Prevalence and molecular characterization of bovine coenurosis from Eastern Anatolian region of Turkey.

This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and molecular characteristics of Coenurus cerebralis, the metacestode of Taenia multiceps in cattle from Erzurum province located in eastern region of Turkey between November 2009 and April 2010. Five of 1045 brains of cattle (0.47%) were found to be infected with Coenurus cysts. The characteristics and morphology of C. cerebralis were seen in all the cysts. The cyts from three infected cattle were genetically analyzed and confirmed to be T. multiceps metacestodes by NAD1 and COX1 mitochondrial gene sequence analysis. Pairwise comparison between the NAD1 sequences of the T. multiceps isolates from Erzurum and other T. multiceps isolates available in GenBank showed differences ranging from 0.6 to 2.9%, while COX1 sequences showed differences ranging from 0.2 to 2.6%. Considering the two genes, it was seen that all of the three isolates from Erzurum province were in the same group according to phylogenetic analyses. The present findings could provide a stimulus for future studies on the systematic relationships and epidemiology of lesser-known taeniid cestodes in the region, employing mitochondrial sequence data sets.

Seasonal prevalence of Toxocara ova in soil samples from public parks in Ankara, Turkey.

This survey was conducted to determine prevalence of Toxocara spp. eggs and seasonal variation of this prevalence in public parks in Ankara, Turkey. A total of 259 sand samples were collected from May 2005 to April 2006 in 40 public parks for determining prevalence. To attain seasonal variation, a total of 696 sand samples were collected from five public parks regularly throughout year. Prevalence of Toxocara spp. and combination of Toxascaris leonina and Taenia spp. was 15.05% and 0.38%. Overall, 45% of public parks were contaminated. There was a seasonal variation in prevalence. Prevalence of Toxocara spp., Toxascaris leonina, and Taenia spp. eggs during summer (4.21%) was lower than during spring (12.64%), autumn (13.21%), and winter (9.77%; p < 0.05). Average number of Toxocara spp. eggs was 2.57 per 50 g of sand, with average dimension of 70.1 mum. In conclusion, prevalence data are consistent with international data reported in other metropolitans. Our results indicate that the public parks in surveyed areas may be a source of toxocariasis. Effective preventive measures should be established.

Ascaridia numidae (Leiper, 1908; Travassos, 1913) in Rock Partridge (Alectoris chukar) in Turkey.

This report present first case of Ascaridia numidae isolated from three dead rock partridges (Alectoris chukar) with stressing morphological characteristics and its responsiveness to the medical treatment. A. numidae was confirmed by presence of one papilla on the posterior region of the preanal sucker and a total of 10 pairs of the caudal papillae. In necropsy, a total of 680 (282 male and 3,988 female) A. numidae and 289 (147 male and 142 female) Heterakis dispar were isolated from all partridges. Females were 11.20 mm longer and 0.22 mm wider than males. There was no difference in length of oesophagus (2.27 mm). Lengths of the spikules were equals and ranged from 2.08 to 2.93 according to the body size. Vulva was located in medial line and the mean egg size was 0.10 x 0.06 mm. Faecal samples from live birds from the same farm contained Ascaridia spp. and Heterakis spp. eggs. No eggs were encountered 1 week after oral administration of a single dose of levamisole (30 mg/kg), but 3 months post-medication. In conclusion, this is the first case reporting A. numidae in exotic birds in Turkey. A. numidae has unique papillae that are distinguishable from the other ascarids and is responsive to medical treatment as long as hygienic conditions are maintained.