Unmasking Myocardial Dysfunction in Patients Hospitalized for Community-Acquired Pneumonia Using a 4-Chamber 3-Dimensional Volume/Strain Analysis.

Lower respiratory infection was reported as the most common fatal infectious disease. Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and myocardial injury are associated; yet, true prevalence of myocardial injury is probably underestimated. We assessed the rate and severity of myocardial dysfunction in patients with CAP.

Tinea capitis in an immigrant pediatric community; a clinical signs-based treatment approach.

Background: Tinea capitis is a common cutaneous infection of the scalp and hair follicles, typically diagnosed by direct examination and culture. Treatment with oral antifungals is usually withheld until mycology results are available. In Israel, African refugee children demonstrate higher susceptibility to Tinea capitis and generally fail to undergo follow-up evaluations.

IL-16 and BCA-1 Serum Levels Are Associated with Disease Severity of Infection.

infection (CDI) is associated with a high risk for complications and death, which requires identifying severe patients and treating them accordingly. We examined the serum level of six cytokines and chemokines (IL-16, IL-21, IL-23, IL-33, BCA-1, TRAIL) and investigated the association between them and patients' disease severity. Concentrations of six cytokines and chemokines were measured using the MILLIPLEXMAP kit (Billerica, MA, USA) in serum samples attained from CDI patients within 24-48 h after laboratory confirmation of presence.

The microbial diversity following antibiotic treatment of Clostridioides difficile infection.

Background: Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is a major nosocomial pathogen that infects the human gut and can cause diarrheal disease. A dominant risk factor is antibiotic treatment that disrupts the normal gut microbiota.

Clinical and Demographic Characteristics of Patients With a New Diagnosis of Carriage or Clinical Infection With Carbapenemase-Producing : A Retrospective Study.

To examine the clinical, demographic, and microbiologic characteristics of new rectal carbapenemase-producing carbapenem-resistant (CP-CRE) carriers vs. those with a clinical infection, hospitalized at Padeh-Poriya Medical Center between 2014 and 2017 and to examine the susceptibility profiles of isolates from clinical infections. In this retrospective, chart analysis, demographic and clinical data were collected from medical charts of 175 adult patients with either new- onset carbapenemase-producing (CPE) carriage or clinical CPE infection.

Characterization of Strains, the Disease Severity, and the Microbial Changes They Induce.

Background: infection (CDI) is a major nosocomial disease. The characteristics of different strains, the disease severity they cause, their susceptibility to antibiotics, and the changes they inflict on gut microbiome, have not been comprehensively studied in Israel.

Methods: A severity score was calculated for 70 patients.

Characterization of the Immune Response during Infection Caused by .

The high risk of complications and death following infection (CDI) requires identifying patients with severe disease and treating them accordingly. We characterized the immune response of CDI patients in relation to infection severity. Concentrations of 28 cytokines and chemokines were measured in serum samples, obtained from 54 CDI patients within a median timeframe of 24-48 h after laboratory confirmation of infection.

Maternal and neonatal outcome of asymptomatic bacteriuria at term pregnancy.

Objectives: Guidelines recommend antibiotic treatment for every episode of asymptomatic bacteriuria throughout pregnancy in order to reduce maternal and fetal complications. We evaluated intra- and post-partum, as well as puerperal maternal and neonatal outcomes of an untreated group of pregnant women with asymptomatic bacteriuria at term.

Methods: This was a single center prospective cohort study.

Antimicrobial agent susceptibilities of Legionella pneumophila MLVA-8 genotypes.

Legionella pneumophila causes human lung infections resulting in severe pneumonia. High-resolution genotyping of L. pneumophila isolates can be achieved by multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA-8).

Detection of group a Streptococcus in pharyngitis by two rapid tests: comparison of the BD Veritor™ and the QuikRead go® Strep A.

We compared the performance of two rapid antigen tests-QuikRead go® Strep A test (Orion Diagnostica, Espoo, Finland) and BD Veritor™ system (Becton, Dickinson and Company, Sparks, MD) with throat culture. Our aim was to evaluate each assay's performance and agreement compared to throat culture in order to choose one of the assays as a point-of-care test in the emergency room. One hundred throat samples were collected in triplicates from patients with suspected pharyngitis admitted to the emergency room.

High Rates of Fosfomycin Resistance in Gram-Negative Urinary Isolates from Israel.

Background: Increasing antimicrobial resistance is a major problem worldwide. Many urinary tract infection (UTI) isolates are resistant to all oral antimicrobial agents, necessitating intravenous treatment even for cystitis. Fosfomycin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that achieves high and prolonged urinary drug concentration and is considered first-line treatment for uncomplicated cystitis.

Cheap and rapid in-house method for direct identification of positive blood cultures by MALDI-TOF MS technology.

Background: Rapid and accurate pathogen identification in blood cultures is very important for septic patients and has major consequences on morbidity and mortality rates. In recent years, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS)-based technology has become useful for highly specific and sensitive identification of bacteria and yeasts from clinical samples including sterile body fluids. Additional in-house methods enabled direct identification from blood cultures following various preparation protocols.

Presence of anaerobic bacteria in the urinary tract of catheterized ICU patients.

The purpose of our study was to examine the extent of anaerobic bacteriuria in catheterized patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) and to search for risk factors for anaerobic bacteriuria. A urine culture was collected from each patient every 2 days during their ICU stay and incubated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Aerobic and anaerobic blood cultures were collected as well.

Bloodstream Infections Caused by Contaminants: Epidemiology and Risk Factors: A 10-Year Surveillance.

Background: Skin colonization of microorganisms in blood cultures (BCs) are generally considered clinically non-significant and can be the source of a true infection, particularly in immunosuppressed patients.

Objectives: To study the epidemiology and risk factors for bacteremia caused by contaminants.

Methods: This retrospective, descriptive study is based on adult BCs collected (2004-2013) and categorized as positive (True bacteremia [TrueB] or contamination) or negative.

Activity of Tedizolid, Dalbavancin, and Ceftobiprole Against .

() is a major nosocomial pathogen that colonizes in the human gut. Recently, the U.S.

Infectious disease burden and antibiotic prescribing in primary care in Israel.

Background: Antibiotics are frequently prescribed at many of the visits to primary care clinics, often for conditions for which they provide no benefit, including viral respiratory tract infections.

Objectives: The aim was to evaluate primary care visits due to infectious diseases, and to estimate antibiotic prescribing and antibiotic dispensing by pharmacies.

Methods: Diagnosis of infectious disease, antibiotic prescribing and dispensing data at the individual patient level were extracted for 2015 from Clalit Health Services' electronic medical records and linked to determine the condition for which the antimicrobial was prescribed.

Antimicrobial susceptibility of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli: comparison between Etest and a broth dilution method.

Background: Campylobacter is a leading cause of foodborne gasteroenteritis worldwide. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing for Campylobacter spp. is not routinely performed by most clinical laboratories.

Role of Single Procalcitonin Test on Admission as a Biomarker for Predicting the Severity of Infection.

To evaluate whether serum Procalcitonin (PCT) at the early stage of infection can serve as a potential biomarker for determining infection (CDI) severity. Fifty-four patients diagnosed with CDI were enrolled in the study. Serum samples were obtained within a median time of 24-48 h of the lab result for presence of .

Tinea capitis-like infection caused by Rhodotorula mucilaginosa in a shelter for African Refugee Children in Northern Israel.

Rhodotorula is a genus of unicellular pigmented yeasts, part of the division Basidiomycota. In this article, we report three cases of refugee children in a day care shelter in northern Israel who were clinically diagnosed and treated empirically as with ringworm infection but with clean and exclusive growth of Rhodotorula mucilaginosa in repeated cultures of several skin samples. Skin infections caused by this yeast are rare and there are few reports in the literature, mainly in patients who are immunocompromised.

Antimicrobial susceptibility of Clostridium difficile isolates in Israel.

Objectives: An increase of Clostridium difficile isolates with reduced susceptibility to various antimicrobial agents has been observed, including isolates that are non-susceptible to antibiotics that are routinely used for treatment of C. difficile, such as vancomycin and metronidazole. We determined the susceptibility rates of C.

Case Report: Infectious Diseases in Pilgrims Visiting the Holy Land.

Every year Christian pilgrims from around the world visit the holy sites located around the Sea of Galilee. Some become ill during their stay with infectious diseases that were acquired in their country of origin, and are hospitalized at Poriya Medical Center. They pose a diagnostic challenge due to language barriers, the rarity of these infections in Israel, and the fact that diagnostic tests are not readily available.

A comparison of enriched culture and Xpert polymerase chain reaction assay of Group B streptococcus carrier status at 35-37-week gestation to labor onset: a prospective controlled study.

Objectives: (1) To compare the accuracy of vagino-rectal enriched culture (EC) and a rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for the detection of Group B streptococcus (GBS) carrier status at 35-37-week gestation and at onset of labor. (2) To assess the conversion rate of GBS carrier status between 35-37 weeks to the onset of labor according to the EC/PCR tests. A prospective study was performed at a women's health clinic, referred to give birth at one medical center.

Microbiologic Data in Acute Cholecystitis: Ten Years' Experience from Bile Cultures Obtained during Percutaneous Cholecystostomy.

Background: The aim of the study was to describe the microbiology and susceptibility patterns in acute cholecystitis by examining bile culture results from patients who underwent percutaneous cholecystostomy and examine concordance with empiric treatment.

Patients And Methods: A total of 124 patients with acute cholecystitis underwent percutaneous cholecystostomy between 2003 and 2012 at Emek Medical Center, Israel. Data on bile and blood culture results, isolate susceptibility, and clinical outcomes were retrieved from patient files.