In this study, we aimed to evaluate the incidence and economic burden of prosthetic joint infections (PJIs) in a university hospital in a middle-income country. Surveillance data between April 2011 and April 2013 in the Orthopedic Surgery Department was evaluated. Patients (>16 years old) who had primary arthroplasty in Erciyes University were included in the study, and patients with preoperative infection were excluded. Patients were followed up during their stay in the hospital and during readmission to the hospital for PJI by a trained Infection Control Nurse. During the study period, 670 patients were followed up. There were 420 patients (62.7%) with total hip arthroplasty (THA), 241 (36.0%) with total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and 9 (1.3%) with shoulder arthroplasty (SA). The median age was 64, and 70.6% were female. The incidence of PJI was 1.2% (5/420) in THA, 4.6% (11/241) in TKA and 0% (0/9) in SA. PJI was significantly more prevalent in TKA (p=0.029). All of the PJIs showed early infection, and the median time for the development of PJI was 23.5 days (range 7-120 days). The median total length of the hospital stay was seven times higher in PJI patients than patients without PJI (49 vs. 7 days, p=0.001, retrospectively). All hospital costs were 2- to 24-fold higher in patients with PJI than in those without PJI (p=0.001). In conclusion, the incidence and economic burden of PJI was high. Implementing a national surveillance system and infection control protocols in hospitals is essential for the prevention of PJI and a cost-effective solution for the healthcare system in low-middle-income countries.

Saprochaete capitata is a very rare pathogen that causes invasive disease particularly in patients with haematological malignancies. We recognised a clustering of S. capitata fungaemia in recent years. So, we report our 6-year surveillance study of fungaemia among patients with haematological malignancies and haematopoietic stem cell transplant. We performed a retrospective and observational study. Hospitalised patients aged >18 years with haematological malignancies were included in the study. A total of 51 fungaemia episodes of 47 patients were analysed. The characteristics of fungaemia in patients with S. capitata compared to patients with candidemia. Median duration of neutropenia was 21.5 days in patients with S. capitata fungaemia, whereas this duration was significantly shorter in patients with candidemia (8 days). Interval between first and last positive culture was significantly longer in patients with S. capitata fungaemia (P < 0.05). Previous use of caspofungin was significantly more common in patients with S. capitata fungaemia. Thirty-day mortality was found 40% for patients with candidemia, whereas it was 39% for patients with S. capitata. In conclusion, despite its limitations this study showed that a novel and more resistant yeast-like pathogen become prevalent due to use of caspofungin in patients with long-lasting neutropenia which was the most noteworthy finding of this 6-year surveillance study.

Surveillance of candidemia is essential to monitor trends in species distribution and change in the incidence and antifungal resistance. In this study, we aimed to investigate prevalence, resistance rates, antifungal utilization and costs. A 6-year retrospective analysis of the data belonging to patients with candidemia hospitalized between 2010 and 2016 was performed. The annual usage of fluconazole and caspofungin and the usage of these antifungals in different units were described in defined daily doses (DDD) per 1000 patient days. In total, 351 patients of candidemia were included. Median age of the patients was 45 (0-88) and 55.1% of them were male. Overall, 48.1% of the candidemia episodes (169/351) were due to C. albicans, followed by C. parapsilosis (25.1%), C. glabrata (11.7%). Length of hospital stay was longer with a median of 20 days among patients with non-albicans candidemia. Presence of a central venous catheter was found to be an associated risk for candidemia caused by non-albicans strains. Annual incidence of candidemia increased from 0.10 to 0.30 cases/1000 patient days. Antifungal use was increased over years correlated with the cost paid for it. The policy against candidemia should be specified by each institution with respect to candidemia prevalence, resistance rates, antifungal use and costs.

A structured questionnaire was administered to health-care workers (HCWs). The HCWs were also screened for measles, rubella, mumps, and varicella (MMRV) using serological methods. One thousand two hundred and fifty-five HCWs were tested. Of the HCWs examined, 94% were immune to measles, 97% to rubella, 90% to mumps and 98% to varicella. The positive predictive values of histories of measles, mumps, rubella and varicella were 96%, 93%, 100% and 98%, respectively. The negative predictive values of histories of measles, mumps, rubella and varicella were 13%, 17%, 5% and 2%, respectively. The cost of vaccination without screening was significantly more expensive (cost difference: €24,385) for varicella, although vaccination without screening was cheap (cost difference: €5693) for MMR. Although the use of cheaper vaccines supports the implementation of vaccination programs without screening, the cost of vaccination should not be calculated based only on the direct costs. The indirect costs associated with lost work time due to vaccination and its side effects and the direct costs of potential side effects should be considered. However, if prescreening is not conducted, some HCWs (2-7%) would be unprotected against these contagious illnesses because of the unreliability of their MMRV history. In conclusion, the screening of HCWs before vaccination continues to be advisable.

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