[Salmonella Bacteremia Accompanying COVID-19: The First Salmonella Co-Infection in the World Unrelated to Pakistan]. / COVID-19'a Eslik Eden Salmonella Bakteremisi: Pakistan ile Iliskisiz Dünyadaki Ilk Salmonella Ko-Enfeksiyonu.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection emerged in China at the end of 2019 and caused coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The lymphopenia seen in COVID-19 increases the incidence of susceptibility to other microorganisms and may cause co-infections. As the signs and symptoms of the diseases overlap with other infectious diseases and due to the intensity in health services, the diagnosis of co-infections becomes difficult and the treatment may be delayed. Therefore, infections accompanying COVID-19 cause an increase in morbidity and mortality.The isolation and quarantine measures taken during the COVID-19 process have reduced the number of infections transmitted from person to person. However, there was no significant decrease in diseases transmitted by food, such as salmonellosis. During the pandemic, salmonellosis continued to be a problem, especially in endemic areas such as Pakistan, and an increase in Salmonella infections associated with backyard poultry has been reported in countries such as the United States. A co-infection of COVID-19 and enteric fever associated with travel to Pakistan was reported for the first time in the literature in February 2021. In this case report, the first co-infection of COVID-19 and Salmonella in our country was presented. A 56-yearold male patient with no known systemic disease was admitted to the hospital with fever, shortness of breath, weakness and myalgia lasting for three days. SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction test was positive. The patient has been hospitalized and favipiravir, moxifloxacin, and methylprednisolone were started. Blood cultures were taken from the patient whose clinical picture worsened and fever continued despite of the medical treatment. Salmonella enterica spp. enterica was isolated and ceftriaxone treatment was started. The patient's anamnesis was deepened, but no diarrhea, abdominal pain, suspicious food consumption, travel history were determined. From the second day of the ceftriaxone treatment, the patient's fever decreased and no growth was detected in the control blood cultures. Ceftriaxone treatment was completed in 14 days and the patient was discharged on the 28th day. Approximately 87-95% of Salmonella strains isolated in our country are S.enterica spp. enterica, and S.enterica spp. enterica was also isolated in our case. Salmonella infections most commonly present as gastroenteritis, but the risk of bacteremia increases in case of immunosuppression. Although there was no additional disease in our case, it was considered that the infection in the form of bacteremia occurred due to an immunosuppression caused by COVID-19. In this context; drawing blood cultures of patients hospitalized with the diagnosis of COVID-19 is very important in terms of detecting co-infections and superinfections, and administering appropriate antibiotic therapy at appropriate treatment times. Presentation of first case of Salmonella bacteremia and simultaneous COVID-19 infection in our country was the strong side of our report. In addition, our case is also important as being the first SARS-CoV-2 and Salmonella co-infection unrelated to Pakistan in the literature. The limitation of our case was that S.enterica spp. enterica detected in the blood culture could not be subtyped and the stool culture could not be examined. However, this does not constitute a diagnostic requirement. In addition, the patient's pre-COVID-19 Salmonella carrier status was also unknown. As a result, patients become vulnerable to other infections due to the lymphopenia seen in COVID-19. Therefore, Salmonella bacteremia can be seen with SARS-CoV-2 infection without a comorbid condition. Drawing blood cultures in hospitalized patients with the diagnosis of COVID-19 is very important in terms of detecting concomitant infections in a short time. In patients whose clinical condition does not improve and fever continues despite of treatment, blood cultures should be taken, especially in the case of an advanced immunosuppresive treatment plan, and it should always be kept in mind that secondary infections and co-infections may occur.

A study of the chikungunya virus in humans in Turkey

Background/aim: The chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne disease and has recently been causing explosive outbreaks. The CHIKV has spread throughout all continents. Although the first chikungunya case imported from India to Turkey was reported in 2012, there is no detailed epidemiologic study in Turkey yet. The aim of this study was to investigate the seroprevalence of the CHIKV in Turkey. Materials and methods: ELISA was used to screen 500 random serum samples of healthy people collected from Kirikkale, which is located in central Anatolia in Turkey. The results were verified by indirect immunofluorescence test (IIFT). Results: The results showed that 0.4% samples were positive for CHIKV. In the verification study with IIFT, CHIKV IgG type antibodies were defined as negative. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first serological study on the CHIKV in Turkey. Conclusion: Further studies are needed to elucidate the epidemiological situation in patients that have fever and arthritis.

Extreme mitochondrial reduction in a novel group of free-living metamonads.

Metamonads are a diverse group of heterotrophic microbial eukaryotes adapted to living in hypoxic environments. All metamonads but one harbour metabolically altered 'mitochondrion-related organelles' (MROs) with reduced functions, however the degree of reduction varies. Here, we generate high-quality draft genomes, transcriptomes, and predicted proteomes for five recently discovered free-living metamonads. Phylogenomic analyses placed these organisms in a group we name the 'BaSk' (Barthelonids+Skoliomonads) clade, a deeply branching sister group to the Fornicata, a phylum that includes parasitic and free-living flagellates. Bioinformatic analyses of gene models shows that these organisms are predicted to have extremely reduced MRO proteomes in comparison to other free-living metamonads. Loss of the mitochondrial iron-sulfur cluster assembly system in some organisms in this group appears to be linked to the acquisition in their common ancestral lineage of a SUF-like minimal system Fe/S cluster pathway by lateral gene transfer. One of the isolates, Skoliomonas litria, appears to have lost all other known MRO pathways. No proteins were confidently assigned to the predicted MRO proteome of this organism suggesting that the organelle has been lost. The extreme mitochondrial reduction observed within this free-living anaerobic protistan clade demonstrates that mitochondrial functions may be completely lost even in free-living organisms.