Researcher:
Kuşkucu, Mert Ahmet

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Faculty Member

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Mert Ahmet

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Kuşkucu

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Kuşkucu, Mert Ahmet

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2022 - 20234

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Researcher Of Publications: search.filters.isAuthorOfPublication.ac478796-ede6-4dc3-8911-ccc9f2e571b4

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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    A complicated case of monkeypox and viral shedding characteristics
    (Elsevier, 2023) N/A; N/A; Kapmaz, Mahir; Uymaz, Derya Salim; Özcan, Gülin; Barlas, Tayfun; Esken, Gülen Güney; Manici, Mete; Keske, Şiran; Kuşkucu, Mert Ahmet; Can, Füsun; Ergönül, Önder; Doctor; Teaching Faculty; Researcher; Researcher; Researcher; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Researcher; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Koç Üniversitesi İş Bankası Enfeksiyon Hastalıkları Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi (EHAM) / Koç University İşbank Center for Infectious Diseases (KU-IS CID); N/A; School of Medicine; Graduate School of Health Sciences; N/A; N/A; School of Medicine; School of Medicine; N/A; School of Medicine; School of Medicine; Koç University Hospital; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; 175554; N/A; N/A; N/A; 113502; 125555; N/A; 103165; 110398
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    Effect of BTN162b2 and CoronaVac boosters on humoral and cellular immunity of individuals previously fully vaccinated with CoronaVac against SARS-CoV-2: A longitudinal study
    (Wiley, 2022) Midilli, Kenan; Tok, Yesim; Yavuz, Serap Simsek; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; Kuloğlu, Zeynep Ece; El, Rojbin; Esken, Gülen Güney; Talay, Zeynep Gülce; Barlas, Tayfun; Kuşkucu, Mert Ahmet; Albayrak, Özgür; Doğan, Özlem; Ergönül, Önder; Can, Füsun; Researcher; Master Student; Other; Researcher; Researcher; Faculty Member; Researcher; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Koç Üniversitesi İş Bankası Enfeksiyon Hastalıkları Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi (EHAM) / Koç University İşbank Center for Infectious Diseases (KU-IS CID); Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM) / Koç Üniversitesi Translasyonel Tıp Araştırma Merkezi (KUTTAM); N/A; Graduate School of Sciences and Engineering; N/A; N/A; N/A; School of Medicine; N/A; School of Medicine; School of Medicine; School of Medicine; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; Koç University Hospital; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; 170418; 110398; 103165
    Background It is essential to know about immune response levels after booster doses of the two different types of vaccines, mRNA, and the inactivated, currently used against COVID-19. For this purpose, we aimed to determine the effects of BNT162b2 (BNT) and CoronaVac (CV) boosters on the humoral and cellular immunity of individuals who had two doses of CV vaccination. Methods The study was conducted in three centers (Koc University Hospital, Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Hospital, and Istanbul University, Istanbul Medical School Hospital) in Istanbul, Turkey. Individuals who had been previously immunized with two doses of CV and no history of COVID-19 were included. The baseline blood samples were collected 3-5 months after the second dose of CV. Follow-up blood samples were taken 1 and 3 months after administration of third doses of CV, or one dose of BNT boosters. Neutralizing antibody titers were measured by plaque reduction assay. The CD4+ T cell, CD8+ T cell, effector CD4+CD38+CD69+ T cell, and effector CD8+CD38+CD69+ T cell ratios were determined by flow cytometry. The intracellular IFN-gamma and IL-2 responses were measured by ELISpot assay. Results We found a 3.38-fold increase in neutralizing antibody geometric mean titers (NA GMT, 78.69) 1 month after BNT booster and maintained at the third month (NA GMT, 80). Nevertheless, in the CV booster group, significantly lower NA GMT than BNT after 1 month and 3 months were observed (21.44 and 28.44, respectively) (p < .001). In the ELISpot assay, IL-2 levels after BNT were higher than baseline and CV booster (p < .001) while IFN-gamma levels were significantly higher than baseline (p < .001). The CD8+CD38+CD69+ and CD4+CD38+CD69+ T cells were stimulated predominantly in the third month of the BNT boosters. Conclusion The neutralizing antibody levels after 3 months of the BNT booster were higher than the antibody levels after CV in fully vaccinated individuals. On the contrary, ratio of the effector T cells increased along with greater IFN-gamma activation after BNT booster. By considering the waning immunity, we suggest a new booster dose with BNT for the countries that already had two doses of primary CV regimens.
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    Alterations in vaginal microbiota among pregnant women with COVID-19
    (Wiley, 2023) N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; Department of Computer Engineering; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; N/A; Çelik, Ebru; Özcan, Gülin; Vatansever, Cansel; Paerhati, Erxiati; Kuşkucu, Mert Ahmet; Doğan, Özlem; Çekiç, Sebile Güler; Ergönül, Önder; Gürsoy, Attila; Keskin, Özlem; Can, Füsun; Faculty Member; PhD Student; PhD Student; PhD Student; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Doctor; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Department of Computer Engineering; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; School of Medicine; Graduate School of Health Sciences; Graduate School of Health Sciences; Graduate School of Sciences and Engineering; School of Medicine; School of Medicine; N/A; School of Medicine; College of Engineering; College of Engineering; School of Medicine; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; Koç University Hospital; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; 116631; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; 170418; N/A; 110398; 8745; 26605; 103165
    The maintenance of vaginal microbiota is an important factor to achieve optimum pregnancy outcomes. The study aims to describe the alterations in the composition of vaginal microbiota in pregnant women with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This was a prospective case-control study. Vaginal swabs were collected from uninfected pregnant women (n = 28) and pregnant women with COVID-19 (n = 19) during the active phase of infection and within a month after recovering from infection. The vaginal microbiota on the swabs was examined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Shannon index indicates that alpha diversity is significantly higher in women with COVID-19 (p = 0.012). There was a significant decrease in Firmicutes (p = 0.014) with an increase in Bacteroidota (p = 0.018) phyla and a decrease in Lactobacillus (p = 0.007) genus in women with COVID-19 than those of uninfected pregnant women. The relative abundance of L. crispatus, L. iners, L. gasseri, and L. jensenii were lower in the COVID-19 group than in uninfected pregnant women. In subgroup analysis, the amount of Ureaplasma spp. was higher in women with moderate/severe than those of asymptomatic/mild disease (p = 0.036). The study revealed that vaginal dysbiosis with low abundance of Lactobacillus species occurred in pregnant women infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2. These findings may lead to new studies to elucidate the risk of pregnancy adverse outcomes related to COVID-19.
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    The association between Acinetobacter baumannii infections and the COVID-19 pandemic in an intensive care unit
    (Nature Publishing Group (NPG), 2022) N/A; Boral, Jale; Pınarlık, Fatihan; Can, Füsun; Ekinci, Güz; Kuşkucu, Mert Ahmet; Ergönül, Önder; Genç, Zeliha; İrkören, Pelin; Kapmaz, Mahir; Çakar, Nahit; Şentürk, Evren; Yurdakul, Fatma; Dikenelli, Bilge; Tekin, Süda; PhD Student; PhD Student; Faculty Member; Master Student; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Nurse; Doctor; Doctor; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Doctor; Doctor; Faculty Member; Koç Üniversitesi İş Bankası Enfeksiyon Hastalıkları Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi (EHAM) / Koç University İşbank Center for Infectious Diseases (KU-IS CID); Graduate School of Health Sciences; Graduate School of Health Sciences; School of Medicine; Graduate School of Health Sciences; School of Medicine; School of Medicine; N/A; N/A; N/A; School of Medicine; School of Medicine; N/A; N/A; School of Medicine; Koç University Hospital; N/A; N/A; 103165; N/A; N/A; 110398; N/A; N/A; N/A; 198906; 48359; N/A; N/A; 42146
    We aimed to describe the increased rate of Acinetobacter baumannii infections during the COVID-19 pandemic and define its significance within the last five years. This study was performed in a tertiary hospital with 280 beds and included all patients infected with A. baumannii in the intensive care unit between January 1, 2018, and June 30, 2022. A. baumannii-infected patients in the intensive care unit 27 months before the pandemic and 27 months during the pandemic were included. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was performed to assess clonal relatedness. The infection control measures were specified based on the findings and targeted elimination. In total, 5718 patients were admitted to the intensive care unit from January 1st, 2018, to June 30th, 2022. A. baumannii infection was detected in 81 patients. Compared to the pre-pandemic era, the rate of A. baumannii infection during the pandemic was 1.90 times higher (OR: 1.90, 95% CI: [1.197, 3.033]). Clonality assessment of multidrug-resistant A. baumannii samples revealed eight clusters with one main cluster comprising 14/27 isolates between 2021 and 2022. The case fatality rate of the pre-pandemic and pandemic era was not different statistically (83.33% vs. 81.48%, p=0.835). Univariate analysis revealed the association of mechanical ventilation (p=0.002) and bacterial growth in tracheal aspirate (p=0.001) with fatality. During the COVID-19 pandemic, potential deficits in infection control measures may lead to persistent nosocomial outbreaks. In this study, the introduction of enhanced and customized infection control measures has resulted in the containment of an A. baumannii outbreak.