Ethnic epidemiological profiles and antiviral therapy among patients infected with hepatitis C virus genotype 4: a multicenter study from Belgium.

Background: Hepatitis C virus genotype 4 (HCV-4) is the most prevalent genotype in Central Africa.

Aim: To compare epidemiology, clinical characteristics and any differences in access to HCV therapy in two populations of HCV-4 patients residing in Belgium.

Methods: This multicenter study selected 473 HCV-4 patients from seven hospital databases and compared them according to ethnic origin, i.

New identification characteristics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus on chromogenic culture media.

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most common and important causes of nosocomial infections. Rapid detection of this pathogen is important for conducting good and swift infection control. This prospective study evaluates two chromogenic media for the detection of MRSA.

Metabolic disorders associated with chronic hepatitis C: impact of genotype and ethnicity.

Background & Aim: Patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, especially those with genotypes 1 and 4, have an increased risk of developing metabolic disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations among metabolic disorders, ethnicity and genotype in a large cohort of patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC).

Patients And Methods: All consecutive patients with CHC who were seen in our hepato-gastroenterology unit between January 2002 and September 2008 were included.

A prospective evaluation of selection criteria for the use of Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques to test for the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in respiratory tract samples.

Background: Although Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) can be detected rapidly by means of Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques (NAT), these NAT tests are expensive and therefore are not used in routine practice or as a screening tool.

Methods: Although it is generally accepted that clinical and radiological data are important markers for deciding whether to test for MTB using NAT, the optimal combination of markers has not been determined. A prospective study was performed to evaluate NAT using different combinations of clinical, laboratory and radiographic selection criteria.

Development of a multiple internal control for clinical diagnostic real-time amplification assays.

A major pitfall in most published genomic amplification methods for the detection and identification of human pathogens is that they do not include an internal amplification control in order to achieve an acceptable level of confidence for the absence of false-negative results. By applying composite primer technology, a single multiple internal amplification control DNA molecule was constructed to detect and quantify the hepatitis B virus, human polyomavirus, Epstein-Barr virus, Toxoplasma gondii and cytomegalovirus using real-time PCR. The multiple internal amplification control contains all forward and reverse primer binding regions targeted in the five distinct duplex PCRs, but with a unique probe hybridization site.

Clinical and microbiological features of dientamoebiasis in patients suspected of suffering from a parasitic gastrointestinal illness: a comparison of Dientamoeba fragilis and Giardia lamblia infections.

Objectives: To describe the clinical and microbiological features of Dientamoeba fragilis and Giardia lamblia infected patients, and to analyze the genetic variation of D. fragilis strains.

Methods: For a period of two years, all stool samples collected from patients suspected of having a parasitic gastrointestinal infection were examined according to our specific triple feces test (TFT) protocol.