ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To detect the subtype characterization and drug-resistant mutations in HIV-1 strains after the refugee movement from Syria to Turkey between 2011 and 2014 in south east border lines. METHODS: A total of 65 patients were included in this study, of which 57 (88%) patients were antiretroviral therapy-naive patients. HIV-1 RNA was detected and quantified by real-time PCR assay. HIV-1 subtypes and circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) were identified by phylogenetic analysis (neighbor-joining method), and drug-resistant mutations were analyzed. RESULTS: Three major HIV groups were indicated. Two of these groups were located in subtype B. The other group showed heterogeneity. Subtype B (48/65, 73.8%), followed by CRFs (12/65, 18.5%) was the most common strain. Subtype of CRFs consisted of CRF01_AE (9/65, 13.8%) and CRF02_AG (3/65, 4.6%). Subtype C (1/65, 1.5%), sub-subtypes A1 (2/65, 3.1%) and F1 (2/65, 3.1%) were also detected with low prevalence. The rate of overall primary antiretroviral resistance was 4.9% (3/61). Drug-resistant rate for non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors was 4.9%. The thymidine analogue mutation rate was 13.1% (8/61). CONCLUSIONS: HIV molecular epidemiology studies are necessary to determine transmission patterns and spread. Subtype B and CRF01_AE, CRF02_AG are the most prevalent strains in the south-east of Turkey. However, subtype C, sub-subtypes A1 and F1 are of low prevalence but persist in the south-east of Turkey. In the near future, changing of HIV epidemiology will be possible in Turkey due to migration movement in border lines and resistance testing will play an important role in HIV management.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate the febrile neutropenic patients with hematological malignancies hospitalized in hematology clinic with poor hygiene standards. Methods: A total of 124 patients with hematological malignancies (69 male, 55 female) hospitalized in hematology clinic with poor hygiene conditions depending on hospital conditions, between January 2007 and December 2010, were evaluated, retrospectively. Results: In this study, 250 febrile neutropenia episodes developing in 124 hospitalized patients were evaluated. Of the patients, 69 were men (56%) and 55 women (44%). A total of 40 patients (32%) had acute myeloid leukemia, 25 (20%) acute lymphoblastic leukemia, 19 (15%) non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, 10 (8%) multiple myeloma, and 8 (8%) chronic myeloid leukemia. In our study, 56 patients (22%) were diagnosed as pneumonia, 38 (15%) invasive aspergillosis, 38 (15%) sepsis, 16 (6%) typhlitis, 9 (4%) mucormycosis, and 4 (2%) urinary tract infection. Gram-positive cocci were isolated from 52% (n = 20), while Gram-negative bacilli 42% (n = 16) and yeasts from 6% (n = 2) of the sepsis patients, respectively. The most frequently isolated Gram-positive bacteria were methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (n = 18), while the most frequently isolated Gram-negative bacteria was Escherichia coli (n = 10). Conclusions: Febrile neutropenia is still a problem in patients with hematological malignancies. The documentation of the flora and detection of causative agents of infections in each unit would help to decide appropriate empirical therapy. Infection control procedures should be applied for preventing infections and transmissions.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study is to compare the periods before and after the intervention applied using the ATC/DDD method in order to ascertain the rational use of antibiotics in a newly established hospital. The appropriateness of the hospital's antibiotic use, consumption rates and the costs were calculated and compared with other hospitals. Based on these data, an intervention has been planned in order to raise the quality of antibiotic use. The periods before and after the intervention were compared. Between 16 May 2011 and 23 May 2012, data were collected from all hospital units by the infectious diseases specialists and a point prevalence survey was conducted. Anatomical therapeutic chemical classification and the defined daily dose [DDD] methodology were used to calculate the antibiotic consumption. On two specific days in 2011 and 2012, 194 out of 307 patients [63.2%] and 224 out of 412 patients [54.4%] received antibiotic treatment, respectively. In 2011 and 2012, the percentage of appropriate antibiotic use was 51% and 64.3%, respectively. Both in 2011 and 2012, inappropriate antibiotic use was found to be significantly higher in surgical clinics in comparison to the internal diseases clinics and the ICU. This was caused by the high rates of inappropriate perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis observed in surgical clinics. During both years, approximately one-third of the antibiotics were prescribed for the purposes of perioperative prophylaxis, while 88.5% and 43.7% of these, respectively, were inappropriate and unnecessary. Cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, combinations of penicillins [including beta-lactamase inhibitors] and carbapenems were the most frequently prescribed antibiotics during the study periods. The mean total antibiotic consumption was 93.6 DDD/100 bed-days and 63.1 DDD/100 bed-days, respectively. The cost of total antibacterial consumption was euro 7901.33 for all the patients [euro 40.72 per infected patient] and euro 6500.26 [euro 29.01 per infected patient], respectively. Each hospital should follow and assess their antibiotic use expressed in DDD in order to compare their antibiotic use with national and international hospitals [WHO, 2009 [14]].