Browsing by Author "Barlik, Fethi"

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Antiprotozoal Effects of Pediococcus Acidilactici-Derived Postbiotic on Blastocystis Subtypes ST1/ST3
(MDPI, 2025) Aydemir, Selahattin; Arvas, Yunus Emre; Aydemir, Mehmet Emin; Barlik, Fethi; Gurbuz, Esra; Yazgan, Yener; Ekici, Abdurrahman
Blastocystis, a common intestinal protozoan in humans, is associated with gastrointestinal disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, urticaria, and colorectal cancer. Its genetic diversity and potential for treatment resistance make it a focus of ongoing research. This study evaluated the in vitro antiprotozoal activity of a postbiotic derived from Pediococcus acidilactici as a natural alternative treatment. P. acidilactici cultures were grown in MRS broth under anaerobic conditions, and the postbiotic was collected and characterized for pH, yield, organic acid composition, and phenolic compound content. Human isolates of Blastocystis subtypes ST1 and ST3 were cultured in Jones' medium and exposed to varying postbiotic concentrations for 72 h. Viability was assessed microscopically. The cytotoxic effect of the postbiotic-derived P. acidilactici was evaluated by investigating its impact on the viability of HT-29 cells using the Cell Counting Kit 8. The postbiotic showed a 7% yield and a pH of 4.52 +/- 0.11. It contained seven different organic acids, predominantly lactic acid, and eleven phenolic compounds, with naringin as the most abundant. At 4.38 mg/mL, the postbiotic achieved over 94% inhibition and 100% inhibition at 8.75 mg/mL and above. A pH analysis confirmed that the inhibition was independent of the culture medium acidity. Cell viability was not affected at the postbiotic concentration showing 100% antiprotozoal activity (8.75 mg/mL). These findings suggest that the P. acidilactici postbiotic is effective on a mixed culture of ST1 and ST3 subtypes and holds promise as a safe, natural antiprotozoal agent. Further in vivo studies are needed to confirm this.
Bibliometric Analysis of Neurocysticercosis Case Reports and Evaluation of Presented Cases
(Academic Press Ltd- Elsevier Science Ltd, 2025) Gurbuz, Esra; Aydemir, Selahattin; Barlik, Fethi; Saygin, Murat; Yildiz, Rahmi; Alkan, Sevil; Ekici, Abdurrahman
Neurocysticercosis (NCC) has been classified as a neglected tropical disease by the World Health Organization (WHO), with the condition being regarded as the most significant parasitic disease affecting the nervous system. Hence, the aim of this study was to conduct a review of previously published case reports on this topic in order to ascertain whether there is an increasing trend of NCC worldwide and evaluate the cases that have been presented. After a comprehensive search of the Web of Science Core Collection using the keywords "neurocysticercosis" and "case reports", studies were selected by applying inclusion criteria. Important data attributes that were extracted in plain text format included the document titles, publication years, journal names, author(s) name(s), keywords, institutions, and countries. In addition, to evaluate the cases, the age and gender of the patients, complaints on admission, localization of the cyst, and treatment procedure used were recorded in an Excel file. The bibliometric analysis was conducted using Biblioshiny. Additionally, GraphPad and Excel were employed for the creation of graphical representations. The dataset analyzed included 297 documents, 162 from various sources, with an average age of 12.2 years and 6.3 citations per document. The number of case reports tended to increase over the years. India and the USA were the leading contributors to NCC case reports, with 78 (26.3 %) and 64 (21.5 %), respectively. This was followed by Brazil, France, and Spain with 31 (10.4 %), 14 (4.7 %) and 13 (4.4 %) case reports, respectively. Moreover 55.5 % of the patients in the cases presented in the articles were male and 12.9 % were in the 21-25 age group. In regard to the cysts, 81.2 % were located in the brain and 15.1 % were in the spine. The most common complaints were headache and seizures in brain localized NCC cases and back pain and numbness or weakness in extremities in spine localized NCC cases. Albendazole was used in 174 (54.5 %) cases, praziquantel in 22 (6.9 %) cases, and ivermectin in five (1.6 %) cases. In conclusion, NCC continues to be an increasingly serious public health problem in India as well as developed countries such as the USA and European countries. NCC can be seen in all age groups, males are more susceptible than females, cysts are more localized in the ventricular system, and albendazole and/or paraziquentel are used in treatment. In addition, more comprehensive studies on the use of ivermectin in the treatment of NCC should be conducted, as success was achieved in cases where ivermectin was used in treatment.
Fate of Blastocystis in Homemade Koruk (Unripe Grape) Juice and on Juice-Treated Green Leafy Vegetables
(Wiley, 2025) Aydemir, Selahattin; Aydemir, Mehmet Emin; Barlik, Fethi; Ekici, Abdurrahman; Necip, Adem
This study aimed to evaluate the viability of Blastocystis in naturally produced koruk juice and on leafy salad greens treated with the juice. Additionally, the antiparasitic effect of koruk juice is to be evaluated by molecular docking analysis. Koruk juice was produced from unripe grapes. Blastocystis isolates were inoculated with koruk juice at different concentration levels. The isolates were also inoculated onto different salad greens, and the greens were dressed with koruk juice. Molecular docking was used to investigate the interactions between the organic acids found in koruk juice and the 6NO0 protein, which plays a critical role in Blastocystis physiology. In the control group, Blastocystis maintained viability for 60 min. However, treatment with 50% koruk juice reduced the number of viable Blastocystis cells by 100% within 30 min in culture. The number of live Blastocystis decreased from 73.25 (curly lettuce) to 97.65 (parsley), depending on the type of greenery, after 5 min in green salads dressed with 50% concentration of koruk juice. Molecular docking analysis revealed that the organic acids found in koruk juice exhibit a high binding affinity for the active site of the Blastocystis target protein. Citric acid showed the highest interaction score (-6.486 kcal/mol), whereas the control drug metronidazole had the weakest (-4.065 kcal/mol). The fact that all the organic acids exhibit a higher affinity than metronidazole confirms the antiparasitic effect of koruk juice at a molecular level. In conclusion, koruk juice has an anti-Blastocystis effect and can be used as a salad dressing on greens to improve and eliminate the risk of Blastocystis.
Increase in Scabies Cases and Permethrin Nonresponse in Türkiye
(Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications, 2025) Aydemir, Selahattin; Kul, Zubeyde; Barlik, Fethi; Saygin, Murat; Ekici, Abdurrahman; Yilmaz, Hasan
Background: There has been an increase in scabies cases in T & uuml;rkiye, and is considered to be an epidemic. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess scabies cases and the current status of scabies treatment by comparing patients who received scabies diagnosis and treatment before the COVID-19 pandemic, during the pandemic, and the normalization process. Materials and Methods: In this study, data of patients who applied to Van & Idot;pekyolu 1st Family Health Center and received a scabies diagnosis were evaluated retrospectively. Demographic data such as age, sex, application dates, and treatment methods were received from the electronic registration database of Van & Idot;pekyolu 1st Family Health Center. Categorical variables were presented as numbers (n) and percentages (%). The "two proportions Z-test and Fisher's exact" test of the ratios were used for categorical variables. Results: Before the pandemic, among 4009 patients with dermatology complaints, 56 (1.4%) received a scabies diagnosis. An increase in scabies cases has been observed since 2018, and the annual case count has further increased during the pandemic. Before the pandemic, 10 (17.9%) out of 56 patients diagnosed with scabies and 70 (31.1%) out of 225 patients diagnosed with scabies during and after the pandemic experienced recurrence after permethrin treatment. Patients who did not respond to permethrin treatment were successfully treated with ivermectin. Conclusions: An increase in scabies cases has been identified in conjunction with the COVID-19 pandemic and the recurrence of scabies in patients treated with permethrin after the pandemic has raised concerns about the potential development of resistance to permethrin.
Molecular Characterization of Giardia Intestinalis and Cryptosporidium Spp. Detected in Humans in Ağrı, Türkiye
(Iranian Scientific Society Medical Entomology, 2024) Aydemir, Selahattin; Barlik, Fethi; Ekici, Abdurrahman; Barlik, Dilara Hande; Alkan, Sevil; Gurbuz, Esra; Yilmaz, Hasan
Background: We aimed to determine the prevalence of Giardia intestinalis and Cryptosporidium spp. in patients who admitted hospital with diarrhea and to gain information about the transmission of these parasites in Agri, Turkiye. Methods: This study included 184 patients who applied to Agri-Diyadin State Hospital, Turkiye in 2022. The immunochromatographic card test was used for detection of the G. intestinalis and Cryptosporidium spp. Nested PCR-RFLP analysis of the COWP gene and sequence analysis of the gp60 gene were used to genotype and subtype Cryptosporidium spp., whereas Nested PCR and sequence analyses of beta-giardin gene were used genotype G. intestinalis. Results: Of the 184 stool specimens examined, 12 (14.29%) and 7 (3.80%) were positive for G. intestinalis and Cryptosporidium spp., respectively. The Cryptosporidium species were identified as C. parvum belonging to the IId subtype family. The G. intestinalis were identified assemblages A. Conclusion: Assemblage A, which is associated with diarrhea, is responsible for giardiasis and C. parvum IId subtype, often found in sheep, goats and cattle, is responsible for cryptosporidiosis in Agri, Turkiye.
Prevalence of Blastocystis Infection in Humans in Turkiye: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
(Academic Press Ltd- Elsevier Science Ltd, 2024) Aydemir, Selahattin; Barlik, Fethi; Yurekturk, Sehriban; Saygin, Murat; Unlu, Ahmet Hakan; Ekici, Abdurrahman; Yilmaz, Hasan
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 T & uuml;rkiye 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 T & uuml;rkiye 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 T & uuml;rkiye was 13.08 %. The prevalence of the pool was higher in the Black Sea region, which is the most humid region in T & uuml;rkiye, than in other regions. Blastocystis subtypes were identified in a total of 885 positive samples. The most common subtypes (ST) in T & uuml;rkiye were ST3, ST1 and ST2, respectively. In addition to these ST4, ST5, ST6 and ST7 were also detected in humans in T & uuml;rkiye. In conclusion, the prevalence of Blastocystis in humans is high in T & uuml;rkiye, especially in the Black Sea region.
Subtyping of Cryptosporidiumparvum Obtained From Humans and Calves in Van, Turkey
(Iranian Scientific Society Medical Entomology, 2022) Ekici, Abdurrahman; Unlu, Ahmet Hakan; Aydemir, Selahattin; Barlik, Fethi; Yilmaz, Hasan
Background: We aimed to investigate the prevalence of Cryptosporidium species detected in humans and calves in the Van region of Turkey.Methods: A total of 150 patients, comprising 60 who were immunosuppressed, 50 who were immunosuppressed and had diarrhea, and 40 who had only diarrhea, were enrolled in this study in the Department of Medical Parasitology, Van Yuzuncu Yil University Faculty of Medicine, Turkey. Stool samples were taken from the rectums of a total of 50 calves that had 30 diarrhea and 20 that did not have diarrhea, from the stables and farms of 10 central villages of Van, Turkey. All samples were analyzed using modified acid-fast staining, immunochromatographic test, and PCR. Cryptosporidium positive samples were also subtyped.Results: Only C. parvum subtypes were detected in all positive samples. C. parvum was detected in 30 (20%) of the 150 human stool samples, while it was detected in 5 (10%) of the 50 samples from the calves. The GP60 gene region was amplified and sent for sequence analysis to identify the C. parvum subtypes.Conclusion: As a result, C. parvum is found to be an active species that caused cryptosporidiosis is in the Van region. IIdA24G1 subtype of C. parvum were found in both human and calf. Therefore, due to the zoonotic feature of the C. parvum IIdA24G1 subtype, it has been shown that the calves in the region are a significant risk for humans.