Determination of Parasitic Contamination in Vegetables Collected from Local Markets in Izmir Province, Türkiye

OBJECTIVE: Fresh vegetables are an important part of a healthy and nutrient-rich diet but the consumption of raw vegetables without proper washing is the main way for transmission of parasites. This study was aimed at determining the rate of parasitic contamination in prewashed fresh vegetables sold at randomly selected 10 retail markets which is the last step to reach the consumer in Izmir, Türkiye. METHODS: A total of 80 samples selected from eight types of vegetables including tomato, spinach, lettuce, rocket, mint, parsley, dill, and cucumber were examined for parasitic agents microscopically by sedimentation method after washing samples with normal saline. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software version 20.0. RESULTS: Protozoan cysts, helminth eggs, and larvae were detected in 21 (26.2%) of 80 samples from eight different vegetable species. Rhabditidiform larvae 18.7%, Blastocystis spp. 5%, Toxocara spp. 2.5%; Ascaris spp., Fasciola spp., Entamoeba histolytica/ Entamoeba dispar and hooked worms were found in 1.2%. Spinach and mint samples were contaminated with parasites significantly more than other fresh vegetable samples (p<0.008, odds ratio =80.0; p<0.017, odds ratio =46.6 respectively). Cruznema spp., a plant nematode, was found at the highest rate according to the results of culture, polymerase chain reaction and sequencing, respectively. CONCLUSION: In this study, the parasitic contamination was found in approximately one of the four vegetables sold in randomly selected markets in Izmir. These findings show that vegetables sold in local markets can cause parasitic infections if they are consumed without adequate washing and awareness should be raised on this issue. In addition, it was concluded that morphological examinations should be confirmed by molecular studies and sequencing as much as possible in order to avoid misdiagnosis of rhabditidiform larvae.

[Genotyping of Echinococcus granulosus isolates by sequencing of mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene in Aydin]. / Aydin'da Echinococcus granulosus izolatlarinin mitokondriyal sitokrom C oksidaz alt ünite 1 geni (cox1) dizi analizi ile genotiplendirilmesi.

Cyst hydatid (CH) is a zoonotic infection that is characterized by the development of metacestode form of Echinococcus granulosus primarily in liver of humans and ruminants. With a worldwide distribution, the infection is still considered as an important parasitic disease that threatens the public health in Turkey as in the other developing countries. Morphological and biological features of parasite fail to discriminate isolates for typing so molecular methods should be used for this purpose. Recently, a total of eleven genotypes of E.granulosus (G1-10 and lion strain) have been identified and these genotypes are highly correlated with host specificity of the parasite. The aim of this study, was to determine the genotypes of E.granulosus isolates from human samples in Aydin. Cyst fluids from CH operated cases in Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Medicine, Training and Research Hospital were used in the present study. Samples were washed with phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and stored in 70% ethanol at -20ºC. Mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene was amplified partially by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR products were sequenced initially, compared to other database in Genbank and evolutionary distances were estimated with references. The genotypes of E.granulosus isolates were determined according to the closest or exact matches to the references. A total of 20 E.granulosus isolates were genotyped in the present study, most of them (15 isolates, 75%) were identified as Genotype 1 (G1), that is defined as sheep genotype and the remaining isolates were defined as pig/camel genotype G6/7 (five isolates, 25%). A possible explanation to our results may be related to the geographical position of Turkey. The identification of G6/7 in addition to sheep genotype G1 indicated that pigs and camels in this area have role in the transmission and distribution of E.granulosus to humans. There is still limited information about the molecular epidemiology of E.granulosus in Turkey. This study reveals the first data about the genotype distribution of E.granulosus in our city, therefore the findings may help to design control program for the disease with a combination of epidemiological data.

Analysis of naturally acquired antibody responses to the 19-kd C-terminal region of merozoite surface protein-1 of Plasmodium vivax from individuals in Sanliurfa, Turkey.

Plasmodium vivax is the second most prevalent global Plasmodium species causing malaria after P. falciparum. These two Plasmodium spp. co-exist in most endemic areas, apart from west and central Africa, which has only P. falciparum. However, southeastern Turkey is one of the exceptional regions with the sole presence of P. vivax infection, where a thorough epidemiologic survey has not been performed. Here, we report for the first time the identification of naturally acquired antibodies against the 19-kd C-terminal region of the merozoite surface protein-1 of P. vivax (PvMSP1(19)), using ELISA, from residents in the Sanliurfa region of southeastern Turkey. Among the 82 samples from patients with patent P. vivax malaria, 85% of the individuals were sero-reactive to PvMSP1(19). Particularly, 69.5% of the subjects were positive for IgM, 53.6% were positive for IgG (predominantly IgG1 and IgG3), and 7.3% were positive for IgA.

Use of two sensitive and specific immunoblot markers, em70 and em90, for diagnosis of alveolar echinococcosis.

Antibodies against Echinococcus multilocularis metacestodes were screened by immunoblotting sera from patients with alveolar echinococcosis (n = 39), cystic echinococcosis (n = 109), or other parasitic infections (n = 66) and healthy individuals (n = 32). Two antigens, approximately 70 and 90 kDa, are found to be valuable for confirmatory diagnosis, with a sensitivity and specificity of 100 and 99.51%, respectively.