Retrospective Analysis of the Distribution of Intestinal Parasites in Patients Admitted to Dicle University Faculty of Medicine Between the Years 2011-2020

Prevalence of Blastocystis infection in humans in Türkiye: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Although Blastocystis, a protozoan, is commonly found in all species of animals and in humans, there remains a lack of clear information about its epidemiology and routes of transmission. The aim of this meta-analysis study was to determine the changes in Blastocystis prevalence and subtype distribution in humans in Türkiye according to geographical regions. Databases were searched using the Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO, and TRDizin to identify studies on the prevalence of Blastocystis in humans in Türkiye published from 2009 to 2023. As a result of this systematic search, 117 of 730 articles were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of human Blastocystis infection in Türkiye was 13.08 %. The prevalence of the pool was higher in the Black Sea region, which is the most humid region in Türkiye, than in other regions. Blastocystis subtypes were identified in a total of 885 positive samples. The most common subtypes (ST) in Türkiye were ST3, ST1 and ST2, respectively. In addition to these ST4, ST5, ST6 and ST7 were also detected in humans in Türkiye. In conclusion, the prevalence of Blastocystis in humans is high in Türkiye, especially in the Black Sea region.

Cyclospora cayetanensis: A Perspective (2020-2023) with Emphasis on Epidemiology and Detection Methods

Cyclospora cayetanensis infections are prevalent worldwide, and the parasite has become a major public health and food safety concern. Although important efforts have been dedicated to advance toward preventing and reducing incidences of cyclosporiasis, there are still several knowledge gaps that hamper the implementation of effective measures to prevent the contamination of produce and water with Cyclospora oocysts. Some of these data gaps can be attributed to the fact that access to oocysts is a limiting factor in C. cayetanensis research. There are no animal models or in vivo or in vitro culture systems to propagate the oocysts needed to facilitate C. cayetanensis research. Thus, researchers must rely upon limited supplies of oocysts obtained from naturally infected human patients considerably restricting what can be learnt about this parasite. Despite the limited supply of C. cayetanensis oocysts, several important advances have happened in the past 3 years. Great progress has been made in the Cyclospora field in the areas of molecular characterization of strains and species, generation of genomes, and development of novel detection methods. This comprehensive perspective summarizes research published from 2020 to 2023 and evaluates what we have learnt and identifies those aspects in which further research is needed.

Monitoring the Trends in Intestinal Parasite Frequencies; 2018 and 2022 Data

Objective

Monitoring intestinal parasite frequencies is effective on diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies to be developed against these parasites. In this study, it was aimed to reveal the parasite species and frequency data of stool samples in parasitology direct diagnosis laboratory.

Methods

Stool parasitological examination results were obtained retrospectively from our laboratory internal quality control data tables. Data belonging to the year 2018 and 2022 were compared retrospectively.

Results

Annual parasites detected in stool samples were 388 of 4.518, and 710 of 3.537, in 2018 and 2022, respectively. Frequency of parasite detection in stool samples was found to be significantly higher in 2022 (p<0.0001). Number of stools with more than one parasite was 12 and 30 in 2018 and 2022, respectively. Incidence of infection with more than one parasite was significantly higher in 2022 (p=0.0003). Five most common parasite species were Blastocystis spp., Enterobius vermicularis, Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia intestinalis and Entamoeba histolytica in 2018, respectively; and Cryptosporidium spp., Blastocystis spp., Cyclospora spp., Entamoeba dispar and Giardia intestinalis, in 2022, respectively. Cryptosporidium spp., Cyclospora spp. and Entamoeba dispar increased significantly, while Blastocystis spp. and Enterobius vermicularis decreased significantly, in 2022.

Conclusion

According to the data obtained, causative agents for intestinal parasitic infections were protozoans, especially Cryptosporidium spp. It has been concluded that tightening the measures for protection of water with one health approach and improving the education and habits of society on personal hygiene and food safety can be effective in reducing the frequency of intestinal parasite infections in our region.

Bağışıklık Sistemi Baskılanmış Hastalarda Cryptosporidium spp. ve Giardia intestinalis Sıklığının Araştırılması

Amaç: Giardia intestinalis ve Cryptosporidium spp. türleri gelişmiş ve gelişmekte olan ülkelerde ishale neden olan bağırsak parazitleridir. Özelikle bağışıklık sistemi baskılanmış hastalarda ve çocuklarda tedavi edilemediğinde ölümcül olabilmektedir. Bu çalışmada Harran Üniversitesi Araştırma ve Uygulama Hastanesine başvuran bağışıklık sistemi baskılanmış hastaların dışkı örneklerinde Cryptosporidium spp. ve G.intestinalis sıklığının araştırılması amaçlanmıştır. Yöntem: Bu çalışma Ocak 2017 ve Ocak 2019 yılları arasında hastanemize başvuran bağışıklık sistemi baskılanmış ve ishal şikâyeti olan toplam 100 hasta ile gerçekleştirildi. Hastaların dışkı örneklerinde immünokromatografik (İK) metot ile Cryptosporidium spp. ve G. intestinalis antijenleri arandı ve nativ-lugol ve kinyoun asit fast boyama ile ookist, kist-trofozoit açısından incelendi. Bulgular: Toplam sekiz (%8) hastada G. intestinalis saptandı. Bunlardan yedisi (%14) çocuk hasta (n=50) ve biri (%2) yetişkin (n=50) bir kadın hasta olduğu tespit edildi. Hastaların 3 (%3)’ünde ise Cryptosporidium spp. görüldü. Bunlardan ikisi (%4) çocuk ve biri (%2) yetişkin kadın hastalar idi. Sonuçlarımız hem Cryptosporidium hem de G. intestinalis’in bağışıklık sistemi baskılanmış çocuk hastalarda (sırasıyla %4 ve %14) daha fazla saptandığını göstermiştir. Sonuç: Dışkı örneklerinde antijen saptayan İK metodun maliyeti yüksek olmasına rağmen çalışması kolay, erken sonuç vermesi ve etkensel tanı yöntemlerindeki zorluklara yardımcı olduğu görülmektedir. Sınırlı sayıda araştırılmış örnek bulunmasına rağmen bulgularımız bu iki parazitten kaynaklı enfeksiyonların Türkiye'de veya Avrupa ülkelerinde yapılan diğer çalışmalardaki görülme sıklığından daha yüksek olduğunu gösterdi.