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Accurate identification of tick-borne bacteria, including those associated with rickettsioses, pose significant challenges due to the polymicrobial and polyvectoral nature of the infections. We aimed to carry out a comparative evaluation of a non-targeted metagenomic approach by nanopore sequencing (NS) and commonly used PCR assays amplifying Rickettsia genes in field-collected ticks. The study included a total of 310 ticks, originating from Poland (44.2 %) and Bulgaria (55.8 %). Samples comprised 7 species, the majority of which were Ixodes ricinus (62.9 %), followed by Dermacentor reticulatus (21.2 %). Screening was carried out in 55 pools, using total nucleic acid extractions from individual ticks. NS and ompA/gltA PCRs identified Rickettsia species in 47.3 % and 54.5 % of the pools, respectively. The most frequently detected species were Rickettsia asiatica (27.2 %) and Rickettsia raoultii (21.8 %), followed by Rickettsia monacensis (3.6 %), Rickettsia helvetica (1.8 %), Rickettsia massiliae (1.8 %) and Rickettsia tillamookensis (1.8 %). Phylogeny construction on mutS, uvrD, argS and virB4 sequences and a follow-up deep sequencing further supported R. asiatica identification, documented in Europe for the first time. NS further enabled detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum (9.1 %), Coxiella burnetii (5.4 %) and Neoehrlichia mikurensis (1.8 %), as well as various endosymbionts of Rickettsia and Coxiella. Co-detection of multiple rickettsial and non-rickettsial bacteria were observed in 16.4 % of the pools with chromosome and plasmid-based contigs. In conclusion, non-targeted metagenomic sequencing was documented as a robust strategy capable of providing a broader view of the tick-borne bacterial pathogen spectrum., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None, (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier GmbH.. All rights reserved.)

Blastocystis sp. and Dientamoeba fragilis are two most common protists worldwide, whose pathogenic potentials are a matter of debate since their discovery. This study aims to investigate the relationship between the activation of ulcerative colitis (UC) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) with these protists. A total of 100 patients (35 IBS, 35 active UC, and 30 remittent UC), diagnosed at Hacettepe University Adult Hospital (Ankara, Turkey), were screened for D. fragilis and Blastocystis sp. with microscopic examination using the methods of wet mount, trichrome staining, conventional PCR, nested PCR, real-time PCR and genotyping. Eight patients (4 IBS, 2 active, and 2 remittent UC patients) were found to be D. fragilis positive. 18S rRNA region of the parasite was amplified in four of the patients, whereas cathepsin L-like cysteine peptidase; clan Sc, family S9, serine peptidase; and clan MH, family M20 metallopeptidase in six different patients. All isolates were Genotype 1. Sequence results showed very limited diversity. A total of nine patients (3 IBS, 5 active UC, 1 remittent UC) were found to be positive for Blastocystis sp., all of which were Subtype 3. One active UC and one IBS patient were found to be positive for both parasites. No statistically significant difference was detected between the patient groups in means of parasite detection. D. fragilis was found to be related to older age (p=0,045). In our study, no significant correlation was identified between D. fragilis and Blastocystis sp., and the activation of UC and IBS. More studies are needed on the host-parasite relationship, including the role of gut microbiota, together with transcriptomic and metabolomic assessments to unveil the pathogenicity of both protists., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The objective of this study was to identify the impact of West Nile virus (WNV) and Toscana virus (TOSV) in febrile diseases of unknown aetiology in Eastern Thrace, Turkey; this study was conducted during August-October 2012, and included 18 clinical cases and 296 blood donors for local serosurveillance. Antibodies were determined via commercial assays and further tested for specificity via neutralization assays (NA). Viral RNAs were sought via specific and/or generic primers. WNV infections were diagnosed in seven patients (38.8%), detected via RNA+IgM in four, RNA in one and IgM and low avidity IgG in two cases. The most common symptom was fever (>38°C), followed by headache, malaise/fatigue, myalgia/arthralgia, muscle stiffness/lower back pain, anorexia, nausea/vomiting, diarrhoea, supraorbital/retrobulbar pain and abdominal pain. Neurological symptoms were noted in one individual. WNV strains in RNA-detectable patients were characterized as lineage 1. TOSV RNA or IgM were identified in two individuals with confirmed WNV infections and in one patient without evidence of WNV exposure. The clinical and laboratory findings in individuals with WNV/TOSV co-infection were comparable to those in WNV-induced disease. The TOSV strain in the patient with detectable viral RNA was characterized as genotype A. In local blood donors, seroreactivity for specific WNV and TOSV immunoglobulins was observed in 1.7% (5/296) and 14.4% (26/180), respectively. These findings indicate the emergence of WNV and TOSV-associated diseases in Eastern Thrace. WNV/TOSV co-infections were documented for the first time., (© 2013 The Authors Clinical Microbiology and Infection © 2013 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.)

Background: West Nile fever is an important zoonotic infection caused by West Nile virus (WNV), a member of the Flaviviridae. Previous serological data from Turkey suggest widespread WNV circulation. This report includes cases of human and equine WNV infections occurring concurrently, and manifesting as central nervous system infections, in two neighboring provinces of Central Anatolia, Turkey. A partial phylogenetic analysis of the causative virus is given for the first time., Methods: The cases were reported in February (horses) and March (human). Symptoms of the disease were similar in the two species, characterized by neurological manifestations suggesting meningoencephalitis. Real-time/nested PCRs and commercial immunoassays and a plaque reduction neutralization assay were employed for the detection of viral RNA and specific antibodies, respectively., Results: WNV RNAs were detected in buffy coat (horses) and cerebrospinal fluid (human) samples. Partial nucleotide sequences of the E-gene coding region revealed that the strains are closely related to viruses of lineage 1, clade 1a. Accompanying equine serosurveillance demonstrated WNV-specific antibodies in 31.6% of the samples., Conclusions: This is the first report of acute WNV infections caused by lineage 1 strains from Turkey, in concordance with previous reports from some European and North African countries., (Copyright © 2013 International Society for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)