Biomedical subjects

U Dumpis

Publications and source records attributed to U Dumpis.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Healthcare associated infections in university hospitals in Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden: a simple protocol for quality assessment.

Surveillance of healthcare associated infections is an overlooked parameter of good clinical practice in most healthcare institutions, due to the workload demanded in the absence of adequate IT-systems. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether a simple protocol could be used to estimate the burden of healthcare associated infections in three university hospitals in Huddinge in Sweden, Riga in Latvia and Vilnius in Lithuania and form the basis for initiating a long term follow up system. The medical records of all patients receiving antibiotics were reviewed according to a standardised protocol, focusing on the indications for the drugs and on the frequency of hospital acquired infection (HAI) in a point-prevalence survey. Only comparable specialties were included. The proportion of patients treated with antibiotics (prophylaxis not included) were 63/280 (22%) in Huddinge, 73/649 (11%) in Riga and 99/682 (15%) in Vilnius. The proportion of admitted patients treated for a HAI were 15%, 3% and 4%, respectively, (both comparisons Huddinge versus other centres P <0.001). Surgical site infections were most common, followed by infections with an onset more than 2 days after admission without any of the other registered risk factors present. Our inexpensive and simple method showed that healthcare associated infections were a significant problem among patients admitted to Huddinge. The figures obtained can be used for further discussion and form a baseline for follow up at the local level. The comparison of figures between centres was far less relevant than the process the study created.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMed2004

Report on the first PVL-positive community acquired MRSA strain in Latvia.

Infections by community-acquired methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) have been reported worldwide. Here we present characterisation of the first CA-MRSA isolated in Latvia. A PVL-positive ST30-MRSA-IV strain was isolated from a nasal swab and the central venous catheter of a patient with fever and multiple organ failure. The PFGE pattern of this strain was identical to pattern SE00-3 of MRSA isolated in Sweden from 29 patients during 2000-2003. This strain is related to the South Pacific area, and its appearance in Sweden and Latvia demonstrates its global spread.

Bacterial Toxins↗

PubMed2003

Prevalence of nosocomial infections in two Latvian hospitals.

The first point prevalence survey of the nosocomial infection (NI) rate was conducted in two Latvian hospitals. At the time of the survey 17.5% (226/1291) patients had symptoms or were being treated for infection. The overall prevalence rate was 5.6% (72/1291) for NI and 12.7% for community acquired infections (164/1291). Surgical site infection (SSI) was the most common NI (62%) followed by respiratory tract infection (RTI) (7.5%), and urinary tract infection (UTI) (6.4%). NI rate was higher with increasing age of patients, in intensive care units and surgical wards, and among those who had an intravenous device or urinary catheter. Microbiological investigation yielded positive results in 29% (21/72) of patients with NIs. Antibacterial treatment was given to 22.3% (288/1291) of hospitalised patients and in 62% (182/288) of these, cefazolin was prescribed. Results from this study will be used to plan a national prevalence survey.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Prevalence of HBV core promoter/precore/core mutations in Gambian chronic carriers.

One hundred forty-two precore/core sequences were obtained from Gambian chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers and the predominant variants defined. The two point mutations, from A to T and G to A at nt positions 1762 and 1764 in the basic core promoter region, were found in only 7/99 (7%) of the samples where this region was sequenced. These mutations were found in both HBeAg-positive and -negative patients. The precore stop-codon mutation at nt position 1896 was found in 14/51 (27%) of HBeAg-negative samples, which is a lower prevalence rate in comparison with other parts of the world with high carrier rates. In HBeAg-positive patients the core amino acid sequences were conserved, but after seroconversion to anti-HBe significantly more changes were apparent. Several of the amino acid substitutions found have been described previously been in wild-type viruses of other genotypes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2001

Transmission of hepatitis B virus infection in Gambian families revealed by phylogenetic analysis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in Africa occurs horizontally, with most people becoming infected between the ages of 1 and 5 years. The index cases in such events have been assumed to come from within the family unit or from sources outside the immediate family, such as other families or inhabitants of the same compound or village. Here, we define these routes of transmission by phylogenetic tree analysis of sequences from the entire pre-core/core region of the virus, in Gambian chronic carriers. METHODS: Amplification by polymerase chain reaction of serum extracted HBV-DNA was followed by direct sequencing of the target region. Following editing and alignment of these sequences, phylogenetic tree analysis was performed using the neighbour-joining and maximum-likelihood methods. RESULTS: Despite the overall conserved nature of the sequences of the pre-core/core region from 142 chronic carriers, distinct clusters were easily defined at the family and village level, but not on a wider geographical separation. CONCLUSIONS: Phylogenetic tree analysis of sequences obtained from family members provided strong evidence of intrafamilial transmission of HBV in at least two-thirds of the families studied from Gambia.

Cluster Analysis↗

PubMed1999

Tick-borne encephalitis.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a zoonotic arbovirus infection endemic to Russia and Eastern and Central Europe. Despite being a common and serious life-threatening disease for which a mass vaccination program was implemented in Austria, there is only limited reference to this disease in the English-language literature. TBE is transmitted to humans usually by the bite of a tick (either Ixodes persulcatus or Ixodes ricinus); occasionally, cases occur following consumption of infected unpasteurized milk. Transmission is seasonal and occurs in spring and summer, particularly in rural areas favored by the vector. TBE is a serious cause of acute central nervous system disease, which may result in death or long-term neurological sequelae. Effective vaccines are available in a few countries. The risk for travelers of acquiring TBE is increasing with the recent rise in tourism to areas of endemicity during spring and summer.

Animals↗