Classical fever of unknown origin in 21 countries with different economic development: an international ID-IRI study.

Fever of unknown origin (FUO) is a serious challenge for physicians. The aim of the present study was to consider epidemiology and dynamics of FUO in countries with different economic development. The data of FUO patients hospitalized/followed between 1st July 2016 and 1st July 2021 were collected retrospectively and submitted from referral centers in 21 countries through ID-IRI clinical research platform. The countries were categorized into developing (low-income (LI) and lower middle-income (LMI) economies) and developed countries (upper middle-income (UMI) and high-income (HI) economies). This research included 788 patients. FUO diagnoses were as follows: infections (51.6%; n = 407), neoplasms (11.4%, n = 90), collagen vascular disorders (9.3%, n = 73), undiagnosed (20.1%, n = 158), miscellaneous diseases (7.7%, n = 60). The most common infections were tuberculosis (n = 45, 5.7%), brucellosis (n = 39, 4.9%), rickettsiosis (n = 23, 2.9%), HIV infection (n = 20, 2.5%), and typhoid fever (n = 13, 1.6%). Cardiovascular infections (n = 56, 7.1%) were the most common infectious syndromes. Only collagen vascular disorders were reported significantly more from developed countries (RR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.19-3.38). FUO had similar characteristics in LI/LMI and UMI/HI countries including the portion of undiagnosed cases (OR, 95% CI; 0.87 (0.65-1.15)), death attributed to FUO (RR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.65-1.15, p-value = 0.3355), and the mean duration until diagnosis (p = 0.9663). Various aspects of FUO cannot be determined by the economic development solely. Other development indices can be considered in future analyses. Physicians in different countries should be equally prepared for FUO patients.

Clinicopathological profile of peritoneal tuberculosis and a new scoring model for predicting mortality: an international ID-IRI study.

Existing literature about peritoneal tuberculosis (TBP) is relatively insufficient. The majority of reports are from a single center and do not assess predictive factors for mortality. In this international study, we investigated the clinicopathological characteristics of a large series of patients with TBP and determined the key features associated with mortality. TBP patients detected between 2010 and 2022 in 38 medical centers in 13 countries were included in this retrospective cohort. Participating physicians filled out an online questionnaire to report study data. In this study, 208 patients with TBP were included. Mean age of TBP cases was 41.4 ± 17.5 years. One hundred six patients (50.9%) were females. Nineteen patients (9.1%) had HIV infection, 45 (21.6%) had diabetes mellitus, 30 (14.4%) had chronic renal failure, 12 (5.7%) had cirrhosis, 7 (3.3%) had malignancy, and 21 (10.1%) had a history of immunosuppressive medication use. A total of 34 (16.3%) patients died and death was attributable to TBP in all cases. A pioneer mortality predicting model was established and HIV positivity, cirrhosis, abdominal pain, weakness, nausea and vomiting, ascites, isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in peritoneal biopsy samples, TB relapse, advanced age, high serum creatinine and ALT levels, and decreased duration of isoniazid use were significantly related with mortality (p < 0.05). This is the first international study on TBP and is the largest case series to date. We suggest that using the mortality predicting model will allow early identification of high-risk patients likely to die of TBP.

Multidrug resistance in pathogens of community-acquired urinary tract infections in Turkey: a multicentre prospective observational study

BACKGROUND: To have country-wide information about multidrug resistance (MDR) in isolates from community-acquired urinary tract infections (CAUTI) of Turkey, in terms of resistance rates and useful options. METHODS: We used a geocode standard, nomenclature of territorial units for statistics (NUTS), and a total of 1588 community-acquired isolates of 20 centres from 12 different NUTS regions between March 2019 and March 2020 were analysed. RESULTS: Of the 1588 culture growths, 1269 (79. 9%) were Escherichia coli and 152 (9.6%) were Klebsiella spp. Male sex, advancedage, and having two or more risk factors showed a statistically significant relation with MDR existence (p < 0.001, p: 0.014, p < 0.001, respectively) that increasing number of risk factors or degree of advancing in age directly affects the number of antibiotic groups detected to have resistance by pathogens. In total, MDR isolates corresponded to 36.1% of our CAUTI samples; MDR existence was 35.7% in E. coli isolates and 57.2% in Klebsiella spp. isolates. Our results did not show an association between resistance or MDR occurrence rates and NUTS regions. DISCUSSION: The necessity of urine culture in outpatient clinics should be taken into consideration, at least after evaluating risk factorsfor antibacterial resistance individually. Community-acquired UTIs should be followed up time- and region-dependently. Antibiotic stewardship programmes should be more widely and effectively administrated.

Anxiety and Depression among People Living with HIV During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Face-to-Face Survey from Turkey.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been some difficulties in the routine care of people living with HIV (PLWH). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on mental health of PLWH and their use of health services. This study was conducted using the face-to-face interview method in the outpatient clinic of a university hospital, between 01.09.2020 and 30.11.2020. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and survey instrument designed by the researchers investigating socio-demographic data and access to health services were used. RESULTS: The study included 217 patients, 91.7% (n=199) of whom were male. All of the patients were postponed their hospital appointments, 60.8% were concerned about not being able to contact their physician and 53% had concerned about being stigmatized if they went to the hospital. Of the participants, 27.6% had depression, 12.9% had anxiety and 8.3% had both depression and anxiety. Low income, job loss, and fear of being stigmatized were associated with depression and anxiety. Lower level of education, discontinuation of medications and lack of opportunity to work remotely were associated with depression, while history of psychiatric illness, worry about not being able to contact their physician and cessation of antiretroviral therapy were associated with higher anxiety levels. CONCLUSION: It is important to develop strategies ensuring the continuity of care for PWLH and identify and support those with a higher mental health impact.

Coronary microvascular dysfunction is common in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 infection.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Microvascular disease is considered as one of the main drivers of morbidity and mortality in severe COVID-19, and microvascular dysfunction has been demonstrated in the subcutaneous and sublingual tissues in COVID-19 patients. The presence of coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) has also been hypothesized, but direct evidence demonstrating CMD in COVID-19 patients is missing. In the present study, we aimed to investigate CMD in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, and to understand whether there is a relationship between biomarkers of myocardial injury, myocardial strain and inflammation and CMD. METHODS: 39 patients that were hospitalized with COVID-19 and 40 control subjects were included to the present study. Biomarkers for myocardial injury, myocardial strain, inflammation, and fibrin turnover were obtained at admission. A comprehensive echocardiographic examination, including measurement of coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR), was done after the patient was stabilized. RESULTS: Patients with COVID-19 infection had a significantly lower hyperemic coronary flow velocity, resulting in a significantly lower CFVR (2.0 ± 0.3 vs. 2.4 ± 0.5, p < .001). Patients with severe COVID-19 had a lower CFVR compared to those with moderate COVID-19 (1.8 ± 0.2 vs. 2.2 ± 0.2, p < .001) driven by a trend toward higher basal flow velocity. CFVR correlated with troponin (p = .003, r: -.470), B-type natriuretic peptide (p < .001, r: -.580), C-reactive protein (p < .001, r: -.369), interleukin-6 (p < .001, r: -.597), and d-dimer (p < .001, r: -.561), with the three latter biomarkers having the highest areas-under-curve for predicting CMD. CONCLUSIONS: Coronary microvascular dysfunction is common in patients with COVID-19 and is related to the severity of the infection. CMD may also explain the "cryptic" myocardial injury seen in patients with severe COVID-19 infection.

Microorganisms isolated from the bile of the patients who have undergone cholecystectomy and their antibiotic resistance pattern: multicenter prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Gallbladder and biliary tract infections are diseases with high mortality rates if they are not treated properly. Microbiological evaluation of perioperatively collected samples both ensures proper treatment of patients and guides empirical treatment due to the determination of microorganism susceptibility. AIMS: This study aimed to isolate the microorganisms in bile cultures from patients who underwent cholecystectomy and to determine sensitivity results of these microorganisms. METHODS: This study was a multi-center and prospective design, included 360 patients, and was performed between 2019 and 2020. Culture results of bile taken during cholecystectomy were evaluated. RESULTS: Bacterial growth was found in the bile cultures of 84 out of 360 (23.3%) patients. Patients were divided into two groups according to whether they had risk factors for resistant microorganisms or not. While Escherichia coli (n = 11, 13%), Enterococcus spp. (n = 8, 9.5%), and Enterobacter spp. (n = 4, 4.7%) were detected most frequently in patients without risk. Staphylococcus spp. (n = 17, 20.2%), Enterococcus spp. (n = 16, 19%), and E. coli (n = 8, 9.5%) were the most frequently found microorganism at-risk patients. In multivariate analysis, bile culture positivity was found higher in patients who had history of biliary disease (p = 0.004), operation performed concurrently with a cholecystectomy (p = 0.035), and high rate of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PNL) in total leukocyte count (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that when starting empirical antibiotic treatment for bile ducts, whether patients are at risk for the development of resistant bacterial infection should be evaluated after which antibiotic selection should be made accordingly.

A novel approach to managing COVID-19 patients; results of lopinavir plus doxycycline cohort.

This manuscript aims to present a treatment algorithm we applied to manage COVID-19 patients admitted to our hospital. During the study period, 2043 patients with suspected COVID-19 were admitted to the emergency department. Molecular tests indicated that 475 of these patients tested positive for COVID-19. We administered hydroxychloroquine plus doxycycline to mild cases (isolated at home) for 3 days and lopinavir plus doxycycline to moderate and severe cases (hospitalized) for 5 days. The overall case fatality rate was 4.2% (20/475).

Profiles of multidrug-resistant organisms among patients with bacteremia in intensive care units: an international ID-IRI survey.

Evaluating trends in antibiotic resistance is a requisite. The study aimed to analyze the profile of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) among hospitalized patients with bacteremia in intensive care units (ICUs) in a large geographical area. This is a 1-month cross-sectional survey for blood-borne pathogens in 57 ICUs from 24 countries with different income levels: lower-middle-income (LMI), upper-middle-income (UMI), and high-income (HI) countries. Multidrug-resistant (MDR), extensively drug-resistant (XDR), or pan-drug-resistant isolates were searched. Logistic regression analysis determined resistance predictors among MDROs. Community-acquired infections were comparable to hospital-acquired infections particularly in LMI (94/202; 46.5% vs 108/202; 53.5%). Although MDR (65.1%; 502/771) and XDR (4.9%; 38/771) were common, no pan-drug-resistant isolate was recovered. In total, 32.1% of MDR were Klebsiella pneumoniae, and 55.3% of XDR were Acinetobacter baumannii. The highest MDR and XDR rates were in UMI and LMI, respectively, with no XDR revealed from HI. Predictors of MDR acquisition were male gender (OR, 12.11; 95% CI, 3.025-15.585) and the hospital-acquired origin of bacteremia (OR, 2.643; 95%CI, 1.462-3.894), and XDR acquisition was due to bacteremia in UMI (OR, 3.344; 95%CI, 1.189-5.626) and admission to medical-surgical ICUs (OR, 1.481; 95% CI, 1.076-2.037). We confirm the urgent need to expand stewardship activities to community settings especially in LMI, with more paid attention to the drugs with a higher potential for resistance. Empowering microbiology laboratories and reports to direct prescribing decisions should be prioritized. Supporting stewardship in ICUs, the mixed medical-surgical ones in particular, is warranted.

Evaluation of antibiotic use among hospitalised patients in a paediatric department of a training hospital in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Antibiotics are widely used and inaccurate or inappropriate prescription of antibiotics causes a significant increase in the prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections among children. This research aimed to study antibiotic prescriptions in hospitalised paediatric patients and to determine the prevalence of inappropriate antimicrobial use and the main types of prescribing errors. METHODS: After obtaining the Ethics Committee approval, screening was conducted among 535 patients admitted to the Department of Pediatrics at Haydarpasa Numune Training and Research Hospital in the period from 01 January 2016 to 31 December 2016 who had been treated with an antibiotic. Patients' demographics, diagnosis and antibiotic therapy details were collected using a standardised case report form and assessed by a clinical pharmacologist and an infectious disease specialist regarding the convenience and accurateness of prescription of antibiotics. RESULTS: Out of 535 antibiotic prescriptions, single antibiotics were used inappropriately in 216 (56.10%) of the patients and there were 39 (26%) unnecessary antibiotic combinations. Most of the errors were made in the dose frequency (55.69%), followed by indication (25.88%), administration route (16.08%) and dosage (2.67%). CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study show that a high level of antibiotics in the paediatric clinic was misprescribed. Inappropriate usage increases the chances of microbial resistance and the cost of treatment. Precautions should be taken in this regard.

Does the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic really increase the frequency of peripheral facial palsy?

PURPOSE: Publications about increased number of peripheral facial paralysis in the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in the literature. However, these studies comprised of an estimate rather than a broad analysis of exact numbers. In this study, we planned to investigate whether the pandemic really resulted in an increase in facial paralysis cases admitted to the hospital by evaluating the cases who applied to our hospital due to facial paralysis in the COVID-19 pandemic year and in the previous 4 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who applied to our hospital due to facial paralysis between March 2016-February 2017 (Group 1), between March 2017-February 2018 (Group 2), between March 2018-February 2019 (Group 3), between March 2019-February 2020 (Group 4), and between March 2020-February 2021 (Group 5) were investigated and detailed data were noted. RESULTS: 156, 164, 149, 172 and 157 patients were admitted to the hospital due to peripheral facial paralysis in Group 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. Of these patients, 155, 164, 145, 169, and 153 were Bell's palsy, respectively. SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test was positive in only 2 of the 153 patients who were diagnosed in the year of the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the number of peripheral facial paralysis detected during the COVID-19 pandemic was similar to previous years. Very few number of positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test results may have been found incidentally in Bell's palsy patients. Theses stating that SARS-CoV-2 causes peripheral facial paralysis should be supported by laboratory studies and postmortem research.

Treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) caused by Acinetobacter: results of prospective and multicenter ID-IRI study.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) due to Acinetobacter spp. is one of the most common infections in the intensive care unit. Hence, we performed this prospective-observational multicenter study, and described the course and outcome of the disease. This study was performed in 24 centers between January 06, 2014, and December 02, 2016. The patients were evaluated at time of pneumonia diagnosis, when culture results were available, and at 72 h, at the 7th day, and finally at the 28th day of follow-up. Patients with coexistent infections were excluded and only those with a first VAP episode were enrolled. Logistic regression analysis was performed. A total of 177 patients were included; empiric antimicrobial therapy was appropriate (when the patient received at least one antibiotic that the infecting strain was ultimately shown to be susceptible) in only 69 (39%) patients. During the 28-day period, antibiotics were modified for side effects in 27 (15.2%) patients and renal dose adjustment was made in 38 (21.5%). Ultimately, 89 (50.3%) patients died. Predictors of mortality were creatinine level (OR, 1.84 (95% CI 1.279-2.657); p = 0.001), fever (OR, 0.663 (95% CI 0.454-0.967); p = 0.033), malignancy (OR, 7.095 (95% CI 2.142-23.500); p = 0.001), congestive heart failure (OR, 2.341 (95% CI 1.046-5.239); p = 0.038), appropriate empiric antimicrobial treatment (OR, 0.445 (95% CI 0.216-0.914); p = 0.027), and surgery in the last month (OR, 0.137 (95% CI 0.037-0.499); p = 0.003). Appropriate empiric antimicrobial treatment in VAP due to Acinetobacter spp. was associated with survival while renal injury and comorbid conditions increased mortality. Hence, early diagnosis and appropriate antibiotic therapy remain crucial to improve outcomes.

A novel id-iri score: development and internal validation of the multivariable community acquired sepsis clinical risk prediction model.

We aimed to develop a scoring system for predicting in-hospital mortality of community-acquired (CA) sepsis patients. This was a prospective, observational multicenter study performed to analyze CA sepsis among adult patients through ID-IRI (Infectious Diseases International Research Initiative) at 32 centers in 10 countries between December 1, 2015, and May 15, 2016. After baseline evaluation, we used univariate analysis at the second and logistic regression analysis at the third phase. In this prospective observational study, data of 373 cases with CA sepsis or septic shock were submitted from 32 referral centers in 10 countries. The median age was 68 (51-77) years, and 174 (46,6%) of the patients were females. The median hospitalization time of the patients was 15 (10-21) days. Overall mortality rate due to CA sepsis was 17.7% (n = 66). The possible predictors which have strong correlation and the variables that cause collinearity are acute oliguria, altered consciousness, persistent hypotension, fever, serum creatinine, age, and serum total protein. CAS (%) is a new scoring system and works in accordance with the parameters in third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3). The system has yielded successful results in terms of predicting mortality in CA sepsis patients.

The diagnostic utility of the "Thwaites' system" and "lancet consensus scoring system" in tuberculous vs. non-tuberculous subacute and chronic meningitis: multicenter analysis of 395 adult patients.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) represents a diagnostic and management challenge to clinicians. The "Thwaites' system" and "Lancet consensus scoring system" are utilized to differentiate TBM from bacterial meningitis but their utility in subacute and chronic meningitis where TBM is an important consideration is unknown. METHODS: A multicenter retrospective study of adults with subacute and chronic meningitis, defined by symptoms greater than 5 days and less than 30 days for subacute meningitis (SAM) and greater than 30 days for chronic meningitis (CM). The "Thwaites' system" and "Lancet consensus scoring system" scores and the diagnostic accuracy by sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve of receiver operating curve (AUC-ROC) were calculated. The "Thwaites' system" and "Lancet consensus scoring system" suggest a high probability of TBM with scores ≤4, and with scores of ≥12, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 395 patients were identified; 313 (79.2%) had subacute and 82 (20.8%) with chronic meningitis. Patients with chronic meningitis were more likely caused by tuberculosis and had higher rates of HIV infection (P < 0.001). A total of 162 patients with TBM and 233 patients with non-TBM had unknown (140, 60.1%), fungal (41, 17.6%), viral (29, 12.4%), miscellaneous (16, 6.7%), and bacterial (7, 3.0%) etiologies. TMB patients were older and presented with lower Glasgow coma scores, lower CSF glucose and higher CSF protein (P < 0.001). Both criteria were able to distinguish TBM from bacterial meningitis; only the Lancet score was able to differentiate TBM from fungal, viral, and unknown etiologies even though significant overlap occurred between the etiologies (P < .001). Both criteria showed poor diagnostic accuracy to distinguish TBM from non-TBM etiologies (AUC-ROC was <. 5), but Lancet consensus scoring system was fair in diagnosing TBM (AUC-ROC was .738), sensitivity of 50%, and specificity of 89.3%. CONCLUSION: Both criteria can be helpful in distinguishing TBM from bacterial meningitis, but only the Lancet consensus scoring system can help differentiate TBM from meningitis caused by fungal, viral and unknown etiologies even though significant overlap occurs and the overall diagnostic accuracy of both criteria were either poor or fair.

Predictors of unfavorable outcome in neurosyphilis: Multicenter ID-IRI Study.

Neurosyphilis (NS) has different clinical manifestations and can appear during any stage of syphilis. We aimed to identify the factors affecting poor outcome in NS patients. Patients with positive cerebrospinal fluid Venereal Disease Research Laboratory test, and positive serological serum treponemal or nontreponemal tests were classified as definite NS. The data of 141 patients with definite NS were submitted from 22 referral centers. Asymptomatic NS, syphilitic meningitis, meningovascular syphilis, tabes dorsalis, general paresis, and taboparesis were detected in 22 (15.6%), 67 (47.5%), 13 (9.2%), 10 (7%), 13 (9.2%), and 16 patients (11.3%), respectively. The number of HIV-positive patients was 43 (30.4%). The most common symptoms were headache (n = 55, 39%), fatigue (n = 52, 36.8%), and altered consciousness (50, 35.4%). Tabetic symptoms were detected in 28 (19.8%), paretic symptoms in 32 (22.6%), and vascular symptoms in 39 patients (27.6%). Eye involvement was detected in 19 of 80 patients (23.7%) who underwent eye examination and ear involvement was detected in eight of 25 patients (32%) who underwent ear examination. Crystallized penicillin was used in 109 (77.3%), procaine penicillin in seven (4.9%), ceftriaxone in 31 (21.9%), and doxycycline in five patients (3.5%). According to multivariate regression analysis, while headache was a protective factor in NS patients, double vision was significantly associated to poor outcome. We concluded that double vision indicated unfavorable outcome among NS patients. A high clinical suspicion is needed for the diagnosis NS. As determined in our study, the presence of headache in syphilitic patients can help in early diagnosis of central nervous system disease.

Daptomycin vs. glycopeptides in the treatment of febrile neutropenia: results of the Izmir matched cohort study.

PURPOSE: In this multicentre, retrospective, matched cohort study we aimed to evaluate the outcomes of neutropenic fever cases that were treated with daptomycin or a glycopeptide (vancomycin or teicoplanin). METHODS: Data and outcomes of adult (aged > 18-years old) patients with neutropenic fever [(1) without clinical and radiological evidence of pneumonia, (2) who were treated with daptomycin or a glycopeptide (teicoplanin or vancomycin) for any reason and for at least 72 h] were extracted from the hospital databases. Matching was performed with all of the three following criteria: (1) underlying disease, (2) reason for starting daptomycin or glycopeptide (microbiologic evidence vs. microbiologic evidence, clinical infection vs. clinical infection and empirical therapy vs. empirical therapy) and (3) neutropenic status. RESULTS: Overall 128 patients [(69/123) (56.1%) in the daptomycin cohort (D) and 59/123 (48%) in the glycopeptide cohort (G)] had a resolution of fever at the end of 72 h antibiotic treatment (p = 0.25). There was no significant difference in cured, improved and (cured + improved) rates between (D) and (G) cohorts as well as fever of unknown origin cases or microbiologically confirmed infections or clinically defined infections subgroups (p > 0.05). There was also no significant difference (p > 0.05), in terms of persistent response in the (D) versus (G) cohorts, CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that although not better, daptomycin efficacy is comparable to vancomycin if used as empiric therapy in the treatment of adult febrile neutropenia. We conclude that daptomycin may be used at least as a salvage therapy alternative to glycopeptides in the treatment of adult febrile neutropenia cases. A large, randomized-controlled trial may further consolidate the evidence related to this question.

Efficacy of antiviral treatment in cytomegalovirus detected ulcerative colitis: meta-analysis of available data.

Aim: This meta-analysis aimed to pool available data regarding the efficacy of ganciclovir treatment among cytomegalovirus-detected ulcerative colitis patients.Methods: We screened PubMed, Ovid, Web of Science and Cochrane databases for relevant studies, and four investigators independently evaluated the studies for eligibility. The primary outcome was surgical resection or death from ulcerative colitis. The data were then pooled via DerSimonian-Laird estimator and Mantel-Haenszel (MH) method, two points added for continuity correction and random-effects model fitted in the Bayesian framework. We first constructed a Bugs model with Student t-distribution as prior for between-study heterogeneity. The model was fitted by Gibbs sampler (JAGS) to produce a marginal posterior distribution.Results: Our screening identified 15 eligible studies for final data synthesis and combined data from 191 ganciclovir-treated and 166 non-treated patients. Effect estimates from the fixed-effects meta-analysis model did not encourage ganciclovir treatment (OR, 1.43; 95% CIs [0-95, 2.16]), with a negligible unaccounted heterogeneity (I2 = 0%). The Bayesian random-effects model generated high-density credible intervals, suggesting a high probability, that future studies will also not encourage ganciclovir treatment (mu, 1.028; 95% credible intervals [0.054, 2.238]; 80% credible intervals [0.401, 1.703]) which indicates that future studies will favor non-treatment of ulcerative colitis with ganciclovir.Conclusions: Data produced in this study do not encourage ganciclovir treatment for UC patients. However, studies included in this analysis were observational, and thus, inherited severe selection bias. We suggest randomized controlled studies be conducted to make firm recommendations in this context.

Comparison of universal prophylaxis and preemptive approach for cytomegalovirus associated outcome measures in renal transplant patients: A meta-analysis of available data.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a ubiquitous latent human virus that often causes complications in renal transplantation recipients. Universal prophylaxis and preemptive therapy are alternative strategies to prevent CMV associated complications. This meta-analysis aimed to assess available data comparing the effectiveness of prophylaxis and preemptive therapy for preventing adverse outcomes. We searched the PubMed, Ovid, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Open Grey databases using a combination of keywords. Random effects models along with the Paule-Mandel estimator were used to synthesize pooled effect estimates. Eleven studies were eligible for the final analysis. Universal prophylaxis was better at preventing CMV disease than the preemptive approach (risk difference = -0.0459; confidence intervals = -0.0791, -0.0127; P-value = 0.0067; number needed to treat [NNT] = 22 [1/0.0459]; high, 79 [1/0.0127] patients; low, 13 [1/0.0791] patients). Subgroup analysis revealed a more consistent effect among studies published after 2010, with negligible between-study heterogeneity. The NNT for universal prophylaxis to prevent one excess CMV disease concerning preemptive therapy was 16 (1/0.0630) patients (high, 25 [1/0.0394]; low, 12 [1/0.0867] patients) in the subgroup of studies performed after 2010. We detected no significant difference between the two strategies regarding acute rejection and graft loss, with negligible variability due to heterogeneity between studies. Although universal prophylaxis performed better than the preemptive strategy for the prevention of CMV disease, the high NNT value may discourage the use of CMV prophylaxis. Since there were no differences between the strategies concerning acute rejection and graft loss, this study supports the use of the preemptive approach as an alternative to universal prophylaxis.

The First Enterobacter cloacae Co-Producing NDM and OXA-48 Carbapenemases and Interhospital Spread of OXA-48 and NDM-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae. METHODS: A total of 54 carbapenem nonsusceptible Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) isolates were recovered from clinical samples sent to the Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Training and Research Hospital from the period 2011 through 2014. Forty-four isolates were Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) and the other 10 were Enterobacter cloacae (CREC).The isolate identifications and antibiotic sensitivity tests were performed using a Vitek2 automatic system. The clonality of isolates was determined using rep-PCR Diversilab. Presence of blaOXA-48, blaNDM, blaVIM, blaIMP, and blaKPC genes were screened using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with specific primers. RESULTS: CRKP were isolated from blood, urine, wounds, catheter tips, and tracheal aspirate samples; a total 44 isolates were evaluated. All isolates were nonsusceptible to ertapenem/imipenem or meropenem. Eighteen percent of the isolates were resistant to colistin. CREC were isolated from blood, urine, cerebrospinal fluid and sputum; a total of 10 isolates were evaluated. They were resistant to all carbapenems and 90% were resistant to cefoperazone/sulbactam and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, and 50 - 70% isolates were resistant to gentamicin, amikacin, and ciprofloxacin. Thirty-three (75%) OXA-48 producing CRKP were identified. Thirteen (29.5%) were positive and two (4.5%) NDM-producing K. pneumoniae were co-producing OXA-48. Of the ten CREC strains tested, eight were positive for blaNDM, one isolate was positive for blaVIM and another for blaIMP genes. rep-PCR typing revealed the presence of a clonal dissemination in CRKP and CREC in the hospital. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first identification of blaNDM in E. cloacae isolates in Turkey. These findings describe an interhospital spread of CRKP-producing OXA-48 and NDM carbapenemases that started in 2011. Continuous monitoring is necessary to better understand their dissemination in the hospital, which probably occurred as a result of transmission from an environmental reservoir. These findings emphasize the need for intensive surveillance and precautions.