ABSTRACT
Background: During the pandemic of COVID-19, Healthcare Workers (HCWs) have been at the forefront of infection;they could also carry the disease to the others. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, HCWs in five hospitals of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences were included from 20 March to 21 July, 2020. HCWs were divided into two categories of frontline and second-line. The checklist was researcher-made and was on the basis of WHO risk factors regarding COVID-19, MERS and SARS. The participants were analyzed. The participants were asked, via phone call, to answer questions in 3 sections of demographics, probable risk factors, and clinical manifestations. The need for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and its availability were also evaluated. Results: From among 534 HCWs included in this study, 197(57.6%) were females;most of them were nurses, and the mean +/- SD age was 36.02 +/- 8.5 years. Eighteen HCWs were hospitalized due to the severity of disease, most of whom were front-line HCWs. Malaise (78.7%), fever (68.1%) and gastrointestinal symptoms (63.7%) were the most common manifestations in the participants. Smoking (OR=0.078, P=0.001) and underlying diseases (OR=2.19, P=0.025) were known as the factors predicting HCWs hospitalization. Being smoker and participating in intubation procedure were independent predictors of hospitalization in HCWs. Conclusion: Frontline HCWs had a significantly higher risk of COVID-19 infection, as compared to the second-line group. Although adequate supplies of PPE are necessary, they do not completely mitigate high-risk exposures.
ABSTRACT
A 42-year-old man was referred to the Department of Orthopedic Surgery with pain over his right greater trochanter and signs of systemic infection. CT showed an enhanced mass in his gluteus maximus as well as gas in the biceps femoris over the underlying hip joint. Tissue biopsy yielded Fusobacterium nucleatum and Actinomyces turicensis. The patient was successfully treated for 6 weeks with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid 875mg/125mg and metronidazole 500mg.
Subject(s)
Actinomycetaceae/isolation & purification , Actinomycetales Infections/microbiology , Bacteremia/microbiology , COVID-19/immunology , Fusobacterium Infections/microbiology , Fusobacterium nucleatum/isolation & purification , Hip/microbiology , Abscess/drug therapy , Abscess/microbiology , Actinomycetaceae/drug effects , Actinomycetaceae/genetics , Actinomycetales Infections/drug therapy , Adult , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , COVID-19/virology , Fusobacterium Infections/drug therapy , Fusobacterium nucleatum/drug effects , Fusobacterium nucleatum/genetics , Humans , Immunocompromised Host , Male , SARS-CoV-2/genetics , SARS-CoV-2/isolation & purificationABSTRACT
Oro- and nasopharyngeal swab specimens by quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect SARS-CoV-2 is currently the main diagnostic tool during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemia. Accurate performance of the procedure to avoid false negative results, adequate personal protective equipment and material sparing algorithms are mandatory while obtaining swab specimens. In the current stey-by-step review a feasible approach will be presented.