Journal of infection in developing countries
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J Infect Dev Ctries · Sep 2014
ReviewApplication of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry in clinical diagnostic microbiology.
Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has recently emerged as a powerful technique for identification of microorganisms, changing the workflow of well-established laboratories so that its impact on microbiological diagnostics has been unparalleled. In comparison with conventional identification methods that rely on biochemical tests and require long incubation procedures, MALDI-TOF MS has the advantage of identifying bacteria and fungi directly from colonies grown on culture plates in a few minutes and with simple procedures. Numerous studies on different systems available demonstrate the reliability and accuracy of the method, and new frontiers have been explored besides microbial species level identification, such as direct identification of pathogens from positive blood cultures, subtyping, and drug susceptibility detection.
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J Infect Dev Ctries · Sep 2014
Case ReportsThe rarity of gonococcal arthritis in association with HIV infection.
Gonococcal urethritis is common with HIV, but gonococcal arthritis is rare. We report two HIV-positive patients with gonococcal arthritis and review previously published reports. A 27-year-old HIV-positive female presented with a pustular skin rash and acute oligoarthritis. ⋯ Neisseria gonorrhoeae was cultured from the throat swab. Both patients responded to ceftriaxone. Gonococcal arthritis must be considered in HIV patients with acute arthritis.
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J Infect Dev Ctries · Sep 2014
Diagnostic schemes for reducing epidemic size of African viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks.
Viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) outbreaks, with high mortality rates, have often been amplified in African health institutions due to person-to-person transmission via infected body fluids. By collating and analyzing epidemiological data from documented outbreaks, we observed that diagnostic delay contributes to epidemic size for Ebola and Marburg hemorrhagic fever outbreaks. ⋯ In addition to improving the quality of care for common causes of febrile infections, increased and strategic use of laboratory diagnostics for fever could reduce the chance of hospital amplification of VHFs in resource-limited African health systems.
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J Infect Dev Ctries · Sep 2014
Observational StudyHigh cost burden and health consequences of antibiotic resistance: the price to pay.
Rising antibiotic resistance may negatively affect the health and cost of care for patients. This study aimed to determine the impact of antibiotic resistance on costs and health consequences for patients. ⋯ Antibiotic resistance has a significant impact on cost and health consequences. These findings provide a key message for policymakers and other stakeholders to initiate feasible strategies to tackle resistance and reduce the burden.