Background: Various variants of the covid-19 have started to attract attention recently. The clinical course of these variants and possible predictive parameters are being investigated. This study aimed to examine the relationship between thiol levels, which are indicators of oxidative stress, and variant covid-19 types. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, patients with a diagnosis of classic covid-19 and patients with a diagnosis of variant covid-19 with mild and moderate symptoms followed in the clinical observatory of Ankara city hospital were included in the study group. The patients were divided into two groups according to the covid-19 type as variant and classic covid-19, and a healthy control group is added for comparison. A complete blood count and thiol analysis are performed from the venous blood samples. Obtained results were compared between groups, and the ROC analysis is performed. Results: Thiol levels were significantly lower in patients with a diagnosis of Covid-19 compared to the control group. In terms of WBC, lymphocyte, neutrophil, NLR, ferritin and thiol parameters, patients with variant covid-19 differed significantly from patients with a classic covid-19 diagnosis. Thiol levels’ cut-off values to distinguish between variant covid-19 patients and control group from classical covid-19 patients were almost identical (423 and 422 µmol/L, respectively). Conclusions: It seems possible to use thiol as a sensitive, specific and cost-effective marker to suspect variant covid-19 cases. Since this study is probably the first example in this subject, it would form a basis for further studies. Keywords: Covid-19, SARS-CoV-2, variant covid-19, thiol, oxidative stress.

Objectives: Myroides spp. is an environmental pathogen and causes disease in immunocompromised patients. In this study, we report an outbreak of urinary tract infections caused by M. odoratimimus in a university hospital in Turkey. Methods: A total of 25 M. odoratimimus strains isolated from the clinical samples of 20 patients in our intensive care units and clinics were included in the study. Phenotypic and genotypic identification of isolates was performed using conventional methods, VITEK®-2 automated identification system, Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionisation-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry and 16S-RNA Microbial Diagnosis methods. In addition, Repetitive Extragenic Palindromic Elements (REP) PCR Assay method was applied for molecular epidemiological analysis. Results: All cases were diagnosed with nosocomial urinary tract infection, except for one case diagnosed with nosocomial bacteraemia. One of the M. odoratimimus isolates was sensitive to piperacillin/tazobactam (MIC: ≤4 µg/ml) and one isolate was moderately sensitive to cefepime (MIC: 16 µg/ml). Other M. odoratimimus isolates were resistant to the tested antibiotics of beta lactams, monobactams, carbapenems, aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones and sulphonamides. When 10 isolates were evaluated with the REP PCR method, DNA finger print similarities were visually determined and there was a similar DNA pattern among them. Myroides source was not detected in environmental samples. Conclusion: Clinicians should consider that Myroides spp. isolates with multiple and broad-spectrum drug resistance may be a serious nosocomial pathogen like Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Acinetobacter baumannii. In order to choose the best treatment regimen, this atypical pathogen needs to be quickly identified and antibiotic susceptibility tests performed.