Publications by authors named "Gonca Erkose-Genc"
Article Synopsis
- The study focuses on Candida auris, a fungus increasingly found in patients globally, specifically comparing biochemical tests and antifungal resistance in strains from Türkiye's first reported cases.
- Different identification methods, including various API tests and MALDI-TOF MS, were used to identify the strains, which were mostly misidentified as other organisms.
- Results showed high fluconazole resistance (≥64 mg/L) across all strains and indicated potential issues with false positives using CHROMagar Candida Plus, highlighting the need for further understanding of C. auris clade distributions in Türkiye.
has emerged as a significant fungal threat due to its rapid worldwide spread since its first appearance, along with its potential for antimicrobial resistance and virulence properties. This study was designed to examine virulence characteristics, the efficacy of ceragenins, and biofilm-derived drug resistance in seven strains isolated from Turkish intensive care patients. It was observed that none of the tested strains exhibited proteinase or hemolysis activity; however, they demonstrated weak phospholipase and esterase activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmong sexually transmitted diseases, HIV causes very serious clinical manifestations that can lead to death. As a result, millions of people have to live with this problem that threatens their health. The virus attacks the immune system of the host, especially CD4+ T lymphocytes, causing the suppression of the immune system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBacteremia and fungemia are significant causes of morbidity and mortality that frequently occur as co-infections with viral respiratory infections, including SARS-CoV-2. The aim of this study was to evaluate the microorganisms that were isolated from the blood cultures of SARS-CoV-2-positive and negative patients and investigate their antimicrobial resistance patterns. A retrospective analysis was performed of 22,944 blood cultures sent to the laboratory between November 2020 and December 2021.
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- Rhinocladiella mackenziei is a neurotropic fungus primarily found in the Middle East, but recent reports show cases emerging in other areas, including a new fatal case from Turkey.
- Between 1988 and 2022, there have been 42 reported brain abscess cases due to R. mackenziei, with the highest number (33.3%) from Saudi Arabia, affecting patients often without prior immune issues.
- Despite treatments like antifungal medications and surgery, the mortality rate for these infections remains high at 90.4%, highlighting the need for awareness among clinicians, especially regarding patients with atypical brain abscesses and travel histories.
Article Synopsis
- A novel series of spirothiazolidinone derivatives containing nicotinohydrazide was synthesized and characterized for their antiviral and antitubercular activities.
- Three compounds displayed promising antiviral effects against the influenza A/H3N2 virus, with the most effective one, compound 3a, showing significant antiviral activity and no cytotoxicity at high concentrations.
- Some of the derivatives demonstrated weak antitubercular activity against various strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 125-250 μM.
Article Synopsis
- - The study aimed to determine the prevalence of azole resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus strains from clinical and environmental sources in Turkey, involving 21 centers over a 16-month period.
- - A total of 1.3% of environmental isolates and 3.3% of clinical isolates showed azole resistance, with specific TR34/L98H mutations found in nearly half of the resistant samples.
- - Although the overall rate of azole resistance was low, the presence of wild-type cyp51A in over half of the strains suggests that other resistance mechanisms may be developing.
Purpose: The aim of this multicenter study is to evaluate AYC.2.2 agar for the isolation of mycobacteria from clinical samples.
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- Candida auris is a significant fungal pathogen causing hospital infections, known for its antifungal resistance and misidentification by commercial testing systems.
- It has been associated with higher mortality rates, especially in immunocompromised patients, despite having lower virulence than Candida albicans.
- The text presents Turkey's first case of COVID-19 related C. auris infection in a 71-year-old male with multiple health issues, emphasizing the increased occurrence of this fungus in COVID-19 patients.
Purpose: Autosomal recessive (AR) CARD9 deficiency is an inherited immune disorder which results in impaired innate immunity against various fungi. Superficial and invasive fungal infections, mainly caused by Candida or Trichophyton species, are the hallmark of CARD9 deficiency. Together with the increasing number of CARD9-deficient patients reported, different pathogenic fungal species have been described such as Phialophora, Exophiala, Corynespora, Aureobasidium, and Ochroconis.
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- - A new series of indole-based spirothiazolidinones were created and tested for their effectiveness against tuberculosis, viruses, bacteria, and fungi, using various analytical methods to confirm their structures.
- - Some compounds showed strong antitubercular activity, particularly those with a phenyl group on the spiro ring, effective at low concentrations against H37Rv, while others had varying levels of effectiveness against mycobacteria.
- - Four specific derivatives displayed moderate antiviral activity against viruses like Punta Toro and yellow fever, with effective concentrations ranging from 1.9 to 12 µM and a favorable selectivity index for certain compounds.
Nowadays, there is a rising worldwide incidence of diseases caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) species, especially in immunocompromised patients and those with underlying chronic pulmonary diseases. Recently, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) became a method of choice for the identification of NTM species. The aim of this study was to evaluate MALDI-TOF MS for the identification of NTM isolates compared to the PCR-restriction enzyme analysis (PRA)-hsp65 method.
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- - The study aimed to investigate the distribution of Candida species and their antifungal resistance in invasive candidiasis patients from December 2012 to June 2016, analyzing 54 isolates retrospectively.
- - Candidemia was the most common diagnosis, and the primary isolated agent was identified, with varying resistance levels observed against antifungal medications like fluconazole (7.4% resistance) and higher resistance for itraconazole (33.3%).
- - The findings indicated that both Candida albicans and non-albicans species were equally prevalent in the clinic, with generally high susceptibility to major antifungal agents such as fluconazole and amphotericin B.
Purpose: To evaluate the antimicrobial efficiency of three cleaning solutions and their effect on the physical properties of a denture base material.
Materials And Methods: A heat-cured polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) denture base material (Meliodent) and three cleaning solutions (alkaline-peroxide, 30 minutes; 1% sodium-hypochlorite, 10 minutes; and 0.1% polymeric-guanidine solution, 5 minutes) were used.
Prevalence and drug resistance of mycobacteria in Turkish cystic fibrosis patients.
Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob
August 2014
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the prevalence of mycobacteria in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients in Turkey, revealing that 7.44% of analyzed samples contained mycobacterial strains.
- Out of the 28 isolated strains, notable findings include 5 Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and various nontuberculous mycobacteria, with some strains showing antibiotic resistance.
- The research emphasizes the need for routine mycobacterial analysis and antibiotic susceptibility testing in pediatric CF patients for better diagnosis and treatment outcomes.
Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are ubiquitous in hot and cold water distribution systems. With molecular typing methods it was shown that water can be the source of colonization and infection with NTM. The aim of our study was the investigation of NTM in hot and cold water samples taken from various departments of two hospitals in Istanbul, Turkey.
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