Zulal Asci Toraman

Potential relationship between BK virus and renal cell carcinoma

The objective of the present study was to investigate the potential association between the presence of BK virus (BKV) DNA and mRNA and renal cell carcinoma and bladder transitional cell carcinoma. The formalin‐fixed and paraffin‐embedded tissue samples were obtained from 50 cancer patients with renal cell carcinoma, 40 cancer patients with bladder transitional cell carcinoma, 45 control patients with the benign renal pathology, and from another 25 control patients with benign bladder pathology. The samples were subjected to nested PCR for detection of BKV DNA and real‐time reverse transcription PCR (real‐time RT‐PCR) for determining mRNA levels of BKV. The results of the nested PCR indicated that 23 (14.3%) of 160 samples were positive for BKV DNA. The relationship between the cancer and the presence of BKV DNA was significant (P < 0.05). The BKV DNA positivity was significantly associated with the histological diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma (P = 0.03), but not with that of bladder transitional cell carcinoma. The results of real‐time RT‐PCR showed that the mRNA of BKV VP1 was present in 69.5% of the BKV DNA positive samples. The levels of BKV mRNA were significantly higher in the renal cell cancer samples than in the control samples (P < 0.05). The results of the present study confirm the association between BKV and renal cell cancer. The findings also indicated that the presence of BKV DNA resulted in a fivefold increase in the risk of development of renal cell carcinoma. J. Med. Virol. 85: 1085–1089, 2013.

Presence of herpesviruses in middle ear fluid of children with otitis media with effusion

Background: Otitis media with effusion (OME) is a disease that frequently occurs in children. Etiopathogenesis of the diseases has not been completely elucidated. There are limited numbers of studies on the presence of herpesviruses in otitis media cases with OME. The present study was undertaken to determine the rate of some herpesviruses in OME cases of children.

Systemic nocardiosis in a dog caused by Nocardia cyriacigeorgica

BackgroundSystemic nocardiosis due to Nocardia cyriacigeorgica has not been reported in dogs.Case presentationLight and electron microscopy, microbiological culture and molecular identification (PCR) were used to diagnose systemic nocardiosis caused by Nocardia cyriacigeorgica in a 3-month-old husky dog. The postmortem changes included multifocal to coalescing, sharply circumscribed pyogranulomatous inflammation and abscess formation in lungs, liver, myocardium, spleen, kidneys, brain, and hilar lymph nodes. The organism was isolated and sequencing of its 16S rRNA allowed its identification and speciation. Examination of the bacterial culture by scanning electron-microscope showed filamentous branching with fragmentation into widely bacillary and cocoid forms of the bacteria. There was no history of immunosupressive drug administration and infection by the immunosuppresive viral pathogens, canine distemper and parvovirus were excluded via PCR.ConclusionN. cyriacigeorgica should be considered potential cause of systemic pyogranulomatous lesions in dogs. It is the first reported case of systemic nocardiosis due to N. cyriacigeorgica in a dog.

Concurrent Occurrence of Lower Respiratory Aspergillosis and Pneumoconiosis in a Turkey Flock

Abstract This study describes a concurrent occurrence of lower respiratory aspergillosis and pneumoconiosis in a turkey flock. From one flock of 1000 turkeys, 4 clinically affected turkeys were examined pathologically and microbiologically. Clinically affected turkeys showed anorexia, lethargy, drooping of the wing, vomiting, dyspnea and open-beak breathing, or sudden dead. Gross lesions were observed in the air sacs and lungs which presented white to yellowish granulomas of varying size. Microscopic there was multifocal granulomatous airsacculitis and pneumonia. At the center of the granulomas, fungal hyphae were clearly highlighted in the lungs and air sacs by Gomori methenamie silver (GMS) staining. In the microbiological cultivation of the affected lungs and air sacs, Aspergillus fumigatus was isolated on Sabouraud dextrose agar. Furthermore, dark black dust accumulations were present in the cytoplasm of macrophages or interstitial tissue in the lungs and air sacs. There were also fibrosis and lymphohistiocytic cell infiltrations around the particles. Overall, this study could implicated that pneumoconiosis might be a predisposing factor in the development of respiratory aspergillosis in turkeys.