Nosocomial Oral Myiasis by Sarcophaga sp. in Turkey.

We present a case of oral myiasis in a 15-year-old boy with tuberculosis meningitis. The diagnosis was based on the visual presence of wriggling larvae about 1 cm in size and on the microscopic features of the maggots, especially those relating to stigmatic structures. The larvae were identified as third-stage larvae of Sarcophaga sp.

Investigation of probable relationship between Toxoplasma gondii and cryptogenic epilepsy.

PURPOSE: Cryptogenic epilepsy, defines a group of epilepsy syndromes for which an aetiology is unknown but an underlying brain disease is suspected. We selected patients in this subgroup of epilepsy and investigated the sero-positivity rate for anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). We investigated the probable relationship between Toxoplasma gondii and cryptogenic epilepsy. METHODS: We selected 50 patients with cryptogenic epilepsy, 50 patients with known cause epilepsy and 50 healthy volunteers and investigated the sero-positivity rate for anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies by ELISA. RESULTS: The sero-positivity rate for anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies among cryptogenic epilepsy patients (52%) was found to be higher than healthy volunteers (18%) and known cause epilepsy patients (22%) with statistical significance, (X(2)=18.095, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: There might be a causal relationship between chronic toxoplasmosis and the aetiology of cryptogenic epilepsy.

Anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in haemodialysis patients with chronic renal failure.

UNLABELLED: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of anti- Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in haemodialysis patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). METHODS: One hundred and seventy three haemodialysis patients, and 40 healthy controls, were studied for the prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies by a micro enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies were detected in 97 (56.06%) haemodialysis patients and 8 (20%) controls with a statistical significance. In addition, anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies were detected in 1.73% of patients, but none of the controls. In conclusion, a high percentage of positivity for Toxoplasma antibodies in patients with CRF undergoing haemodialysis was noticed, thus parasitological surveys of CRF patients should be periodically performed to prevent the possible dissemination of toxoplasmosis through the dialysis procedure.

Cyclospora cayetanensis associated with diarrhea in a patient with idiopathic compensated hepatic cirrhosis.

A 52 year-old male patient with idiopathic hepatic cirrhosis complaining of diarrhea and weakness was accepted to the gastroenterology clinic. In order to find out the causative etiologic agent of diarrhea, stool samples were examined by different methods and stained using modified Kinyoun's acid-fast stain. Following examination, approximately 9 microns diameter, acid-fast variable wrinkled spheres were seen and diagnosed as Cyclospora cayetanensis. Confirmation of the diagnosis was established by fluorescent microscope (380 to 420 nm excitation filter), which showed bright green to intense blue autofluorescent oocysts. It has been shown that, Cyclospora cayetanensis is a coccidian parasite mainly found in immunocompromised patients and that it may be the agent of prolonged diarrhea. Only three cyclosporiosis cases have been previously reported in our country; all three cases were AIDS patients. We report here a further case of Cyclospora cayetanensis infection in a patient with hepatic cirrhosis and we consider that this is the first case, which was reported in hepatic cirrhosis.