Browsing by Author "Yurekturk, Sehriban"

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Molecular Detection of Intestinal Protozoa and Microsporidia in HIV/ AIDS Patients
(Elsevier Science inc, 2026) Yurekturk, Sehriban; Cakirca, Tuba Damar; Gurbuz, Esra; Aydemir, Selahattin; Ekici, Abdurrahman
Introduction: This study investigate opportunistic pathogens Cryptosporidium spp, Giardia intestinalis, Blastocystis, and microsporidia species in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection using molecular methods, and to identify associated risk factors. Methods: The study included 100 randomly selected HIV-seropositive patients, along with 50 healthy individuals as the control group. Participants who reported receiving antiparasitic treatment during the study period were excluded. Conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect Blastocystis and microsporidia, while nested PCR was employed to identify Cryptosporidium spp. and G. intestinalis. Results: Blastocystis was found in 22% of the of HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients, as was microsporidia in 17%, Cryptosporidium spp. in 12%, and G. intestinalis in 11%. In the control group, Blastocystis was detected in 8%, microsporidia in 6% and Cryptosporidium spp. in 2%, while G. intestinalis was not detected. The differences in the prevalence of G. intestinalis (p = 0.001), Cryptosporidium spp. (p = 0.009), microsporidia (p = 0.013), and Blastocystis (p = 0.029) between the patient and control groups were statistically significant. Multiple parasitic infections were identified in 12% of HIV/AIDS patients, whereas no cases of multiple parasitism were observed in the control group. Conclusion: HIV/AIDS patients were found to be at increased risk for G. intestinalis, Cryptosporidium spp., microsporidia, and Blastocystis. Given the presence of multiple parasitism, stool samples from HIV/AIDS patients should be routinely screened using comprehensive diagnostic methods targeting all major intestinal parasites.
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.