Genetic analysis of the M RNA segment of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus strains in Turkey.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus is member of the genus Nairovirus of the family Bunyaviridae. All members of the family Bunyaviridae are enveloped viruses containing tripartite, negative polarity, single-stranded RNA. CCHF is characterized by high case mortality, occurring in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe. During recent years, outbreaks have been reported in Turkey. However, little information is available on the genetic diversity of CCHF virus in Turkey. In this study, a total of 1227 adult ticks were collected from domestic ruminants (796 specimens from cattle, 399 specimens from goats and 32 specimens from sheep). The presence of the M segment of CCHF virus was determined in 4 of 40 (10%) Hyalomma marginatum marginatum pools, in 2 of 38 (7.89%) Rhipicephalus bursa pools, and in 1 of 7 (7%) Boophylus annulatus pools. Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum pools gave negative RT-PCR result against CCHF virus. Serum samples from seven patients infected with CCHF were selected and subjected to RT-PCR to amplify partial M segment of CCHF virus. This report introduces the first data on partial nucleotide sequences of M RNA segments of CCHF virus strains circulating in Turkey, isolated from ticks.

SV40 in human thyroid nodules.

BACKGROUND: Simian virus 40 (SV40) has been a model experimental system for the study of cell transformation and tumorigenesis for many years. The study of SV40 in humans has aroused interest in the related BK virus (BKV) and JC virus (JCV) and their role in human disease. OBJECTIVES: SV40 has been found in a variety of human samples, both malignant and normal. Many independent studies have suggested that SV40 plays a role for some cancers. However, in most cases the role of SV40 remains unclear. STUDY DESIGN: The subject of this study consisted of 99 patients with thyroid nodules. Both thyroid nodule and normal thyroid tissue were taken from each patient to test whether they contained SV40 sequences. RESULTS: We detected SV40 sequences by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in four of 99 thyroid nodules. Two of them were papillary thyroid carcinomas and the others were benign thyroid nodules. No SV40 was detected in 99 of normal thyroid tissues of the same patients. DNA sequence analysis, performed in four positive samples, confirmed that PCR products belong to the SV40 T antigen (Tag) region. CONCLUSION: The possible role of SV40 in the development of thyroid nodules and the spread of SV40 by horizontal infection in the human population are discussed.

Cutaneous anthrax in adults: a review of 25 cases in the eastern Anatolian region of Turkey.

BACKGROUND: The clinical features, therapy and outcome of anthrax cases from the Elazig province (the eastern Anatolian region) of Turkey seen in our clinic over an 8-year period were reviewed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The records of 25 anthrax cases observed in our clinic during the period January 1994 to April 2002 were examined. RESULTS: All cases were cutaneous; 18 (72%) patients exhibited malignant pustules and seven (28%) malignant edema. Three of the patients with a malignant pustule developed anthrax sepsis when admitted to our clinic. All cases were treated with penicillin. One patient who had penicillin allergy was treated with ciprofloxacin. In addition, patients with malignant edema were also treated with systemic corticosteroids (methylprednisolone or dexamethasone). Two patients died due to anthrax sepsis; one case with anthrax sepsis recovered. The mortality rate was 8%. DISCUSSION: Anthrax is still a reality in Turkey. Cutaneous anthrax should be considered in any patient with a painless ulcer with vesicles, edema and a history of exposure to animals or animal products. In our series, penicillin and ciprofloxacin were effective in treatment of anthrax. Our anthrax sepsis case demonstrates that anthrax sepsis is not always fatal if antibiotic treatment is given early after diagnosis.

Levels of plasma malondialdehyde and erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme activities in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatitis B virus infection, extensively seen throughout the world, can become highly chronic. Pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis is not yet known fully. It is shown that oxidative stress may play a role in pathogenesis and may regulate collagen synthesis and thus may contribute to the process of liver damage. This study is aimed at investigating the existence of oxidative stress in chronic hepatitis B cases and its relation with alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase which are the serum indicators of liver damage; along with interaction of erythrocyte antioxidation enzyme activities in the same cases. METHODOLOGY: Eighty patients with chronic hepatitis B under follow-up, and 40 healthy volunteers were included in this study. In the control and patients groups, together with serological markers for viral etiology, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels; plasma malondialdehyde level; erythrocyte superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase activities were analyzed. RESULTS: Malondialdehyde levels of chronic hepatitis B cases were statistically high compared to control group (p < 0.05). There was correlation between serum malondialdehyde levels and serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase levels in the patient group (r = 0.324, p < 0.01, r = 0.273, p < 0.05). Average superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were found to be significantly low compared to control group (p < 0.001); average glutathione peroxidase activity were significantly high when considered statistically (p < 0.001). No correlation between serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels and glutathione peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase activities was found in the patients group (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In the study we showed that there is correlation between serum malondialdehyde level and alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels of chronic hepatitis B patients. According to the results of our study, it might be thought that serum malondialdehyde level might be a marker of hepatocellular damage in chronic hepatitis B cases. We suggest that antioxidant treatment for chronic hepatitis B patients should be examined in future studies.

Downstream sequences influence the choice between a naturally occurring noncanonical and closely positioned upstream canonical heptameric fusion motif during bovine coronavirus subgenomic mRNA synthesis.

Mechanisms leading to subgenomic mRNA (sgmRNA) synthesis in coronaviruses are poorly understood but are known to involve a heptameric signaling motif, originally called the intergenic sequence. The intergenic sequence is the presumed crossover region (fusion site) for RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) during discontinuous transcription, a process leading to sgmRNAs that are both 5' and 3' coterminal. In the bovine coronavirus, the major fusion site for synthesis of mRNA 5 (GGUAGAC) does not conform to the canonical motif (UC[U,C]AAAC) at three positions (underlined), yet it lies just 14 nucleotides downstream from such a sequence (UCCAAAC). The infrequently used canonical sequence, by computer prediction, is buried within the stem of a stable hairpin (-17.2 kcal/mol). Here we document the existence of this stem by enzyme probing and examine its influence and that of neighboring sequences on the unusual choice of fusion sites by analyzing transcripts made in vivo from mutated defective interfering RNA constructs. We learned that (i) mutations that were predicted to unfold the stem-loop in various ways did not switch RdRp crossover to the upstream canonical site, (ii) a totally nonconforming downstream motif resulted in no measurable transcription from either site, (iii) the canonical upstream site does not function ectopically to lend competence to the downstream noncanonical site, and (iv) altering flanking sequences downstream of the downstream noncanonical motif in ways that diminish sequence similarity with the virus genome 5' end caused a dramatic switch to the upstream canonical site. These results show that sequence elements downstream of the noncanonical site can dramatically influence the choice of fusion sites for synthesis of mRNA 5 and are interpreted as being most consistent with a mechanism of similarity-assisted RdRp strand switching during minus-strand synthesis.