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Dekaj E, Gjini E. Pneumococcus and the stress-gradient hypothesis: A trade-off links R 0 and susceptibility to co-colonization across countries. Theor Popul Biol 2024; 156:77-92. [PMID: 38331222 DOI: 10.1016/j.tpb.2024.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Modern molecular technologies have revolutionized our understanding of bacterial epidemiology, but reported data across studies and different geographic endemic settings remain under-integrated in common theoretical frameworks. Pneumococcus serotype co-colonization, caused by the polymorphic bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae, has been increasingly investigated and reported in recent years. While the global genomic diversity and serotype distribution of S. pneumoniae have been well-characterized, there is limited information on how co-colonization patterns vary globally, critical for understanding the evolution and transmission dynamics of the bacteria. Gathering a rich dataset of cross-sectional pneumococcal colonization studies in the literature, we quantified patterns of transmission intensity and co-colonization prevalence variation in children populations across 17 geographic locations. Linking these data to an SIS model with cocolonization under the assumption of quasi-neutrality among multiple interacting strains, our analysis reveals strong patterns of negative co-variation between transmission intensity (R0) and susceptibility to co-colonization (k). In line with expectations from the stress-gradient-hypothesis in ecology (SGH), pneumococcus serotypes appear to compete more in co-colonization in high-transmission settings and compete less in low-transmission settings, a trade-off which ultimately leads to a conserved ratio of single to co-colonization μ=1/(R0-1)k. From the mathematical model's behavior, such conservation suggests preservation of 'stability-diversity-complexity' regimes in coexistence of similar co-colonizing strains. We find no major differences in serotype compositions across studies, pointing to adaptation of the same set of serotypes across variable environments as an explanation for their differential interaction in different transmission settings. Our work highlights that the understanding of transmission patterns of Streptococcus pneumoniae from global scale epidemiological data can benefit from simple analytical approaches that account for quasi-neutrality among strains, co-colonization, as well as variable environmental adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ermanda Dekaj
- Center for Computational and Stochastic Mathematics, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Erida Gjini
- Center for Computational and Stochastic Mathematics, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
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Njuma Libwea J, Ngomba VA, Taku NA, Ndongo CB, Ngono Noah BD, Fointama N, Kobela M, Huhtala H, Epee E, Koulla-Shiro S, Ndombo PK. Prevalence of prolonged otitis media with effusion among 2 to 3 years old Cameroonian children in the era of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. IJID REGIONS 2024; 10:240-247. [PMID: 38532743 PMCID: PMC10964058 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijregi.2023.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Objectives There is data scarcity on the overall effects of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) on otitis media (OM) in low- and middle-income countries. The impact of the 13-valent PCV (PCV13) program on OM was evaluated in Cameroon where infant vaccination was implemented in July 2011 using a 3-dose primary series at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age. Methods Through community-based surveillance, we used a retrospective cohort study design to assess OM prevalence among PCV13-vaccinated children aged 24 to 36 months in 2015. This was compared with a 2013 age-matched cohort of PCV13-unvaccinated children. OM was diagnosed by clinical inspection for chronic suppurative OM (CSOM) and tympanometry for OM with effusion (OME). CSOM was defined as draining of the middle ear with duration of more than 2 weeks and prolonged OME was defined as a flat 'type B' tympanogram. PCV13-vaccinated and PCV13-unvaccinated cohorts were compared by calculating prevalence odds ratios for OM and baseline characteristics. Results Altogether, 111 OM cases were identified; 42/433 (9.7%) in the PCV13-unvaccinated in 2013 and 69/413 (16.7%) in the PCV13-vaccinated cohort in 2015. In the 2013 baseline survey, 3/433 (0.7%) children were identified with unilateral CSOM compared to 9/413 (2.2%) in the PCV13-vaccinated cohort in 2015. Bilateral prolonged OME was diagnosed in 7/433 (1.6%) PCV13-unvaccinated children and in 12/413 (2.9%) in PCV13-vaccinated children. Proportions of children with unilateral prolonged OME were 31/433 (7.2%) in the PCV13-unvaccinated group compared with 48/413 (11.6%) in the PCV13-vaccinated group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed evidence that PCV13-vaccinated children in 2015 had 40% less risk of contracting OM compared to PCV13-unvaccinated children in 2013 (adjusted prevalence odds ratios = 0.60 [95% confidence interval: 0.38 to 0.94], P = 0.025). Additionally, attributable proportion estimates show that, 58% of OM infections among the PCV13-vaccinated group would still have occurred despite PCV13 vaccination. Conclusion Our findings provide significant evidence on the effect of PCV13 in decreasing OM or OME among children in this age group. It also supports justification for government's continuation of PCV13 immunization program in the absence of GAVI's funding. Further research is needed to assess the long-term impact of the PCV13 program on in OM Cameroon.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Njuma Libwea
- Health Sciences Unit, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Expanded Programme on Immunization, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Directorate for disease control, epidemics and pandemics, Ministry of Public Health, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Viviane Armelle Ngomba
- Directorate for disease control, epidemics and pandemics, Ministry of Public Health, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Nadesh Ashukem Taku
- Mother & Child Centre (MCH), Chantal Biya Foundation, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Faculty of Sciences, Department of Microbiology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | | | | | - Ninying Fointama
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Marie Kobela
- Expanded Programme on Immunization, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Heini Huhtala
- Health Sciences Unit, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Emilienne Epee
- Directorate for disease control, epidemics and pandemics, Ministry of Public Health, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Sinata Koulla-Shiro
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Paul Koki Ndombo
- Mother & Child Centre (MCH), Chantal Biya Foundation, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon
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Orami T, Aho C, Ford RL, Pomat WS, Greenhill A, Kirkham LA, Masiria G, Nivio B, Britton KJ, Jacoby P, Richmond PC, van den Biggelaar AHJ, Lehmann D. Pneumococcal carriage, serotype distribution, and antimicrobial susceptibility in Papua New Guinean children vaccinated with PCV10 or PCV13 in a head-to-head trial. Vaccine 2023; 41:5392-5399. [PMID: 37479616 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Children in Papua New Guinea (PNG) are at high risk of pneumococcal infections. We investigated pneumococcal carriage rates, serotype distribution, and antimicrobial susceptibility in PNG children after vaccination with 10-valent or 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV10; PCV13). METHODS Infants (N = 262) were randomized to receive 3 doses of PCV10 or PCV13 at 1-2-3 months of age, followed by pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination (PPV) or no PPV at 9 months of age. Nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) collected at ages 1, 4, 9, 10, 23 and 24 months were cultured using standard bacteriological procedures. Morphologically distinct Streptococcus pneumoniae colonies were serotyped by the Quellung reaction. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). RESULTS S. pneumoniae was isolated from 883/1063 NPS collected at 1-23 months of age, including 820 serotypeable (64 different serotypes) and 144 non-serotypeable isolates. At age 23 months, 93.6% (95%CI 86.6-97.6%) of PCV10 recipients and 88.6% (95%CI 80.1-94.4%) of PCV13 recipients were pneumococcal carriers, with higher carriage of PCV10 serotypes by PCV10 recipients (19.8%, 95%CI 12.2-29.5) than PCV13 recipients (9.3%, 95%CI 4.1-17.3) (p = 0.049). There were no other statistically significant differences between PCV10 and PCV13 recipients and children receiving PPV or no PPV. Nearly half (45.6%) of carried pneumococci were non-susceptible to penicillin based on the meningitis breakpoint (MIC ≥ 0.12 µg/mL), but resistance was rare (1.1%) using the non-meningitis cut-off (MIC ≥ 8 µg/mL). Non-susceptibility to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (SXT) was common: 23.2% of isolates showed intermediate resistance (MIC 1/19-2/38 µg/mL) and 16.9% full resistance (MIC ≥ 4/76 µg/mL). PCV serotypes 14 and 19A were commonly non-susceptible to both penicillin (14, 97%; 19A, 70%) and SXT (14, 97%; 19A, 87%). CONCLUSION Even after PCV10 or PCV13 vaccination, children living in a high-risk setting such as PNG continue to experience high levels of pneumococcal colonization, including carriage of highly antimicrobial-resistant PCV serotypes. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (CTN NCT01619462).
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Affiliation(s)
- Tilda Orami
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea
| | - Celestine Aho
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea; Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Rebecca L Ford
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea
| | - William S Pomat
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea; Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Andrew Greenhill
- School of Science, Psychology and Sport, Federation University, Churchill, Australia
| | - Lea-Ann Kirkham
- Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Geraldine Masiria
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea
| | - Birunu Nivio
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea
| | - Kathryn J Britton
- Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia; Discipline of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Peter Jacoby
- Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Peter C Richmond
- Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia; Discipline of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Anita H J van den Biggelaar
- Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Deborah Lehmann
- Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
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Ngwa CH, Doungtsop BCK, Bihnwi R, Ngo NV, Yang NM. Burden of vaccine-preventable diseases, trends in vaccine coverage and current challenges in the implementation of the expanded program on immunization: A situation analysis of Cameroon. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2021; 18:1939620. [PMID: 34197271 PMCID: PMC8920166 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2021.1939620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery and development of vaccines remain one of the major successes of global health with millions of lives saved every year through routine vaccination. Although vaccines provide a safe and cost-effective solution to vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), VPDs are still a serious public health problem in most parts of the world, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Asia. In this review, we discuss the burden of VPDs and vaccine coverage several decades after the introduction of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in Cameroon. We also discuss how different factors affect the implementation of the EPI, highlighting context-specific factors such as the ongoing civil conflict in Cameroon, and the presence of other infectious diseases like COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Che Henry Ngwa
- School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | | | | | - Ngo Valery Ngo
- School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Niendum Mediatrice Yang
- School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Njuma Libwea J, A. Fletcher M, Koki Ndombo P, Boula A, Ashukem NT, Ngo Baleba M, Kingue Bebey RS, Nkolo Mviena EG, Tageube J, Kobela Mbollo M, Koulla-Shiro S, Madhi S, Njanpop-Lafourcade BM, Mohammad A, Begier E, Southern J, Beavon R, Gessner B. Impact of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on laboratory-confirmed pneumococcal meningitis and purulent meningitis among children ˂5 years in Cameroon, 2011-2018. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0250010. [PMID: 33857235 PMCID: PMC8049353 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) entered Cameroon's childhood national immunization programme (NIP) in July 2011 under a 3-dose schedule (6, 10, 14 weeks of age) without any catch-up. We described the impact of PCV13 onserotype distribution among pneumococcal meningitis cases over time. METHODS We used laboratory-based sentinel surveillance data to identify meningitis cases among 2- to 59-month-old children with clinically-suspected bacterial meningitis (CSBM) admitted to hospitals in Yaoundé (August 2011-December 2018). Purulent meningitis cases had a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) white blood cell (WBC) count ≥20 per mm3. Pneumococcal meningitis cases had S. pneumoniae identified from CSF, with serotyping by polymerase chain reaction. Years 2011-2014 were described as early PCV13 era (EPE) and years 2015-2018 as late PCV13 era (LPE) impact periods. RESULTS Among children hospitalized with CSBM who had a lumbar puncture obtained, there was no significant change from the EPE versus the LPE in the percentage identified with purulent meningitis: 7.5% (112/1486) versus 9.4% (154/1645), p = 0.0846. The percentage of pneumococcal meningitis cases due to PCV13 vaccine-serotype (VST) decreased from 62.0% (31/50) during the EPE to 35.8% (19/53) in the LPE, p = 0.0081. The most frequent pneumococcal meningitis VSTs during the EPE were 6A/6B (30%) and 5 (6%), and during the LPE were 14 (13.2%), 3 (7.6%), 4 (5.6%) and 18C (5.6%). CONCLUSION Four to seven years after PCV13 introduction, the proportion of pneumococcal meningitis due to vaccine serotypes has declined, mainly due to reductions of serotypes 6A/6B, 1, 19A, and 23F; nevertheless, PCV13 VSTs remain common. Because the analyzed surveillance system was not consistent or population based, we could not estimate incidence or overall impact; this emphasizes the need for improved surveillance to document further the utility of PCV13 immunization in Cameroon.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Njuma Libwea
- National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki, Finland
- Health Sciences Unit, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Expanded Programme on Immunization, Cameroon
| | - Mark A. Fletcher
- Emerging Markets Medical Affairs, Vaccines, Pfizer, Inc, Paris, France
| | - Paul Koki Ndombo
- Expanded Programme on Immunization, Cameroon
- Mother & Child Hospital (MCH), Chantal Biya Foundation, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Angeline Boula
- Mother & Child Hospital (MCH), Chantal Biya Foundation, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Nadesh Taku Ashukem
- Mother & Child Hospital (MCH), Chantal Biya Foundation, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Ministry of Public Health, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | | | | | | | - Jean Tageube
- Mother & Child Hospital (MCH), Chantal Biya Foundation, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Marie Kobela Mbollo
- Expanded Programme on Immunization, Cameroon
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Sinata Koulla-Shiro
- Ministry of Public Health, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Shabir Madhi
- South African Medical Research Council Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytical Research Unit, Faculty of HealthSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - Ali Mohammad
- Pfizer Vaccines Medical Development & Medical/Scientific Affairs, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth Begier
- Pfizer Vaccines Medical Development & Medical/Scientific Affairs, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Joanna Southern
- Pfizer Vaccines Medical Development & Medical/Scientific Affairs, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Rohini Beavon
- Pfizer Vaccines Medical Development & Medical/Scientific Affairs, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Bradford Gessner
- Pfizer Vaccines Medical Development & Medical/Scientific Affairs, New York, New York, United States of America
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Ceyhan M, Karadag-Oncel E, Hascelik G, Ustundag G, Gurbuz V, Samlioglu P, Yilmaz N, Ozsurekci Y, Yilmaz E, Aykac K, Oz FN, Uzum O, Orsdemir-Hortu H, Tanir G, Yilmaz-Ciftdogan D, Kurugol Z. Nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae in healthy children aged less than five years. Vaccine 2021; 39:2041-2047. [PMID: 33741188 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE In Turkey, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) was introduced to the national immunization program as PCV7 in 2008, and was replaced with PCV13 in 2011. The aim of the study was to demonstrate the pneumococcal carriage rate and the serotype distribution in healthy children under 5 years in Turkey who were vaccinated with PCV13. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study including the collection of questionnaire data and nasopharyngeal (NP) specimens among children aged <5 years from five centers from March 2019 to March 2020. Pneumococcal isolates were identified using optochin sensitivity and bile solubility. Serotyping was performed using a latex agglutination kit and Quellung reaction. RESULTS NP swab samples were collected from 580 healthy children. The observed overall carriage rate was 17.8%. None of the hypothesised predictors of S. pneumoniae carriage, except maternal education level was statistically significant (p = 0.017). High maternal education level appeared to decrease the risk (lower vs. higher maternal education OR: 1.992 [95% CI; 1.089-3.643], p = 0.025). The overall NP S. pneumoniae carriage prevalence for the PCV13-vaccinated children was 17.8% (103/580). The most common serotypes detected were serotype 15B (n = 10, 9.7%), serotype 23F (n = 9, 8.7%), serotype 23A (n = 9, 8.7%), serotype 11A (n = 7, 6.7%), serotype 19F (n = 5, 4.8%) and serotype 15F (n = 5, 4.8%). Of the isolates, 28 (27.2%) were in PCV13 vaccine strains (VSs), and 75 (72.8%) strains were non-VS. The serotype coverage rate was 27.2% for PCV13. CONCLUSION The overall S. pneumoniae carriage rate was higher than in earlier studies from Turkey. Post-vaccine era studies from around the world have reported a decrease in VS serotypes and a 'serotype replacement' to non-VS serotypes, as we determined in our study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehmet Ceyhan
- Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Eda Karadag-Oncel
- University of Health Sciences, Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Gulsen Hascelik
- Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Gulnihan Ustundag
- University of Health Sciences, Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, İzmir, Turkey.
| | - Venhar Gurbuz
- Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Pinar Samlioglu
- University of Health Sciences, Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Department of Medical Microbiology, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Nisel Yilmaz
- University of Health Sciences, Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Department of Medical Microbiology, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Yasemin Ozsurekci
- Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Elif Yilmaz
- Ege University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Kubra Aykac
- University of Health Sciences, Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Fatma Nur Oz
- University of Health Sciences, Sami Ulus Training and Research Hospital, Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Ozlem Uzum
- University of Health Sciences, Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Hacer Orsdemir-Hortu
- University of Health Sciences, Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Gonul Tanir
- University of Health Sciences, Sami Ulus Training and Research Hospital, Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Dilek Yilmaz-Ciftdogan
- University of Health Sciences, Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Zafer Kurugol
- Ege University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, İzmir, Turkey
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