[Investigation of the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. in different water sources in Mersin province, Turkey]. / Mersin Ilinde Farkli Su Kaynaklarinda Cryptosporidium spp. Varliginin Arastirilmasi

Cryptosporidium is an intracellular protozoon that causes enteritis in human and animals. Contaminated water and food are the major sources for the transmission of oocysts via oral-fecal route. It is reported that the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis is higher in developing countries than developed countries because of inefficient sanitation and disinfection facilities for drinking water. The most frequently detected species is Cryptosporidium parvum leading to high morbidity in healthy subjects and also fatal infections in immunocompromised patients. The acid-fast staining method is widely used in the diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis. Nowadays, Cryptosporidium could easily be detected in water supplies and asymptomatic carriers by molecular techniques to obtain epidemiological data. In this study it was aimed to detect and identify Cryptosporidium oocysts in different water sources in Mersin province, Turkey. A total of 135 water samples (70 taps, 50 wells and 15 sewage) collected from city center (n= 25) and from Tarsus (n= 32), Mezitli (n= 33) and Karaduvar (n= 45) counties between March 2007 and May 2009 were included in the study. Water samples in 10 liter volumes, were filtered by 0.45 µm pore-sized membrane filter vacuum/ pressure pumping technique. Cryptosporidium oocysts in filtrates were detected by modified cold Kinyoun acid-fast stain (MCK) technique and also identified and typed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. MCK yielded three and PCR yielded seven positive results. All the strains were identified as C.parvum by PCR-RFLP method. All of the three MCK-positive samples were also found positive with PCR, however four PCR positive samples were MCK-negative. Thus, the prevalence of C.parvum was estimated as 5.2% (7/135) in our region. Of seven positive samples, one was a sewage water sample collected from the city center, while the remaining (two tap water, two well water and two sewage water samples) belonged to the samples collected from Karaduvar county, interestingly. It was thought that deficient infrastructure and use of well water as drinking water supply in Karaduvar region might be the cause of high rate of Cryptosporidium (6/45; 13.3%). Further studies which will determine the genotypes and investigate the phylogenetic relationship between these Cryptosporidium spp., might aid to the epidemiology of cryptosporidiosis in our region.

Determination of the expression of lymphocyte surface markers and cytokine levels in a mouse model of Plasmodium berghei.

This study aimed to determine the changes in lymphocyte surface markers and cytokine profiles during a malarial infection in a mouse model of malaria. Mononuclear cells obtained from the spleens of the mice infected with Plasmodium berghei (P. berghei) were stained with anti-mouse CD3, anti-mouse CD4, anti-mouse CD8, anti-mouse CD19, anti-mouse CD152, anti-mouse pan natural killer (NK), anti-mouse CD80 monoclonal antibodies and expression of surface markers was evaluated by flow cytometry. In the serum samples of the mice, the levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), transforming growth factor-1beta (TGF-1beta), and interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10, and IL-12 cytokines were determined by ELISA method. The expressions of all the surface markers of lymphocyte evaluated were statistically significantly lower in the infected mice than in the healthy control mice (p < 0.05). However, except for the level of TGF-1beta, the levels of all the other cytokines evaluated were statistically significantly higher in the infected group than in the control group (p < 0.001). No significant differences were determined between the TGF-1beta levels of the study and control groups (p > 0.05). In this study, T, B, and NK lymphocyte responses were inhibited and cytokine profiles changed in the course of malarial infection. Thus, interventions to increase the Th1 lymphocyte response may be beneficial in the prevention of malarial infection.

[Investigation of Cryptosporidium oocysts in elementary school students in Mersin]. / Mersin ilinde ilkokul ögrencilerinde Cryptosporidium spp. ookistlerinin arastirilmasi.

Cryptosporidium parvum, a protozoon, is an obligate intracellular parasite which can cause fatal diarrheal disease in immunocompromised individuals. Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium hominis are usually known to be transmitted from fecally contaminated drinking and tap waters. Because oocysts can be detected in asymptomatic healthy individuals and no safe and effective therapy for cryptosporidial enteritis is available, the importance of cryptosporidiosis is increased. In this study, stool specimens (n=72) were collected from children, 8-12 years in age, in four elementary school in Mersin. These specimens were stained with modified Kinyoun's acid-fast (cold) and auramine O stains and examined for the oocysts of Cryptosporidium spp. Cryptosporidium oocysts were found in the specimens of 4 (5.5%) asymptomatic children.

[Investigation of Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts in tap water, well water, sewage water and sea water in Mersin, Turkey.]. / Mersin ilinde içme suyu, kullanma suyu, atik su ve deniz sularinda Cryptosporidium spp. ookistlerinin arastirilmasi

Cryptosporidium spp. are protozoa which only live in a host cell and may cause an infection that may result in the death of people with immune deficiency. It is known that Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium hominis infections may be spread by contaminated well and tap waters. The facts that there is no certain and reliable cure and that the organisms may be found asymptomatically in the healthy people increases the importance of cryptosporidiosis. Our study has been performed in the city of Mersin and surrounding areas. A total of 100 samples of water were taken from taps (44 samples), wells (2 samples), the sea (35 samples) and sewage (19 samples) to investigate the presence of Cryptosporidium oocysts. Cryptosporidium oocysts have been detected in 5 samples of tap water, one sample of well water, one sample of sea water and 4 samples of sewage water.

[Culture of Plasmodium berghei ANKA in BALB/c mice and research on experimental cerebral Malaria.]. / Plasmodium berghei ANKA susunun BALB/c farelerde kültürü ve deneysel serebral sitmanin arastirilmasi

Plasmodium berghei ANKA 6653 isolates that cause malaria in rodents were cultured in BALB/c mice in this study. Each of the BALB/c mice were injected intraperitoneally with 0.3 ml from a stock solution containing 160.000 parasites/ml. Percentage values of parasitemia at day 3, 6, 9 and 15 after injection were recorded and graphed. The neurological signs after day 3 were recorded in this study. At the end of day 15, cerebral tissues of dead mice were taken and the accumulation of hemorrhages was investigated. A total of 97 inbred BALB/c mice weighing approximately 17-20 gr. were used in this study.