Mpox primer for clinicians: what makes the difference in 2024?

Purpose Of Review: The 2024 mpox outbreak, primarily driven by the possibly more virulent clade Ib strain, prompted the WHO declaring it a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on August 14, 2024. This review provides essential guidance for clinicians managing mpox cases, as it contrasts the features of the 2024 outbreak with those of the 2022 epidemic to support better clinical decision-making.

Recent Findings: The review highlights significant differences between the 2024 and 2022 outbreaks, including total case numbers, demographic distribution, and fatality rates.

Development of pseudotyped VSV-SARS-CoV-2 spike variants for the assessment of neutralizing antibodies.

Serological studies with pseudotyped viruses offer a safer alternative to live SARS-CoV-2 in evaluating neutralizing antibodies, enabling research in standard labs. The SARS-CoV-2 Spike pseudotyped vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) pseudoviruses were generated using Spike of Wuhan strain and two variants (B.1.

Sandfly Virus Infection in Adana, Türkiye.

We described the clinical and laboratory characteristics of the patients infected by sandfly viruses between August and September 2008 in Adana, Türkiye. The immunofluorescence antibody test (EUROIMMUN Medizinische Labordiagnostika AG, Lübeck, Germany) was used for diagnosis. Antibodies of immunoglobulin M (IgM) type against Cyprus and Sicily species of phleboviruses were detected in 15 patients.

Effective use of skin microbiome signatures for fingerprint identification.

Background: Recent advances have increased the importance of the human microbiome, including the skin microbiome. Despite the hand microbiome research, the factors affecting the composition of the hand microbiome and their personal characteristics are incompletely known.

Objectives: Despite changing environmental factors and personal variation, we aimed to indicate the interpersonal distinction between skin microbiota using simple and rapid molecular methods.

Resistance Genes and Mortality in Carbapenem-resistant Bacteremias: Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Emerging carbapenem-resistant () (CRKP) bacteremias are presenting significant public health risks due to limited treatment options and increased mortality. isolates exhibit carbapenem resistance rates that vary from 25% to 50% throughout the European continent, including our country.

Aims: To assess the characteristics of CRKP bacteremia, a condition that has recently demonstrated an increasing prevalence in our center.

Cell free DNA as a new prognostic biomarker for COVID-19, A prospective cohort study.

Predicting the need of hospitalization and intensive care in COVID-19 patients has been challenging with current diagnostic tests since the beginning of the pandemic. We aimed to test cell free DNA (cfDNA) as a novel biomarker for COVID-19 disease severity and mortality. cfDNA concentration was quantified by RT-PCR based test.

Development of a Nanoplate-Based Digital PCR Test Method for Quantitative Detection of Human Adenovirus DNA.

Objective: Digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) assay is an advanced PCR technique that allows for the simultaneous detection and absolute quantification of diverse pathogens.Commercially validated kits available for detecting all subtypes of human adenovirus (HAdV) are limited. This study aimed to demonstrate the development of an in-house nanoplate-based dPCR assay with high sensitivity, even at low copy numbers.

Diagnostic Role of Opsonic Activity in Acinetobacter baumannii Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia.

In this study, we investigated the diagnostic value of opsonic activity against Acinetobacter baumannii in Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) among 50 patients, compared to 102 negative and positive controls. Out of the 50 patients, only 33 (66 %) were diagnosed with VAP using the Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score (CPIS). The opsonic activity assay demonstrated three key findings: (i) 95 % sensitivity and 91.

Rapid Tetra-Primer Amplification Refractory Mutation System-Polymerase Chain Reaction Protocol for Detection of Y132F Mutation in Fluconazole Resistant .

There is an emerging fluconazole resistance in in recent years. The leading mechanism causing azole resistance in is the Y132F codon alteration in the ERG11 gene which encodes the target enzyme of azole drugs. In this study, we evaluated the sensitivity, compatibility, and specificity of a novel tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (T-ARMS-PCR) method for rapid detection of the Y132F mutation in fluconazole nonsusceptible Antifungal susceptibility tests for detection of fluconazole resistance were performed by broth microdilution according to the CLSI guidelines.

UVC-LED-based face mask design and efficacy against common germs.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the best means of personal protection was using face masks. In this context, the World Health Organization has declared the attempts to produce masks inactivating airborne virus species a welcome initiative. This preliminary study aimed to prove that airborne germs passing through a mask filter cartridge can be destroyed by the rays emitted from UVC LEDs placed in such cartridge.

Candidemia Cases Caused by Candida parapsilosis Complex Species: Epidemiology and Antifungal Susceptibility of Strains.

Background: Candida parapsilosis is a common non-albicans Candida species isolated from blood cultures. The increase in fluconazole-resistant C. parapsilosis complex isolates is worrying, especially in strains with Y132F changes in the ERG11 gene since this ultimately leads to outbreaks.

Talaromyces marneffei infection in an HIV infected patient with hematological malignancy - first report from Turkey.

T.marneffei, encountered mostly in Southeast Asia, leads to a systemic infection, especially in immunocompromised individuals such as HIV-infected patients with low CD4 level. A 32-year-old male patient, residing in Hong Kong for the last two years, admitted with fever, cough, weakness, and weight loss.

[P323L Mutation in a Case with Prolonged SARS-CoV-2 PCR Positivity].

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) emerged in the last months of 2019 and caused a pandemic effecting the whole world. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19 has changed by various mutations since the day it was first identified, causing the pandemic to continue. Age, male gender, obesity, and comorbidity, which are general risk factors for COVID-19, can also cause prolonged PCR positivity.

[Investigation of Ganciclovir Resistance in Cytomegalovirus Isolates by Phenotypic and Genotypic Methods].

Ganciclovir-resistant cytomegalovirus (CMV) strains are reported following long-term antiviral agent use, especially for immune-suppressive patients. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the mutations in the UL97 gene of CMV, which causes ganciclovir (GCV) resistance by genotypic and phenotypic methods in patients who developed CMV infection following hematopoietic cell (HCT) or solid organ transplantation (SOT). Thirty patients who had HCT or SOT in Mediterranean University Hospital and developed CMV infection during routine follow-up with a viral load of CMV over 1000 copies/mL were included in the study.

Evaluation of the BD Phoenix CPO Detect Test for the detection of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales.

This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the BD Phoenix CPO Detect Test (BD Diagnostic Systems) for the detection and classification of carbapenemase-mediated carbapenem resistance. A total of 447 Enterobacterales strains were included in the study. All strains were tested with the BD Phoenix CPO Detect Test and the modified carbapenem inactivation method.

One-Year Post-Vaccination Longitudinal Follow-Up of Quantitative SARS-CoV-2 Anti-Spike Total Antibodies in Health Care Professionals and Evaluation of Correlation with Surrogate Neutralization Test.

Numerous vaccines have been generated to decrease the morbidity and mortality of COVID-19. This study aims to evaluate the immunogenicity of the heterologous boosts by BioNTech against homologous boosts by CoronaVac at three-month intervals in two health care worker (HCW) cohorts, with or without prior COVID-19, for one year post-vaccination. This is a prospective cohort study in which the humoral responses of 386 HCWs were followed-up longitudinally in six main groups according to their previous COVID-19 exposure and vaccination status.

Development of a new multiplex real-time PCR assay for rapid screening of hospital-acquired infection agents.

Aims: A new multiplex real-time PCR (qPCR) assay was developed to detect antibiotic-resistant hospital-acquired infectious agents in nasal and rectal swab samples in 1.5 h without the need for nucleic acid extraction.

Methods: Spiked negative clinical specimens were used for the analytical performance evaluation.

The association between Acinetobacter baumannii infections and the COVID-19 pandemic in an intensive care unit.

We aimed to describe the increased rate of Acinetobacter baumannii infections during the COVID-19 pandemic and define its significance within the last five years. This study was performed in a tertiary hospital with 280 beds and included all patients infected with A. baumannii in the intensive care unit between January 1, 2018, and June 30, 2022.

Can the Prognosis of COVID-19 Disease Be Determined by Fecal Markers and Cytokines?

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the entire world, and has a variety of clinical presentations. The aim of this study is to determine the relationships of fecal cytokines and markers with the symptoms and prognosis of children with COVID-19 infection, and to identify noninvasive markers during follow-up. In a cohort of 40 COVID-19-positive children and 40 healthy controls, fecal cytokines and markers were examined in stool samples.

Novel SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants in İstanbul; Rapid Preponderance of BA.2 and BA.5.

Objective: In Turkey, the fourth wave of SARS-CoV-2 started in December 2021 and peaked in mid-January 2022. Afterward, peaks were seen in the number of COVID-19 cases because of Omicron BA.2 and BA.