Is the course of COVID-19 associated with tuberculin skin test diameter? A retrospective study.

The pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still not fully understood. As severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) has a similar pathogenetic pathway to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, it has been reported that there may be a relationship between Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination rate and COVID-19 severity. This study investigated the relationship between tuberculin skin test (TST) induration diameter and the clinical course of COVID-19.

Toxin-neutralizing antibodies elicited by naturally acquired cutaneous anthrax are elevated following severe disease and appear to target conformational epitopes.

Understanding immune responses to native antigens in response to natural infections can lead to improved approaches to vaccination. This study sought to characterize the humoral immune response to anthrax toxin components, capsule and spore antigens in individuals (n = 46) from the Kayseri and Malatya regions of Turkey who had recovered from mild or severe forms of cutaneous anthrax infection, compared to regional healthy controls (n = 20). IgG antibodies to each toxin component, the poly-γ-D-glutamic acid capsule, the Bacillus collagen-like protein of anthracis (BclA) spore antigen, and the spore carbohydrate anthrose, were detected in the cases, with anthrax toxin neutralization and responses to Protective Antigen (PA) and Lethal Factor (LF) being higher following severe forms of the disease.

Mucormycosis Presented with Facial Pain in a Renal Transplant Patient: A Case Report.

Introduction: Mucormycosis is a severe infection in renal transplant recipients. Here, we report a case of maxillary sinus mucormycosis in a patient who presented with a facial pain complaint.

Case: A 51-year-old female patient with renal transplantation due to autosomal dominant, polycystic kidney disease and diabetic nephropathy was admitted to our hospital with facial pain and minimal edema of the left half of her face on the 8th month of transplantation.

The relationship between caspase-1 related inflammasome expression and serum inflammatory cytokine levels during acute brucellosis.

Objective: Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease caused by in domestic and wild animals. It also causes systemic diseases with the involvement of different parts of the human body. An efficient innate immune response is crucial to cure brucellosis with optimum antibiotic treatment.

BK virus-induced acute motor-axonal polyneuropathy in a renal transplant patient.

Neurological complications are not uncommon in patients with renal transplantation, mostly affecting the central nervous system, and less frequently the peripheral nerves. BK virus infection is relatively common in transplant recipients and in some cases may lead to neurological complications. In this report, we present an interesting case of a patient who developed acute axonal motor polyneuropathy in the course of BK virus infection 3 months after kidney transplantation.

Outcomes of Kidney Transplantations From the Same Deceased Donor to Two Different Recipients: A Single-Center Experience.

Background: Kidney transplantation is the best treatment method for end-stage renal disease. Technically, left kidney transplantation is easier than right kidney, and the complication rates in the right are higher than the left kidney. We performed 28 kidney transplantations from 14 deceased donors between November 2010 and May 2016.

Travel health attitudes among Turkish business travellers to African countries.

Background: The number of international travellers is increasing worldwide. Although health risks related to international travel are important and generally well-understood, the perception of these risks was unclear among Turkish travellers. We aimed to evaluate the attitudes and health risk awareness of Turkish travellers travelling to African countries.

Is airborne transmission of Acinetobacter baumannii possible: A prospective molecular epidemiologic study in a tertiary care hospital.

Background: Understanding the dynamics of aerial spread of Acinetobacter may provide useful information for production of effective control measurements. We investigated genetic relationships between air and clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii in an intensive care unit (ICU) setting.

Methods: We conducted a prospective surveillance study in a tertiary care hospital for 8 months.

Antituberculosis drug resistance patterns in adults with tuberculous meningitis: results of haydarpasa-iv study.

Background: Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistant to antituberculosis drugs is an increasingly common clinical problem. This study aimed to evaluate drug resistance profiles of TBM isolates in adult patients in nine European countries involving 32 centers to provide insight into the empiric treatment of TBM.

Methods: Mycobacterium tuberculosis was cultured from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 142 patients and was tested for susceptibility to first-line antituberculosis drugs, streptomycin (SM), isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RIF) and ethambutol (EMB).

A Rare Cause of Diarrhea in a Kidney Transplant Recipient: Dipylidium caninum.

We report the first case of dipylidiasis in a kidney transplant recipient. Watery diarrhea due to Dipylidium caninum was observed in a male patient who had been undergone kidney transplantation 2 years before. The patient was successfully treated with niclosamide.

[Carriage of Streptococcus pyogenes in primary school children: M-protein types, pyrogenic toxin genes, and investigation of the clonal relationships between the isolates].

M-protein and pyrogenic toxins are the most important virulence factors of Streptococcus pyogenes, and they play significant role in the pathophysiology of acute rheumatoid fever and scarlet fever, respectively. In this study, the pharyngeal carriage of S.pyogenes of the primary school children, clonal relationship of the strains, M-protein types, and the presence of pyrogenic toxin genes were aimed to be investigated.

Hamsi scoring in the prediction of unfavorable outcomes from tuberculous meningitis: results of Haydarpasa-II study.

Predicting unfavorable outcome is of paramount importance in clinical decision making. Accordingly, we designed this multinational study, which provided the largest case series of tuberculous meningitis (TBM). 43 centers from 14 countries (Albania, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Hungary, Iraq, Italy, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Syria, Turkey) submitted data of microbiologically confirmed TBM patients hospitalized between 2000 and 2012.

The microbiological diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis: results of Haydarpasa-1 study.

We aimed to provide data on the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) in this largest case series ever reported. The Haydarpasa-1 study involved patients with microbiologically confirmed TBM in Albania, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Hungary, Iraq, Italy, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Syria and Turkey between 2000 and 2012. A positive culture, PCR or Ehrlich-Ziehl-Neelsen staining (EZNs) from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was mandatory for inclusion of meningitis patients.

Update on treatment options for spinal brucellosis.

We evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of antibiotic regimens and optimal duration of therapy in complicated and uncomplicated forms of spinal brucellosis. This is a multicentre, retrospective and comparative study involving a total of 293 patients with spinal brucellosis from 19 health institutions. Comparison of complicated and uncomplicated spinal brucellosis was statistically analysed.

Brucella and peritoneal dialysis related peritonitis: case report and review of literature.

Isolated case reports of peritonitis due to Brucella spp. during peritoneal dialysis (PD) continue to surface in the medical literature. However, the optimal treatment regimen for these patients, in particular with regards to the fate of PD catheter, is still largely unknown.

Molecular epidemiology of the Bacillus anthracis isolates collected throughout Turkey from 1983 to 2011.

The main perspective of this study was to determine cross-transmissions amongst anthrax cases and provide detailed information regarding the genotypes of Bacillus anthracis isolates circulating in Turkey. A total of 251 B. anthracis isolates were obtained from human (93 isolates), animal (155 isolates), and environmental (three isolates) samples in various provinces of Turkey.

Increased membrane turnover in the brain in cutaneous anthrax without central nervous system disorder: a magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.

Cutaneous anthrax, caused by Bacillus anthracis contacting the skin, is the most common form of human anthrax. Recent studies implicate the presence of additional, possibly toxin-related subtle changes, even in patients without neurological or radiological findings. In this study, the presence of subtle changes in cutaneous anthrax was investigated at the metabolite level using magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Naturally occurring cutaneous anthrax: antibiotic treatment and outcome.

Objectives: Cutaneous anthrax (CA) is the most common clinical presentation in human anthrax, but the duration of antibiotic therapy in naturally occurring CA is controversial. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of patients receiving antibiotic treatment for either 3-5 days (group 1) or 7-10 days (group 2) in uncomplicated CA.

Methods: A total of 66 patients were enrolled; 29 (44%) in group 1 and 37 (56%) in group 2.

Investigation and analysis of a human orf outbreak among people living on the same farm.

Human orf is a viral zoonotic infection caused by Parapoxvirus. The skin lesions of human orf can be misdiagnosed as cutaneous anthrax leading to overtreatment and also fear. This study was conducted to analyze an outbreak which led to deaths among kids and lambs in the same flock, and skin lesions in some persons who were living on the same farm that were initially diagnosed as cutaneous anthrax by a practitioner.

A heart transplant recipient lost due to Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia under trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole prophylaxis: case report.

Infections in solid-organ transplant recipients are the most important causes of morbidity and mortality. A primary goal in organ transplant is the prevention or effective treatment of infection, which is the most common life-threatening complication of long-term immunosuppressive therapy. A 21-year-old woman who underwent heart transplant 3 years previous owing to dilated cardiomyopathy was referred to our hospital with symptoms of high fever and cough.

Cerebrospinal fluid viscosity: a novel diagnostic measure for acute meningitis.

Introduction: Early diagnosis of acute meningitis has paramount importance in clinical practice because of mortality and morbidity of the disease. Examination of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has critical value for the diagnosis of acute meningitis and discrimination of bacterial and aseptic meningitis. It has been previously reported that plasma viscosity can be used as an inflammatory marker.

[A pneumonia case caused by Cedecea lapagei].

Cedecea spp. which are the members of Enterobacteriaceae family, are mostly isolated from sputum and their clinical importance is not yet demonstrated. This report presents a pneumonia case caused by Cedecea lapagei.

Evaluation of 23 cutaneous anthrax patients in eastern Anatolia, Turkey: diagnosis and risk factors.

Background: Anthrax is a potentially fatal zoonotic disease. The diagnosis of cutaneous anthrax (CA) may be very difficult, particularly in atypical presentations and nonendemic regions.

Aim: To evaluate the clinical features and diagnostic difficulties of 23 anthrax cases seen between May 2004 and September 2006.