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Background:The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the major causes of chronic liver disease. From the perspective of hospital workers (HWs), employees are at risk of hepatitis B infection because of occupational exposure. Apart from this occupational risk, health professionals may still be affected by HBV, depending on the epidemiological characteristics of the country and geographical region they live in.Objectives: This study aimed to determine HBV, HCV, and HIV seroprevalence among HWs using data obtained from 21 hospitals located in six geographical regions in Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Methods: The study was designed as a retrospective, multicentre, descriptive study. Twenty hospitals from Turkey and one hospital from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus were involved in the study. The variables of the study were vaccination status against HBV and hepatitis A and HBsAg, anti-HBs, anti-HBcIgG, anti-HAV IgG, anti-HCV, anti-HDV, and anti-HIV serology results belonging to the previous year.Results: Women constituted 58.9% (n = 5,622) of the HWs included in the study. The mean age was 36.3 ± 9.09 years (min = 18, max = 72). In terms of occupation, 42.5% (n = 4,064) were nurses/health officers, and 24.8% (n = 2365) were physicians. HBsAg seroprevalence was found to be 1.8% (n = 169; 95% CI = 1.5% -2.0%), while anti-HBs seropositivity was 75.7% (n = 7,234). About 7.3% (n = 701) had natural immunity to hepatitis B. About 21.6% (n = 2,066) of the HWs did not receive hepatitis B vaccine. Conclusions: This study is the first study involving a large sample size from different locations of Turkey. According to the results, hepatitis B and hepatitis A vaccines should be administered to susceptible individuals and HWs.

The automated Cepheid GeneXpert system provides rapid PCR results and can be used for the identification of VRE. We aimed to evaluate the use of the Cepheid Xpert vanA/vanB real-time PCR assay for the detection of VRE from rectal swabs of patients newly admitted to intensive care units in a hospital setting. Materials and methods:Rectal swab samples of patients newly admitted to 6 intensive care units from March 2011 to February 2012 were obtained. The specimens were analyzed by the GeneXpert system. The results were reported for both vanA and vanB as negative or positive.Results: Comparing the number of inpatients, most of the samples were delivered from the neurosurgery (48.3%), pediatrics (33.3%), and neonatology (20.6%) intensive care units. The positive samples according to GeneXpert vanA/vanB method were 33 (7.3%) among 454 rectal samples. Of these positive samples 22 (4.9%) were vanA, 10 (2.2%) were vanB, and 1 sample (0.2%) was vanA and vanBharboring, by PCR. Conclusion:As a rapid, easy to use, and labor-saving method GeneXpert vanA/vanB can detect VRE-positive patients, particularly in risk groups, as soon as they are admitted to hospital so that infection control policies can be applied immediately.

ÖZETSıtma başta Sahra altı Afrika olmak üzere dünyada önemli bir sağlık problemidir. Türkiye'de en çok görülen sıtma türü Plasmodium vivax olup başlıca Güneydoğu Anadolu ve Çukurova bölgesinde endemiktir. Globalleşme ve turizme bağlı olarak seyahat ilişkili Plasmodium falciparum olgularında artış gözlenmektedir. Optimal antimalaryal tedaviye rağmen P. falciparum yüksek mortalite ile seyredebilmektedir. Burada mesleki nedenle Afrika'ya giden ve üveit, hiperglisemi ve purpurik döküntünün eşlik ettiği sıtma ile dönen bir Türk radyolog sunuldu. (Turkiye Parazitol Derg 2014; 38: 258-60) Anahtar Sözcükler: Plasmodium falciparum, sıtma, üveit, hiperglisemi, purpura Geliş Tarihi: 07.11.2013Kabul Tarihi: 11.06.2014 ABSTRACTMalaria is still an important health problem worldwide, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Turkey, the most common type of malaria is Plasmodium vivax, and endemic regions are South-Eastern Anatolia and Çukurova. Due to globalization and tourism, travel-associated infection due to P. falciparum is also seen more frequently in Turkey. P. falciparum malaria can be highly fatal despite optimal antimalarial treatment. We present a case of falciparum malaria in a Turkish radiologist who went to Africa for occupational reasons and come back with malaria accompanied by uveitis, hyperglycemia, and purpuric rash. (Turkiye Parazitol Derg 2014; 38: 258-60)

Background/aim: The increasing prevalence and global spread of difficult-to-treat carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii has become a serious problem. The aim of this study is to investigate the resistance patterns and tigecycline sensitivity of carbapenemresistant A. baumannii strains. Materials and methods:Acinetobacter strains that were carbapenem-resistant and collected mainly from intensive care units were included into this study. The antibiotic sensitivity/resistance of the strains to other antibiotics and tigecycline were noted. Presence of blaOXA-23, blaOXA-48, blaOXA-58, and NDM-1 was investigated by PCR. Results:In total, 44 carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii strains were detected. In addition, 57% (25/44) showed resistance to netilmicin and 2% (1/43) to tigecycline. All of the strains were susceptible to colistin. blaOXA-58 was found only in one (2%) strain while blaOXA-23 was found in 14 (32%) strains. All strains were negative for blaOXA-48 and NDM-1. Conclusion:blaOXA-23 was the main resistance pattern in carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii strains. blaOXA-58 was present only in one strain and no blaOXA-48 was found. Tigecycline susceptibility is high and it can be a treatment option for a possible combination therapy of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii, especially for those for whom colistin is contraindicated because of its toxicity.