared with ampicillin-sulbactam, both given orally for a period of 5 days, for the treatment of 80 children with acute bloody diarrhea. Forty patients were treated with a single-dose (8 mg/kg per day) of cefixime and the other 40 patients were given three doses of 100 mg/kg per day of ampicillin-sulbactam.

Detection of Brucella melitensis by BACTEC NR 730 and BACTEC 9120 systems.

In many parts of the world, brucellosis has significantly decreased, but it is still a problem in some regions of Turkey. In our laboratory we have isolated 58 Brucella spp. through BACTEC NR 730 and 30 Brucella spp.

Cerebrospinal fluid interleukin-1 beta/interleukin-1 receptor antagonist balance and tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentrations in tuberculous, viral and acute bacterial meningitis.

The levels of interleukin-1 beta, IL-1 receptor antagonist and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were analyzed in 19 cases of tuberculous, 14 cases of viral, and 22 cases of acute bacterial meningitis, and in 18 control subjects. 20 patients (91%) with acute bacterial and 8 (42%) with tuberculous meningitis had detectable amounts of TNF-alpha in the initial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample (mean 1044 +/- 131 pg/ml, range 95-1950, and mean 61 +/- 23 pg/ml, range 25-300, respectively), whereas TNF-alpha was not detectable in any of the patients with viral meningitis, or in any of the control subjects. IL-1 beta levels were 767 +/- 110 pg/ml (185-2000) in acute bacterial, 345 +/- 63 pg/ml (50-670) in tuberculous, 257 +/- 70 pg/ml (20-700) in viral meningitis, and 37 +/- 4 pg/ml (10-68) in control subjects.

[Evaluation of the ELISA method for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori].

Antibodies to H.pylori were investigated in the serum of 50 patients with dyspepsia and 25 healthy controls with ELISA method. The antibody positivity was found in all of the 40 cases (100%) for whom H.

Immunological evaluation of erythema nodosum in tularaemia.

During two tularaemia outbreaks in the Bursa region of Turkey in 1991, a total of 98 patients were diagnosed and evaluated. Thirteen of these patients had erythema nodosum, which is accepted as a secondary skin manifestation. The patients with erythema nodosum, 21 patients without any skin lesions, and 20 healthy controls were studied.

[A serological study of Yersinia enterocolitica].

In this study, the incidence of Yersinia enterocolitica was investigated at neighbourhood of Bursa and 13.26 percentage seropositivity was determined.

[Salmonella typhimurium in food-producing animals in Bursa].

Role of food-producing animals in Salmonella typhimurium infections was investigated in this study. Salmonella typhimurium antibodies with the ratios of 63.3% among the slaughter house staff and 78.

[Salmonella typhimurium infections in the area of Bursa].

Salmonella typhimurium infections encountered at the neighbourhood of Bursa since January 1987 were evaluated in regard to the antibiotic resistance and treatment. High proportion of resistance was determined to the antibacterial agents such as ampicillin, chloramphenicol, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline and more sensitivity to ofloxacin, amikacin, ceftriaxone and cefotaxime was established in 383 Salmonella typhimurium strains isolated within two years of period. No antibiotic therapy was required to adult uncomplicated patients.

[Distribution of Cryptococcus neoformans in pigeon feces].

C neoformans has been investigated in fecal droppings obtained from pigeon coops that placed in several suburbs of Bursa City. In sixteen of the 115 samples (13.9%), C neoformans strains has been isolated and studied their morphological and biochemical properties.

[Bacteriological comparison of colostrum and mature human milk].

15 colostrum and 15 mature milk were examined in bacteriology laboratory in Ankara Numune Hospital. The number of colonies cultured at "0" hour, 6-24 after at room temperature 24 after refrigeration were evaluated. It was noticed that the cultures obtained at 0 and 6 hours and after refrigeration did not reveal much bacteria.

[The distribution of clostridia in soil samples from Bursa].

In the soil samples taken from different places of Bursa, distribution of the Clostridia were searched by anaerobic jar and immunofluorescence reaction (FAT). In our study, 122 bacteria belonging to 11 Clostridium species were isolated in 35 soil samples. These strains were identified by studying morphological and biochemical properties, lecithinase C and lipase activities, toxin neutralization characteristics.