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For definitive diagnosis of amoebiasis, The Ministry of Health requires the detection of Entamoeba histolytica (E. histolytica) trophozoites that ingested red blood cells in Trichrome-stained smears or E. histolytica-specific adhesin antigen with ELISA. Stool samples of 51 patients admitted to the Outpatients Clinic of Ege University School of Medicine Department of Parasitology between January 2010 and June 2011 were suspected to have E. histolytica/dispar cysts or trophozoites in wet mount examinations and stained with Trichrome. Examination of these smears revealed that 49 samples were positive for E. histolytica/dispar Thirty-three samples were tested for the positivity of E. histolytica-specific adhesin antigen with a commercial ELISA kit (Entamoeba CELISA-Path; CeLLabs Pty. Ltd., Brookvale, Australia) and 23 were found to be positive. Our results indicated an elevation of figures of amoebiasis cases in recent years. It is concluded that application of different methods for the diagnosis of E. histolytica infections as suggested by The Ministry of Health is essential for correct reports of peripheral laboratories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: This study aimed to identify the determinants of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) behaviors and conditions among women in poor neighborhoods in Izmir, Turkey, and to develop a scale for assessing WASH behaviors and conditions that is specifically designed for use in precarious urban areas., Methods: The study used a cross-sectional design, as well as a methodological feature for developing the scale. The sample size was calculated as 243 households out of 2667 households in the Basmane neighborhood, with a 95% confidence interval and a 6% margin of error, and a woman who was responsible for cleaning was invited to participate from each household. The scales for WASH behaviors and conditions, which served as dependent variables, were developed in a four-stage process, yielding two distinct scales. The WASH-Behaviors Scale had 14 items about hand, body, and home hygiene, whereas the WASH-Conditions in Households Scale included 16 items about variables like area per capita, physical structure, and cleaning tool availability. Age, ethnicity, number of children, education, work status, and income were among the independent variables. Data was collected through household visits. The scales' validity was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis. Linear logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the determinants of WASH behaviors., Results: The women, with an average age of 40.65 ± 14.35 years, faced economic challenges, as a substantial portion earned an income below the minimum wage. More than half of them were uninsured, and 72.6% were identified as migrants or refugees. Factor analysis confirmed the compatibility of both scales (KMO = 0.78-0.80, p < 0.05), elucidating 52-54% of the total variance. Factors such as ethnicity, number of children, husband's education level, income perception, and WASH conditions explained 48% of WASH behaviors., Conclusions: WASH-Behaviors and WASH-Conditions in Households scales met the validity criterion, and their scores were related to basic sociodemographic and economic characteristics like education, income, household size, and ethnicity. The scale development process emphasized the importance of considering both behaviors and household conditions, albeit using different techniques. The findings indicated that WASH conditions are more problematic than behaviors, and that behavioral interventions will not work unless the conditions are corrected., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objective: Blastocystosis has been linked with non-specific symptoms, such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, and distention. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between Blastocystis spp. with urticaria and intestinal symptoms., Methods: The results of the stool examinations of the patients who were referred to Ege University Medical Faculty Hospital's Medical Parasitology Department Direct Diagnosis Laboratory with gastrointestinal (GIS) and/or dermatologic symptoms between January 2011 and July 2016 were retrospectively scanned., Results: Of the evaluated 37108 stool samples, 2573 (6.93 %) were identified to be positive for Blastocystis spp. The patients with gastrointestinal complaints comprised 68.4% of Blastocystis spp. positive samples (1.761 samples) while 30.1% of patients had dermatologic symptoms (urticaria) (776 samples). Blastocystis spp. density in the non-amplified (without using any stool concentration technique) stool samples of the patients with GIS and dermatological symptoms was as follows: 2.47%, 1.35% rare, 21.73%, 22.17% few, 49.65%, 54.29% medium, 26.27%, and 22.17% dense, respectively., Conclusion: 75.92% and 76.46% of the patients with GIS and dermatological complaints had medium to dense parasite densities in their stool samples respectively. This suggests a positive correlation between parasite density and GIS and dermatologic symptomatology.

Introduction: Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) causes serious infections, especially in patients with immunosuppressive diseases. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the results of samples obtained from PCP suspected patients using two different methods together with clinical data., Materials and Methods: Microscopy and real time polymerase chain reaction (real time PCR) methods were performed with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples sended to Ege University Medical Faculty Direct Parasitology Diagnostic Laboratory between March 2009 and June 2010. Demographic characteristics, clinical and laboratory data were also recorded retrospectively. The data were evaluated using the SPSS 16.0 program., Result: A total of 42 BAL samples collected from patients (24 males, mean age: 31.49 ± 26.14) were included. There were totally 16 P. jirovecii positives either one of the tests. Sixteen and three samples were detected positive by real time PCR and microscopy, respectively. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was prescribed in 11 PCP diagnosed cases and 6 of them died., Conclusions: Today, despite the growing opportunities in diagnosis and treatment, PCP pneumonia is associated with high mortality. Careful examination of clinical data and immune status of the patients are important. Multidisciplinary approach is required for early PCP diagnosis.