Journal of Infection in Developing Countries

INTRODUCTION: Mycobacterium tuberculosis genotyping has impacted evolutionary studies worldwide. Nonetheless, its application and the knowledge generated depend on the genetic marker evaluated and the detection technologies that have evolved over the years. Here we describe the timeline of main genotypic methods related to M. tuberculosis in Latin America and the main findings obtained. METHODOLOGY: Systematic searches through the PubMed database were performed from 1993 to May 2021...

INTRODUCTION: Using tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is recommended in the 3rd trimester for pregnant women with HBV DNA ≥ 200,000 IU/mL to prevent mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of hepatitis B virus (HBV). However, HBV DNA quantification is unavailable in many resource-limited areas worldwide, hence prophylaxis is often missed. The aim of this study was to determine whether HBeAg or qHBsAg is a better alternative to HBV DNA testing in HBV-infected pregnant women. METHODOLOGY: In this prospective cohort study, pregnant women with HBV infection were recruited in 3 hospitals from October 2019 to November 2020...

INTRODUCTION: Dense inflammatory cell infiltration and vascularization of the nasal mucosa are histological characteristics of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). We aimed to evaluate the association between eosinophilia and vascularization in the stroma of mucosal layer/nasal polyps (NP) and clinical parameters in patients with different phenotypes of CRS. METHODOLOGY: This cross-sectional study involved 33 patients who had CRS with NP without aspirin sensitivity (CRSwNP), 20 NP patients as a part of aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD), and 10 patients who had CRS without NP (CRSsNP), selected for surgery...

INTRODUCTION: Multiplex PCR methods have significantly improved the diagnosis of acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) in children. The ResP-CE System coupled with capillary electrophoresis is a highly specialized, automated, and expensive technology for detecting common pathogens in ARTIs. The XYRes-MCA System, a remarkably less expensive multiplex PCR instrument, employs hybridization for the detection of ARTI pathogens. Both methods detect 9 common microorganisms in ARTIs, i.e...

INTRODUCTION: Adherence to full vaccination is important in preventing childhood diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of compliance to full vaccination and identify the socio-cultural factors associated with full vaccination compliance in children. METHODOLOGY: The socioeconomic variables associated with each of the four binary dependent variables of whether or not a child is fully vaccinated against tetanus, BCG, measles, and pentavalent were determined using logistic regression...

INTRODUCTION: Central nervous system (CNS) tuberculosis (TB) is the most severe form of TB due to its high mortality and functional sequelae. There are several differential diagnoses for TB; and, it can also cause secondary conditions, such as vasculitis. METHODOLOGY: 155 biopsies, corresponding to 155 different patients out of 5,386 registered biopsies from 2008-2013, met the criteria of unknown etiology vasculitis and evidence of cerebral vascular disease. These were analyzed to assess the presence of central nervous system TB...

INTRODUCTION: Clostridium difficile is the most common cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and colitis. Several methods are available for the detection of C. difficile in stool samples. This study aimed to use glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), toxin detection, culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques for the diagnosis of this pathogen. METHODOLOGY: A total of 300 stool samples were collected from children with hospital acquired diarrhea (HA-D), community acquired diarrhea (CA-D), and hospitalized non-diarrheic children as control with ages ranging from 6 months to 6 years (mean 3...

INTRODUCTION: Klebsiella pneumonia causes serious infections in hospitalized patients. In recent years, carbapenem-resistant infections increased in the world. The molecular epidemiological investigation of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates was aimed in this study. METHODOLOGY: Fifty carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates from six geographical regions of Turkey between September 2019-2020 were included in the study. The disk diffusion method was used for the antibiotic susceptibility testing...

INTRODUCTION: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 Virus (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). A substantial number of SARS-CoV-2 infection cases have been reported during the pandemic, and vaccination coverage in some regions, particularly in developing countries, remains very low. SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) have also emerged as some of the most pressing public health issues. In this scenario, it is crucial to know whether COVID-19 convalescent antibodies have cross-neutralizing action against VOCs to contribute to the analysis of the future progress of the pandemic...

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this research is to evaluate the resistance profile of uropathogenic staphylococci bacteria in Casablanca, Morocco. METHODOLOGY: In this retrospective cross-sectional research carried out from January 2017 to December 2020, isolation and identification were carried out according to the usual techniques in medical microbiology. Staphylococcus aureus isolates were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the nuc gene, and the antibiogram was performed according to the guidelines of the Antibiogram Committee of the French Society of Microbiology (CA-SFM 2021)...

INTRODUCTION: The clinical manifestation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in newborns varies from asymptomatic infection to severe illness. Apnea or cyanosis as the earliest symptoms is rarely mentioned. The aim of this study is to describe the characteristics of newborns with COVID-19 infection admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit considering cyanosis or apnea as a form of presentation. METHODOLOGY: This is a descriptive observational study with retrospectively collected data...

INTRODUCTION: Autoantibodies (AAb) are a hallmark of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Malaria is a parasitic disease caused by Plasmodium protozoa. Individuals with malaria may present with a wide range of symptoms. It is frequently linked to the development of different AAb. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 35-year-old male presented with repeated episodes of fever, malaise, myalgia, dark urine, and yellowish sclera. Initial diagnostic workup revealed severe Coombs-positive anemia, increased C-reactive protein, and procalcitonin, pathological liver tests, high concentration of serum IgE, IgG, IgM, IgA, positive antinuclear antibodies (ANA), and positive antineutrophil cytoplasmatic antibodies (ANCA)...

INTRODUCTION: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in children. UTIs can lead to serious and permanent damage to the urinary tract if treatment is delayed or insufficient, particularly in repeated infections. Knowledge of antibiotic resistance trends aids in the selection of appropriate empiric antibiotics. There is limited data regarding this in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to investigate uropathogens and their antibiotic resistance patterns in the pediatric community in a tertiary care center...

A severe medical condition known as Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) is marked by a cutaneous and mucosal reaction from the use of specific medications. The prodromal illness is followed by severe mucocutaneous symptoms in this immune-mediated disease. We describe the clinical history of a 55-year-old Caucasian woman who was exposed to cephalosporins. In resource-constrained countries and hospitals where cutaneous biopsy is not readily available, it is not easy to diagnose Steven Johnson Syndrome. This is particularly true in countries where the incidence of infectious diseases such as scarlet fever and measles is high and the early symptoms of SJS can be mistaken for these conditions...

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic values of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), platelet-to-neutrophil ratio (PNR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), neutrophils-to-lymphocytes and platelets ratio (N/LPR), mean platelet volume-to-platelet count ratio (MPV/PC), red blood cell distribution width-to-platelet count ratio (RDW/PC), and platelet volume distribution width-to-platelet count ratio (PDW/PC) in patients with sepsis...

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 infection is associated with coagulopathy. There is increased expression of markers such as E-selectin or angiopoietin-2 upon the activation of endothelin. The aim of this study was to determine whether there was a difference in angiopoietin-2 levels among patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19 who need to be hospitalized in the intensive care units (ICUs) or service. METHODOLOGY: COVID-19 infected patients admitted in the hospital were included in this study...

INTRODUCTION: The prognostic nutrition index (PNI), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) have been studied widely in the context of cancer; however, their correlation with chronic hepatitis C-associated cirrhosis complicated by type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is unknown. AIM: To investigate the correlation of the PNI, NLR, and PLR with chronic hepatitis C-associated cirrhosis complicated by T2DM. METHODOLOGY: We investigated 226 patients, comprising 56 patients with chronic hepatitis C-associated cirrhosis complicated by T2DM mellitus (group A), 85 patients with chronic hepatitis C-associated cirrhosis (group B), and 85 patients with T2DM (group C)...

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 and secondary infections developing during COVID-19 follow-up are one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in intensive care units (ICU). In this study, we aimed to determine the frequency, microbiology, risk factors, and outcomes of secondary bacterial pneumonia in hospitalized patients due to COVID-19. METHODOLOGY: We studied all patients with bacterial pneumonia developed in patients with severe COVID-19 infection in the COVID-19 intensive care unit in a single-center hospital between March 16, 2020 and June 17, 2020...

INTRODUCTION: The World Health Organization (WHO) designated Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), formerly Enterobacteriaceae, among the global priority list of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The rate of CRE in Arabian countries, including Saudi Arabia has increased. Here, we report the prevalence of carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (CPKP) in the Jazan region, a southern coastal province of Saudi Arabia. METHODOLOGY: Eighty-six non-repetitive clinical isolates of K...

INTRODUCTION: While there is extensive literature discussing the link between various respiratory infections and risk factors that contribute to low vitamin D levels, there is still no consensus on this relationship. The aim of this study was to test whether low vitamin D levels are associated with pneumonia and acute respiratory infections (ARI) and to identify risk factors for low vitamin D levels in children with these conditions. METHODOLOGY: The study was conducted at the Muratsan Hospital in Yerevan from February to December 2017...