Browsing by Author "Ozbel Y."
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Item Trichomoniasis in non-gonococcic urethritis among male patients.(1994) Ozbilgin A.; Ozbel Y.; Alkan M.Z.; Gürüz Y.; Atambay M.; Tasçi S.; Ozcel M.A.Urethral discharge of 415 male patients, age 18-50, were examined for Trichomonas vaginalis by direct examination of fresh and Giemsa-stained slides and cultivation in CPLM media. In this study, 85 (20.7%) specimens out of 415, were found to be positive for trichomoniasis. Three groups consisting of 30, 29 and 26 patients each was treated with secnidazole, metronidazole and ornidazole respectively. In the follow up controls, all patients were found to be negative for trichomoniasis and all complaints were disappeared totally without a significant difference between all groups.Item Cultivation of Leishmania sp. in nutrient broth.(1995) Ozbilgin A.; Ozbel Y.; Alkan M.Z.; Atambay M.; Ozcel M.A.Bone-marrow aspiration and biopsy material samples obtained from two patients, one diagnosed as visceral and other as cutaneous leishmaniasis, were inoculated in Novy, McNeal, Nicolle (NNN) medium and nutrient broth (NB), containing fetal calf serum (FCS), penicillin and streptomycine. Both media were incubated at 27 degrees C for 10 days and observed daily for L. infantum and L. major promastigotes. Promastigotes were observed in nutrient broth after the first day, while in NNN media after the second or third day of incubation, indicating the effectiveness of nutrient broth in early diagnosis of both forms of leishmaniasis.Item A new experimental in vitro culture medium for cultivation of Leishmania species(American Society for Microbiology, 1997) Limoncu M.E.; Balcioglu I.C.; Yereli K.; Ozbel Y.; Ozbilgin A.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 107/ml at the end of the 8th day in our new medium, though in NNN medium the number of organisms reached only 5 x 106/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.Item Serological and entomological survey in a zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis focus of North Central Anatolia, Turkey: Corum province(Elsevier, 2005) Ertabaklar H.; Toz S.O.; Ozkan A.T.; Rastgeldi S.; Balcioglu I.C.; Ozbel Y.In the present study, we aimed to carry out an epidemiological and entomological survey on a visceral leishmaniasis (VL) focus located on the northern central part of Anatolia, Turkey. Five villages of Corum province, where five confirmed cases of human visceral leishmaniasis (HVL) (one patient/village) were reported between June 1998 and August 2001 were included in the study. A total of 625 children and 131 dogs were sampled and the physical examination was carried out by authorized physicians and veterinarians. An indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) was performed by standard procedures for human and dog sera, while the direct agglutination test (DAT) was only performed for dog sera. Sand fly collection was performed in three villages by CDC miniature light traps. Hepatosplenomegaly and hepatomegaly were detected in two and eight children, respectively. The seropositivity rate among children was found to be 0.16% (1/625) in the region. The seroprevalence of canine infection in these five villages ranged between 0.0% and 28.26%. In two villages, named Ahlatcik and Asagifindikli, no seropositive dogs were found. A total of 1218 sand flies were collected throughout the study. Six species of Phlebotomus were identified: P. transcaucasicus, P. neglectus, P. halepensis, P. tobbi, P. papatasi, and P. jacusieli. P. transcaucasicus was found to be the predominant species in Cevizli (47.44%; 343/723) and Ucoluk (79.95%; 351/439) villages, while P. tobbi was abundant in Kucukerikli (42.85%; 24/56). © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Item Plastic detection comb better than visual screening for diagnosis of head louse infestation(2008) Balcioglu C.; Burgess I.F.; Limoncu M.E.; Şahin M.T.; Ozbel Y.; Bilaç C.; Kurt O.; Larsen K.S.Finding lice can be difficult in head louse infestation. We compared a new louse detection comb with visual inspection. All children in two rural Turkish schools were screened by the two methods. Those with lice were offered treatment and the results monitored by detection combing. Children with nits only were re-screened to identify latent infestations. Using visual inspection we found 214/461 children (46%) with nits but only 30 (6·5%) with live lice. In contrast detection combing found 96 (21%) with live lice, of whom 20 had no nits. Detection combing was 3·84 times more effective than visual inspection for finding live lice. Only 10/138 (7·2%) children with nits and no lice were found to have active infestation by day 16. We found that the detection comb is significantly (P < 0·001) more effective than visual screening for diagnosis; that nits are not a good indicator of active infestation; and that treatment with 1% permethrin was 89̇6% effective. © 2008 Copyright © 2008 Cambridge University Press.Item Investigating the seroprevalance of leishmaniasis in four dog shelters in Antalya and its districts; [Antalya Ili ve Ilçelerindeki Dört Köpek Barinaǧinda Leishmaniasis Seroprevalansinin Araştirilmasi.](2009) Balcioǧlu I.C.; Ertabaklar H.; Paşa S.; Ozbel Y.; Toz S.O.Human visceral leishmaniasis (HVL) is endemic along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, while it occurs sporadically in other regions of Turkey. A relationship between canine leishmaniasis (CanL) and HVL has been detected and dogs have been found to be the reservoir of Leishmania infantum. In this epidemiologic study, the seroprevalence of CanL was investigated in dog shelters of four districts (Kepez, Kemer, Alanya and Gazipasa) of Antalya, in which visceral leishmaniasis and cutaneous leishmaniasis were observed according to the official records of The Ministry of Health of Turkey. Blood specimens of 176 dogs were examined and seropositive, borderline, seropositive, and negative results were detected in 14 (7.95%), 24 (13.63%), and 138 (78.4%) dogs, respectively. Weight and alopecia, onychogryphosis, and skin ulcers around the nose were observed in only two (14.2 %) dogs of seropositive cases. In conclusion, our data indicate that there is a potential danger for humans because L. infantum carrying dogs were detected in four districts of Antalya in the present study and also the appropriate vector spp. for this parasite has been reported in a previous one. Therefore, it would be advisable to perform new studies in order to determine the seroprevalence of CanL in dogs and the population size of vector spp. of L. infantum in other districts of Antalya.Item Comparison of two combs in the detection of head lice in school children.(2009) Kurt O.; Tabak T.; Kavur H.; Muslu H.; Limoncu E.; Bilaç C.; Balcioǧlu I.C.; Kaya Y.; Ozbel Y.; Larsen K.The diagnostic efficacies of two metal pin lice combs having different spacing between their teeth were compared in two cohorts of school children, aged between 7 and 15 years, from different villages of Manisa, Turkey. Head lice infestation was evaluated with comb A (0.18 mm of distance between the teeth) in 95 children in Cavusoglu village, and with comb B (0.15 mm of distance between the teeth) in 146 children in Yesilköy village, compared to visual inspection. Five of 95 (5.3%) children in Cavusoglu village and 5 of 146 (3.4%) children in Yesilköy village were found to harbor live head lice with combing, while none was detected during the visual inspection. The difference between the infestation rates of two cohorts was statistically insignificant (p > 0.05). With visual screening, 15 and 16 children with louse eggs were identified in Cavusoglu and Yesilköy villages, respectively. With combing in these villages, 5 and 8 children, respectively, with louse eggs were identified and 3 and 5 children, respectively, were detected only with combing, not with visual screening. In conclusion, combing is more effective than visual inspection in head lice detection, but there were no significant difference between the two combs either in lice detection or in usage.Item Short report: Quantiferon-Leishmania as an epidemiological tool for evaluating the exposure to Leishmania infection(2010) Turgay N.; Balcioglu I.C.; Toz S.O.; Ozbel Y.; Jones S.L.The aim of the present preliminary study was to investigate the potential of measurement of IFN-γ secretion by T cells into blood plasma using QuantiFERON assay with leishmanial antigens to determine the presence of Leishmania infection. Blood samples from cured visceral (N = 18), and cutaneous (N = 20) leishmaniasis cases, and 20 healthy controls were tested. The IFN-γ responses to Leishmania major H2B and Leishmania infantum H2B antigens were detected from the majority of treated old visceral leishmaniasis cases, but not from controls. Future studies using larger groups will be required to establish the true potential of the assay for epidemiological screening of leishmaniasis. Copyright © 2010 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.Item Antileishmanial activity of selected Turkish medicinal plants(University of Benin, 2014) Ozbilgin A.; Durmuskahya C.; Kayalar H.; Ertabaklar H.; Gunduz C.; Ural I.O.; Zeyrek F.; Kurt O.; Cavus I.; Balcıoglu C.; Toz S.O.; Ozbel Y.Purpose: To determine the in vitro and in vivo anti-leishmanial activities of extracts obtained from Centaurea calolepis, Phlomis lycia, Eryngium thorifolium, Origanum sipyleum and Galium incanum ssp. centrale.; Methods: To estimate the cytotoxicity of plant extracts, WST-1 assay was used. Parasite inhibition in the presence of plant extracts (25-500 μg/ml) in comparision with control group and reference group (glucantime, 25 μg/ml) at 12-72 h were determined in vitro on L. tropica promastigotes. The in vivo leishmanicidal activity of the extracts was evaluated against L. tropica-infected mice with glucantime as reference drug.; Results: The chloroform extract of Galium incanum ssp. centrale showed the highest cytotoxicity with IC50 value of 0.0316 ± 0.005 μg/ml. In vitro parasite inhibition by the plant extracts ranged between 16.7 ± 0.01 % and 100 ± 0.00 % at 25 μg/ml concentration. The methanol extract of Eryngium thorifolium possessed the highest activity on promastigotes of L. tropica with 100 % inhibition at 25 μg/ml. The water and chloroform extracts of C. calolepis and water and methanol extracts of E. thorifolium at a dose of 100 mg/kg reduced parasitaemia in L. tropica infected mice.; Conclusion: Parasite viability results suggest that the methanol extract of Eryngium thorifolium, regarded as non-cytotoxic, is a promising candidate drug for treating L. tropica infection. © Pharmacotherapy Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Benin, Benin City, 300001 Nigeria. All rights reserved.Item Seroepidemiological and entomological survey in a new focus of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis in Kars province, Northeastern Turkey(Elsevier B.V., 2015) Sari B.; Limoncu M.E.; Balcioglu I.C.; Aldemir A.; Tasci G.T.; Kiliç Y.; Toz S.; Demirci B.; Demir S.; Kasap O.E.; Olgen M.K.; Ozbel Y.Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has now been recorded from 38 provinces of Turkey. Twenty-one VL cases were reported within six years from settlements located in most northeastern Turkey and we therefore aimed to carry out an entomological and seroepidemiological survey in this new focus for clarifying risk factors. Blood samples from 290 children and 165 dogs were collected. Sera samples were investigated for anti- Leishmania antibodies using indirect fluorescent antibody test. Sand fly collection for determining the fauna and seasonal activity was performed in all settlements by CDC light traps between June and September 2006. Although no seropositive child was detected during the survey the overall seroprevalence rate of canine leishmaniasis was found as 7.2%. A total of 4154 sand flies were collected and 10 species of genus Phlebotomus were identified belonging to A. dlerius, Larroussius, Paraphlebotomus and Phlebotomus subgenera. Among them Phlebotomus kandelakii s.l. (55.44%), Phlebotomus balcanicus (12.62%) and Phlebotomus neglectus (4.40%) was detected as probable vector species for this new focus. The poor sanitation, very high population size of sand flies, probably because of very short season, no control measures for sand flies as well as dogs, and presence of microclimate suitable for sand flies were considered as main risk factors in the area. © 2015 Elsevier B.V.Item Seasonal Dynamics of Phlebotomine Sand Fly Species Proven Vectors of Mediterranean Leishmaniasis Caused by Leishmania infantum(Public Library of Science, 2016) Alten B.; Maia C.; Afonso M.O.; Campino L.; Jiménez M.; González E.; Molina R.; Bañuls A.L.; Prudhomme J.; Vergnes B.; Toty C.; Cassan C.; Rahola N.; Thierry M.; Sereno D.; Bongiorno G.; Bianchi R.; Khoury C.; Tsirigotakis N.; Dokianakis E.; Antoniou M.; Christodoulou V.; Mazeris A.; Karakus M.; Ozbel Y.; Arserim S.K.; Erisoz Kasap O.; Gunay F.; Oguz G.; Kaynas S.; Tsertsvadze N.; Tskhvaradze L.; Giorgobiani E.; Gramiccia M.; Volf P.; Gradoni L.Background: The recent geographical expansion of phlebotomine vectors of Leishmania infantum in the Mediterranean subregion has been attributed to ongoing climate changes. At these latitudes, the activity of sand flies is typically seasonal; because seasonal phenomena are also sensitive to general variations in climate, current phenological data sets can provide a baseline for continuing investigations on sand fly population dynamics that may impact on future scenarios of leishmaniasis transmission. With this aim, in 2011–2013 a consortium of partners from eight Mediterranean countries carried out entomological investigations in sites where L. infantum transmission was recently reported. Methods/Principal Findings: A common protocol for sand fly collection included monthly captures by CDC light traps, complemented by sticky traps in most of the sites. Collections were replicated for more than one season in order to reduce the effects of local weather events. In each site, the trapping effort was left unchanged throughout the survey to legitimate inter-seasonal comparisons. Data from 99,000 collected specimens were analyzed, resulting in the description of seasonal dynamics of 56,000 sand flies belonging to L. infantum vector species throughout a wide geographical area, namely P. perniciosus (Portugal, Spain and Italy), P. ariasi (France), P. neglectus (Greece), P. tobbi (Cyprus and Turkey), P. balcanicus and P. kandelakii (Georgia). Time of sand fly appearance/disappearance in collections differed between sites, and seasonal densities showed variations in each site. Significant correlations were found between latitude/mean annual temperature of sites and i) the first month of sand fly appearance, that ranged from early April to the first half of June; ii) the type of density trend, varying from a single peak in July/August to multiple peaks increasing in magnitude from May through September. A 3-modal trend, recorded for P. tobbi in Cyprus, represents a novel finding for a L. infantum vector. Adults ended the activity starting from mid September through November, without significant correlation with latitude/mean annual temperature of sites. The period of potential exposure to L.infantum in the Mediterranean subregion, as inferred by adult densities calculated from 3 years, 37 sites and 6 competent vector species, was associated to a regular bell-shaped density curve having a wide peak center encompassing the July-September period, and falling between early May to late October for more than 99% of values. Apparently no risk for leishmaniasis transmission took place from December through March in the years considered. We found a common pattern of nocturnal females activity, whose density peaked between 11 pm and 2 am. Conclusions: Despite annual variations, multiple collections performed over consecutive years provided homogeneous patterns of the potential behavior of leishmaniasis vectors in selected sites, which we propose may represent sentinel areas for future monitoring. In the investigated years, higher potential risk for L. infantum transmission in the Mediterranean was identified in the June-October period (97% relative vector density), however such risk was not equally distributed throughout the region, since density waves of adults occurred earlier and were more frequent in southern territories. © 2016 Alten et al.Item Fumigant toxicity of Satureja cuneifolia and Ziziphora clinopodioides essential oils on field collected sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotomie)(Parlar Scientific Publications, 2018) Cetin H.; Ser O.; Arserim S.K.; Polnt Y.; Ozbek T.; Civil M.; Cinbilgel I.; Ozbel Y.Sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) are the vectors of Leishmania species. Since the larval control of the sand flies is very difficult and almost impossible, the fighting has mainly been carried out for the adults. In this research the fumigant toxicity of two plant essential oils obtained from Satureja cuneifolia Ten. and Ziziphora clinopodioides Lam. was evaluated against fieldcollected adult Phlebotomus sand flies under laboratory conditions. The fumigant activity was tested by exposing the sand flies to essential oil vapors at 10, 20, 50 and 100 μL/L air concentrations. Knock time 50 (KT50) values and the 95% confidence limits were calculated by using a probit analysis program. A decrease in the KT50 value is observed in S. cuneifolia and Z. clinopodioides essential oils in a concentration dependent manner. KT50 values at the highest concentration (100 μL/L air) are 9,3 and 11,6 min, respectively. After a 1 h exposure period, both test oils produced 100% mortality at all the concentrations tested. The results of the research suggest that essential oils from these two plants have a potential as control agents for sand flies. © by PSP.Item The Toxicity of Essential Oils From Three Origanum Species Against Head Louse, Pediculus humanus capitis(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2021) Arserim S.K.; Cetin H.; Yildirim A.; Limoncu M.E.; Cinbilgel I.; Kaya T.; Ozbel Y.; Balcioglu I.C.Purpose: Pediculosis caused by human head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis De Geer (Anoplura: Pediculidae) is a public health problem with a high prevalence, especially among children in school age. Different chemical pediculicides (insecticides) are used against lice but the repeated application of these pediculicides for the treatment of P. humanus capitis infestation in the past decades has resulted in the development of resistance. The plant essential oils have been used as alternative sources of lice treatment agents. Pediculicidal activity of the essential oils of three Origanum species (O. onites, O. majorana and O. minutiflorum) against P. humanus capitis adults was examined in this study. Methods: Essential oils from aerial parts of three Origanum species were obtained by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus. P. humanus capitis specimens used were obtained from infested children by combing method at primary schools. Adult lice were exposed to three dilutions (1%, 0.5% and 0.1% w/v) of tested oils for 5 min using the adult immersion test. Results: According to the results, all Origanum essential oils at 1% concentration have been shown to significantly decrease the rate of limb, bowel and abdomen movements, producing more than 90% mortality after 12 h. Conclusion: Our results indicated that Origanum essential oils can be used for the development of new pediculicides against head louse. © 2021, Witold Stefański Institute of Parasitology, Polish Academy of Sciences.Item 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.Item Analysis of morphological variations of three Adlerius (Diptera: Psychodidae) species collected in two cutaneous leishmaniasis endemic foci of Turkey(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2022) Kavur H.; Arikan H.; Toz S.; Balcioglu I.C.; Ozbel Y.Leishmaniasis, transmitted to human by sand flies, is a neglected vector-borne diseases and has two clinical forms: cutaneous (CL) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in Turkey. Subgenus of Adlerius are known as probable vectors of both forms of leishmaniasis in Turkey. Examined three species belonging to Adlerius are difficult to distinguish morphologically and have similar taxonomic characters. The aim of this study was to analyse and identify the possible morphological variations, of wild-caught sand fly specimens belonging to Adlerius subgenus. Six and seven morphological characters for female and male specimens were used, respectively. ANOVA, principal component analysis (PCA) and discriminant function analysis (DFA) test were performed to determine the significant morphometric variables of the three species. Univariate and multivariate analyses of 13 morphometric variables via ANOVA, DFA and PCA showed that eight (six for females, two for males) morphometric variables had an accuracy of 100% for discriminating three Adlerius subgenus specimens. The analyses revealed significant differences on several morphological structures of Adlerius specimens. These results suggested that morphological and morphometrical features can be used to discriminate three Adlerius species, in which one of them is proven vector Leishmania (L.) tropica in two foci of Turkey. © 2021, African Association of Insect Scientists.