Genotypes of hepatitis B virus in central Anatolia, Kayseri, Turkey

To investigate the distribution of hepatitis B virus [HBV] genotypes among patients with chronic hepatitis B in Kayseri, Turkey. The study took place in the Department of Microbiology, Erciyes University, Kayseri, and Lontek Laboratory, Istanbul, Turkey, from January 2005 to October 2007. One hundred and ten patients with chronic hepatitis B were included in this study. Hepatitis B virus DNA in sera were investigated by using the real-time polymerase chain reaction. Viral DNA was extracted from 200 microL of serum using the QIA amp DNA min Elute kit [Qiagen, Hilden, Germany]. Reaction mixture was prepared by Fluorion HBV QNP 2.0 [lontek, Istanbul, Turkey]. Genotype D was detected in 107 of 110 [97.2%] patients, however, genotyping failed in 3 patients [2.7%]. No other genotypes were found. The vast majority of Turkish patients with chronic hepatitis B have genotype D

Sepsis and Meningitis due to Listeria Monocytogenes

PURPOSE: This study focused on the effect of immuno-compromising conditions on the clinical presentation of severe listerial infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Nine human listeriosis cases seen from 1991-2002 were reviewed. All adult patients, from whose blood, peritoneal fluid or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) the L. monocytogenes was isolated, were included in this retrospective study. RESULTS: Listeriosis presented as primary sepsis with positive blood cultures in 5 cases and meningitis with positive CSF cultures in 4 cases. All of these patients had at least one underlying disease, most commonly, hematologic malignancy, diabetes mellitus, amyloidosis and hepatic cirrhosis; 55.6% had received immunosuppressive or corticosteroid therapy within a week before the onset of listeriosis. The patients were adults with a mean age of 60 years. Fever, night sweats, chills and lethargy were the most common symptoms; high temperature (> 38 degrees C), tachycardia, meningeal signs and poor conditions in general were the most common findings on admission. The mortality rate was 33.3% and was strictly associated with the severity of the underlying disease. Mortality differences were significant between sepsis (20%) and meningitis (50%) patients. CONCLUSION: Listeriosis as an uncommon infection in our region and that immuno- suppressive therapy is an important pre-disposing factor of listeriosis. Sepsis and meningitis were more common in this group of patients and had the highest case-fatality rate for food-borne illnesses.