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Objective: Identifying the presence and type of carbapenemases is essential to determine the treatment choices for carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacilli (CRB). Genotypic characterization of CRB needs technical support and experienced staff and is not an option for most laboratories due to its high cost. For this reason, especially in countries with limited resources, cheap, reliable phenotypic methods are an alternative, do not require experience, and can be easily applied in daily practice. The goal of the study was to evaluate the performance of phenotypic methods for carbapenemase production in CRB and to form a simple algorithm to differentiate carbapenemase types such as blaOXA-48 or blaNDM, which are common in our country. Methods: The study included 16 consecutive carbapenem-resistant, Gram-negative bacteria. Simplified carbapenem inactivation methods (sCIM) and modified Hodge test (MHT) were performed. Genes responsible for carbapenemase production (blaOXA-48, blaNDM, and blaKPC) were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Temocillin resistance and ceftazidime-avibactam disc diffusion test were also applied to define carbapenemase types. Results: The carbapenemase gene was detected in 12 of the 16 strains; sCIM positivity was found in 11, and MHT was positive in 10. Sensitivity for sCIM and MHT were 91.9% and 83.3%, respectively. All Enterobacterales strains were positive for sCIM, and blaOXA-48 was the most common carbapenemase. sCIM false negativity was detected for only one strain. High-level temocillin resistance (MIC >128 μg/mL) was present in all strains with blaOXA-48; it wasn't detected in the strain carrying isolated blaNDM. Conclusion: sCIM positivity was present for all Enterobacterales, which were shown to carry the carbapenemase gene by RT-PCR. Our findings support the usage of sCIM in daily practice to screen for carbapenemase production in CRB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human pegivirus (HPgV) is transmitted through sexual or parenteral exposure and is common among patients receiving blood products. HPgV is associated with lower levels of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA and better survival among HIV-infected patients. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of HPgV and determine its subtypes in HIV-infected individuals living in Istanbul, which has the highest rate of HIV infection in Türkiye. Total RNA extraction from plasma, cDNA synthesis, and nested PCR were performed for HPgV on plasma samples taken from 351 HIV-1-infected patients. The HPgV viral load was quantified on HPgV-positive samples. HPgV genotyping was performed by sequencing the corresponding amplicons. In the present study, the overall prevalence of HPgV RNA in HIV-infected patients was 27.3%. HPgV subtypes 1, 2a, and 2b were found, with subtype 2a being the most frequent (91.6%). Statistical analysis of HIV-1 viral load on HPgV viral load showed an opposing correlation between HIV-1 and HPgV loads. In conclusion, these data show that HPgV infection is common among HIV-positive individuals in Istanbul, Türkiye. Further comprehensive studies are needed to clarify both the cellular and molecular pathways of these two infections and to provide more information on the effect of HPgV on the course of the disease in HIV-infected individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS) is a condition seen in the early post-COVID-19 period and thought to develop with an impaired immune response. It has been usually reported in children but rarely in adults. Here we report the first adult MIS (MIS-A) case series from Turkiye. Material and Methods: Six patients who met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s MIS-A diagnostic criteria were included in the study. The demographic, clinical, laboratory, radiological characteristics and therapy regimes and outcomes of the patients were recorded. Results: All of our cases had a history of mild COVID-19. They presented with fever, severe fatigue and hypotension. Abnormal echocardiography findings were detected in five patients. Only one patient had multiple mucocutaneous findings. Common laboratory features were lymphopenia, markedly increased C-Reaktive Protein, procalcitonin, pro-brain natriuretic peptide (pro-BNP), D-dimer, and ferritin. All patients had positive SARSCoV-2 antibody result. Corticosteroids and/or anakinra were used in five, and intravenous immunoglobulin was used in two patients. Low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) was used for all cases. Empirically initiated antibiotic treatments were discontinued after cultures were negative. After anti-inflammatory treatment, the hypotension of the patients resolved, they did not need intensive care follow-up and no mortality was seen in our cases. Conclusions: MIS-A is a severe and mortal condition that causes various clinical pictures and can be confused with sepsis. Anakinra, a recombinant IL-1 receptor antagonist, is a significant agent that can be used in the treatment of MIS-A since it blocks the cytokine cascade at an early stage. The satisfactory responses will be obtained with early diagnosis and anti-inflammatory treatment. In this period when the pandemic is not over yet, it is necessary to increase the awareness of clinicians about MIS-A, which can be fatal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We aimed to compare classical methods and chromogenic media to detect carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) colonization among hospitalized patients and determine the risk factors causing infection in colonized patients. Methods: Between January and August 2017, 100 patients over the age of 18 who were hospitalized in the Reanimation Intensive Care Unit and the Trauma Emergency Intensive Care Unit of a university hospital were examined. From the first day of intensive care unit (ICU) admission, rectal swabs were collected once every week and were tested for the presence of CRE by using the classical method defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ChromID CARBA chromogenic medium, and direct inoculation into MacConkey agar plates. In addition, MIC values for imipenem, ertapenem, meropenem and colistin were determined by using the Etest. Results: Rectal BDE carriage was detected by at least one method in 46 (46%) of 100 patients included in the study. Sensitivity and specificity values of the CDC classical method, direct MacConkey inoculation, and ChromID CARBA medium in the first 24 hours were found as 78%-42%, 87%-80%, and 91%-98%, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity values of these methods after 72 hours were determined as 78%-100%, 87%-100%, and 91%-100%, respectively. Conclusion: We observed that, although the ChromID CARBA method performed better than classical CDC and direct MacConkey inoculation methods, direct MacConkey inoculation can still be employed, especially in areas with limited resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Skull base osteomyelitis (SBO) is a rare, life-threatening infection and frequently followed and treated by otolaryngologists previously. In this study, we analyzed the diagnosis, treatment and long-term outcomes of SBO from the perspective of infectious diseases and clinical microbiology (IDCM). Methods: Hospitalized patients with SBO between 2012-2019 were evaluated retrospectively. Epidemiological, clinical, laboratory data of the patients were recorded. The patients who recovered with and without sequelae were compared. Results: The mean age of 16 SBO cases was 66 years, 75% of them were male and 87.5% had diabetes mellitus (DM). Cranial nerve and vascular/dural involvement were present in 75% and 56.3% of them, respectively. The most common isolated microorganism were P. aeruginosa, staphylococci and Candida spp. 81.2%, 43.7%, and 56% of the patients received anti-pseudomonal antibiotics, additional glycopeptide and additional antifungal drugs, respectively. The sequelae rate was 46.7% in a 24-month follow-up. Hypertension (p=0.041), duration of complaints (p=0.003), bilateral involvement of skull base (p=0.001), vascular thrombosis/inflammation or dural involvement (p=0.007), previous surgical intervention (p=0.041) and elevated ESR at the end of treatment (p=0.014) were defined as risk factors for permanent sequelae. There was no in-hospital mortality. Conclusions: SBO mainly affects older male patients with DM and causes significant sequelae in half of them. In the cases unresponsive to anti-pseudomonal agents, the addition of antifungal therapy empirically may provide a clinical response. Permanent sequelae are more common in cases with delayed diagnosis/treatment, bilateral, vascular or dural involvement, and elevated ESR at the end of treatment. ESR can be used to determine the treatment response and duration. The follow-up and treatment of SBO cases by IDCM with the support of experienced surgeons may contribute to the positive clinical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Co-receptors involved in cell entry of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and mutations in genes encoding their ligands may play a role in the susceptibility to infection and resistance to the progression of the infection. The best studied mutations that can exist in these genes are the CCR5-Δ32, CCR2-64I and SDF1-3'A mutations. The frequency of these mutations vary from continent to continent and even from region to region. However, there is limited information on their distribution throughout the Turkish population. Istanbul is the city with the highest number of documented HIV-infected patients in Turkey, which can be attributed to the population size. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of three AIDS-related gene variants among HIV-infected and uninfected population in Istanbul, Turkey and to estimate the contribution of these variants to susceptibility or resistance to HIV. Methodology: A total of 242 healthy individuals and 200 HIV-positive patients were included in the study. CCR5 polymorphisms were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction. CCR2 and SDF1 polymorphisms were genotyped using PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Results: The allelic frequencies for CCR5-Δ32, CCR2-64I and SDF1-3'A were 4.07%, 19.8% and 28.7%, respectively. No individual was found to carry the homozygous CCR5-Δ32 mutation in either cohort. No polymorphism was found to be significantly elevated in the HIVinfected cohort compared to the healthy group. Conclusions: The distribution of CCR5-Δ32, CCR2-64I, and SDF1-3'A variants does not differ between HIV-infected and uninfected patients. CCR2-64I and SDF1-3'A frequencies are relatively high where as the frequency of CCR5-Δ32 is low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]