Prevalence and risk factors for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage among emergency department workers and bacterial contamination on touch surfaces in Erciyes University Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) nasal carriage among emergency department (ED) workers, and bacterial contamination on hand-touch surfaces at ED. METHODS: This single-centered study enrolled 105 ED workers and 190 hand-touch surfaces at ED in June 2014. Nasal and environmental samples for S. aureus carriage and for bacterial contamination were obtained. For isolation swabs were cultured on ChromAgar S. aureus and environmental samples first cultured in broth and antibiogram obtained by clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. A questionnaire was completed for each subject. RESULTS: The S. aureus carriage rate was 18.1% (n=19), with 2.9% (n=3) MRSA positivity. There were two (1.9%) mobile phone positivities for S. aureus, one of them was MRSA, and a computer keyboard contamination for MRSA was also detected. All MRSA isolates were susceptible for the tested antibiotics. There was significant difference between gender (p=0.044) in terms of nasal carriage of S. aureus and MRSA, all three MRSA isolates were from females. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that the carriage of MRSA was not affected by clinical exposure in the hospital because of the existing infection control policy in our hospital.

Activity of propolis in an experimental model of pneumocystosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the anti Pneumocystis effects of propolis on Pneumocystis carinii P. carinii in rat model. METHODS: Rats were obtained, and the study was taken in to place in Erciyes University Clinical and Experimental Research Center, Kayseri, Turkey, in June 2007. In order to obtain spontaneous pneumonia, rats were remained on immunosuppression therapy with dexamethasone throughout the study. Propolis administered orally at doses of 30, 50, and 100 mg/kg/day. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX, 50/250 mg/kg/day) was used as positive control and untreated animals as negative control in the study. There were 6 animals in each group. RESULTS: Untreated animals showed P. carinii infection level with a mean +/= standard deviation log number of cysts per gram of lung tissue of 4.6 +/= 1.6 at the end of the experiment. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole 50/250 mg/kg/day has significantly reduced the log number of cysts per gram to 1.8 +/= 1.6 (p<0.001). There was no reduction found in the number of cysts in infected animals treated with 30, 50, and 100 mg of propolis/kg/day, and so the results were not statistically significant (p>0.05) compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: In our rat model of pneumocystosis the efficacy of propolis, this was used in folk medicine since ancient times, found completely ineffective.

Antimicrobial susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae in the oropharynx of healthy preschool children and identification of risk factors.

To determine the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae in the oropharynx of healthy children, throat swabs were obtained from 683 children and cultured. The disk diffusion method and the E test were used to test the antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolated organisms. Twenty-nine children (4.2%) harbored S. pneumoniae in their oropharynx. Fifteen (51.7%) of the isolates showed intermediate resistance to penicillin and 14 (48.3%) were susceptible. All strains were susceptible to rifampicin and moxifloxacin. One was resistant to telithromycin. The rates of resistance to clindamycin, erythromycin, chloramphenicol and tetracycline were 41.3, 44.8, 34.4, and 44.8%, respectively. Risk factors for S. pneumoniae carriage were also assessed.

Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in healthy preschool children.

To evaluate the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus carriage among healthy preschool children in our region, nasal swabs were collected from 5- to 7-year-old healthy children who were attending a day care center. Sociodemographic features and the data related with risk factors were obtained from the children's parents. Of the 200 children, S. aureus was isolated in 36 (18%) subjects. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus was isolated in 2 (5.6%) of these subjects, neither of whom had any identified risk factors. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that all tested strains were sensitive to gentamicin, vancomycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, rifampicin, and mupirocin. Erythromycin, clindamycin, fusidic acid, and tetracycline resistance were determined to be 16.6, 8.3, 5.6, and 8.3%, respectively.

Carriage rate of Haemophilus influenzae among preschool children in Turkey.

This study was designed to determine the prevalence of healthy Haemophilus influenzae carriers in a random sample of the preschool population in Kayseri, Turkey. The lack of H. influenzae type b (Hib) disease surveillance and epidemiological data on the throat carriage of Turkish children has caused a delay in the introduction of conjugated Hib vaccination into proposed national vaccination programs. Oropharyngeal cultures were collected and cultured on chocolate agar supplemented with 260 microg/ml bacitracin from 683 children between May and June, 2006. One hundred seven (15,6%) of the 683 children studied were found to be as H. influenzae carriers, and 29 (4,2%) isolates were serotype b. Beta-lactamase production was detected in four isolates (3.7%). According to multivariate analysis, the sex of the child and the number of people sharing the same room with the child significantly influenced the odds of carrying H. influenzae. Age, having older siblings, passive smoking, respiratory infection during the last 30 days, number of people in the household, attending kindergarten or a day-care center, and household income were not significant variables. Our results suggest that there is a strong relationship between exposure to large numbers of children and H. influenzae carriage.

[The prevalence of Pediculus capitis in students of eight primary schools in the rural area of the Kayseri province]. / Kayseri ili kirsalindaki sekiz ilkögretim okulunda Pediculus capitis prevalansi.

This study was performed, from May-June 2005, on 648 (51.4%) males and 613 (48.6%) females making total of 1261 students from eight primary schools in following towns, Yemliha, Mahzemin, Gesi, Günesli, Cirgalan, and Agirnas, in the rural area of the Kayseri Province. Either the adult or egg forms of Pediculus humanus var. capitis were found in 16 (2.1%) male students and 101 (16.4%), female making a total of 117 (9.1%) students. The prevalence of infestation was significantly higher in girls than in boys, the difference was found statistically significant (chi2=71.77, p < 0.05). In these eight primary schools the prevalence rate of infestation was also found statistically significant (chi 2= 95.7, p < 0.05). In conclusion, Pediculus capitis is still a public health problem. For an effective fight against this disease, students, teachers and parents must be acquainted with this subject and also surveillance must be increased.