Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoon parasite that causes congenital toxoplasmosis, as well as other serious clinical presentations, in immune compromised humans. Analyses of the prevalence and genotyping of strains from the definitive host and intermediate hosts will help to understanding the circulation of the different strains and elucidating the role of the genotype(s) in human toxoplasmosis. Turkey has a specific geographic location bridging Africa, Europe, and Asia. We hypothesized that T. gondii strains may have been transferred to Turkey from these continents via migratory birds or vice versa. The present study aimed to assess the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in wild birds of prey of İzmir and Manisa provinces as well as genetically characterize T. gondii strains from these wild birds to show the relation between bird strains and neighboring stray cats as well as human strains previously isolated in Turkey. Tissues obtained from 48 wild birds were investigated for the presence of T. gondii DNA and then bioassayed in mouse. Isolated strains were genotyped using 15 microsatellite markers. The prevalence of T. gondii DNA was found to be 89.6% (n: 43/48) in wild birds. Out of 43 positive samples, a total of 14 strains were genotyped by 15 microsatellite markers. Among them, eight were type II, three were type III and three were mixture of genotypes (two type II/II and one was II/III). These are the first data that showed the presence of T. gondii and types II and III genotypes in wild birds of Turkey. Moreover, Africa 1 was not detected. In addition, cluster analysis showed that T. gondii strains within type II and III lineage have close relation with strains previously isolated from stray cats in İzmir. Further studies are required to isolate more strains from human cases, other intermediate hosts, and water sources to reveal this relation.

Introduction: Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that has a widespread distribution among mammalians and birds. One of the reasons for the high prevalence may be due to ingesting oocyst disseminated by stray cats’ feces. In Turkey, most of the citizens are closely associated with stray cats and they love to pet and feed them on the streets. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of T. gondii DNA in feces of stray cats living in İzmir, Turkey in order to identify the transmission potential to humans and other animals. Methodology: Feces and blood samples of 465 stray cats were investigated for the presence of T. gondii oocysts by microscopy and for the presence of T. gondii DNA by two real time PCR methods. Furthermore, serum samples were analyzed for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies using an ELISA. Results: Oocysts were detected in 0.43% of the stray cats by microscopy. T. gondii DNA was detected in 14.37% of the stray cats’ feces samples. The seroprevalence rate was 37.84%. In the feces and/or blood PCR positive group, 35.89% of them were seropositive. Among the 176 seropositive cats, T. gondii DNA was detected in feces of 27 cats (15.34%). Conclusions: This study first time showed the inter relation of T. gondii DNA in feces and blood samples and seropositivity. In sum, over 14% of the stray cats living outdoor may have an important role in transmission of toxoplasmosis to humans in İzmir as well as to other animals.

Tekstil sektörünün bitkisel hammaddesi olarak kullanılan pamuk gerek ülkemiz gerekse dünyada tarım, sanayi ve ticarette stratejik bir önem taşımaktadır. Ülkeler arası pamuk ticareti ise pamuk borsaları aracılığıyla gerçekleşmektedir. Ülkemizdeki birçok tarımsal ürünün değerini devlet belirler. Ancak pamuk borsalar tarafından fiyatı belirlenen birkaç üründen biridir. Bu çalışma kapsamında Manisa Tarım Borsasından yıllık pamuk fiyatları alınmıştır. Alınan veriler analize uygun olacak şekilde düzenlenmiş ve weka programında analiz edilmiştir. Zaman serisi ve yapay sinir ağı teknikleri kullanılarak 2017 yılına ait fiyatların değer tahminleri yapılmıştır. Yapılan tahminler MAE, MAPE ve RMSE değerleri üzerinden karşılaştırılarak hangi tekniğin daha başarılı tahmin performansı gösterdiğine karar verilmiştir. Elde edilen sonuçlar literatürdeki benzer çalışma sonuçlarıyla da karşılaştırılmıştır. Tüm bu sonuçlar doğrultusunda yapay sinir ağı tekniğinin daha başarılı sonuçlar elde ettiği görülmüştür.

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