Search

© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.We assessed genetic diversities among Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (Ich) field isolates collected from farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Turkey. The overall prevalence of Ich was 35.3% (634/1798). Five novel Ich genotypes (ImulTR1 and ImulTR3‒ImulTR6) were described based on mitochondrial cox-1 and nad1_b genes. The remaining genotype ImulTR2 was identical to the previously reported NY3 (or Ark9 and TW7) genotype from the United States and South Asia. Phylogenetic analysis indicated Turkish Ich isolates separated genetically into at least four distinct groups. Our study presents the first data on the genotypes of Ich in Turkey. We also provide evidence for the wide distribution of the NY3 genotype (or Ark9 and TW7) from the United States and South Asia to Turkey. Genetic diversities within the mitochondrial genes provided adequate resolution for describing novel genotypes and identifying the known genotype within Turkish Ich isolates. Description of the Ich genotypes allows for tracking of pathogen genotypes worldwide. Thus, we can better understand the connections between Ich outbreaks in the fisheries aquaculture.

Vector-borne zoonotic diseases (VBZDs) are a major problem for public health and animal welfare all over the world. In recent years, there has been an alarming increase in VBZDs, mainly caused by new or re-emerging arboviruses, bacteria and parasites. The World Health Organization enumerated 10 threats to global health for 2019, notably emphasizing climate change and emerging pathogens as growing priorities. It is important to review potential threats and develop new control programs for rising threats against human health and safety. Changes in host and vector population diversity and density may affect pathogen transmission patterns and influence VBZD emergence processes. In addition to environmental and climate-related changes, human and animal migratory patterns pose future threats. The geographic location and habitat features of Turkey support the establishment of many arthropod species as vectors of various diseases. To date, a total of 107 zoonotic infections have been reported originating from Turkey. Arthropods transmit 19 of 107 such infections, including 2 mosquito-borne, 9 tick-borne, 1 sandfly-borne, 3 flea-borne, 1 simuliid-borne, 1 mite-borne and 2 fly-borne diseases. In this review, we focus on the present status of knowledge on VBZDs as a rising threat to public health in Turkey to provide a foundation for future control efforts. Keywords: Vectors, zoonoses, vector-borne diseases, Turkey.

The molecular prevalence and genotypes of Giardia duodenalis in cattle were investigated. A total of 450 fecal samples were collected from cattle in three provinces of Central Anatolia from August 2017 to July 2019. Genomic DNA was extracted from the fecal samples and used in molecular analysis carried out by nested PCR analyses of the β-giardin (bg) gene of G. duodenalis. Positive samples were further analyzed by nested PCR at two gene loci (triosephosphate isomerase (tpi) and glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh)) for genotyping of G. duodenalis isolates. PCR analyses of the bg gene indicated that the overall prevalence of G. duodenalis was 30.2%. However, lower rates were determined with PCR analyses for gdh and tpi loci. The sequence analyses of the bg, gdh, and tpi genes revealed the presence of zoonotic assemblage A and livestock-specific assemblage E. Combined-sequence analyses revealed that assemblage E was the most common in the study area. Our study provides the first data on the wide prevalence of livestock-specific assemblages E in cattle in Turkey. The prevalence of assemblage A in cattle also reveals the importance of cattle for zoonotic transmission of giardiasis in Turkey.

Dermanyssus gallinae, the poultry red mite is an obligatory blood-sucking ectoparasite and has been involved in the transmission of several pathogens between both animals and humans. In order to develop effective control strategies against D. gallinae, it is essential to determine their genetic compositions and investigate the potential vector roles of these mites. Therefore, we aimed to analyse the mt-COI gene regions of D. gallinae populations and investigate avian haemosporidian parasites in order to point out their risk potentials for the presence of possible transmission by these mites. In total, 1985 mites were collected from five laying hen breeding facilities in Central Anatolia Region in Turkey. The mt-COI sequence analyses of 100 individual mites identified 6 haplotypes (TD1 to TD6) in three haplogroups. Although the local lineages are common in the region, our findings also support the possibility of international transmission of D. gallinae. A total of 126 pools of D. gallinae were screened for investigation of three genera of avian haemosporidians. In total, five pools from three facilities were identified as positive for species of Plasmodium. These findings provide novel molecular data on the possible vector role of D. gallinae in the transmission of avian haemosporidians and draw attention to the risk potentials in poultry farms.

Objective The identification and molecular characterization of the bot fly larvae from an infected human with naso-pharyngeal myiasis in Turkey were aimed in this study. Methods A total of 8 bot fly larvae from a 49-year-old woman with naso-pharyngeal infection in Adana province constituted the materials of this study. Morphological identification was performed on the larvae according to described keys. The barcode region of the CO1 gene from the genomic DNA extracts of the larvae was amplified and sequence analyses were utilized. Haplotype and genetic distance analyses were performed in CO1 sequences and a phylogenetic tree was built revealing phylogenetic relationships. Results All bot fly larvae were identified as second stage larvae of Oestrus ovis in terms of morphologic characteristics. There was no polymorphism among the CO1 sequences of all isolates leading to detection of a single novel haplotype. The newly characterized haplotype in this study clustered with the O. ovis haplotypes from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Brazil, and Iran in a monophyletic clade with an overall identity of 99.5%. Interspecific genetic differences among the subfamilies of Oestridae were in the range of 19.8% to 30.8%. Conclusion This study has provided the first molecular characterization data on O. ovis larvae from an accidental human host in Turkey based on CO1 barcode sequences.

The protozoan Dientamoeba fragilis is one of the most common parasites in the diges-tive system of humans worldwide. The host range and transmission routes of D. fragi-lis, including the role of animals, are still ambiguous with few reports from non- human primates, sheep, rodents, pigs, a cat and a dog. In this study, we used microscopic and TaqMan qPCR analyses to investigate D. fragilisin 150 faecal samples from pet budger-igars (Melopsittacus undulatus) in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. Dientamoeba fragilis DNA was detected in 32 samples, resulting in a mean prevalence of 21.3%. In microscopic examination, trophozoites/cysts of D. fragilis were detected in 13 of 32 qPCR- positive samples. SSU rRNA sequence analyses of the qPCR- positive iso-lates identified genotype 1 of D. fragilis as predominant in budgerigars. Phylogenetic analyses of the SSU rRNA gene region clustered D. fragilis genotypes, as well as other trichomonads, in separate monophyletic clusters with bootstrap values ≥79.0. Our study provides the first evidence for the natural host status of pet budgerigars for D. fragilisand contributes to the knowledge of the epidemiology of this parasite. The high prevalence of genotype 1 of D. fragilis suggests that pet budgerigars are suitable reservoirs for zoonotic transmission. Our findings contribute to an increased aware-ness and knowledge of D. fragilis infections in the context of a one- health approach.

Bu calisma, “Babesia bigemina Kayseri/Turkiye” susundan in vivo ve in vitro kultivasyon yapilarak ve pasajlanarak elde edilmis olan izolatlarin AMA-1 proteinlerinin molekuler karakterizasyonu ve ekspresyonu ile soz konusu proteinin attenuasyona bagli polimorfizm gosterip gostermedigini ortaya koymak amaciyla yapilmistir. Bu amacla, Babesia bigemina Kayseri/Turkiye susuna ait, in vivo ve in vitro izolatlardan genomik DNA ve total RNA izolasyonu sonrasinda hedef gen, PCR ile butun olarak amplifiye edilmis ve purifiye amplikonlar uygun vektorlere klonlanmistir. Klonlama sonrasinda rekombinant plazmidler, sekanslanarak izolatlara ait nukleotid dizilimleri GenBank’a kaydedilmistir . Nukleotid ve amino asit sekanslarin coklu ve ikili hizalama analizleri yapilmis ve izolatlarin filogenileri arastirilmistir. Elde edilen rekombinant plazmidler, E. coli BL21 (DE3) hucrelerine transforme edilerek IPTG ile induklenmis ve ekspresyonlari saglanmistir. Ekspresyon urunlerinde hedef proteinler SDS-PAGE ve Western Blot teknikleri ile analiz edilmistir. Kayseri/Turkey IV1 ve Kayseri/Turkey IT2 izolatlari nukleotid dizilimlerinin kendi aralarinda %99.7 identiklik gosterdigi ve 103. nukleotiddeki mutasyona bagli olarak amino asit diziliminde farklilik (%0.2) olustugu belirlenmistir. SDSPAGE ve Western Blot analizleri sonucu soz konusu iki izolata ait AMA-1 proteinlerinin 72 kDa molekuler agirliklarla farkli IPTG konsantrasyon duzeyleri ve zaman araliklarinda eksprese olduklari belirlenmistir. Sonuc olarak bu calisma ile Babesia bigemina Kayseri/Turkiye susunun in vivo ve in vitro pasajlarindan elde edilmis iki izolata ait AMA-1 nukleotid ve amino asit dizilimleri arasinda mutasyonel farkliliklari gosteren attenuasyona bagli polimorfik alanlar oldugu ortaya konulmustur

Kayseri Sultan Sazligi ekosisteminden toplanan 400 sivrisinek orneginin 296’si (%74.0) Culex pipiens, 63’u (%15.75) Aedes vexans ve 41’i (%10.25) Culiseta annulata olarak belirlenmistir. Ergin sineklerden bireysel DNA elde edilmis ve wsp gen bolgesi yonunden PZR analizleri gerceklestirilmistir. 119 (%40.2) Cx. pipiens disisinde Wolbachia pozitifligi saptanirken, erkek Cx. pipiens orneklerinde pozitiflik belirlenmemistir. Ae. vexans ve Cs. annulata orneklerinde de pozitiflik saptanmamistir. Wolbachia pozitif orneklerden secilen 10 izolatin filogenetik analizlerinde EruWolCpip1-10 izolatlari Wolbachia B super grubu ve wPip grubu icinde belirlenmistir. EruWolCpip1-9 izolatlarinin %100 identik olduklari ve EruWolCpip10 izolatiyla %0.5 genetik farklilik gosterdikleri saptanmistir. Daha once Kayseri’de Cx. pipiens’ten izole edilmis WolKys1 ve Cankiri’da Bovicola limbata’dan elde edilmis TrERUWolLice1 izolatlarinin, EruWolCpip1-9 izolatlariyla %100 benzerlik gosterdigi belirlenmistir. EruWolCpip1-9 izolatlarinin wPip grubundaki Cx. pipiens, Peribadotes rhomboidaria, Agriocnemis femina femina ve Eurema hecabe Wolbachia izolatlariyla %100 benzer olduklari gorulmustur. wPip grubundaki genetik farklilik %0.28±0.11 belirlenirken, wPip grubu ile ayni super gruptaki Dei, Con ve Ori gruplari arasindaki genetik farklilik sirasiyla %16.9±2.3, %12.5±1.9 ve %19.9±2.5 bulunmustur. A super grubundaki Haw, Riw, Mel, Aus, Mors, Uni, Pap ve Alba gruplari ile B super grubundaki wPip grubu arasinda genetik farklilik ise sirasiyla %23.5±3.0, %17.6±2.3, %19.1±2.5, %22.0±2.8, %21.0±2.7, %22.3±2.9, %22.0±2.8 ve %20.5±2.6 olarak saptanmistir. Farkli cografyalardaki degisik artropodlarda ayni veya farkli super gruplarda yer aldiklari belirlenmis Wolbachia izolatlari ile kendi izolatlarimiz arasindaki genetik farkliligin onemli duzeyde olabilecegi hipoteziyle yapilmis bu calisma sonucunda, ayni grubun izolatlari arasindaki farkliligin cok onemli olmadigi, ancak farkli super gruplardaki izolatlar arasindaki genetik farkliligin bir hayli onemli oldugu belirlenmistir. Bu sonuclar hipotezimizi dogrular nitelikte bulunmustur

Bu çalışmada, Haziran-Ağustos 2014 tarihleri arasında Kayseri yöresinde çeşitli bölgelerden toplanmış sivrisinek örneklerinde Culex pipiens kompleks biyotipleri ve Cx. torrentium moleküler olarak araştırılmıştır. Saha çalışmaları boyunca toplam 1052 dişi sivrisinek örneklemesi yapılmış ve bunların 315’i (%29.9) morfolojik teşhis analizleriyle Cx. pipiens kompleks ve/veya Cx. torrentium olarak teşhis edilerek ayrılmıştır. Ayrılan örneklere ait genomik DNA izolatlarının ilk basamak Real time PCR analizlerinde tamamının Cx. pipiens kompleks nesillerine ait oldukları saptanmış, Cx. torrentium pozitifliği belirlenmemiştir. İkinci basamak Real time PCR analizlerinde Cx. pipiens komplekste belirlenen izolatların, 311’inin Cx. pipiens form pipiens nesillerine ait oldukları tespit edilmiş, Cx. pipiens form molestus pozitifliği görülmemiştir. Kalan 4 örnek, analizlerde her iki biyotip yönünden de amplifikasyon göstermemiştir. Real time PCR sonuçlarının konfirmasyonu ve hibrit nesillerin araştırılması amacıyla tüm örneklere ait izolatların ACE-2 ve CQ11 microsatellite DNA analizleri gerçekleştirilmiştir. Analizlerde Cx. pipiens form pipiens olarak belirlenen tüm izolatların ilgili DNA markerları ile pipiens biyotipine özgü bant profilleri sergilediği görülmüş ve izolatların konfirmasyonu sağlanmıştır. Real time PCR analizlerinde biyoformlar yönünden amplifikasyon göstermeyen 4 izolatın microsatellite DNA analizleriyle Cx. pipiens form pipiens ve Cx. pipiens form molestus hibritleri oldukları tespit edilmiştir. Cx. pipiens form pipiens ve hibrit nesillere ait birer izolatın mitokondrial cytochrome oxidase I (mt-COI) gen bölgesine göre barkodlaması yapılmış ve filogenetik analizleri gerçekleştirilmiştir. Her iki izolatın sekans analiz sonuçlarına göre yeni bir haplotip oldukları belirlenmiş ve haplotip bazında Cx. pipiens komplekse ait GenBank’ta kayıtlı homolog nesillerle filogenetik ilişkileri ortaya konmuştur, The biotypes of Culex pipiens complex and Cx. torrentium were molecularly investigated in the mosquito specimens collected from different regions of Kayseri between June and August 2015 in this study. A total of 1052 female mosquito specimens were sampled during the field surveys and 315 (29.9%) out of these were morphologically identified and reserved as Cx. pipiens complex and/or Cx. torrentium. The first step Real time PCR analyses of genomic DNA isolates from these reserved specimens revealed that all the specimens were belong to Culex pipiens complex and there was no Cx. torrentium positivity. Among the isolates determined in Culex pipiens complex, 311 were determined as belong to lineages of Cx. pipiens form pipiens according to second step Real time PCR analyses and there was no positivity for Cx. pipiens form molestus. The remaining 4 isolates showed no amplification for both two biotypes. ACE-2 and CQ11 microsatellite DNA analyses were carried out on the isolates from all specimens in order to confirm the real time PCR results and investigate the hybrid lineages. All the isolates determined as Cx. pipiens form pipiens showed specific banding pattern for pipiens biotype with the related DNA markers in the analyses result in the confirmation of the isolates. The 4 isolates that did not show amplification for both biotypes in Real time PCR assays were designated as the hybrids of Cx. pipiens form pipiens and Cx. pipiens form molestus with the microsatellite DNA analyses. DNA barcoding and phylogenetic analyses were performed on one isolate belong to each Cx. pipiens form pipiens pipiens and hybrids based on mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (mt-COI) gene region. Both isolates were determined as new haplotypes according to the sequence analyses and their phylogenetic relations based on haplotypes with the available homolog linages belong to Cx. pipiens complex in GenBank were revealed

Objective In this study, forming of experimental toxoplasmosis in quails; clinical, pathological, and serological determination of tissue lesions and bioassay techniques, which were aimed to compare them and determine pathogenesis. Methods A total of 120 one-year-old female quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were divided into oral infection, parenteral infection, and control groups. The oral group was infected with 0.5 ml inoculum suspension containing 106 tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii, whereas the control group was administered 0.5 ml of saline. The parenteral group was further divided into the following four subgroups: intraperitoneal, intramuscular, intravenous, and cloacal. The quails of the parenteral group were also divided into two groups and one by control group within itself for the 105 and 104 doses of the tachyzoite inoculums. Results Because of acute toxoplasmosis, death occurred in a quail that as intramuscularly infected with 105 tachyzoites; the quail exhibited neurological clinical symptoms such as torticollis, ataxia, and tremor. In histopathologic examination, T. gondii tissue cysts were detected in infected quails that were intramuscularly infected with 105 tachyzoites. Mouse trials were conducted using tissues of seropositive quails and isolated from peritoneal fluids infected mice. By Sabin-Feldman dye test and indirect hemagglutination test, seropositivity was observed in quails infected with 105 and 104 tachyzoites. Conclusion Similar studies and subclinical cases, which may overlooked was concluded for diagnosis of toxoplasmosis with useful bioassay applications and serological tests.

Bu calisma, Erzurum yoresi sigirlarinda Babesia bovis ve B. bigemina yayginliginin Real Time PCR ile arastirilmasi ve saptanan izolatlarin molekuler karakterizasyonlari amaciyla yapilmistir. Bu amacla 2011-2012 tarihleri arasinda farkli yas, cinsiyet ve irklarda, klinik olarak saglikli gorunumlu toplam 300 sigirdan EDTA’li tuplere tam kan ornekleri toplanmistir. DNA ekstraksiyonunu takiben B. bovis ve B.bigemina icin sirasiyla msa-2c ve rap-1 gen bolgelerine ozgu primerlerle Sybergreen ve TaqMan prob bazli Real Time PCR analizleri gerceklestirilmistir. Incelenen 300 kan orneginin 28’inde (%9,3) B. bovis, 17’sinde (%5,7) B. bigemina saptanmistir. Orneklerde miks enfeksiyona rastlanmamistir. B. bovis pozitiflerden 4’unun, B. bigemina pozitiflerden 3’unun msa-2c ve rap-1 gen bolgelerine gore sekans analizleri yapilmistir. B. bovis izolatlarinin pairwise kiyaslamalarinda kendi aralarinda, Turkiye’den diger bazi ve dunyadaki diger izolatlarla aralarinda sirasiyla %0,6, %2,3 ve %7,5 genetik farklilik belirlenmistir. B. bigemina izolatlarinin kendi aralarinda %0,3 ve dunyadaki diger izolatlarla aralarinda %0,5 genetik farklilik saptanmistir. B. bovis ve B. bigemina yonunden pozitif belirlenen orneklerin parazit turu temel alinarak sigirlarin yas, cinsiyet ve irk ozelliklerine gore istatistiksel analizlerinde; yas ve irk ozelliklerine gore istatistiksel bir farklilik belirlenmezken (p>0,05), cinsiyete bagli farklilik B. bovis icin onemsiz (p>0,05), B. bigemina icin ise onemli (p

Haemonchus contortus is one of the most important gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) infecting sheep, goats, and cattle worldwide. We developed a SYBR Green real-time PCR (qPCR) assay for detection and quantification of H. contortus by using specific primers based on a conserved region of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (mt-COI) gene, and evaluated this technique in the detection of H. contortus infections in cattle in Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The newly developed qPCR assay successfully discriminated H. contortus from other GIN species infecting cattle in the specificity evaluations, with a specific melt peak of 77.5 degrees C. Our results revealed the efficient amplification of the proposed target COI region within the range of plasmid copies, from 2 x 10 (6) to 2 x 10 (1) per mu l, with 96.9 % efficiency, R-2 value of 0.999, and a slope of -3.398. Among the 920 cattle fecal samples from the field, 58 samples (6.3 %) were positive with qPCR assay, whereas 45 samples (4.9 %) were positive, as determined by larval culture, suggesting the utility of SYBR Green qPCR. Phylogenetic characterization of the partial COI gene of H. contortus isolates was also evaluated for 100 eggs and third stage larvae recovered from positive cattle faecal samples, which were verified with the qPCR assay prior to analyses. COI sequences were classified into three haplotypes (THC1 to THC3) with intraspecific nucleotide differences of 0.50 to 0.76 %. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the haplotypes grouped with H. contortus isolates from several countries in a monophyletic cluster, with evidence of at least two main haplogroups. Overall, the SYBR Green qPCR assay was highly specific and sensitive, suggesting that it can be used for screening of H. contortus infections in livestock populations in epidemiological studies and the control of this important parasite.

An epidemiological survey for Theileria annulata infection was conducted in 12 selected villages around Ankara in Central Anatolia, Turkey, during the period April 1990 to January 1993. During the survey, 198 cattle of 30 local breeds, 84 Holstein-Friesian x local breeds and 84 Holstein-Friesian breed were examined for antibodies to T. annulata and the presence of the vector ticks. Four species of Hyalomma ticks were identified: Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum, Hyalomma anatolicum excavtum, Hyalomma detritum and Hyalomma marginatum marginatum. Salivary gland staining indicated that infected adult ticks of all four species were present and, therefore, were implicated in the transmission of tropical theileriosis in the field. Generally, the Hyalomma infestation rate was low, with the heaviest infestations occurring on the older animals. Young adults and calves had very low infestation rates. Most ticks seen on cattle were adults, very few nymphs were found. The blood smear and serological examination of the 198 cattle conducted in March, before the start of the first disease season, showed that the prevalence of piroplasmosis was 11.1% (22 out of 198) and the seroprevalence of T. annulata was 10.6% (21 out of 198). Forty-three animals were then excluded from the study because they were seropositive and/or harboured piroplasms. Ninety-two seronegative animals showed piroplasmosis (92 out of 155) and 34 seronegative animals became seropositive for T. annulata (34 out of 155) during the three disease seasons. One animal became clinically ill with tropical theileriosis and required treatment. The incidence of cattle showing piroplasmosis and disease in the total study sample was 50.7% and 0.5% per disease season, respectively. The seroconversion rate of new infection with T. annulata in the total study was 14.3% per animal season. The number of cattle showing piroplasmosis was much greater than the number of seropositive cattle, which may indicate the presence of another species of Theileria. The two different management systems encountered in the study were considered to have influenced the tick infestation levels.