Relationship between Selective IgA Deficiency and COVID-19 Prognosis.

The prevalence and mortality rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) widely vary among populations. Mucosal immunity is the first barrier to the pathogen's entry into the body. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) is the primary antibody responsible for mucosal immunity. We explored the relationship between selective IgA deficiency (SIgAD) and COVID-19 severity. We included 424 patients (203 women) with COVID-19. Eleven patients had SIgAD. Laboratory data of patients with SIgAD and normal IgA levels were compared. The relationship between SIgAD and severe COVID-19 infection was explored using logistic regression analysis. In the univariate logistic regression analysis, the risk of severe COVID-19 disease in patients with SIgAD was approximately 7.7-fold higher than that in other patients (odds ratio [OR], 7.789; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.665-36.690, P = 0.008), while it was 4-fold (OR, 4.053; 95% CI, 1.182-13.903, P = 0.026) higher in the multivariate logistic regression analysis. Serum IgA levels were positively correlated with total lymphocyte counts and negatively correlated with C-reactive protein levels, which was a risk factor for severe COVID-19. In patients with SIgAD, the number of severe acute respiratory coronaviruses 2 that pass through mucosal membranes may be increased, leading to complications such as cytokine storm syndrome and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

The Relationship between COVID-19 Severity and Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)/ Mycobacterium tuberculosis exposure history in healthcare workers: a multi-center study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought countries' health services into sharp focus. It was drawn to our group's attention that healthcare workers (HCWs) had a lower mortality rate against higher COVID-19 incidence compared to the general population in Turkey. Since risk of exposure to tuberculosis bacillus among healthcare workers are higher than the population, we aimed to investigate if there is a relationship between BCG and Mycobacterium tuberculosis exposure history with COVID-19 severity in infected HCWs. This study was conducted with 465 infected HCWs from thirty-three hospitals to assess the relationship between COVID-19 severity (according to their hospitalization status and the presence of radiological pneumonia) and BCG and Mycobacterium tuberculosis exposure history. HCWs who required hospital admission had significantly higher rates of chronic diseases, radiological pneumonia, and longer working hours in the clinics. Higher rates of history of contact and care to tuberculosis patients, history of tuberculosis, and BCG vaccine were observed in hospitalized HCWs. HCWs who had radiological pneumonia had a significantly increased ratio of history of care to tuberculosis patients and a higher family history of tuberculosis. The findings from our study suggest that the lower mortality rate despite the more severe disease course seen in infected HCWs might be due to frequent exposure to tuberculosis bacillus and the mortality-reducing effects of the BCG vaccine.

Brucellosis: Evaluation of Two Hundred and Ten Cases with Different Clinical Features.

INTRODUCTION: Brucellosis is an important zoonotic disease and a major cause of morbidity worldwide presenting with varying clinical manifestations. We aimed to investigate the epidemiological characteristics and complications of brucellosis at the Van Training and Research Hospital from January 2018 to December 2018. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 210 patients with brucellosis were assessed retrospectively. The clinical histories and signs, laboratory findings, therapeutic features and complications of these patients were obtained by examining their medical files. RESULTS: Of the 210 patients;, the most common symptoms were myalgia (87.6%), arthralgia (76.2%) and fever (72.4%). The most frequent clinical signs were fever (72.4%) and arthritis (21.9%). Out of 210 patients, standard tube agglutination (STA) tests were positive in 208 (99%). Osteoarticular involvement (34.3%) was common, and a combination of rifampicin and doxycycline was the most frequently used antimicrobial regimen. CONCLUSION: It should be kept in mind that brucellosis may occur in patients presenting with fever, sweating, arthralgia and leukopenia, especially in endemic areas where dairy livestock is prevalent. People living in these areas should be educated about proper animal care and the handling of dairy products.

Hydrocephalus and vasculitis delay therapeutic responses in tuberculous meninigitis: Results of Haydarpasa-III study.

AIMS: There is no report on the factors affecting the resolution of symptoms related to meningitis during treatment of tuberculous meningitis (TBM). Thus, we examined the factors associated with early therapeutic responses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This multicenter study included 507 patients with microbiologically confirmed TBM. However, 94 patients eligible for the analysis were included in this study from 24 centers. Six out of 94 patients died and the statistical analysis was performed with 88 survivors. Early and late responder groups were compared in the statistical analysis. P < 0.05 were considered to show a significant difference. RESULTS: In the multivariate analysis, the presence of vasculitis (P = 0.029, OR = 10.491 [95% CI, 1.27-86.83]) was found to be significantly associated with a delayed fever response whereas hydrocephalus was associated with altered mental status for >9 days duration (P = 0.005, OR = 5.740 [95% CI, 1.68-19.57]). According to linear regression analysis, fever was significantly persisting (>7 days) in the presence of vasculitis (17.5 vs. 7, P< 0.001) and hydrocephalus (11 vs. 7, P = 0.029). Hydrocephalus was significantly associated with persisting headache (21 vs. 12, P = 0.025), delayed recovery of consciousness (19.5 vs. 7, P = 0.001), and a delay in complete recovery (21 vs. 14, P = 0.007) in the linear regression analysis. Following institution of treatment, the complaints seemed to disappear in up to 2 weeks among TBM survivors. CONCLUSIONS: In the absence of hydrocephalus or vasculitis, one week of anti-tuberculosis treatment seems to be adequate for the resolution of TBM symptoms. Hydrocephalus and vasculitis delay the resolution of TBM symptoms in response to antimycobacterial treatment.

Causative pathogens and antibiotic resistance in diabetic foot infections: A prospective multi-center study.

AIM: Clinical practice guidelines for the management of diabetic foot infections developed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) are commonly used worldwide. The issue of whether or not these guidelines need to be adjusted for local circumstances, however, has seldom been assessed in large prospective trials. METHODS: The Turk-DAY trial was a prospective, multi-center study in which infectious disease specialists from centers across Turkey were invited to participate (NCT02026830). RESULTS: A total of 35 centers throughout Turkey enrolled patients in the trial. Overall, investigators collected a total of 522 specimens from infected diabetic foot wounds for culture from 447 individual patients. Among all isolates, 36.4% were gram-positive organisms, with Staphylococcus aureus the most common among these (11.4%). Gram-negative organisms constituted 60.2% of all the isolates, and the most commonly isolated gram-negative was Escherichia coli (15%). The sensitivity rates of the isolated species were remarkably low for several antimicrobials used in the mild infection group. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our findings, several of the antimicrobials frequently used for empirical treatment, including some also recommended in the IDSA guidelines, would not be optimal for treating diabetic foot infections in Turkey. Although the IDSA guideline recommendations may be helpful to guide empiric antimicrobial therapy of DFIs, they should be adjusted to local conditions.

Hamsi scoring in the prediction of unfavorable outcomes from tuberculous meningitis: results of Haydarpasa-II study.

Predicting unfavorable outcome is of paramount importance in clinical decision making. Accordingly, we designed this multinational study, which provided the largest case series of tuberculous meningitis (TBM). 43 centers from 14 countries (Albania, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Hungary, Iraq, Italy, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Syria, Turkey) submitted data of microbiologically confirmed TBM patients hospitalized between 2000 and 2012. Unfavorable outcome was defined as survival with significant sequela or death. In developing our index, binary logistic regression models were constructed via 200 replicates of database by bootstrap resampling methodology. The final model was built according to the selection frequencies of variables. The severity scale included variables with arbitrary scores proportional to predictive powers of terms in the final model. The final model was internally validated by bootstrap resampling. A total of 507 patients' data were submitted among which 165 had unfavorable outcome. Eighty-six patients died while 119 had different neurological sequelae in 79 (16%) patients. The full model included 13 variables. Age, nausea, vomiting, altered consciousness, hydrocephalus, vasculitis, immunosuppression, diabetes mellitus and neurological deficit remained in the final model. Scores 1-3 were assigned to the variables in the severity scale, which included scores of 1-6. The distribution of mortality for the scores 1-6 was 3.4, 8.2, 20.6, 31, 30 and 40.1%, respectively. Altered consciousness, diabetes mellitus, immunosuppression, neurological deficits, hydrocephalus, and vasculitis predicted the unfavorable outcome in the scoring and the cumulative score provided a linear estimation of prognosis.

A rare cause of pleural effusion: adult onset Still's disease.

Adult onset Still's disease is a rare systemic inflammatory disorder. At the onset of the disease sore throat, pharyngitis; which does not respond to antibiotics, one or two times peaking febrile episodes, marked salmon-colored rash on the trunk and extremities, arthralgia, arthritis, myalgia, fatigue, loss of appetite with nausea and weight loss; hepatosplenomegaly and lymphadenopathy can be seen. Among laboratory examinations levels of ferritin and other acute phase reactants distinctly rise, and neutrophilic leukocytosis; ANA and RF negativity are detected. Pleural and pericardial effusions, transient pulmonary infiltration, and rarely myocarditis can be seen during the course of the disease. Here we report a patient who was examined for fever of unknown origin and diagnosed with adult onset Still's disease which is a rare etiology of pleural effusion.

First case report of neurobrucellosis associated with hydrocephalus.

Brucellosis is a common zoonosis in many parts of the world, including Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries. The disease is primarily related to occupations at risk, such as veterinarians, farmers, laboratory technicians, abattoir workers, and others working with animals and their products. Neurologic complications of brucellosis are quite rare, ranging from 1.7 to 10% of those infected. To date, no cases of neurobrucellosis with hydrocephalus have been reported. A 38-year-old right-handed farmer complained of headaches, nausea, vomiting, gait disturbance, and sweating for 2 days. He also complained of bilateral hearing loss of 4 months duration. On neurologic examination, dysmmetry, dysdiadochokinesis, ataxia on the left, and bilateral sensorineural hearing loss existed. On cranial MRI, a communicating hydrocephalus was noted. Because the patient consumed fresh sheep cheese and was a farmer, brucellosis was considered in the differential diagnosis. Brucella agglutination was positive with a 1/320 titer in the blood and a 1/80 titer in the cerebrospinal fluid. Ceftriaxone, doxycycline, and rifampicin were administered and by the fourth week of treatment, the ataxia was markedly improved, and the patient was able to walk without support. His cranial MRI demonstrated a total regression of the hydrocephalus. As a result, we suggest that neurobrucellosis should be considered in patients with hydrocephalus, especially if they live in an endemic area for brucellosis, even in the absence of other systemic signs.

Tularemia presenting with tonsillopharyngitis and cervical lymphadenitis: report of two cases.

Tularemia is a zoonotic disease caused by Francisella tularensis. Francisella tularensis is transmitted to humans by direct contact or ingestion of infected animal tissues, through the bite of infected arthropods, by consumption of contaminated food or water, or from inhalation of aerolized bacteria. In this report we describe 2 cases with oropharyngeal tularemia who presented with tonsillopharyngitis and cervical lymphadenitis.