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Y Ozbel

Publications and source records attributed to Y Ozbel.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Detection of species-specific antibody response of humans and mice bitten by sand flies.

Sand fly saliva plays an important role in Leishmania transmission. We characterized the host antibody response to saliva from 3 sand fly species. Specific IgG was observed in sera from experimentally bitten mice as well as in sera from individuals living in the endemic area of Leishmania tropica in Sanliurfa, Turkey. Sera of Sanliurfa inhabitants showed high IgG levels against saliva of Phlebotomus sergenti and P. papatasi, the 2 most abundant sand fly species in this area, but did not react with saliva of the New World sand fly, Lutzomyia longipalpis. Patients with active Le. tropica lesions possessed significantly higher anti-P. sergenti IgG levels than the healthy individuals from the same place while anti-P. papatasi IgG levels were equal in both groups. Major protein bands in P. papatasi and P. sergenti saliva reacted with both, human and mice sera; in P. papatasi, however, mouse IgG recognized preferentially the 42 kDa protein band while the human IgG reacted strongly with the 30 kDa band. Our data suggest that the antibody response to sand fly saliva could be used for monitoring the exposure of humans and other hosts to sand flies and might be used as a marker of risks for Leishmania transmission in endemic areas.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Evaluation of three new culture media for the cultivation and isolation of Leishmania parasites.

The aim of this study was to establish novel culture media for Leishmania parasites with a potential of obtaining high amounts of promastigotes with long-term viability, and consisting of ingredients that were available in microbiology or parasitology laboratories. Other features of these media included no requirement for blood, FCS (Fetal calf serum) or erythrocyte lysate, inexpensiveness and easiness in preparation. In addition, aspiration samples obtained from cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) suspected patients were cultivated in these media. Three culture media were prepared; trypticase beef extract hemoglobine (TBH) medium, including trypticase, beef extract and yeast extract as the protein source, glucose as the carbohydrate source, FeNH4 and bovine hemoglobine; Peptone-Yeast extract medium (PY), found to be effective in our previous studies for cultuvation of on Leishmania parasites, with bovine hemoglobine (PYH) and Brain Heart medium, containing bovine hemoglobine (BKH). The number of promastigotes were the highest on day 8 and 13 in RPMI 1640 and BKH medium, respectively. In TBH and PYH, the peak level of reproduction was between day 16 and 19, and it was found to be higher in TBH medium after the day 20. The number of promastigotes were found to be close in BKH, TBH and RPMI-1640 media and lower in PYH medium. Examination of the cultivation of the aqueous lesion specimens of the 10 CL-suspected cases in media revealed reproduction in 9 flasks of RPMI-1640 containing 10% FCS, 7 TBH, 6 BKH and 4 PYH. The differences between the culture media were not found to be statistically significant. These results suggested that, three liquid culture media, assessed in this study, with no requirement for FCS or erythrocyte lysate, were effective in the reproduction of promastigotes, and could be used effectively in the patient isolation and field studies, as well.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

The sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in the Turkish province of Hatay: some possible vectors of the parasites causing human cutaneous leishmaniasis.

The province of Hatay, which lies on the Mediterranean coast in south-eastern Turkey, forms an important endemic area for human cutaneous leishmaniasis (HCL). Between the June and November of 2001, the sandflies in eight areas of the province, Erzin, Dortyol, Iskenderun, Kirikhan, Antakya, Samandag, Altinozu and Yayladagi, were surveyed, using sticky-paper traps placed in goat, sheep, cow or chicken sheds close to houses. Although 217 of the 998 sandflies caught belonged to the genus Sergentomyia, the rest were of Phlebotomus species, including some species that, elsewhere, are known to act as vectors of the parasites causing HCL. The Sergentomyia caught were either S. theodori (59.9%) or S. dentata (40.1%). Most of the Phlebotomus were P. sergenti (60.8%) but P. papatasi (18.8%), P. syriacus (9.3%), P. neglectus (5.1%), P. tobbi (2.7%), P. simici (2.2%), P. alexandri (0.9%) and P. kyreniae (0.1%) were also identified (the latter three species for the first time in Hatay province). The identification of the main vector species of sandfly in the province is complicated because it is still uncertain which Leishmania species cause(s) the local HCL. It seems likely, however, that P. sergenti is the main vector in Antakya, Iskenderun, Dortyol, Erzin and Kirikhan. In areas such as Altinozu and Yayladagi, where, although P. sergenti is very rare or absent, HCL cases still occur each year, other species, such as the relatively abundant P. papatasi and P. syriacus, may be the main vectors.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Development of a fast agglutination screening test (FAST) for the detection of anti-Leishmania antibodies in dogs.

A fast agglutination screening test (FAST) for the detection of anti-Leishmania antibodies in serum samples from dogs with visceral leishmaniosis was developed. The test is based on the direct agglutination test (DAT), but combines a higher parasite concentration with a smaller test volume. In contrast to the DAT, the FAST makes use of only one serum dilution and the results can be read within 3 h as opposed to 18-20 h for the DAT. The FAST was evaluated using serum samples of confirmed cases of the disease and healthy controls collected in the most important endemic regions of canine visceral leishmaniosis, import cases of canine leishmaniosis in a non-endemic country, from non-endemic healthy controls and from dogs with other diseases. The performance of the FAST was compared with standard DAT. In the present study, the FAST had a sensitivity of 93.6% and a specificity of 89.0%. The DAT had a sensitivity of 88.6% and a specificity of 96.7%. Furthermore, using a large panel of serum samples of previously examined DAT positive or negative dogs it was shown that degree of agreement between the two tests was high (95.7%; kappa value = 0.91). The FAST offers the advantages of the DAT based on freeze-dried antigen with respect to stability of the antigen, sensitivity and specificity. Moreover, the FAST allows the rapid screening of a large number of samples, which makes the test very useful for epidemiological screening of large populations of dogs.

Agglutination Tests↗
PubMed2002

Leishmaniasis in Turkey.

Leishmaniases are widespread in most countries in the Mediterranean basin, including Turkey. Two forms are observed in Turkey; Leishmania infantum is responsible from visceral leishmaniasis (VL), and L. tropica causes cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Phlebotomus sergenti, P. papatasi, P. major and P. syriacus are considered to be the probable vectors, and dogs are the main reservoir of L. infantum, while P. sergenti is the main suspected vector of L. tropica.VL is sporadically seen mainly in the Aegean, Mediterranean, and Central Anatolia Regions, but CL is endemic, especially in the Southeastern and Mediterranean Regions. Major touristic sites are free of both infections, and no infection is reported in any tourist. Mean number of annual VL and CL cases reported to Ministry of Health are 40 and 1,204, respectively, in the last four years. These data suggest that both VL and CL represent a public health problem in Turkey, but a decline is observed in the number of cases with both infections in recent years.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Sand flies (Diptera: Phlebotominae) in Sanliurfa, Turkey: relationship of Phlebotomus sergenti with the epidemic of anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Sand fly (Diptera: Phlebotominae) fauna were surveyed in various districts of Sanliurfa in southeast Turkey for 3 yr immediately after an epidemic of cutaneous leishmaniasis (Leishmania tropica). Sticky papers and CDC light traps collected a total of 10,937 sand flies, of which 10,919 (4,158 females and 6,761 males) were identified as Phlebotomus and 18 (11 females and seven males) as Sergentomyia (S. theodori Parrot; S. adleri Theodor). Eight Phlebotomus spp. were identified: P. sergenti Parrot (72.3%), P. papatasi (Scopoli) (27.2%), P. brevis Theodor & Mesghali (0.20%), P. neglectus Leger & Pesson (0.13%), P. perfiliewi Parrot (0.05%), P. mascitti Grassi, P. halepensisTheodor, and P. alexandri Sinton (0.01%). Phlebotomus mascitti and P. neglectus, along with both Sergentomyia sp., have not been previously described from the study area. Similar results were obtained when both trapping methods were applied in the same houses, indicating that local P. sergenti and P. papatasi populations were equally attracted to the light. P. sergenti was consistently abundant, agreeing with the general view that this species is the vector of leishmaniasis in the region. There was no apparent decrease in the relative abundance of this vector versus the other species, suggesting that factor (s) other than a change in the dynamics of sand fly populations precipitated the decline of the human leishmaniasis epidemic in Sanliurfa.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

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.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

A survey on canine leishmaniasis in western Turkey by parasite, DNA and antibody detection assays.

Human visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by Leishmania infantum is found throughout the Mediterranean Region, including Turkey, where dogs are considered to be the main reservoir host for this parasite. In the district of Manisa, western Turkey, 37 human VL cases were reported from June 1993-August 1997. Twenty-four villages in this district were chosen for a survey of disease prevalence in dogs. The dogs, 490 in total, were examined using either the indirect immunofluoresence assay (IFAT) or direct agglutination test (DAT). Anti-Leishmania antibodies were found by at least one test in 5.3% (26/490) of the dogs. Infections were confirmed by parasitological examination of or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on lymph node aspirates in 65% (13/20) and 76.4% (13/17) of the seropositive dogs tested, respectively. The confirmation rate was 85% by combining the results of PCR and microscopy. Our results demonstrate that canine VL is wide spread in western Turkey where human VL is endemic, and that serodiagnosis is a valuable tool for monitoring the infection.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Serodiagnosis and epidemiology of visceral leishmaniasis in Turkey.

Infantile Mediterranean visceral leishmaniasis (IVL) and anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) have long been known to exist in the western and southeastern Turkey, respectively. To further study these and other related diseases, a recombinant antigen (rK39) specific to VL was used in an ELISA for serodiagnosis of selected patients and for screening dog reservoir populations in several endemic sites. Among 24 confirmed VL cases from western Turkey, the rK39 ELISA proved to be more sensitive than a combination of cultivation and microscopy of bone marrow aspirates. The specificity of rK39 for leishmaniasis was demonstrated by its lack of cross-reactivity with sera from other human diseases in the same sites. Interestingly, six of the 83 parasitologically proven ACL cases from southeast Turkey were also rK39 positive. The end point titers of the positive VL and CL cases vary from 10(-2) to 10(-5) and from 10(-2) to 10(-3), respectively. The rK39 ELISA was also used to screen 494 apparently healthy dogs from Urfa in southeast Turkey, Manisa/Alasehir near the Aegean Sea, and Karabuk near the Black Sea. Eighteen rK39-positive cases (3.6%), all from the latter two areas, were found to have varying endpoint titers (10(-2)-10(-4)). The high titers predicted increased severity and frequency of the clinical symptoms (i.e., lymphadenopathy, depilation, skin lesion, weight loss and/or death), which were manifested subsequently in 16 of these 18 cases. In addition, more positive canine cases were diagnosed by the rK39 ELISA preclinically than the procedures to detect parasites postsymptomatically in the lymph node aspirates. The use of the rK39 ELISA as a sensitive tool makes it possible to demonstrate coendemicity of canine and human VL, as expected in the case of IVL. The results also point to the possible presence of additional VL types in western Turkey and cutanovisceral type in the southeast part of this country.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Phlebotomus major syriacus: a possible vector of visceral Leishmaniasis in western Black Sea region of Turkey.

Two clinical forms of leishmaniasis have been observed in Turkey, cutaneous (CL) and visceral (VL) Unitl now, VL cases were firstly reported from two villages of Karabük (western Black Sea region of Turkey). These villages have population of 300, 1030 m altitude and high humidity due to long rain period. Initial entomological study was carried out in July 1996. A total of 123 sandflies (males and females) were captured using CDC light and sticky paper traps. Sandflies were collected from around wells and walls of houses and of animal shelters. Phlebotomus m. syriacus, found in rocky areas of high altitude and water bodies is the only species identified in the area and can be incriminated as the possible vector.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

A sero-epidemiological study of visceral leishmaniosis in Izmir District, Turkey.

Visceral leishmaniosis caused by Leishmania infantum have been reported in Turkey. A total of 2055 blood samples collected in Izmir and six surrounding villages were tested for anti-Leishmania antibodies. Three established immunodiagnostic techniques, indirect fluorescence antibody (IFA), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and direct agglutination test (DAT), were employed using promastigotes and rK39 as antigens for the detection of anti-Leishmania antibodies. Five sero-positive cases (0.24%) were detected by the three tests used.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

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.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Epidemiology, diagnosis and control of leishmaniasis in the Mediterranean region.

The leishmaniases are a widespread and medically important group of parasitic diseases, some of which pose a serious health threat in communities throughout the Mediterranean basin. In 1993, a joint, collaborative study of the Mediterranean leishmaniases was initiated by scientists from Israel, Turkey, Portugal and the Netherlands. The aim of this project was the development of a multi-component approach to the successful control of all forms of leishmaniasis, with special emphasis on the more severe, visceral leishmaniasis (VL). The need for highly sensitive and accurate new tools to facilitate diagnosis and epidemiological surveys of endemic areas and for studies on the immunology of VL in laboratory models (dogs and mice) was soon recognized. It is anticipated that the development of these tools and the associated technology will provide a better understanding of the disease and improve its control.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Cultivation of Leishmania sp. in nutrient broth.

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.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Trichomoniasis in non-gonococcic urethritis among male patients.

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.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Multi-site DNA polymorphism analyses of Leishmania isolates define their genotypes predicting clinical epidemiology of leishmaniasis in a specific region.

Leishmania isolates from 57 cases of human cutaneous (CL), human visceral (VL), and canine visceral (CVL) leishmaniasis in Turkey were grouped by multi-site DNA polymorphism analyses into five genotypes. The initial grouping was based on DNA heterogeneity of the faster-evolving mitochondrion (kinetoplast) minicircles and the intergenic regions of two nuclear repetitive genes. Taxonomic affiliation and phylogenetic relationships of the five genotypes were inferred by comparing them with reference species for sequence heterogeneity in a approximately 1.4 kb conserved single-copy gene, encoding N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate transferase (NAGT). Alignment of the available sequences revealed no gap, but up to 7% scattered base substitutions, suggesting that this functionally important gene is a suitable marker. Three genotypes are completely identical to the NAGTs of the reference species, identifying them as L. infantum, L. tropica. and L. major, respectively. The remaining two are recognized as L. major NAGT variants with one and four base substitutions, respectively. As expected, Maximum Likelihood analysis of the NAGT sequences separates them into three clades, corresponding to the three species. The majority of the isolates obtained are L. infantum and L. tropica, which have been known to cause infantile VL and anthroponotic CL in western and southeastern Turkey, respectively. Unexpected is the finding of Leishmania major variants and their dispersal, possibly as previously unrecognized clinico-epidemiologic entities of CL and VL.

Adolescent↗