Safak Kaya

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in High-Risk Population, Turkey

In the Tokat and Sivas provinces of Turkey, the overall Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) seroprevalence was 12.8% among 782 members of a high-risk population. CCHFV seroprevalence was associated with history of tick bite or tick removal from animals, employment in animal husbandry or farming, and being >40 years of age.

Efficacy and safety of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in pregnancy for the prevention of vertical transmission of HBV infection

AIM To evaluate the effects of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) use during late pregnancy to reduce hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission in highly viremic mothers. METHODS This retrospective study included 45 pregnant patients with hepatitis B e antigen (+) chronic hepatitis B and HBV DNA levels > 10⁷ copies/mL who received TDF 300 mg/d from week 18 to 27 of gestation (n = 21). Untreated pregnant patients served as controls (n = 24). All infants received 200 IU of hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) within 24 h postpartum and 20 μg of recombinant HBV vaccine at 4, 8, and 24 wk. Perinatal transmission rate was determined by hepatitis B surface antigen and HBV DNA results in infants at week 28. RESULTS At week 28, none of the infants of TDF-treated mothers had immunoprophylaxis failure, whereas 2 (8.3 %) of the infants of control mothers had immunoprophylaxis failure (P = 0.022). There were no differences between the groups in terms of adverse events in mothers or congenital deformities, gestational age, height, or weight in infants. At postpartum week 28, significantly more TDF-treated mothers had levels of HBV DNA < 250 copies/mL and normalized alanine aminotransferase compared with controls (62% vs none, P < 0.001; 82% vs 61%, P = 0.012, respectively). CONCLUSION TDF therapy during the second or third trimester reduced perinatal transmission rates of HBV and no adverse events were observed in mothers or infants.

Sequential determination of serum viral titers, virus-specific IgG antibodies, and TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, and IFN-γ levels in patients with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever

BackgroundAlthough there have been a number of studies on the pathogenesis of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) recently, knowledge on this topic is still insufficient. This study aims to reveal the kinetics of serum CCHF virus (CCHFV) titers, serum levels of anti-CCHFV immunoglobulin (Ig)G, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, and interferon (IFN)-γ in CCHF patients.MethodsIn total, 31 CCHF cases (11 fatal) were studied. Serum samples were obtained daily from all patients from the time of admission and continued for a 7-day hospitalization period for serologic (ELISA), virologic (real-time PCR), and cytokine (ELISA) analysis.ResultsThe mean serum CCHFV titer at admission was 5.5E + 09 copies/mL in fatal cases and 5.7E + 08 copies/mL in survivors (p < 0.001). Compared to survivors, both the mean serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α at admission were found to be significantly increased in fatal cases. The serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α and serum CCHFV titer at admission were significantly and positively correlated with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) scores (r = 0.626, p = 0.0002; r = 0.461, p = 0.009; and r = 0.625, p = 0.003, respectively). When the data obtained from the sequential determination of CCHFV titer and levels of anti-CCHFV IgG, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-10 and IFN-γ were grouped according to the days of illness, the initial serum CCHFV titer of a fatal patient was 5.5E + 09 (copies/mL) and it was 6.1E + 09 (copies/mL) in a survivor on the 2 day of illness. While significant alterations were observed in all cytokines during the monitoring period, IL-6 levels remained consistently higher in fatal cases and TNF-α levels increased in both in fatal and non-fatal CCHF cases.ConclusionsThe increased CCHFV load and higher concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-α, the presence of DIC, and the absence of CCHFV specific immunity are strongly associated with death in CCHF.

Spondylodiscitis: evaluation of patients in a tertiary hospital.

INTRODUCTION Spondylodiscitis (SD) is an uncommon but important infection. The aim of this work was to study the risk factors, bacteriological features, clinical, laboratory and radiological findings of SD, and to shed light on the initial treatment. METHODOLOGY A total of 107 patients who underwent treatment for SD were evaluated. The diagnosis of SD was defined by clinical findings, complete blood count, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), serum tube agglutination (STA) test, Ziehl-Neelsen staining, culture, histopathology, and radiological methods such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans. RESULTS Of the 107 cases, ranging between 17 to 83 years of age, 64 (59.8%) were male. Twenty-seven (25.2%) patients had diabetes mellitus. Laboratory investigations revealed elevated CRP in 70 (65%) patients, elevated ESR in 65 (61%) patients, and elevated white blood cell (WBC) counts in 41 (38.3%) patients. Thirty-six (33.6%) patients were identified as having brucellar SD, and 5 (4.7%) patients were identified as having tuberculous SD. A total of 66 (61.6%) patients were determined to have pyogenic SD. The most frequently isolated microorganism was Staphylococcus aureus. Antibiotic therapy was given intravenously to all pyogenic SD patients. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of SD has increased as a result of the higher life expectancy of older patients with chronic debilitating diseases and the increase of spinal surgical procedures. In patients with low back pain, SD should be considered as a diagnosis. For effective treatment, it is important to determine the etiology of the disease.

Analysis of antimicrobial consumption and cost in a teaching hospital

BACKGROUND The aim of this study is to compare the periods before and after the intervention applied using the ATC/DDD method in order to ascertain the rational use of antibiotics in a newly established hospital. METHOD The appropriateness of the hospitals antibiotic use, consumption rates and the costs were calculated and compared with other hospitals. Based on these data, an intervention has been planned in order to raise the quality of antibiotic use. The periods before and after the intervention were compared. Between 16 May 2011 and 23 May 2012, data were collected from all hospital units by the infectious diseases specialists and a point prevalence survey was conducted. Anatomical therapeutic chemical classification and the defined daily dose (DDD) methodology were used to calculate the antibiotic consumption. RESULTS On two specific days in 2011 and 2012, 194 out of 307 patients (63.2%) and 224 out of 412 patients (54.4%) received antibiotic treatment, respectively. In 2011 and 2012, the percentage of appropriate antibiotic use was 51% and 64.3%, respectively. Both in 2011 and 2012, inappropriate antibiotic use was found to be significantly higher in surgical clinics in comparison to the internal diseases clinics and the ICU. This was caused by the high rates of inappropriate perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis observed in surgical clinics. During both years, approximately one-third of the antibiotics were prescribed for the purposes of perioperative prophylaxis, while 88.5% and 43.7% of these, respectively, were inappropriate and unnecessary. Cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, combinations of penicillins (including β-lactamase inhibitors) and carbapenems were the most frequently prescribed antibiotics during the study periods. The mean total antibiotic consumption was 93.6 DDD/100 bed-days and 63.1 DDD/100 bed-days, respectively. The cost of total antibacterial consumption was € 7901.33 for all the patients (€ 40.72 per infected patient) and € 6500.26 (€ 29.01 per infected patient), respectively. CONCLUSION Each hospital should follow and assess their antibiotic use expressed in DDD in order to compare their antibiotic use with national and international hospitals (WHO, 2009 [14]).

Acute Acalculous Cholecystitis due to Viral Hepatitis A

Inflammation of the gallbladder without evidence of calculi is known as acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC). AAC is frequently associated with gangrene, perforation, and empyema. Due to these associated complications, AAC can be associated with high morbidity and mortality. Medical or surgical treatments can be chosen according to the general condition of the patient, underlying disease and agent. Particularly in acute acalculous cholecystitis cases, early diagnosis and early medical treatment have a positive effect on the patient and protect them from surgical trauma. ACC is a rare complication of acute viral hepatitis A. Herein, we present an adult patient of acalculous cholecystitis due to acute viral hepatitis A. She responded to the conservative management.

Brucellar pericarditis: a report of four cases and review of the literature

BACKGROUND Brucellosis, a disease endemic in many countries including Turkey, is a systemic infectious disease. Cardiovascular complications are not frequent, and endocarditis is the main cardiac manifestation of brucellosis. Pericarditis in the absence of concomitant endocarditis is extremely rare. METHODS In this report, we present four patients with pericarditis caused by brucellosis in the absence of concomitant endocarditis, along with a review of the published literature on brucellar pericarditis. We also searched for clinically silent pericardial effusion among patients with brucellosis. We performed routine transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) on 72 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed brucellosis in the absence of any signs and symptoms of pericarditis over a period of 6 months. RESULTS Three of our patients with brucellar pericarditis recovered fully after antibiotics. The other patient received 6 days of antibiotic treatment, and her signs and symptoms regressed, but after this the patient was lost to follow-up. We did not detect pericarditis among the 72 newly diagnosed patients. CONCLUSIONS Brucellar pericarditis is a rare clinical entity, and the morbidity and mortality in patients with brucellar pericarditis is low. Pericardiocentesis should only be performed in patients with cardiac tamponade. Moreover, the choice of antibiotics and the duration of treatment do not differ between brucellosis cases with or without isolated pericarditis. Although the prevalence of pericarditis in brucellosis is low, brucellar pericarditis should always be kept in mind in patients with acute or chronic pericarditis, especially in areas where brucellosis is endemic.

Comparison of brucellar and tuberculous spondylodiscitis patients: results of the multicenter "Backbone-1 Study".

BACKGROUND CONTEXT No direct comparison between brucellar spondylodiscitis (BSD) and tuberculous spondylodiscitis (TSD) exists in the literature. PURPOSE This study aimed to compare directly the clinical features, laboratory and radiological aspects, treatment, and outcome data of patients diagnosed as BSD and TSD. STUDY DESIGN A retrospective, multinational, and multicenter study was used. PATIENT SAMPLE A total of 641 (TSD, 314 and BSD, 327) spondylodiscitis patients from 35 different centers in four countries (Turkey, Egypt, Albania, and Greece) were included. OUTCOME MEASURES The pre- and peri- or post-treatment spinal deformity and neurologic deficit parameters, and mortality were carried out. METHODS Brucellar spondylodiscitis and TSD groups were compared for demographics, clinical, laboratory, radiological, surgical interventions, treatment, and outcome data. The Student t test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for group comparisons. Significance was analyzed as two sided and inferred at 0.05 levels. RESULTS The median baseline laboratory parameters including white blood cell count, C-reactive protein, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were higher in TSD than BSD (p<.0001). Prevertebral, paravertebral, epidural, and psoas abscess formations along with loss of vertebral corpus height and calcification were significantly more frequent in TSD compared with BSD (p<.01). Surgical interventions and percutaneous sampling or abscess drainage were applied more frequently in TSD (p<.0001). Spinal complications including gibbus deformity, kyphosis, and scoliosis, and the number of spinal neurologic deficits, including loss of sensation, motor weakness, and paralysis were significantly higher in the TSD group (p<.05). Mortality rate was 2.22% (7 patients) in TSD, and it was 0.61% (2 patients) in the BSD group (p=.1). CONCLUSIONS The results of this study show that TSD is a more suppurative disease with abscess formation requiring surgical intervention and characterized with spinal complications. We propose that using a constellation of constitutional symptoms (fever, back pain, and weight loss), pulmonary involvement, high inflammatory markers, and radiological findings will help to differentiate between TSD and BSD at an early stage before microbiological results are available.

Cytopenia in adult brucellosis patients

Background & objectives: Brucellosis can lead to haematological abnormalities including cytopenia confusing with haematological malignancies. The aim of this study was to compare the main characteristics of brucellosis patients without cytopenia (Group 1) and with cytopenia (Group 2). Methods: This five-year period study which was performed in two referral hospitals in Turkey, included all adult brucellosis patients. Abnormally, low counts of leucocyte or haemoglobin or platelets in a patient were considered as cytopenia. The demographics, clinical, laboratory, treatment and outcome data were analyzed. Results: A total of 484 brucellosis patients were enrolled. Among the cases, 162 (33.5%) of them had cytopenia. One hundred and four (21.5%) had anaemia, 88 (18.8%) had thrombocytopenia, 71 (14.6%) had leucopenia and 28 (5.8%) had pancytopenia. The mean age of group 2 was 35.01±16.05 yr and it was 33.31±14.39 yr in group 1. While there was no difference between the groups in terms of duration of treatment, the median length of hospital stay (LOS) was significantly longer in group 2 (9 vs 10 days; P<0.001). The most frequently applied combination therapy consisted of doxycycline plus rifampicin and doxycycline plus streptomycin regimens. No significant difference was observed in terms of duration of treatment, LOS and restoration time of cytopenia between the patients who received either of these combinations. Interpretation & conclusions: Our findings suggested that the patients with cytopenia should be investigated for brucellosis, especially if living in, or with a history of travel to, endemic areas, in view of the increase in world travel.

Evaluation of telaprevir-containing triple therapy in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in hemodialysed patients

Abstract Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing hemodialysis for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Eradication of HCV before transplantation is therefore of utmost importance in HCV-infected patients with ESRD who are candidates for kidney transplantation. The appropriate treatment for HCV infection in patients with ESRD and suboptimal response rates is still unclear. Here, we present our data from five cases who were being monitored by two healthcare centers for ESRD and HCV infection, who were candidates for kidney transplantation and were treated with a triple regimen containing telaprevir. All patients were started on triple therapy from the beginning including pegylated interferon-alfa2a (135 μg once a week), ribavirin (200 mg three times a week), and telaprevir (750 mg three times a day). Rapid virologic response was observed in all of the patients but treatment was discontinued in one patient at week 6 because the patient developed nausea and vomiting and was unable to feed orally. For the remaining four patients, side effects included weakness, lack of appetite, metallic taste, and mild anemia. The triple therapy with telaprevir seemed to be successful in HCV-infected patients who were candidates for renal transplantation.