Publications by authors named "Ozlem Unaldi"

We report a nosocomial outbreak caused by a multidrug-resistant carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (MDRCPKp), that was detected in six patients admitted to the medical intensive care unit between 20th of December 2023 and 15th of January 2024 in Ankara, Turkey. The investigation of this outbreak was started on 29th of December 2023. During the outbreak 11 samples were collected from the six patients with MDRCPKp.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: The aims of this study were to: (i) determine antibiotic susceptibility of clinical isolates, (ii) investigate the presence of different classes of integrons and genes responsible for sulphonamide resistance, (iii) assess the molecular epidemiology of the isolates by determining their clonal relatedness, and (iv) investigate the potential sources of infection by collecting environmental samples when necessary.

Methods: 99 isolates from clinical specimens of hospitalized patients were screened by PCR for , , genes, and integron-associated integrase genes: , , and . PFGE was used to determine the clonal relatedness of the isolates.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The interrelationship between human, animal and environmental sectors leads to the spread of antibiotic resistance due to selective pressures, evolutionary traits and genomic evolution. In particular, the frequent use of antibiotics in livestock inevitably influences the emergence of specific resistance determinants in human strains, associated with reduced treatment options in clinical therapy. In this study, ESBL-producing strains isolated from chicken meat samples were evaluated for public health implications in Türkiye.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The long-standing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) pandemic has proven difficult to resolve and is becoming more complex, especially in the context of increasing forced migration, with little evidence around patterns of AMR in migrant communities. This study aimed to determine the frequency in the carriage of common types of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria between Syrian refugees and the local communities in Türkiye: extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE).

Methods: We collected nasal swabs and stool samples from the study participants, the local community members, and refugees, between September 2020 and March 2021.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In this study, it was aimed to determine the possible factors affecting the clinical importance of Corynebacterium striatum isolates, which were accepted as infectious or contamination/colonization agents, by comparing their clinical and microbiological characteristics, antimicrobial susceptibility results, biofilm forming abilities and genotypic characteristics. The patients with C.striatum growth in the clinical samples sent to the laboratory were evaluated as infection or contamination/colonization with the evaluation of the examination findings and other laboratory parameters by the relevant physician.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Ralstonia insidiosa, a gram-negative waterborne bacteria able to survive and grow in any type of water source, can cause nosocomial infections, and are considered emerging pathogens of infectious diseases in hospital settings. In this study, we report an outbreak of R. insidiosa at our center related to contaminated heparinized syringes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We aimed to investigate the clonal relationships, common sequence types, and carbapenemase genes in 177 non-repetitive blood culture isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii collected from patients at three university hospitals in Turkey in 2016. Molecular epidemiological characteristics of the isolates were examined using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) (Pasteur scheme-cpn60, fusA, gltA, pyrG, recA, rplB, and rpoB). Multiplex PCR was used to investigate the carbapenemase genes, including bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, and bla.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Francisella tularensis is a gram-negative bacterium that causes tularemia in humans and has four subspecies with varying levels of virulence, ranging from high mortality in F.tularensis subsp. tularensis to low risk of lethality in F.tularensis subsp. holarctica.
  • The study identified 259 F.tularensis strains and 517 PCR-positive DNA samples from clinical specimens and drinking water, focusing on the differentiation of subspecies using conventional PCR methods.
  • F.tularensis subsp. holarctica was predominantly found, with specific biovar identification, including biovar japonica, indicated by unique DNA amplification results from samples like water and lymph aspirates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 pandemic virus causing the 2009 global outbreak moved into the post-pandemic period, but its variants continued to be the prevailing subtype in the 2015-2016 influenza season in Europe and Asia. To determine the molecular characteristics of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 isolates circulating during the 2015-2016 season in Turkey, we identified mutations in the hemagglutinin (HA) genes and investigated the presence of H275Y alteration in the neuraminidase genes in the randomly selected isolates. The comparison of the HA nucleotide sequences revealed a very high homology (>99.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii infections are considered as emerging nosocomial infections particularly in patients hospitalized in intensive care units (ICUs). Therefore, reliable detection of MDR strains is crucial for management of treatment but also for epidemiological data collections. The purpose of this study was to compare antimicrobial resistance and the clonal distribution of MDR clinical and environmental A.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The synergistic activity of eravacycline in combination with colistin on carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) isolates was evaluated in this study. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of eravacycline and colistin were determined by the broth microdilution method.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective Chronic otitis media can cause cholesteatomas or tympanosclerosis; however, the pathophysiology of such conditions is not completely known. The aim was to identify a bacterial genome that might be present in tympanosclerotic plaques and cholesteatomas using sequence analysis of the gene responsible for the transcription of 16 ribosomal RNA (rRNA). Study Design Metagenomics analysis of the samples.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: In recent years, the prevalence of multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa has remarkably increased. Thus, we wanted to investigate the carbapenem resistance mechanisms and clonal relationship among 80 carbapenem-resistant P.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Human rotavirus A (RVA) is the leading cause of severe dehydration in children under 5, prompting a study on its prevalence and variety in Turkey over a two-year period.
  • Researchers analyzed 1639 stool samples from hospitalized children, finding RVA in 85.3% of cases, with the highest rates in infants aged 0-12 months.
  • The study identified several prevalent genotypes, with G1P[8] being the most common, and showed significant changes in the prevalence of genotypes between 2014 and 2016, indicating a diverse and fluctuating RVA strain landscape in Turkey.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study obtained information on the serotypes and molecular typing characteristics of Streptococcus pneumoniae strains causing invasive diseases in Turkey. Sixty-eight S. pneumoniae isolates causing invasive pneumococcal diseases were collected from different regions of Turkey from 2009 to 2011.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study aimed to determine the presence of vancomycin resistance (vanA and vanB) and virulence genes (esp, asa1, gelE, ace, hyl, cylA, cpd and ebpA) in vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) strains and to analyse the clonal relationships among the strains. E. faecium strains were identified from rectal and clinical specimens by biochemical tests and the API-20 Strep kit.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The aims of this study were to investigate drug resistance rates, types of extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBLs), and molecular epidemiological characteristics of 43 Shigella sonnei isolates. Ampicillin-sulbactam, amoxicillin-clavulanate, chloramphenicol, and ciprofloxacin were the most active antibiotics. Five isolates harbored bla SHV-12, bla(TEM-1) and bla(CTX-M-15).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: We report an outbreak of surgical site infections due to genetically related strains of Streptococcus pyogenes in a cardiovascular surgery department.

Methods: The practices that were possibly related to the outbreak were investigated through direct observation and interviews with staff by an infection control team. Surveillance sampling from patients, health-care workers, and environment were done for the investigation of the source.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne zoonosis which is common in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Balkan Peninsula. CCHF has been reported in Turkey with high frequency since 2002. The aim of the present study was to investigate the genetic diversity and genetic relationship between CCHF virus (CCHFV) isolates derived from infected patients over a 2-year period (2009 and 2010) in several provinces of Turkey.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In this study, extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production of 83 enteric isolates has been investigated by using a new agar screening method described by Storenburg et al. and double disk synergy (DDS) method. Agar screening method has also been evaluated in terms of presumptive bacterial identification.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF