Publications by authors named "Ozlem Azap"

Antimicrobial dosing in patients undergoing continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is a clinical challenge. The study aimed to investigate the factors that influence appropriate antimicrobial doses in CRRT and to address gaps in current knowledge and practice. The mixed-method design involved two phases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Data on treatment of COVID-19 in immunocompromised patients emerged recently; however, published guidelines for the management of COVID-19 in immunocompromised patients are lacking.

Aim And Methods: To develop consensus statements derived from evidence and expert opinion on management of COVID-19 in immunocompromised patients, an expert panel was convened by European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. The expert panel developed a list of questions which are of general interest for clinicians and readers with backgrounds in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Endocarditis is the most common cause of death from brucellosis. The information used to guide the management of cases with Brucella endocarditis has relied on case reports/series. Risk factors related to death and other adverse outcomes in patients with Brucella endocarditis were identified by an individual-patient data analysis of all reported Brucella endocarditis cases in the literature.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Bloodstream infections caused by carbapenem-resistant bacteria have increased globally. Solid-organ transplant recipients are more prone to these infections. This study aimed to compare the clinical courses of carbapenem-susceptible and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae bloodstream infections and to identify risk factors for carbapenem resistance in solid-organ transplant recipients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: The ESCPM group (Enterobacter species including Klebsiella aerogenes - formerly Enterobacter aerogenes, Serratia species, Citrobacter freundii complex, Providencia species and Morganella morganii) has not yet been incorporated into systematic surveillance programs.

Methods: We conducted a multicentre retrospective observational study analysing all ESCPM strains isolated from blood cultures in 27 European hospitals over a 3-year period (2020-2022). Diagnostic approach, epidemiology, and antimicrobial susceptibility were investigated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Cefiderocol is effective against carbapenem-resistant bacteria, but its susceptibility varies based on different interpretive criteria from EUCAST and CLSI.
  • Researchers tested 254 CRK blood isolates and found significant differences in resistance rates to cefiderocol when applying EUCAST versus CLSI criteria.
  • High cefiderocol resistance rates were especially noted among NDM producers using EUCAST guidelines, leading to the recommendation that these criteria should be prioritized for testing until more clinical data is available.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Aminoglycosides are important for treating infections caused by carbapenemase-producing bacteria (CPK), but resistance to these antibiotics is rising, primarily due to 16S rRNA methyltransferases (RMTs) often found alongside NDM genes.
  • In a study of 181 invasive CPK isolates, 60% were resistant to amikacin, gentamicin, and tobramycin, with most of the resistant isolates carrying RMTs, particularly ArmA and RmtC.
  • The study found that the resistance is largely linked to specific clonal types, particularly ST2096 and ST14, which are associated with certain carbapenemases and other resistance genes, suggesting that clonal spread is a
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Scope: Despite the large availability of vaccines, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), induced by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, continues to be a major threat for health-care providers and fragile people. A number of options are now available for outpatients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 at the risk of disease progression for the prevention of deaths or hospitalization.

Methods: A European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases COVID-19 guidelines task force was established by the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Executive Committee.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ceftazidime-avibactam exhibits good in vitro activity against carbapenem resistant Klebsiella carrying OXA-48-like enzymes. We tested two hundred unique carbapenem resistant Klebsiella blood stream isolates (71% with single OXA-48-like carbapenemases, including OXA-48, n = 62; OXA-232, n = 57; OXA-244, n = 17; OXA-181, n = 5) that were collected as part of a multicentre study against ceftazidime-avibactam using Etest (bioMérieux, Marcyl'Étoile, France), 10/4 μg disc (Thermo Fisher) and Sensititre Gram Negative EURGNCOL Plates (Lyophilized panels, Sensititre, Thermo Fisher) with the aim of comparing the performances of the Etest and disc to that of Sensititre. Ceftazidime-avibactam MIC was 2/>16 mg/L for the entire collection and was 2/4 mg/L for single OXA-48-like producers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A prospective, multicentre observational cohort study of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella spp. (CRK) bloodstream infections was conducted in Turkey from June 2018 to June 2019. One hundred eighty-seven patients were recruited.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 may reduce COVID-19 mortality and complications in solidorgan transplant recipients, and we evaluated the associated antibody responses and adverse effects in this high-risk population.

Materials And Methods: This prospective observational study (April-June 2021) included 10 liver and 38 kidney transplant recipients who received 2 vaccine doses (Sinovac, n = 31; or BioNTech, n = 17) and 56 healthy adults (Sinovac), all of whom provided 3 blood samples (prevaccination, 4 weeks after first dose, and 4-6 weeks after second dose) for quantitative tests (Abbott Quant assay forimmunoglobulin G antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein). Type I error was α = .

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Scope: In January 2021, the ESCMID Executive Committee decided to launch a new initiative to develop ESCMID guidelines on several COVID-19-related issues, including treatment of COVID-19.

Methods: An ESCMID COVID-19 guidelines task force was established by the ESCMID Executive Committee. A small group was established, half appointed by the chair, and the remaining selected with an open call.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Vaccines have been seen as the most important solution for ending the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The aim of this study is to evaluate the antibody levels after inactivated virus vaccination. We included 148 healthcare workers (74 with prior COVID-19 infection and 74 with not).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study aimed to detect carbapenemase genes and to determine the in vitro susceptibility of Ceftazidime-Avibactam (CZA) in Enterobacterales isolates. Carbapenemase genes were detected by polymerase chain reaction. CZA sensitivity of isolates was evaluated with broth microdilution (BMD) and disk diffusion methods.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background/aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the distribution, sources, clinical features, and mortality rates of bacteremia due to evaluation of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) gram negative among solid-organ transplant (SOT) recipients.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective study of SOT recipients with bacteremia due to XDR gram-negative pathogens in 11 centers between 2016 and 2018 was conducted. Patients’ records were evaluated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The recommendation of conducting pulmonary function tests (PFTs) from different societies during and after the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic was rated by the experts of the Turkish Thoracic Society (TTS) and presented as the TTS experts consensus report. Information about the topic has been provided.Globally, as of mid-May 2020, there have been over 4.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Infective endocarditis (IE) is a serious but rare condition in Turkey, likely more common due to predisposing factors and higher rates of healthcare-associated infections, affecting both young and older populations.
  • Diagnosis is often delayed, with many patients not identified until three months after their initial visit, and the detection rate of causative organisms is notably lower compared to developed countries.
  • There is an urgent need for improved diagnostic, treatment, and prevention strategies in Turkey, including standardized processes and a collaborative effort among healthcare specialists to establish better management guidelines for IE.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The best available treatment against carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) is unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of appropriate therapy and of appropriate combination therapy on mortality of patients with bloodstream infections (BSIs) due to CPE.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we included patients with clinically significant monomicrobial BSIs due to CPE from the INCREMENT cohort, recruited from 26 tertiary hospitals in ten countries.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Candidaemia still continues to be a serious medical concern and the epidemiology of candidaemia varies according to geographical areas. We aim to determine the incidence, local epidemiology, Candida species distribution and crude mortality rates of candidaemia. We retrospectively evaluated candidaemia episodes in between January 2007 and August 2014.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To develop a score to predict mortality in patients with bloodstream infections (BSIs) due to carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE).

Patients And Methods: A multinational retrospective cohort study (INCREMENT project) was performed from January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2013. Patients with clinically relevant monomicrobial BSIs due to CPE were included and randomly assigned to either a derivation cohort (DC) or a validation cohort (VC).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Aim: Tigecycline is a semi-synthetic tetracycline with activity against most multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria.

Methods: We studied in vitro activity of tigecycline by agar dilution (AD) and Etest methods to evaluate their correlation. The study included 206 isolates of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and MDR Acinetobacter baumannii recovered from blood cultures of patients of Baskent University between 2008 and 2010.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF