Two different synergy testing methods, the checkerboard and the E test methods, were used to compare the in vitro efficacies of various antimicrobial combinations against 16 Brucella melitensis strains isolated from blood cultures. The rate of agreement of the E test and checkerboard methods was found to be 55%. The most concordant results were found for the streptomycin-doxycycline combination in 12 (75%) tests, in which four strains showed synergistic activity by E test and antagonistic activity by the checkerboard method and in which one strain showed antagonistic activity by both methods. Even though each of these methods uses different conditions and endpoints, the results of both methods frequently agreed.Brucellosis is still an important health problem in developing countries and leads to serious economic losses (15,19). The disease causes abortion and sterility in animals and septicemia that progresses to chronic localized infections in various organs of humans (4,16,19). Although brucellosis has been eradicated from animals in some developed countries, 500,000 new cases are reported yearly throughout the world, and it is still a widespread zoologic disease in Turkey (8,11).Because brucellae are localized intracellularly, infections with these bacteria should be treated with antibiotics that can penetrate the cell at high concentrations. The World Health Organization recommends the use of two antibiotics in combination and, in some cases, four antibiotics in combination for the treatment of brucellosis. Because of the lack of effectiveness of present therapies, relapses, and difficulties related to the antibiotics used, such as adverse effects, absorbance disturbances, and the limited ability of certain age groups to use certain antibiotics, researchers have been forced to discover new treatment regimens (2, 19).Antimicrobial susceptibility tests are not yet standardized for brucellae, and routine susceptibility tests cannot be performed in microbiology laboratories. However, the antimicrobial susceptibilities and even the in vitro synergistic effects of antibiotics in combination against these microorganisms, which have scant growth in culture, can easily be performed by E test. The aim of this study was to evaluate the rate of agreement of two in vitro tests for synergy, E test and the checkerboard method, with various combinations of antibiotics that penetrate the cell wall against Brucella melitensis isolates recovered from blood. MATERIALS AND METHODSSixteen strains of B. melitensis isolated from blood cultures at the Microbiology Laboratory of Gaziantep University from January through December 2003 were included in this study. Blood samples were collected from in-and outpatient clinics of the Medical Faculty Hospital, and they were cultured in vials of the BACTEC 9120 system (Becton Dickinson, Rutherford, N.J.) at 37°C for at least 7 days. The isolates were identified on the basis of colony morphology, staining, and slide agglutination with antiserum. Small, round, and convex colonies that grew on ...

Background: Several studies have reported higher rates of antimicrobial resistance among isolates from intensive care units than among isolates from general patient-care areas. The aims of this study were to review the pathogens associated with nosocomial infections in a surgical intensive care unit of a university hospital in Turkey and to summarize rates of antimicrobial resistance in the most common pathogens. The survey was conducted over a period of twelve months in a tertiary-care teaching hospital located in the south-eastern part of Turkey, Gaziantep. A total of 871 clinical specimens from 615 adult patients were collected. From 871 clinical specimens 771 bacterial and fungal isolates were identified.

This study was performed to determine the distribution of Candida species isolated from the blood cultures of the patients hospitalized in our hospital and to investigate their antifungal susceptibility. Candida strains were identified at species level by using classical methods and API ID 32C (bioMerieux, France) identification kits. The susceptibility of the strains to amphotericin B, fluconazole, voriconazole, and caspofungin was evaluated by using the reference broth microdilution method in document M27-A3 of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Of the 111 Candida strains isolated, 47.7% were identified as C. albicans and 52.3% as non-albicans Candida strains. The MIC ranges were 0.03–1 μg/mL for amphotericin B, 0.125–≥64 μg/mL for fluconazole, 0.03–16 μg/mL for voriconazole, and 0.015–0.25 μg/mL for caspofungin. All Candida strains were susceptible to amphotericin B and caspofungin. 10.8% isolates were resistant to fluconazole and 8.1% isolates were dose-dependent susceptible. While 0.9% isolate was resistant to voriconazole, 0.9% isolate was dose-dependent susceptible. In our study, C. albicans and C. parapsilosis were the most frequently encountered agents of candidemia and it was detected that voriconazole with a low resistance rate might also be used with confidence in the treatment of infections occurring with these agents, primarily besides amphotericin B and caspofungin.

Dermatophyte infections and onychomycosis are not usually serious in term of mortality; however, they may have significant clinical consequences such as secondary bacterial infections, chronicity, therapeutic difficulties and esthetic disfigurement in addition to serving as a reservoir of infection. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of onychomycosis and dermatophytosis in a selected high risk group, consisting of male boarding school residents. A total of 410 males inhabiting two houses were evaluated by two dermatologists. In cases of clinical suspicion, appropriate samples were taken for direct microscopy and culture. The results showed that the prevalences of tinea pedis (athlete's foot) and pure pedal onychomycosis were 51.5% (n:211) and 4.4% (n:18), respectively. Thirty cases of those with tinea pedis were complicated by toenail onychomycosis. Tinea cruris was present only in five cases with tinea pedis. Interestingly 71.1% of those with tinea pedis and 45.8% of those with onychomycosis, associated with or without tinea pedis were unaware of their diseases. The most common fungal isolate was Trichophyton rubrum (76.6%) followed by Epidermophyton floccosum (11.6%), T. interdigitale (10.55%). Approximately one third of the cultures from nail specimens yielded pure growths of nondermatophyte moulds or Candida albicans. In conclusion, we found unexpectedly high prevalences of occult athlete's foot and toenail onychomycosis among the male residents of student houses. Our results indicate that health-care workers of such common boarding-houses should be more aware of clinical and subclinical dermatophyte infections and onychomycosis, and have more active approaches to educational measures and management strategies to prevent further infections. To our knowledge, this is the first epidemiologic study on the prevalences of dermatophytosis and onychomycosis in boarding-houses from Turkey.

We aimed to determine the present status of drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis at the Gaziantep University Hospital in south-east Turkey. Data for 1995 to 1999 were retrospectively evaluated with respect to smear-positive cases, first positive culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis for each patient and drug-susceptibility tests for the major antituberculous drugs. Cultures were done using the Bactec 460 TB method. A total of 106 (40.2%) strains were resistant to at least one drug. Single drug resistance was observed in 47 strains (17.8%) and resistance to two or three drugs was found in 28 and 29 strains (10.6 and 11.0%), respectively. Two strains (0.8%) were resistant to all four drugs. While multidrug resistance was observed in 52 (19.7%) strains, resistance to isoniazid + rifampin was observed in 20 (7.6%) strains. This retrospective study showed that combined drug resistance of M. tuberculosis is highly prevalent in southeastern Turkey. Possible reasons for the failure of current control policies were considered.