Plasmodium vivax infection has been gaining attention because of its re-emergence in several parts of the world. Southeastern Turkey is one of the places in which persistent focal malaria caused exclusively by P. vivax parasites occurs. Although control and elimination studies have been underway for many years, no detailed study has been conducted to understand the mechanisms underlying the ineffective control of malaria in this region. Here, for the first time, using serologic markers we try to extract as much information as possible in this region to get a glimpse of P. vivax transmission. We conducted a sero-immunological study, evaluating antibody responses of individuals living in Sanliurfa to four different P. vivax antigens; three blood-stage antigens (PvMSP119, PvAMA1-ecto, and PvSERA4) and one pre-erythrocytic stage antigen (PvCSP). The results suggest that a prior history of malaria infection and age can be determining factors for the levels and sustainability of naturally acquired antibodies. Significantly higher antibody responses to all the studied antigens were observed in blood smear-negative individuals with a prior history of malaria infection. Moreover, these individuals were significantly older than blood smear-negative individuals with no prior history of infection. These data from an area of sole P. vivax-endemic region may have important implications for the global malaria control/elimination programs and vaccine design.

Abstract. The 200-kD merozoite surface protein of Plasmodium vivax (PvMSP-1) is one of the leading vaccine candidates against P. vivax malaria. However, the gene encoding PvMSP-1 ( pvmsp1 ) is highly polymorphic and is a major obstacle to effective vaccine development. To further understand polymorphism in pvmsp1 , we obtained 30 full-length pvmsp1 sequences from southeastern Turkey. Comparative analysis of sequences from Turkey and other areas showed substantially limited polymorphism. Substitutions were found at 280 and 162 amino acid sites in samples from other regions and those from Turkey, respectively. Eight substitutions were unique to Turkey. In one of them, D/E at position 1706 in the C-terminal 19-kD region, the K/E change at 1709 was the only polymorphism previously known. Limited diversity was also observed in microsatellites. Data suggest a recent population bottleneck in Turkey that may have obscured a signature for balancing selection in the C-terminal 42-kD region, which was otherwise detectable in other areas.

© Trakya Üniversitesi T p Fakültesi Dergisi. AVES Yay nc l k taraf ndan bas lm t r. Her hakk sakl d r. © Medical Journal of TrakyaObjective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of HBV and HCV and related risk factors in Sanliurfa, a province of southeastern Anatolia. Material and Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted between April and May, 2008 in Sanliurfa's city center. A community-based representative sample (N=1070) was randomly selected using cluster sampling from the catchment areas served by 19 different primary healthcare centers. A questionnaire evaluating demographic information and probable risk factors for HBV and HCV was administered, and HBsAg and anti-HCV markers were analyzed from blood samples.Results: Among the 1070 individuals who participated in the study, 33.1% were male (n=354) and 66.9% female (n=716). The average age was 35.4±13.5 (15-90) years. The seroprevalence of HBsAg positivity was 4.2% (n=45), while anti-HCV seropositivity was found to be 1.0% (n=11). Among participants who previously suffered a known hepatitis infection or who reported a family history of hepatitis, the HBsAg positivity was found to be higher (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between HCV transmission risk factors and anti-HCV positivity.Conclusion: This is the first hepatitis seroprevalence study in central Sanliurfa and demonstrated moderate HBV infection endemicity.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) are seen endemically in Turkey and CL caused by Leishmania tropica is an important public health problem in southeastern as well as other regions of Turkey. The diagnosis has been usually made by clinical view of lesion and/or parasitologically using lesion aspiration smears. Histological examination does not, always reveal the parasite in the skin biopsy, particularly in chronic lesions. Besides this, due to CL infections caused by different species in endemic areas, diagnostic methods enabling species identification are in great need. Species identification, in the time of diagnosis, is an important procedure for helping the clinicians in the planning of treatment as well as control measures. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a specific and sensitive diagnostic tool that can also identify the parasite at species level. Kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) is one of the genetic regions that can be used for the detection of Leishmania parasites in clinical specimens, kDNA PCR is reported as one of the most sensitive methods related to species-specific variable regions in mini-circle long time ago. It has been considered as one of the most ideal targets for the diagnosis of leishmaniasis. The aim of the study was to perform PCR targeting kDNA by using the primers of Uni21/Lmj4 in clinical samples and compare the results with other parasitological methods like smear and culture, for the diagnosis of CL. The kDNA PCR, parasite culture and microscopical evaluation of stained smears of 62 specimens from suspected CL cases who have referred to Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Diagnosis and Treatment Center in Sanliurfa, Turkey were included in the study. The kDNA PCR showed the highest sensitivity 100% of the samples (35/35) among all diagnostic assays, followed by the microscopy (25/35 positive, 71.4% sensitivity) and culture (19/35 positive, 54.3% sensitivity). The sensitivity of combination of culture and microscopy was 88.6% (31/35 positive). These results suggested that performing kDNA PCR in addition to conventional techniques is important for improving the true diagnosis of CL to the species level and also important for establishing treatment regimens and designing appropriate precautions in highly endemic area like the southeastern region of Turkey.

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