Browsing by Author "Girginkardesler N."

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    Putative bronchopulmonary flagellated protozoa in immunosuppressed patients
    (Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2014) Kilimcioglu A.A.; Havlucu Y.; Girginkardesler N.; Çelik P.; Yereli K.; Özbilgin A.
    Flagellated protozoa that cause bronchopulmonary symptoms in humans are commonly neglected. These protozoal forms which were presumed to be "flagellated protozoa" have been previously identified in immunosuppressed patients in a number of studies, but have not been certainly classified so far. Since no human cases of bronchopulmonary flagellated protozoa were reported from Turkey, we aimed to investigate these putative protozoa in immunosuppressed patients who are particularly at risk of infectious diseases. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples of 110 immunosuppressed adult patients who were admitted to the Department of Chest Diseases, Hafsa Sultan Hospital of Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey, were examined in terms of parasites by light microscopy. Flagellated protozoal forms were detected in nine (8.2%) of 110 cases. Metronidazole (500 mg b.i.d. for 30 days) was given to all positive cases and a second bronchoscopy was performed at the end of the treatment, which revealed no parasites. In conclusion, immunosuppressed patients with bronchopulmonary symptoms should attentively be examined with regard to flagellated protozoa which can easily be misidentified as epithelial cells. © 2014 Ali Ahmet Kilimcioglu et al.
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    In vitro Susceptibility of trichomonas vaginalis to metronidazole, ornidazole and proton pump inhibitors pantoprazole and esomeprazole; [Trichomonas vaginalis'in metronidazol, ornidazol ve proton pompa inhibitörleri pantoprazol ve esomeprazole karşi in vitro duyarliliǧi]
    (Ankara Microbiology Society, 2016) Aksoy Gökmen A.; Girginkardesler N.; Kiumcioǧlu A.A.; Şirin M.C.; Özbilgin A.
    The current treatment of trichomoniasis is based on the use of 5-nitroimidazoe derivatives. Although metronidazole is reliable, inexpensive and highly effective against anaerobic microorganisms and protozoa, the development of metronidazole-resistant T. vaginalis strains pose to an increasing problem. Nitroimidazoles are compounds having azomycin (2-nitroimidazole) chemical structure and are obtained from Streptomyces strains. Benzimidazole, which is found in the structure of proton pump inhibitors, is also present in the other components that have antiprotozoal activity. In this study, the in vitro susceptibility of T.vaginalis against metronidazole, ornidazole, and the proton pump inhibitors which are tested recently as antiprotozoal agents; pantoprazole and esomeprazole was investigated. For this purpose a clinical T.vaginalis strain which was formerly isolated and stored after cryopreservation process in our laboratory was used. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum lethal concentration (MIC) values of those agents against to this strain were determined in vitro by dilution method in 24-well cell culture plates. Trypticase yeast extract maltose medium, horse serum and antibiotic (penicillin + streptomycin) were distributed to each well of cell culture plates and after metronidazole, ornidazole, pantoprazole and esomeprazole solutions were added to two wells for each as 800, 400, 200, 100, 50 and 25 pg/ml, followed by the addition of 1 ml 5x105 T.vaginalis trophozoites into each well. Plates were incubated at 37°C, and viability and motility of the trophozoites were evaluated under light microscope at 24, 48 and 72 hours after incubation. MIC and MLC values of metronidazole/ornidazole in the 72th hour were found as 50 pg/ml and 100 pg/ml, respectively. MIC and MLC values for pantoprazole in the 72th hour were 200 pg/ml and 400 pg/ml, while the values for esomeprazole were 400 pg/ml ve 800 pg/ml, respectively. As a result, T.vaginalis strain used in the study was susceptible to metronidazole and ornidazole, besides, it was considered that pantoprazole and esomeprazole were also effective to the parasite and could be used as alternative drugs. However, further in vitro and clinical studies are clearly needed on the antiprotozoal effects of proton pump inhibitors. To our knowledge, this study was the first in literature, which esomeprazole's susceptibility on T.vaginalis was investigated in vitro.
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    Leishmania kinetoplast DNA contributes to parasite burden in infected macrophages: Critical role of the cGAS-STING-TBK1 signaling pathway in macrophage parasitemia
    (Frontiers Media S.A., 2022) Yilmaz I.C.; Dunuroglu E.; Ayanoglu I.C.; Ipekoglu E.M.; Yildirim M.; Girginkardesler N.; Ozbel Y.; Toz S.; Ozbilgin A.; Aykut G.; Gursel I.; Gursel M.
    Leishmania parasites harbor a unique network of circular DNA known as kinetoplast DNA (kDNA). The role of kDNA in leishmania infections is poorly understood. Herein, we show that kDNA delivery to the cytosol of Leishmania major infected THP-1 macrophages provoked increased parasite loads when compared to untreated cells, hinting at the involvement of cytosolic DNA sensors in facilitating parasite evasion from the immune system. Parasite proliferation was significantly hindered in cGAS- STING- and TBK-1 knockout THP-1 macrophages when compared to wild type cells. Nanostring nCounter gene expression analysis on L. major infected wild type versus knockout cells revealed that some of the most upregulated genes including, Granulysin (GNLY), Chitotriosidase-1 (CHIT1), Sialomucin core protein 24 (CD164), SLAM Family Member 7 (SLAMF7), insulin-like growth factor receptor 2 (IGF2R) and apolipoprotein E (APOE) were identical in infected cGAS and TBK1 knockout cells, implying their involvement in parasite control. Amlexanox treatment (a TBK1 inhibitor) of L. major infected wild type cells inhibited both the percentage and the parasite load of infected THP-1 cells and delayed footpad swelling in parasite infected mice. Collectively, these results suggest that leishmania parasites might hijack the cGAS-STING-TBK1 signaling pathway to their own advantage and the TBK1 inhibitor amlexanox could be of interest as a candidate drug in treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Copyright © 2022 Yilmaz, Dunuroglu, Ayanoglu, Ipekoglu, Yildirim, Girginkardesler, Ozbel, Toz, Ozbilgin, Aykut, Gursel and Gursel.
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    Distribution and Phylogenetic Analysis of Subtypes and Alleles of Blastocystis sp. in the Stool Samples Collected from Patients with Gastrointestinal Complaints in İzmir, Turkey
    (Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2023) Aykur M.; Calıskan Kurt C.; Dirim Erdogan D.; Biray Avcı C.; Vardar R.; Aydemir S.; Girginkardesler N.; Gunduz C.; Dagci H.
    Purpose: Blastocystis sp. is one of the most prevalent intestinal protozoa found in humans and many other animals. The present study aimed to examine the distribution and genetic diversity of Blastocystis sp. in stool samples from patients with gastrointestinal complaints in İzmir, Turkey. Methods: All stool samples of 439 patients with gastrointestinal complaints were examined by native-Lugol and trichrome staining. To investigate the presence of Blastocystis sp. in stool samples, DNA was isolated, and PCR was performed with the barcode region in the SSU rRNA gene. PCR positive samples were sequenced to identify subtypes and alleles of Blastocystis sp. Results: The prevalence of Blastocystis sp. was found to be 16.6% (73/439) in patients with gastrointestinal complaints in İzmir, Turkey. Three different Blastocystis sp. subtypes were identified. ST3 (28/55; 51.0%) was the most common subtype followed by ST2 (19/55; 34.5%) and ST1 (8/55; 14.5%). Itching and diarrhea were the most prominent clinical symptoms in Blastocystis sp. positive patients. When clinical symptoms and subtypes were compared, diarrhea was found in 62.5%, 47.4%, and 46.4% of patients with ST1, ST2, and ST3 subtypes, respectively. In addition, itching was found in 37.5%, 32.1%, and 21.1% of patients with ST1, ST3, and ST2, respectively. Six distinct alleles were identified by allele analysis of Blastocystis 18S rRNA gene: allele 4 for ST1, alleles 9, 11, and 12 for ST2, and alleles 34 and 36 for ST3. In this study, Blastocystis sp. was detected in 16 of 21 districts, including the central and rural districts of İzmir. Although ST1 was detected in central districts, it was not found in rural districts. Conclusion: This study provides comprehensive data on the prevalence and molecular epidemiology of the genetic diversity at the level of subtypes and alleles of Blastocystis sp. in different districts of İzmir province in Turkey. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study which evaluates the distribution of subtypes and alleles of Blastocystis sp. according to PCR and SSU rRNA gene sequencing in patients with gastrointestinal complaints in different districts of İzmir province in Turkey. © 2023, The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Witold Stefański Institute of Parasitology, Polish Academy of Sciences.