Ahmet Uner

Comparison of the effects of Artemisia vulgaris and Artemisia absinthium growing in western Anatolia against trichinellosis (Trichinella spiralis) in rats.

Trichinellosis often causing diarrhea and more rarely fever, periorbital edema and myositis in human, is commonly treated with benzimidazole derivatives. The Artemisia genus has been found to be effective against a variety of parasites. In the present study, the efficacy against trichinellosis (Trichinella spiralis) of Artemisia vulgaris and Artemisia absinthium was examined for the first time in rats. The results of trichinoscopy and artificial digestion, during the enteral (adult) phase of the illness show that 300 mg/kg doses of methanol extracts of the aerial parts of A. vulgaris and A. absinthium reduced the larval rate by 75.6% and 63.5% in tongue, 53.4% and 37.7% in diaphragm, 67.8% and 46.2% in quadriceps, and 66.7% and 60.5% in biceps-triceps muscles of rats, respectively. Furthermore, during the parenteral (encapsulated larvae) phase, 600 mg/kg doses of A. vulgaris and A. absinthium extracts decreased the larval rate by 66.4% and 59.9% in tongue, 57.4% and 50.0% in diaphragm, 47.6% and 43.7% in quadriceps, 60.2% and 46.4% in biceps-triceps muscles of rats, respectively. Analysis of antibody also showed that A. vulgaris significantly reduced the antibody response (P<0.05) during the enteral and parenteral phases. Thus, the results of the present study revealed that A. vulgaris could be an alternative drug against trichinellosis.

Use of Two Sensitive and Specific Immunoblot Markers, Em70 and Em90, for Diagnosis of Alveolar Echinococcosis

ABSTRACT Antibodies against Echinococcus multilocularis metacestodes were screened by immunoblotting sera from patients with alveolar echinococcosis (n = 39), cystic echinococcosis (n = 109), or other parasitic infections (n = 66) and healthy individuals (n = 32). Two antigens, approximately 70 and 90 kDa, are found to be valuable for confirmatory diagnosis, with a sensitivity and specificity of 100 and 99.51%, respectively.

Isolation of Toxoplasma gondii strains similar to Africa 1 genotype in Turkey

INTRODUCTION Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoon parasite that has a worldwide dissemination. It can cause serious clinical problems such as congenital toxoplasmosis, retinochoroiditis, and encephalitis. Currently, T. gondii genotypes are being associated with these clinical presentations which may help clinicians design their treatment strategy. CASE REPORTS Two T. gondii strains named Ankara and Ege-1 were isolated from newborns with congenital toxoplasmosis in Central and Western Anatolia, respectively. Ankara and Ege-1 strains were isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid of newborns. According to microsatellite analysis, Ankara and Ege-1 strains were sorted as Africa 1 genotype. CONCLUSION T. gondii strains isolated in Turkey were first time genotyped in this study. Africa 1 genotype has previously been isolated in immunosuppressed patients originating from sub-Saharan Africa. The reason of detecting a strain mainly detected in Africa can be associated with Turkeys specific geographical location. Turkey is like a bridge between Asia, Europe and Africa. Historically, Anatolia was on the Silk Road and other trading routes that ended in Europe. Thus, detecting Africa 1 strain in Anatolia can be anticipated. Consequently, strains detected mainly in Europe and Asia may also be detected in Anatolia and vice versa. Therefore, further studies are required to isolate more strains from Turkey.

A case of myiasis in a patient with psoriasis from Turkey

Myiasis infestations caused by the larvae of flies mostly belonging to Cyclorapha suborders are frequently encountered in Turkey, which is located in the subtropical zone. The skin is a common site for myiasis, and the infestations are likely to develop in infected tissues and poorly attended wounds of the skin. The case, a 30-year-old male patient, was diagnosed with psoriasis 18 years ago. He had psoriatic scales on his right big toe and was receiving corticosteroid and immunosuppressive drugs. A total of 11 fly larvae were removed from the infected right first toe of the patient. Structures of the stigmas seen in the cross-sections taken from the final segments of these larvae were examined and determined as Sarcophaga spp. larvae. Patients with infected tissues should be extremely cautious about their wound hygiene and take required fly control measures especially during summer as flies can find a suitable environment for sustenance.

Behaviour of Toxoplasma gondii RH Ankara strain tachyzoites during continuous production in various cell lines.

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite. The objective of the present study was to examine the behaviour of Toxoplasma gondii RH Ankara strain tachyzoites in a cell culture environment. The study represents the first step in determining whether T. gondii RH Ankara strain tachyzoites, grown in cell culture, are of sufficient quality to allow cessation of in vivo tachyzoite production for diagnostic assays. In the present study, T. gondii RH Ankara strain tachyzoites were continuously produced in myeloma X63.Ag8.653, HeLa, Hep-2, and Vero cell cultures for 2 months. The average size of the tachyzoites was 3 x 5.7 microm prior to the first inoculation but after continuous production, a marked decrease was noted in average tachyzoite size. The smallest tachyzoite size, was 1 x 2.1 microm after 2 months, in myeloma cell cultures even though the yield of tachyzoites increased. With other cell cultures, tachyzoite yields were not as high as myeloma cell culture although decrease in size was less. The smallest decrease in tachyzoite size, averaging 2 x 3.8 microm after 2 months, was observed in tachyzoites produced in HeLa cell cultures. A virulence assay in small groups of BALB/c mice, using tachyzoites derived from cell cultures, was also conducted. The preliminary results of the virulence assay suggest that as the size of the tachyzoites decreased, the virulence in mice decreased. Future research will focus on the effect of the size of cell culture-derived T. gondii RH Ankara strain tachyzoites on the virulence, protein expression, and the reliability of diagnostic assays. Ultimately, the behaviour of tachyzoites from various T. gondii strains will be observed in cell culture to determine if size is altered.

In-vivo and in-vitro tick repellent properties of cotton fabric:

N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) and eucalyptol were encapsulated by β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) using the kneading method at four different molar ratios. The products were applied to 100% cotton fabric through the impregnation method. Fourier transform infrared and differential scanning calorimetry analysis results confirmed that the inclusion complex occurred between β-CD and repellent agents at mole ratios of 1:3 and 1:2 for eucalyptol and DEET, respectively. The experiments carried out on Hyalomma marginatum showed that DEET and eucalyptol treated fabrics repel, inhibit and kill blood-feeding Hyalomma marginatum ticks in-vivo and in-vitro for a period of at least 48 and 72 hours under laboratory conditions. In-vitro essay showed good repellent activities for both DEET and eucalyptol. The results show that eucalyptol has more repellent effect than DEET. In the case of the in-vivo essay, a single washing cycle of eucalyptol: β-CD-treated fabric showed repellent activity.

Rapid technique for cryopreservation of Echinococcus multilocularis metacestodes.

Cysts of E. multilocularis were minced to prepare a crude homogenate and after addition of glycerol at a final concentration of 10%, cryopreservation was performed at a rate of 1 degree C min-1 in a controlled-rate freezer. The aliquots were subsequently stored in liquid nitrogen. All 22 isolates tested were successfully cryopreserved and their viability maintained.

The ability of 67Ga scintigraphy to detect the lesions of Echinococcus multilocularis infection: Preliminary results

Abstract]AimTo assess the ability of67Ga scintigraphy to detect the lesions ofEchinococcus multilocularis (EM) infection.Materials and MethodsAn animal model of EM infection was developed. The infected tissues taken from stock infection were placed into the abdominal cavity of uninfected animals operatively. The success of implantation was controlled 20–25 days after implantation. Five infected and 2 healthy animals were studied. All of the animals were examined by ultrasound before the scintigraphic evaluation. After the injection of 7.4 MBq (200 µCi)67Ga citrate intravenously, static images from the whole anterior thorax and abdomen were obtained at 24, 48 and 72 hours. Visual and semiquantitative analyses were performed. In semiquantitative analysis, an irregular region of interest was drawn over the thorax as the background, excluding the heart and a second region of interest was drawn over the abdomen, excluding the liver and spleen. Abdomen/ background ratios were calculated using the mean counts.ResultsIn the visual evaluation, it was noticed that there was considerably increased67Ga uptake in the abdomens of the infected animals. In infected animals, mean abdomen/background ratios at 48 and 72 hours (3.76 ± 1.04, 4.13 ± 0.72, respectively) were increased compared with mean abdomen/background ratios at 24 hours (2.94 ± 0.77). These increases in abdomen/background ratios were statistically significant at 72 hours (p = 0.04). Between the infected animals and control group, mean abdomen/background ratios were compared, and statistically significant differences were found in the images obtained at 48 and 72 hours.ConclusionImaging at 72 hours seems to be more suitable imaging time for the diagnosis of alveolar echinococcosis.67Ga scintigraphy may successfully demonstrate the lesions of EM infection localized intraperitoneally. The method of67Ga scintigraphy is useful because it is simple, non-invasive and relatively safe.

Technetium-99m labeled Mebendazole and biodistribution in experimentally Trichinella spiralis-infected rats

The aim of this study was to localize the biodistribution of Technetium-99m (99mTc) Mebendazole in experimentally Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis)-infected rats. Localizing and distinguishing the “T. spiralis” in body sites are very important and life saving processes. Scintigraphic detections may help to determine the sites of trichinellosis infection. Twelve healthy female Wistar rats were infected via oral administration of infected muscle containing 750 to 1000 larvae. In this study, the antibiotic was labeled with Tc-99m, and 99mTc-Mebendazole was assessed as an infection imaging agent in a rat model. 99mTc-mebendazole was examined for localizing the normal, and inflamed with trichinellosis in rat muscle tissues after administrated 99mTc-mebendazole via intravenous (IV) or oral gastric catheter, and also for differentiating them from each other. 99mTc labeled mebendazole was retained in infectious areas. It was established that 99mTc-mebendazole which was administrated via IV route has high organ restrain level. It was observed that 99mTc-mebendazole uptake was high in tongue and diaphragm muscles of T. spiralis-infected rats after administration of radiolabeled mebendazole via either oral or IV routes. This study may be viewed as a basement of future studies on diagnosis of T. spiralis infection.

Production of monoclonal antibodies against a 19-kD recombinant Plasmodium vivax MSP1 for detection of P. vivax malaria in Turkey.

Plasmodium vivax malaria, which is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes, is one of the most important parasitic diseases in Turkey. The major protein on the surface of asexual erythrocytic stage merozoites of P. vivax (Pv) is 200 kD and called major merozoite surface protein-1 (PvMSP1). Polyclonal antibodies against the 19-kD C-terminal fragment of PvMSP1 (PvMSP1(19)) are protective in monkey models of P. vivax and associated with protection in field studies. In this research, monoclonal antibodies were produced against PvMSP1(19). A total of 214 IgG(1) antibody-releasing hybridomas were obtained and three monoclonal antibodies were produced (PvMSP1(19).1, PvMSP1(19).2, and PvMSP1(19).3) and selected for further study. They have now been purified from ascitic fluid on a Staphylococcus protein A affinity column. These are the first monoclonal antibodies produced against P. vivax in Turkey and the first monoclonal antibodies produced against this recombinant PvMSP1(19) in the world. The monoclonal antibodies will be used to study the epidemiology of P. vivax in patients with malaria in Turkey, and to develop better strategies for early diagnosis and treatment of the disease in our population.