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Linezolid is a synthetic antimicrobial agent which was introduced into clinical therapy in the early 2001. It has an inhibitory effect against most of the Gram positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin resistant enterococci. In this study, in-vitro activities of linezolid, teicoplanin, vancomycin, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, erythromycin, clindamycin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and rifampicin, were tested against 164 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp. (96 S. aureus and 68 coagulase negative staphylococci) isolated from clinical specimens, by using disk diffusion method. None of the strains were found to be resistant to linezolid, vancomycin and teicoplanin. The resistance rates to other drugs were as follows; 80.5% to ciprofloxacin, 78.0% to gentamicin, 76.8% to erythromycin, 65.5% to clindamycin, 57.3% to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and 41.5% to rifampicin. It was concluded that linezolid can be used as an alternative drug in severe infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp., especially if the isolate was found to be resistant to teicoplanin or a side effect of vancomycin was observed.

Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) is the most severe form of invasive infections caused by group A streptococci. In this report, a 36-years-old man who was admitted to our clinic with the complaints of fever, rash, skin lesions, abdominal pain, weakness and anuria for 2 days, has been presented. His body temperature was 39.5 degrees C and blood pressure was 50/20 mmHg. In physical examination, diffuse erythematous rash on the body, cellulitis on left leg and foot, fungal lesions on the toes, and abdominal tenderness were noted. Laboratory results revealed a dramatic increase in leukocyte count, increased sedimentation rate, elevated blood urea nitrogen, cretinine, liver enzymes and bilirubin levels. Group A streptococci were isolated from the blood culture of the patient. Despite supportive (intravenous saline, dopamine) and antibiotic (clindamycin-ceftriaxone combination) therapies, adult respiratory distress syndrome has developed in two days, and he died on the third day. This case was presented to draw attention to STSS, which was a rare clinical entity with rapid progression to mortality despite aggressive medical therapy.

Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus plays a key role in the epidemiology and pathogenesis of infection, and is a major risk factor for the development of both community-acquired and nosocomial infections. The objective of this study was to investigate the carriage rate of S. aureus in hospital personnel and normal population groups, and to compare the resistance rates of the isolated strains to certain antibiotics. The nasal carriage rates of S.aureus were found to be 27.5% in 262 hospital personnel, and 24.0% in 75 normal healthy subjects (p > 0.05). While methicillin resistant S. aureus rate was 9.7% in hospital personnel, no methicillin resistant strain was detected in the control group (p < 0.05). According to the in-vitro sensitivity test results, resistance rates of meticillin sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) strains isolated from hospital personnel to fusidic acid, erythromycin and clindamycin were as 11%, 18% and 12%, respectively. There were no resistant strains to these antibiotics among MSSA, isolated from normal subjects. In conclusion, the colonization of the resistant strains rather than the frequency of S. aureus colonization is more important in the hospital personnel.

We report a case of meningitis caused by Bacillus anthracis. Although this agent appears to be a rare pathogen, it should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of haemorrhagic meningitis cases owing to the high mortality rate associated with it.

The purpose of this study was to determine the erythromycin resistance of group A beta-hemolytic streptococci (GABHS) isolated from throat cultures. GABHS were isolated from 74 (10.4%) throat cultures of 710 patients with upper respiratory tract infections. Penicillin resistance was observed in none of the strains. Of these strains, 4 (5.4%) were found to be resistant to erythromycin. It was concluded that erythromycin resistance in GABHS, although high in some countries, was not a problem in our country at the moment. So, penicillin G and its alternative erythromycin and other macrolides are still reliable antibiotics for the treatment of GABHS infections.