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Aim: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the survival of Salmonella typhi and Shigella flexneri, which have significance for public health, in various aqueous media (distilled water, 0.9% NaCl solution, chlorinated water) and at different temperatures. Materials and Methods: The water samples mentioned above were contaminated with approximately 5 × 105 bacteria/ml of S. typhi and S. flexneri, and then stored at 37 °C, room temperature, in refrigerator (4 to 6 °C) and in deep freezer (-20 °C). From the water materials prepared accordingly, cultures were done beginning in the first 24 hours and later every other day for viability control of the bacteria until no growth was detected in three consecutive cultures. Results: We observed that S. flexneri in both 0.9% NaCl solution and distilled water survived the longest (87 and 83 days, respectively) when stored in the refrigerator. Similarly, S. typhi was found to be viable as long as 65 days in both 0.9% NaCl solution and distilled water, when stored in the refrigerator. No bacterial growth was determined in the cultures of chlorinated water samples stored at all four temperatures in the first 24 hours. Conclusions: We concluded that S. flexneri generally survived longer than S. typhi in the different water media. Having a prolonged survival of S. flexneri in aqueous media would present more risk than S. typhi for the transmission of waterborne infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Brucellosis is a systemic infection in which any organ or system of the body can be involved. We evaluate here complications and involvement of Brucella infection in Erzurum, Turkey. Materials and Methods: We analyzed retrospectively 216 adult (89 female and 127 male) cases of brucellosis who were diagnosed and treated in the Infectious Disease Clinic of Atatürk University Research Hospital from 1985 to 2002. The diagnosis was based on clinical findings and serologic results and/or blood culture confirmations. Results: All isolates from cultures were identified as Brucella melitensis biotype 1. Skeletal complications were the most frequent, found in 147 (68.1%) cases, followed by nervous system 9 (4.2%), cutaneous 9 (4.2%), genitourinary system 7 (5.5%), cardiovascular system 7 (3.2%), gastrointestinal system 7 (3.2%), and hematological system 6 (2.8%) complications. Conclusions: Primary health care physicians should keep in mind the clinical and laboratory findings of Brucella complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Brucellosis is endemic in Turkey. Since it affects many organs and the symptoms are non-specific, the diagnosis by clinical findings is difficult and may be easily missed. Many serological tests have been used for the diagnosis of human brucellosis. This study compared the diagnostic value of the Brucella standard tube agglutination test (SAT) with that of ELISA (Brucella specific IgG and IgM) tests in patients with Brucella bacteremia. Patients and Methods: Thirty-two patients with brucellosis who had positive blood and/or bone-marrow cultures for Brucella species, and 20 healthy individuals as controls were included in the study. Results: At the end of the study SAT was positive in 30 of the 32 patients, ELISA IgG was positive in 26 and ELISA IgM was positive in 32. Of the 20 control sera, all were negative in SAT, 1 was positive in ELISA IgG, and 3 were positive in ELISA IgM. The positive predictive value of SAT was 100.0% and the negative value was 90.9%. The positive and negative predictive values for ELISA IgG were 96.3% and 76.0%, and for ELISA IgM were 90.9% and 89.5%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a case study on multiple infected cerebral hydatid cysts treated with albendazole. Organs where the hydatid cysts of Echinococcus granulosus may be found; Description of cerebral hydatid cysts; Favorable effects of albendazole.

A 5-year-old child living in Erzurum, Turkey, complaining of otalgia, otorrhea and pruritus in the right ear for three days, was examined. Otoscopic examination at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology revealed live maggots in the external auditory canal. Ten maggots were recovered and were identified as third stage larvae of Wohlfahrtia magnifica (Diptera: Sarcophagidae). Local and systemic antibiotic therapies were applied. No pathological findings were present at the follow-up examination after 15 days of therapy.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro hemolytic activities of 107 Candida strains isolated from different clinical samples in liquid medium, and to examine the impact of glucose on this activity., Materials and Methods: A total of 107 Candida isolates representing seven species (C. albicans, n=28; C. glabrata, n=23; C. tropicalis, n=17; C. parapsilosis, n=16; C. kefyr, n=14; C. krusei, n=5; C. guilliermondii, n=4) were included in the study. The hemolytic activities of the strains were tested on two different Sabouraud dextrose liquid media (SDB) containing 7% defibrinated human blood, one of which is supplemented with 3% glucose and the other without glucose. Cultures were evaluated at the end of a 48-hour incubation. The hemolysis in the media was detected spectrophotometrically by measuring the amount of released hemoglobin and compared with a standard hemolysate which was prepared prior to testing. The degree of hemolysis (percentage value) by an individual strain was calculated according to the following formula below: (Absorbance of supernatant media at 540 nm / Absorbance of standard hemolysate at 540 nm X 100)., Results: In the liquid medium without glucose, strains generally produced hemolysis at low levels. The degree of hemolysis produced by all species increased noticeably in the liquid medium with glucose. Strains of C. albicans and C.kefyr had demonstrated significant hemolytic activity, whereas others had lower activity. C. parapsilosis exerted very little hemolytic activity in the medium with glucose and showed no activity in the medium without glucose., Conclusion: The hemolytic activities of most Candida species was found to be higher in the human blood-enriched SDB medium containing 3% additive glucose than in the one free from additives. This result indicates that increased blood glucose concentration may contribute to increased hemolytic activity in Candida species, and it suggests a parallel with possible pathogenesis of Candida in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Objectives: Otological solutions have long been used in the treatment of the bacterial and fungal infections of the ear. We investigated antibacterial activity of some otic solutions against the most common bacteria isolated from discharging ears., Study Design: Three solutions were used (Castellani's, Burrow's, and 2% salicyl alcohol) for 20 fresh isolates of each of the following organisms: Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Enterobacter spp.. The activity of each solution was determined by the size of the zone of inhibition of bacterial growth., Results: The Castellani's solution showed significantly larger average inhibition zones than the other solutions did (p<0.001)., Conclusion: The Castellani's solution may be considered a good option against bacterial or mixed infections (bacterial and fungal) of the ear.

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.

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.

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.