Albendazole as an alternative therapeutic agent for childhood giardiasis in Turkey.

The efficacy of albendazole for the treatment of giardiasis has been indicated by previous in-vitro and in-vivo studies. In order to compare the therapeutic efficacy of albendazole and metronidazole, 107 Giardia-positive children (aged 3-15 years), diagnosed by three consecutive positive stool examinations, were enrolled in the study. Of these children, 52 were given a single daily dose of albendazole 10 mg/kg for 5 days, and 55 were given metronidazole 20 mg/kg daily in three doses for 7 days. Parasite eradication was achieved in 47 (90.4%) of 52 children treated with albendazole and 49 (89.1%) of 55 children treated with metronidazole (p > 0.05). These results suggest that albendazole is an effective treatment option for childhood giardiasis.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis infection in Balb/c mice using a Leishmania tropica strain isolated from Turkey.

Leishmania tropica, which is endemic in Turkey, is the causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Leishmania tropica promastigotes (2 x 10(7)) isolated from a patient with dermal leishmaniasis and reproduced in NNN medium were inoculated subcutaneously into the footpads of 10 Balb/c mice. Cutaneous leishmaniasis developed on the footpads of 4 mice approximately 45 days later. Leishmania tropica amastigotes were observed in smear slides and then cultivated in NNN medium. Balb/c mice are a suitable laboratory model for this isolate of L. tropica and thus a source of amastigotes for studies on the immunology, chemotherapy, and pathogenicity of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

A new experimental in vitro culture medium for cultivation of Leishmania species.

A new liquid culture medium prepared with chemicals that can be obtained economically and commercially was tested in in vitro cultivation of Leishmania promastigotes to obtain a large number of organisms to use in serological studies. The number of Leishmania infantum and Leishmania tropica promastigotes taken from Novy-MacNeal-Nicolle (NNN) medium reached 1 x 10(7)/ml at the end of the 8th day in our new medium, though in NNN medium the number of organisms reached only 5 x 10(6)/ml. After 10 subsequent passages, the culture medium prepared was evaluated as being quite inexpensive, simple, and successful compared with other commercially available liquid culture media.

Incidence of Trichomonas vaginalis among women having vaginal discharge, in Manisa, Turkey.

Trichomoniasis characterise with a foamy yellowish odorous discharge, is an infection that causes superficial defects and necrotic ulcers in mucosa, and is spreadable with sexual contact. In T. vaginalis infection, the diagnosis can be made after the examination of saline wet mount preparations, stained smears preparation and cultivation of the vaginal discharge, the urine and the materials obtained from prostate secretion in males. In the present study, vaginal discharge samples obtained from 207 patients applied to Celal Bayar University, Medical Faculty Research Hospital, Manisa with vaginal discharge complaints were examined by utilising wet mount preparations, Giemsa staining method and CPLM cultivation method. In 27 of them (13.1%) T. vaginalis was detected by both saline wet mount preparation and Giemsa staining method. But as a result of the cultivation in CPLM media of the vaginal discharge materials collected from infected samples reproduction was observed in only 21 of them (10.2%). A treatment of Secnidazole by 2 gr. unique dose was applied to infected patients and their spouses and a complete recovery was followed up both microscopically and clinically.

PIP: The incidence of Trichomonas vaginalis was investigated in 207 women 18-45 years of age who presented to Celal Bayar University Hospital in Manisa, Turkey, with vaginal discharge. In 27 women (13.1%), T. vaginalis was detected by both direct microscopy of saline wet mount preparations and the microscopic examination of Giemsa stained smears. After cultivation of the vaginal discharge samples in CPLM media, T. vaginalis reproduction was seen in 21 samples (10.2%). All women with T. vaginalis as well as their spouses were treated with 2 g of Secnidazole and complete recovery was observed at follow-up 1 week after treatment ended.