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Objective: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is one of the leading global zoonotic parasitic diseases in the world. The disease is common in rural areas and regions where husbandry is available. For this reason, the study was carried out to determine the rate of CE seropositivity by people in the northeast of Turkey. Material and Method: Blood serums of 3218 patients who applied to the Internal Medicine Polyclinic of Kafkas University Health Research and Practice Hospital for routine screening and with a possible diagnosis of hydatid cyst was were investigated serologically (ELISA and IHA) in the parasitology laboratory for a four years period from January, 2017 to December, 2020. Results: In 49 (1.52%) out of 3218 blood serum examined, seropositivity was found in terms of anti-E. granulosus antibodies. The seropositivity of cystic echinococcosis was determined to be higher in women (1.78%) than in men (1.22%) (p >0.05). It has been determined that disease seropositivity increases with age (p >0.05). Conclusion: These results indicate that the northeastern part of Turkey is an important endemic region in terms of CE and this should be taken into account in terms of public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkish Bulletin of Hygiene & Experimental Biology / Türk Hijyen ve Deneysel Biyoloji is the property of Refik Saydam National Public Health Agency and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Kafkas Universitesi Veteriner Fakultesi Dergisi is the property of University of Kafkas, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Vaccaria hispanica (Mill) Rauschert, also known as cow cockle, is an important candidate for industrial crop species that has yet to be fully domesticated. Therefore, characterization of germplasms is crucial to initiate and select for economic use. The study reports cultivation, characterization, and seed production of 66 wild V. hispanica genotypes, collected throughout Turkey that represent the available genetic pool. The study was carried out in an unheated greenhouse in Antalya, under Mediterranean climate from December to early June. The populations were evaluated for 21 morphological and 6 agronomic traits. The highest coefficient of variation (CV) for morphological traits was detected for the length of the smallest leaf (84.76%), the number of main branches on stem (57.5%), degree of petals imbricate (46.5%), and the flower number of the top five dichasium (42.27%). Among the agronomic traits, the number of seeds per capsule (27.88%), seed yield per plant (24.34%), and total yield per plant (23.74%) showed the highest three CVs. The minimummaximum values of the seed yield per plant, total yield per plant, 1000 seed weight, and number of seeds per capsule were determined as 54.4-186 g, 173.3-616 g, 4.5-7.9 g and 3.3-15.3, respectively. The results revealed the potential cultivation of V. hispanica under greenhouse and Mediterranean climate conditions. In addition, various plant characteristics enabled us to select different phenotypes and variants for future breeding studies for both industrial and ornamental plant use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying hosts of blood-feeding mosquito species is important to elucidate the role of vector species in disease transmission cycles. Herein, the aim was to identify the vertebrate hosts of mosquito species using the polymerase chain reaction-based reverse line blotting method. The mosquito species were Anopheles maculipennis sensu lato Meigen, 1818; Aedes caspius Pallas, 1771; Aedes vexans Meigen, 1830; Culex theileri Theobald, 1903; Anopheles hyrcanus Pallas 1771; Culex pipiens sensu lato Linnaeus, 1758; and Culiseta annulata Schrank, 1776, which were collected from the Aras Valley between July-August 2012 and June-September 2013. The analysis of mosquito blood-meal samples revealed several mammalian and avian host species. And also varying degrees of opportunistic mosquito feeding behavior in both birds and mammals were noted. These mosquito species fed on eight mammal species, i.e., humans, cows, sheep, horses, dogs, cats, goats, and porcupines, as well as avian species. Studies on the host-feeding patterns of blood-feeding vector arthropods may provide information about the vector potential of these species. However, the host-feeding patterns of the vector species are only one part of the vector capacity. To detect the exact potential of vector species, further studies are needed on vector competence for different pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the prevalence of protozoan parasites in stool samples collected from patients presenting with various gastrointestinal complaints to the Medical Parasitology Laboratory of Kafkas University Research and Application Hospital between 2019 and 2022., Methods: Stool samples were initially examined using the native-Lugol method for the detection of protozoan parasites, followed by the formol-ethyl acetate sedimentation method, Giemsa, and carbol fuchsin staining methods. Specific immunochromatographic card tests were used for the diagnosis of Entamoeba histolytica, Cryptosporidium spp., and Giardia intestinalis ., Results: Of the 2.267 stool samples examined over the four-year period from January 2019 to December 2022, 7.63% were found to contain one or more protozoan parasites. Among these parasites, Entamoeba histolytica was detected at the highest rate of 4.06%. The other parasite species were identified as follows: Blastocystis spp. 1.15%, Entamoeba spp. and Entamoeba coli each 0.52%, Giardia intestinalis 0.48%, Endolimax nana 0.17%, and Entamoeba histolytica/dispar 0.08%., Conclusion: This study indicates that despite a decrease in the prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections in the Kars region, these infections remain a significant public health issue. Therefore, improvements in hygiene and sanitation conditions, increased public health education, and the widespread implementation of early diagnosis and treatment methods are necessary. Special measures should be taken to protect vulnerable groups, particularly children and the elderly., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: No conflict of interest was declared by the authors.

Objective: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a common zoonotic disease in the world, which is caused by the larval form of Echinococcus granulosus settling in various organs in both animals and humans. It is common in livestock breeding areas and rural areas. This study was conducted to determine anti- E. granulosus seropositivity in patients with clinical pre-diagnosis/suspected CE in Kafkas University Health Research and Application Hospital in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey., Methods: Study material; between January 2018 and December 2020, 498 blood samples were sent to the Parasitology Laboratory from patients with clinical pre-diagnosis of CE, who applied to Kafkas University Health Research and Application Hospital for three years. The obtained serum samples were analyzed by indirect hemagglutination method., Results: Anti- Echinococcus granulosus antibodies were detected in 74 (14.9%) of 498 patients with clinical pre-diagnosis of hydatid cyst. Of the positive cases, 53 (71.6%) were observed in women, and 21 (28.4%) in men (p<0.05). Anti- E. granulosus antibodies were most commonly detected in the 16-30 age group (32.9%) (p<0.05), and 19.3% in the 16-60 age group., Conclusion: Although the study data do not cover the entire Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey, it has been concluded that KE maintains its importance as a public health problem in the region., (©Copyright 2022 Turkish Society for Parasitology)