Canberk Balikci

Prevalence and molecular characterization of Giardia duodenalis in dogs in Aydin, Turkey

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to investigate the prevalence and molecular characterization of Giardia duodenalis among dogs in Aydin, Turkey. A total of 473 faecal samples from dogs were collected. The overall prevalence of G. duodenalis was 18.8%. Higher infection rates were observed in dogs younger than three months old, from shelters, and with diarrhoea. Faecal samples of 89 dogs, diagnosed Giardia-positive by microscopy, were found positive by nested PCR. The β-giardin nested PCR assay revealed assemblage B in all samples (100%), whereas 38 of the samples were mixed with assemblage A (42%). Sequence analysis of isolates indicated sub-genotypes A3 and B4 which have been previously detected in human isolates from Turkey. The results of the present study indicated the relatively high prevalence of giardiasis and the presence of the zoonotic sub-genotypes suggesting the important role of dogs as potential reservoirs of human infections.

Oxidative Status and Lipid Profile among Dogs at Different Stages of Visceral Leishmaniasis

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the study was to investigate the oxidative status and lipid profile among dogs at different stages of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). METHODS Dogs with VL were divided into four groups according to the classification reported by the Leishvet group: stage I (n=9), stage II (n=11), stage III (n=6), and stage IV (n=6); these dogs were compared to healthy control dogs (n=14). The lipid profile [high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), cholesterol, and triglyceride levels) and oxidative status [total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total oxidant status (TOS), and paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) activity] were evaluated. RESULTS Compared to the control dogs, significant increases in the TOS and the LDL level and decreases in PON-1 activity and the HDL level were determined among the dogs at all stages of VL (p<0.05). No significant differences were found in the TAC and the cholesterol and triglyceride levels among the groups. CONCLUSION Increased oxidative stress and alterations in lipid profile were observed among dogs with VL. However, no significant differences were detected between dogs at different stages of the disease. Therefore, changes in the TOS, PON-1 activity, and HDL and LDL levels in dogs at all stages of VL should be considered in the diagnosis of the disease and planning of the treatment.

Ehrlichiosis’ li Köpeklerde D-dimer/Fibrinojen Oranı

Tromboemboliler kanama bozukluklari ile seyreden hastaliklarda mortalite duzeylerini etkileyen onemli sorunlardan biridir. Ehrlichiosis gibi kanama bozukluguna neden olabilen hastaliklarda derin ven trombozlari ve tromboembolilerin sekillendigi bilinmekte ancak taninin konulabilmesi icin ileri diyagnostik tekniklere ihtiyac duyulmaktadir. Bu calismada, Ehrlichiosis ile monoenfeksiyonlu kopeklerde D-dimer testi ile D-dimer/Fibrinojen oranlarinin belirlenmesi amaclandi. Bu amacla yuksek ates lenfadenopati ve istahsizlik gibi klinik bulgular gosteren ve hasta basi hizli ELISA testi Snap 4dx sonuclarina gore Ehrlichiosis ile monoenfeksiyonlu kopekler (n=10) ile klinik ve laboratuvar degerlendirmeleri sonucunda saglikli oldugu belirlenen (n=10) kopekler calismaya alindi. Calisma gruplarinda bulunan kopeklerden EDTA ve sitratli kan ornekleri V.cephalica antebrachi uzerinden toplamda 5 ml olacak sekilde alinarak D-dimer ve Fibrinojen seviyeleri ticari test kitleri yardimi ile D-dimer/Fibrinojen orani ise hesaplanarak elde edildi. Ehrlichiosis ile monoenfeksiyonlu kopeklerin D-dimer (3059.01074.4 ng/ml) ve Fibrinojen (371.062.0 mg/dl) seviyelerinin ve D-dimer/Fibrinojen oranlarinin (12.25.9) saglikli kopeklere gore istatistiksel olarak (P=0.011) yuksek bulundu. Sonuc olarak Ehrlichiosis ile monoenfeksiyonlu kopeklerde D-dimer/Fibrinojen oraninin ileri diyagnostik teknikler ile birlestirilerek Veteriner sahada tromboembolilerin tanisal anlamda yaklasimina isik tutabilecek biyobelirtecler arasina girebilecegi dusunuldu.

Molecular identification of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis in sheep

Caseous lymphadenitis is still a serious zoonotic problem in Turkey. Sheep suffer from the disease with yield loss in wool and meat production. Moreover, with inexperienced laboratory staff, biochemical identification may go unrevealed. The scope of this study was to demonstrate the presence of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis in sheep by PCR. The sampling was conducted via collecting lymph fluids from the lymph node internal pouch wall of 100 sheep that were examined for the presence of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. Molecular identification of the Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis isolates was carried out by establishing the presence of the proline iminopeptidase gene. All isolates were confirmed to be Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis by polymerase chain reaction. The polymerase chain reaction procedure conducted in this research was observed to be reliable and fast, and could be utilized for confirmation of caseous lymphadenitis in sheep as an optional technique to timeconsuming biochemical identification methods. Pleomorphic bacteria, caseous lymphadenitis, proline iminopeptidase, PCR Caseous lymphadenitis (CL) is a bacterial disease that causes considerable economic loss in sheep and goat industries (loss of skin and carcass value, loss of weight, loss of reproductive activity, and reduced milk yield) in many countries around the world (Guimaraes et al. 2011). Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis (C. pseudotuberculosis) is a gram-positive, facultative intracellular actinomycete that causes chronic bacterial disease in sheep, goats, and other warm-blooded animals with caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) (Dorella et al. 2006). Pleomorphism in fresh C. pseudotuberculosis cultures is like that of Corynebacterium diphtheriae, and other bacterial species, in terms of microscopic morphology. However, metachromatic granules are better detected using the staining methods of Neisser and Albert (Ilhan 2001). Colonies are easily broken down and dispersed on agar, but are less dispersed in liquid medium (Paracikoglu and Aydin 2006). Laboratory diagnosis is usually achieved through confirmation using bacterial cultures and by biochemical, serological and nucleic acid-based detection methods (Baird and Fontaine 2007; Guimaraes et al. 2011). The microorganism continues to multiply in host cells after being taken up by macrophages, which are disrupted and the microorganism is released thereafter. Released microorganisms are subsequently taken up by other circulating phagocytic cells and the cycle is repeated. This repeated phagocytosis cycle has been reported to cause recurrent lesions in C. pseudotuberculosis infections in sheep (Yeruham et al. 1997). In this study, the presence of C. pseudotuberculosis was identified in suspected cases of caseous lymphadenitis in sheep, using bacteriological cultures and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), in the Aydin Province of Turkey. ACTA VET. BRNO 2018, 87: 3-8; https://doi.org/10.2754/avb201887010003 Address for correspondence: Dr.Ugur Parin Department of Microbiology Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Adnan Menderes, 09016 Turkey Phone:+90 533 418 40 78 E-mail: uparin@adu.edu.tr http://actavet.vfu.cz/ Materials and Methods

Hypomagnesemia In Naturally Infected Calves With Giardia spp.

Magnezyum enerji metabolizmasinda bircok enzimin aktivasyonuna katilan makromineraldir. Diyetle aliminin ve absorbsiyonunun azalmasi veya konjenital metabolik hastaliklar sonucu Mg eksikligi sekillenebilmektedir. Bu olgu sunumunda 2 aylik yastan kucuk, dogal olarak giardiazisli 11 ishalli buzagida Mg duzeyleri arastirildi. Hasta basi hizli test kitleriyle Giardia duodenalis pozitif saptananlarda, taninin kesinlestirilmesi amaciyla diski ornekleri cinko sulfat flotasyon/Giemsa boyama ile incelendi. Mg seviyeleri Vet Photometer 700 DP cihazi ile enzimatik-kolorimetrik yontemle belirlendi. Hasta buzagilarda Mg seviyeleri (min-maks) 0.15-0.41 mmol/L arasinda bulundu. Elde ettigimiz bulgular literaturlerdeki saglikli referans grubu ve ayni yastaki buzagilar (0,8-1,6 mmol/L) ile hipomagnezemili ancak giardiazisi bulunmayanlarda (0,4-0,5 mmol/L) saptanan referans araliklarina gore daha dusuk seviyelerde Mg tespit edildigini gostermektedir. Sonuc olarak Giardia spp. ile dogal infekte buzagilarda, malabsorpsiyon ve diyarenin magnezyum emilimini bozarak hipomagnezemiye sebep olabilecegi soylenebilir.