The Official Journal of the Turkish Society Of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (KLİMİK)
This paper is dedicated to the memory of legendary clinician, Professor Cemil Taşçıoğlu who succumbed to COVID-19. I am an Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology physician. We were at the frontline of the battle of COVID-19 soon after the first case in Turkey, that was officially declared on 11 March 2020. Rick Penciner was a […] Read More
In the treatment of COVID-19, attention is focused on expensive, high technology equipment such as sophisticated ventilators or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which requires highly trained health care workers and aggressive pharmacological measures with weak evidence of efficacy. Read More
Disasters are large-scale events that are often unexpected and cause death, trauma, and destruction of property. Although there is no consistent definition of disasters in the literature, researchers generally agree that disasters share three key characteristics of large-scale traumatic events. First, disasters threaten to harm or death to a large group of people, Read More
In the statement he gave to the television program Nieuwsuuer on March 16, Sunday evening, the Head of Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) Jaap van Dissel maintained that ‘an approach of total lockdown would lead the COVID-19 to bounce back’ and thereby they would employ the ‘maximum control’ strategy. Read More
Hydroxychloroquine is commonly used for the treatment of rheumatic diseases because of its antinflammatory effects. It is a 4-amino-quinoline that is widely used for the treatment purposes. The Scientific Advisory Board of Ministry of Health of Turkey for COVID-19 recommends HCQ for treatment and also for prophylactic use of COVID-19. Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) suggested the HCQ but also warned Read More
An emerging illness in new-born chickens, characterized by gasping and listless, was described as “An apparently new respiratory disease of chicks” by Schalk and Hwan. Then it was discovered that the disease was communicable; however Read More
The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with a higher incidence of skin damage of the hands because of the enhanced infection prevention practices among health care workers. This article aims to share our experience and suggestions with health care workers concerning simple and effective practices to prevent and deal with the deterioration of the skin of the hands that is associated with repeated hand washing and sanitation. Read More
In December 2019, Wuhan city, the capital of Hubei province in China, became the center of an outbreak of pneumonia of unknown cause. By Jan 7, 2020, Chinese scientists had isolated a novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; previously known as 2019-nCoV), from these Read More
A new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) appeared at the end of 2019 in China and spread widely throughout the world. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a new respiratory disease, and its pandemic has affected more than seven million people all around the world. The first COVID-19 case in Turkey was detected on Read More
The COVID-19 outbreak continues to spread among people around the world, despite many measures taken by governments. Wearing a single-use mask, keeping social distance and hand hygiene are the main personal protective measures and need to be applied correctly by each person in the communities. These measures are very important, especially to prevent SARS-CoV-2 Read More
COVID-19, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been declared as a global pandemic and worldwide confirmed cases are currently approaching 76 million. And so far, thrombocytopenia has been observed in 5% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients and 8% of those in intensive care unit. Although the decrease in platelet counts was mild, confirmation of immune etiology has to be confirmed in those with Read More
Remdesivir is a novel nucleotide analogue antiviral drug with in vitro activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (1). Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Drug Controller General of India have authorized the emergency use for the treatment of COVID-19 under an Read More
A 40-year-old female patient without any medical history presented to the emergency department with a 3-day history of neck pain and headache. She did not show any other symptoms. Her initial laboratory tests showed slightly increased C-reactive protein (6 mg/L; normal range 0-5 mg/L) and a normal white cell count. There were Read More
The first case of COVID-19 was reported on 10 March 2020 in Turkey. Various treatment options have been used in all countries because of the lack of proven treatment. Among these options, hydroxychloroquine (HQN) and azithromycin (AZ) combination is expected to treat Read More
Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (IDCM) physicians have pivotal role in responding to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Their involvement ranges from managing cases and coordinating local responses to establishing timely and accurate diagnostic testing. Read More
Coronaviruses are known to evolve slower than the other RNA viruses; however, SARS-CoV-2 underwent a major shift through D614G change in February 2020, even before the declaration of a pandemic by WHO and D614G variant became rapidly dominant throughout the world. The spike protein of this variant with D614G change have a higher affinity to […] Read More
Introduction More than a year has passed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are learning more about the long-term effects of the disease. While many patients recover completely, some continue to experience fatigue, dyspnea, cough, joint pain, and chest pain for weeks or even months (1).The UK National Institute for Health and […] Read More
Introduction The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) started in December 2019 in China, has infected over 4.2 million people worldwide, resulting in a death toll of 290 000 as of 13 May 2020 (1). It causes a multi-systemic infection named Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The symptoms reported are Read More
SARS-CoV-2 has affected the whole world while the number of cases is increasing rapidly. Several reinfection cases have been reported with the rise in the number of infected people. It is important to study these reinfection cases as the knowledge gained can be used in critical decisions (...) Read More
As viruses spread through a population, they mutate and change, leading to the evolution of slightly different forms or variants. SARS-CoV-2 has been mutating ever since it was first detected in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. While most of the mutations will not have a significant effect on the spread of the virus, some mutations or (...) Read More