Quantitative real-time PCR in Borrelia persica tick-borne relapsing fever demonstrates correlation with the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction.

The purpose of this study is to explore whether a correlation exists between the bacterial load of Borrelia persica in tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF), established by quantitative real-time PCR, and the development of Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction (JHR) after the initiation of antibiotic treatment. Forty-two blood samples were included in our study. The mean bacterial load, as established by real-time PCR, in patients who developed JHR was significantly greater than in those patients who did not develop JHR (443,293 copies vs.

The spectrum of bacteria and mechanisms of resistance identified from the casualties treated in the Israeli field hospital after the earthquake in Nepal, 2015: A retrospective analysis.

Background: On the April 25, 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal. Soon-after, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) dispatched a tertiary field-hospital to Kathmandu.

Spread of Carbapenem and Colistin-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae ST512 Clinical Isolates in Israel: A Cause for Vigilance.

Objectives: Genomic and phenotypic characterization of resistance mechanisms to carbapenems and colistin in Klebsiella pneumoniae strains isolated from the Shaare Zedek Medical Center (Jerusalem, Israel).

Results: The 15 K. pneumoniae isolates studied present a high level of resistance to the antibiotics tested.

Clinical manifestations, risk factors and prognosis of patients with Morganella morganii sepsis.

Background: There are few studies of Morganella bacteremia. We evaluated risk factors and outcome of patients with Morganella bacteremia.

Methods: Medical records of patients with Morganella bacteremia were reviewed (1997-2014).

Genomic Plasticity of Multidrug-Resistant NDM-1 Positive Clinical Isolate of Providencia rettgeri.

We performed a detailed whole-genome sequence analysis of Providencia rettgeri H1736, a multidrug-resistant clinical pathogen isolated in Israel in 2011. The objective was to describe the genomic flexibility of this bacterium that has greatly contributed to its pathogenicity. The genome has a chromosome size of 4,609,352 bp with 40.

Is infection with hypermutable Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinically significant?

Background: Hypermutable Pseudomonas aeruginosa (HPA) with high mutation rate due to defects in the DNA mismatch repair genes are frequently isolated in the sputum of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. These isolates tend to be multidrug resistant and may be better adapted to the CF lung environment. However, the clinical significance of this infection has not been determined.

Worldwide emergence of colistin resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae from healthy humans and patients in Lao PDR, Thailand, Israel, Nigeria and France owing to inactivation of the PhoP/PhoQ regulator mgrB: an epidemiological and molecular study.

The emergence of colistin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is a major public health concern worldwide. In this study, the prevalence and molecular basis of colistin resistance in CRKP isolated from healthy individuals and patients in Lao PDR, Thailand, Nigeria and France were investigated. Stool samples were screened by culture for the presence of colistin-resistant Klebsiella spp.

Mycobacterium simiae infection in two unrelated patients with different forms of inherited IFN-γR2 deficiency.

Interferon-γ receptor 2 (IFN-γR2) deficiency is a rare primary immunodeficiency characterized by predisposition to infections with weakly virulent mycobacteria, such as environmental mycobacteria and BCG vaccines. We describe here two children with IFN-γR2 deficiency, from unrelated, consanguineous kindreds of Arab and Israeli descent. The first patient was a boy who died at the age of 4.

Genome analysis of NDM-1 producing Morganella morganii clinical isolate.

Objective: To analyze the resistome and virulence genes of Morganella morganii F675, a multidrug-resistant clinical isolate using whole genome sequencing (WGS).

Methods: M. morganii F675 was isolated from a patient from Jerusalem, Israel.

Epidemiological and microbiological characteristics of an outbreak caused by OXA-48-producing Enterobacteriaceae in a neonatal intensive care unit in Jerusalem, Israel.

This study describes the course of an OXA-48-producing Enterobacteriaceae (OPE) outbreak that started in March 2012 in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Jerusalem, Israel. During the peak of the outbreak (January to August 2012), there were 49 patients who had proven or suspected acquisition of OPE in the NICU, including 16 with invasive infections, out of a total of 156 patients who were hospitalized during that period. Three children hospitalized in the pediatric ICU were identified as carriers of OPE.

Pantoea agglomerans foreign body-induced septic arthritis.

A 4-year-old boy was admitted because of left knee arthritis. Synovial fluid culture yielded Pantoea agglomerans identified by 16S rDNA polymerase chain reaction. Ultrasound examination revealed a foreign body in the synovial fluid.

The use of prednisone in the treatment of trichinellosis.

Background: It is not entirely clear when and how steroids should be used to treat trichinellosis.

Objectives: To describe the course of consecutive patients with trichinellosis treated with antihelminthic drugs with and without the addition of prednisone.

Methods: We extracted data from the hospital records of 30 patients hospitalized for trichinellosis contracted after eating poorly cooked pork that came from two wild pigs killed in the Golan Heights, and contacted them for follow-up 5-6 weeks and 6 months after hospital discharge.

Molecular characterization of tickborne relapsing fever Borrelia, Israel.

Blood samples from 18 tickborne relapsing fever (TBRF) patients and specimens were tested with a B-PCR. Results were positive for all patients and 2%–40% of ticks. A 7–amino acid gap characterized all 9 sequenced flagellin gene amplicons.

Schistosomiasis among travelers: new aspects of an old disease.

Schistosomiasis is increasingly encountered among travelers returning from the tropics; signs and symptoms of travelers may differ from those of local populations. During 1993-2005, schistosomiasis was diagnosed in 137 Israeli travelers, most of whom were infected while in sub-Saharan Africa. Clinical findings compatible with acute schistosomiasis were recorded for 75 (66.

[Interpretation of questionable syphilis serologies].

Serologic tests are essential for the diagnosis of syphilis. In symptomatic patients, serodiagnosis confirms the clinical diagnosis. During the asymptomatic stage, interpretation of serologic tests is more difficult, either because of low serologic titres or because of discrepant serologies.