RESUMEN
In this age matched controlled study performed in Malatya, a city in east region of Turkey, enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) was investigated in stool specimens obtained from children and adults with and without diarrhea. A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was used to detect the enterotoxin gene of B. fragilis in a total of 418 stool samples, including 221 samples from 117 children (aged 0-16 years) and 104 adults (aged >16 years) with diarrhea, and 197 samples from 102 children and 95 adults as control group that was the same age group with those having diarrhea. ETBF was detected in 13 of 117 diarrheal children (11.1%) and 8 of 102 control children (7.8%) (P>0.05). In children aged 1-5 years, the rate of ETBF was significantly higher in patients than in controls (25% versus 9.5%, respectively; P<0.05). On the other hand ETBF was detected similar rates (2.2% and 2.4%, respectively) in children younger than 1 year in both patients and controls. ETBF positivity was not significantly difference between patient and control groups who were older than 5 years of age and adults. The frequency of ETBF in the controls was slightly higher in older persons than in younger ones; however, it was not significant. The rate of ETBF as the only enteropathogen in the patients with ETBF was significantly higher than in controls with ETBF (88% versus 39%, respectively; P<0.02). We found that in east region of Turkey, the prevalence of ETBF was higher in the childhood diarrhea, particularly in aged 1-5. As the only enteropathogen, ETBF may play an important role in diarrheal diseases. Persons after 6 years old can be carrier for ETBF regardless diarrhea.
RESUMEN
In this study, the methicillin resistance of 112 Staphylococcus aureus and 93 coagulase negative Staphylococcus (CNS) strains, which were initially found methicillin resistant by routine disk diffusion method in our laboratory, have been searched by microdilution and oxacillin agar screen test and the results were compared with the results obtained by disk diffusion method. The presence of mecA gene was investigated by polymerase chain reaction in case of discordant results. All S. aureus strains (100%) and 69.9% (65/93) of CNS strains were found resistant to methicillin by three of the methods. Of CNS isolates, 28 strains which were found methicillin resistant by disk diffusion method, were found methicillin susceptible by oxacillin agar screen method, and 27 of these were detected as mecA positive. Our results indicated that, the three methods tested were reliable for the detection of methicillin resistance in S. aureus strains, but oxacillin agar screen revealed to be unsatisfactory for the detection of methicillin resistance in CNS.