Background/aim This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors of patients colonized with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). Materials and methods The study was conducted between January 2010 and March 2016. The colonized group consisted of patients who had a CRE strain in their rectal swab cultures, whereas patients with negative rectal surveillance cultures for CRE who were concurrently hospitalized in the same units with the colonized group patients were included in the control group. Results The number of patients in the colonized and the control group was 71 and 120, respectively. Both groups were evaluated for demographic and healthcare-associated characteristics. Isolated microorganisms in rectal surveillance cultures for CRE were Klebsiella pneumoniae (75.5%), Escherichia coli (15.5%), Enterobacter cloacae (4.2%), Klebsiella oxytoca (1.4%), and Klebsiella terrigena (1.4%). The isolates were resistant to imipenem, meropenem, and ertapenem (52.1%, 73.2%, and 100%, respectively). In multivariate analysis, presence of decubitus, colistin usage, glycopeptide usage, and fluoroquinolone usage were found to be independent risk factors for CRE colonization. There was no significant difference between the two groups with regards to mortality (P = 0.070). Conclusion These results are in agreement with the current literature. The findings of this study could be useful for improvement of infection control strategies related to CRE.

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Salmonella infections can be seen in four clinical types, namely gastroenteritis, bacteremia/sepsis, enteric fever and carriage. These infections can result in uncomplicated diarrhea in most cases, but can lead to invasive disease requiring antimicrobial therapy and can be life-threatening in elderly or immunocomprimised patients. Broad-spectrum cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones are crucial options in the treatment of the invasive infections. Ciprofloxacin resistance is rarely seen in non-typhoid Salmonella enterica isolates, and only in S. Typhimurium, S. Choleraesuis and S. Schwarzengrund. In this report, we aimed to discuss a patient infected with ciprofloxacin-resistant Salmonella Kentucky under the light of data from our country and the world. A 52-year-old male patient wih acute myocardial infarction was hospitalized in intensive care unit of cardiovasculer surgery for left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation for the treatment of left ventricular disfunction. On the seventh day of LVAD and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), the patient presented high fever and productive cough. His physical examination revealed hyperemia around the insertion point of right jugular central venous catheter (CVC) and a serous discharge from the insertion point of LVAD located just below the inferior edge of sternum. Empiric IV cefoperazone/sulbactam (SCF) therapy was started with the prediagnosis of pneumonia and bloodstream infection. The blood samples taken from peripheral veins and CVC, and swabs taken from LVAD insertion point for culture when the patient was febrile, revealed the growth of bacteria with S type and lactose-negative colonies on EMB and SS media. Biochemical characteristics of the isolate were as follows: lactose fermentation negative, HS positive, IMVIC (-,+,-,+), urease negative, lysine/ornithine decarboxylase positive and motile. The bacteria was then identified as Salmonella enterica serotype Kentucky (8,20;i;z6) by agglutination tests. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted according to CLSI guidelines and it was found as ampicillin- and ciprofloxacin-resistant. Ciprofloxacin resistance of the isolate was confirmed with E-test. Stool culture was performed to investigate the source of infection, and S. Kentucky was isolated. On the 15th day of SCF treatment, LVAD was taken out, and tissue cultures taken from the fibrillar tissues between pericardial layers during surgery, also yielded S. Kentucky growth. On the second day of SCF therapy the patient's fever returned normal and on the seventh day, CBC and CRP values were normalized. Nevertheless, the clinical situation of the patient worsened gradually and on the 40th day he was intubated due to low oxygen saturation and pleural effusion. His antibiotherapy was stopped on 42nd day as the blood cultures were negative and his clinical situation was attributed to cardiac failure. The patient died four days after the antibiotherapy has stopped due to cardiac reasons. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case infected with cipro...

Background/Aim: Convalescent plasma (CP) therapy, which includes processing and administering antibody-rich plasma from recovered patients to sick patients, is used for passive immunity in COVID-19 pneumonia patients in addition to antivirals and antibiotics. This study aimed to assess whether CP treatment significantly affects hyperviscosity and COVID-19 prognosis-related blood parameters. Methods: This study was a single-center retrospective cohort study. Ninety-seven patients with COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive results and pneumonia observed on thoracic computed tomography (CT) were included. Patients’ ferritin, d-dimer, C-reactive protein (CRP), and complete blood count levels before and after CP administration were compared. Results: Ferritin, d-dimer, white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil, and plateletcrit (PCT) levels and the platelet distribution width (PDW) were significantly higher and there was a significant decrease in the CRP level after CP treatment compared to before CP (P < 0.05). Ferritin, d-dimer, and CRP values measured after CP were higher in deceased patients than in survivors (P = 0.001, P = 0.007, and P < 0.001, respectively) Conclusion: Ferritin, d-dimer, WBC, and neutrophil levels, which we expected to decrease on the basis of the COVID-19 prognosis, unfortunately increased, and only CRP levels decreased. However, we found that these increases were more pronounced in patients who died. Considering these prognostic factors, the findings of our study suggest that CP treatment has no effect on the COVID-19 disease course and may lead to a worse prognosis.

SARS-CoV-2, asıl olarak respiratuvar sistemde hastalık oluşturmakla birlikte nörolojik sistem dahil olmak üzere pek çok sistemi etkileyebilmektedir. COVID-19 seyri sırasında veya sonrasında %6’ya varan oranlarda hastalık ile ilişkili serebrovasküler olay (SVO) gelişebilmektedir ve bu duruma genellikle iskemi, nadiren hemoraji neden olmaktadır. Ancak SVO kliniği ile hastaneye başvurup COVID-19 tanısı alan vakalar literatürde nadir olarak bildirilmiştir. Bu olgu sunumu ile; kuvvet kaybı, bilinç bulanıklığı gibi nörolojik şikayetlerle hastaneye başvuran ve iskemik SVO saptanan hastalarda, respiratuvar semptomlar olmasa dahi COVID-19’un akla gelmesi ve literatüre katkıda bulunulması amaçlanmıştır. Bu sayede, COVID-19’un çok geniş bir yelpazede bulgu verebileceğini her zaman hatırlamak gerektiği ve respiratuvar semptomlar olmasa bile özellikle SVO kliniğindeki hastalarda COVID-19’dan şüphelenilmesinde fayda olduğu vurgulanmıştır.