Evaluation of vaccination status of health care workers for recommended vaccines and their acceptance of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.

INTRODUCTION: Health care workers (HCWs) are disproportionately exposed to infectious diseases and play a role in nosocomial transmission, making them a key demographic for vaccination. HCW vaccination rates are not optimal in many countries; hence, compulsory vaccination policies have been implemented in some countries. Although these policies are effective and necessary under certain conditions, resolving HCWs' hesitancies and misconceptions about vaccines is crucial. HCWs have the advantage of direct contact with patients; hence, they can respond to safety concerns, explain the benefits of vaccination, and counter antivaccine campaigns that escalate during pandemics, as has been observed with COVID-19. METHOD: A short survey was carried out in May-June 2020 on the vaccination status of HCWs working with pediatric patients with COVID-19. The survey inquired about their vaccination status (mumps/measles/rubella [MMR], varicella, influenza, and diphtheria/tetanus [dT]) and willingness to receive hypothetical future COVID-19 vaccines. The respondents were grouped according to gender, age, occupation, and region. RESULTS: In total, 4927 HCWs responded to the survey. Most were young, healthy adults. The overall vaccination rates were 57.8% for dT in the past 10 years, 44.5% for MMR, 33.2% for varicella, and 13.5% for influenza. Vaccination rates were the highest among physicians. The majority of HCWs (81%) stated that they would be willing to receive COVID-19 vaccines. CONCLUSION: Although vaccination rates for well-established vaccines were low, a majority of HCWs were willing to receive COVID-19 vaccines when available. Education and administrative trust should be enhanced to increase vaccination rates among HCWs.

SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity among pediatric health care personnel after the first peak of the pandemic: nationwide surveillance in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Understanding SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among health care personnel is important to explore risk factors for transmission, develop elimination strategies and form a view on the necessity and frequency of surveillance in the future. METHODS: We enrolled 4927 health care personnel working in pediatric units at 32 hospitals from 7 different regions of Turkey in a study to determine SARS Co-V-2 seroprevalence after the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. A point of care serologic lateral flow rapid test kit for immunoglobulin (Ig)M/IgG was used. Seroprevalence and its association with demographic characteristics and possible risk factors were analyzed. RESULTS: SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity prevalence in health care personnel tested was 6.1%. Seropositivity was more common among those who did not universally wear protective masks (10.6% vs 6.1%). Having a COVID-19-positive co-worker increased the likelihood of infection. The least and the most experienced personnel were more likely to be infected. Most of the seropositive health care personnel (68.0%) did not suspect that they had previously had COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Health surveillance for health care personnel involving routine point-of-care nucleic acid testing and monitoring personal protective equipment adherence are suggested as important strategies to protect health care personnel from COVID-19 and reduce nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

[Comparison of Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) and European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) broth microdilution methods for determining the susceptibilities of Candida isolates]. / Candida izolatlarinin antifungal duyarliliginin belirlenmesinde Klinik Laboratuvar Standartlari Enstitüsü (CLSI) ve Avrupa Antimikrobiyal Duyarlilik Testleri Komitesi (EUCAST) sivi mikrodilüsyon yöntemlerinin karsilastirilmasi.

Candida species are among the top 10 pathogens causing bloodstream infections associated with high morbidity, mortality. In spite of the development of new antifungal drugs, epidemiological studies have shown that resistance to antifungal drugs among Candida isolates is becoming a serious problem. The aim of this study was to compare the antifungal broth microdilution methods of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) and European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) for amphotericin B, fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole and anidulafungin susceptibility of Candida blood isolates. The study consisted of 74 Candida albicans, 67 Candida parapsilosis, 30 Candida glabrata, and 18 Candida tropicalis isolates. The minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined after 24 and 48 hour of incubation with CLSI method and only 24 hour of incubation with EUCAST method except anidulofungin. The MIC values obtained by both methods were considered to be compatible within ± 2 dilution limits. The categorical agreement between methods for each antifungal agent was assessed using clinical break points and epidemiological cut-off values. The agreement (± 2 dilution) between the methods was found to be species, drug, and incubation time dependent. After 24 hour incubation, good agreement category (> 90%) was detected between amphotericin B, itraconazole, posaconazole and anidulofungin, but was lower category (< 85%) was determined with fluconazole and voriconazole especially for relatively slow growing C.glabrata and C.parapsilosis isolates. Excellent categorical agreement (100%) was observed for amfoterisin B/C.parapsilosis, C.glabrata, C.tropicalis and anidulofungin/C.albicans, C.glabrata, C.tropicalis but least category was determined for posaconazole and C.albicans (71.6% at 24 hour; 73% at 48 hour). In vitro resistance of therapeutically used fluconazole and anidulafungin determined by both methods was rare among C.albicans (1.3%, 2.7% respectively), C.glabrata (0%, 3.3% respectively) and C.tropicalis (0%, 5.6% respectively) isolates but, an increase of non-susceptible isolates were observed among C.parapsilosis (11.9% at 24 hour of incubation; 17.9% at 48 hour of incubation) for fluconazole. There was also a cross resistance between fluconazole and voriconazole for three C.parapsilosis isolates and one multidrug resistant (fluconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole and anidulofungin) C.albicans isolate (fluconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole and anidulofungin). As a result in this study, it was determined thatboth methods were similar and can be used according to preference of laboratories. The CLSI antifungal susceptibility test results can be assessed at the end of 24 hour incubation, but sometimes it is important that the evaluation should be performed as a result of 48 hour incubation in slow growing species such as C.glabrata.

Investigation of vancomycin resistant Enterococcus faecium outbreak in neonatal intensive care unit.

Enterococci are one of the major agents of community-acquired and nosocomial infections. In this study we aimed to analyze the clonal relation of the vancomycin-resistant Enterococci outbreak seen at the Neonate Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Uludag University Hospital. Vancomycin resistance gene was investigated in the Enterococcus faecium strains and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to investigate the genetic relation between outbreak strains. Enterococci grown in all patient samples were identified as Enterococcus faecium by BD Phoenix 100 (Becton Dickinson, USA). We found vanA resistance gene in all of the swab samples by Xpert VanA/B test on Cepheid (Cepheid, USA). PFGE band patterns revealed two different strains, of which the majority of them (22/24) had the same clonal origin. The common clonal origin was also isolated from rectal probes. Perianal swab culture positivity was evaluated as colonization but culture growth in two blood cultures, two urine cultures and one wound culture was evaluated as infection and treated with linezolid. All of the patients survived the outbreak. Besides the infection control precautions determining the genetic relation between outbreak strains which can be done in the microbiology laboratory is necessary to control an outbreak. PFGE is a reliable method in the microbiologic analysis of outbreaks. Molecular microbiologic analysis of outbreak strains will contribute to prove the epidemiologic and evolution of outbreaks.