Search

This study aimed to determine the presence of Brucella spp. in 73 abortion materials collected from various provinces of Turkey. Culture isolation and Real-time PCR methods were used for this purpose, and the laboratory diagnosis was compared. The clinical samples were taken from aborted cattle. A total of 79 samples were used for this study, consisting of 28 fetal stomach contents and 51 vaginal swabs. The presence of Brucella spp. was investigated using both culture isolation and real-time PCR methods. Of the collected samples, eight (10.12%) were found to be positive for Brucella spp. through culture isolation. These same samples were then subjected to Real Time PCR testing for comparison. Thirteen point nine two percent (11/79) of the samples tested positive for Brucella spp. using real-time PCR. This suggests that inhibitors, bacterial load in clinical samples, and possible contamination may reduce the chance of isolating the bacteria in culture or lead to false negative results. Therefore, it can be concluded that real-time PCR is a fast and reliable alternative to culture for diagnosing brucellosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tularemia, caused by Francisella tularensis, can exist in nature over a long period of time. The disease can be transmitted by ticks, biting flies, contaminated food and water, and inhalation. F. tularensis infections are particularly common in North America, Europe, and Asia. Tularemia is often water-associated and affects humans and an array of animals, including domestic animals, small wild mammals and fish. The literature about tularemia in horses is limited; however, fever, dyspnea, incoordination and depression have been reported. This study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of F. tularensis in horse herds in Turkey. A total of 109 horses, aged 36 months and older, were randomly sampled from different regions of Turkey. The serum samples were tested for the presence of antibodies to F. tularensis, using the Microagglutination Test (MAT), which has 51% sensitivity and 99% specificity. The overall (animal), within-herd and between-herd apparent seroprevalence values were calculated as 40.4% (95% CI = 31.6 to 49.8%), 41.1% (95 CI = 32.3 to 50.6%) and 81.8% (95% CI = 52.3 to 94.9%), respectively. The Rogan-Gladen estimator was then used to correct the apparent seroprevalence values to true seroprevalence values of 78.7% overall (95% CI = 61.3 to 97.5%), 80.2% within-herd (95 CI = 62.5 to 99.2%), and 161.6% between-herd (95 CI = 103 to 187.7%). The results provide useful information regarding the prevalence of tularemia in horse herds in Kafkas University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Department of Microbiology, which it is hoped will attract the particular attention of veterinarians, enabling the establishment of an efficient control program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Etlik Veteriner Mikrobiyoloji Dergisi is the property of Veteriner Kontrol Merkez Arastirma Enstitusu 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.)