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BACKGROUND: West Nile virus (WNV)-related illness is a global health problem. Understanding the seropositivity rates and identifying the risk factors related to WNV in various animal species including humans is crucial for the implementation of effective prevention strategies. OBJECTIVES: Assess the rate of seropositivity and the risk factors associated with WNV seropositivity. DESIGN: Descriptive, cross-sectional SETTING: Microbiology and virology departments in a veterinary college PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a sample of healthy human participants in Alanya, located close to regions where WNV activity has been detected, anti-WNV IgG antibody detection was performed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The positive results were confirmed by virus neutralization tests (VNTs). The sample was compared with a second group of age- and gender-matched healthy subjects selected from a previous cross-sectional study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Determination of the seropositivity and risk factors that were associated with WNV in healthy humans. SAMPLE SIZE: 87 in current study; 356 in previous study. RESULTS: The first group of 87, which had a high risk of encountering vector mosquitoes, had a positivity rate of 8% (7/87), whereas positivity in the second group was 4.5% (16/356; P=.181). In the entire sample, the anti-WNV IgG antibody was positive in 23 out of 443 (5.2%) samples by the ELISA test. Among these 23 samples, ten were confirmed as positive using VNTs. Therefore, the WNV IgG seropositivity was 2.3% (10/442). Confirmed IgG seropositivity rates were higher among male (3.8%) than female participants (0.9%; P=.054) and among adults aged ≥45 years (4%) than those aged 18-44 years (0.8%; P=.048). CONCLUSION: This study highlights the presence of WNV infection in the research region. More comprehensive and multidisciplinary studies are required to increase our knowledge about this zoonotic infection including risk factors in line with the One Health approach. LIMITATIONS: Small sample size.

BACKGROUND: Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) applied to limit the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic also affect the circulation and seasonal characteristics of other respiratory viruses. OBJECTIVES: Assess the impact of NPIs on the spread and seasonal characteristics of non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory viruses and examine viral respiratory co-infections. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort SETTING: Single center in Turkey. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Syndromic multiplex viral polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) panel results of patients admitted to the Ankara Bilkent City Hospital with symptoms of acute respiratory tract infection between April 1, 2020 and October 30, 2022 were evaluated. Two study periods before and after 1 July 2021, when the restrictions were discontinued, were statistically analyzed and compared to determine the effect of NPIs on circulating respiratory viruses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of respiratory viruses as determined by syndromic mPCR panel. SAMPLE SIZE: 11300 patient samples were evaluated. RESULTS: At least one respiratory tract virus was detected in 6250 (55.3%) patients. Of these, at least one respiratory virus was detected in 5% in the first period (between April 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021, when NPIs were applied), and in 95% in the second period (between July 1, 2021 and October 30, 2022, when NPIs were relaxed). After the removal of NPIs, there was a statistically significant increase in hRV/EV, RSV-A/B, Flu A/H3, hBoV, hMPV, PIV-1, PIV-4, hCoV-OC43, PIV-2 and hCoV-NL63 (P

Numerous vaccines have been generated to decrease the morbidity and mortality of COVID-19. This study aims to evaluate the immunogenicity of the heterologous boosts by BioNTech against homologous boosts by CoronaVac at three-month intervals in two health care worker (HCW) cohorts, with or without prior COVID-19, for one year post-vaccination. This is a prospective cohort study in which the humoral responses of 386 HCWs were followed-up longitudinally in six main groups according to their previous COVID-19 exposure and vaccination status. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike-RBD total antibody levels were measured and SARS-CoV-2 neutralization antibody (NAbs) responses against the ancestral Wuhan and the Omicron variant were evaluated comparatively using international standard serum for Wuhan and Omicron, as well as with the aid of a conversion tool. The anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike-RBD total Ab and Nab difference between with and without prior COVID-19, three months after two-dose primary vaccination with CoronaVac, was statistically significant (p = 0.001). In the subsequent follow-ups, this difference was not observed between the groups. Those previously infected (PI) and non-previously infected (NPI) groups receiving BioNTech as the third dose had higher anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike total Ab levels (14.2-fold and 17.4-fold, respectively, p = 0.001) and Nab responses (against Wuhan and Omicron) than those receiving CoronaVac. Ab responses after booster vaccination decreased significantly in all groups at the ninth-month follow-up (p < 0.05); however, Abs were still higher in all booster received groups than that in the primary vaccination. Abs were above the protective level at the twelfth-month measurement in the entire of the second BioNTech received group as the fourth dose of vaccination. In the one-year follow-up period, the increased incidence of COVID-19 in the groups vaccinated with two or three doses of CoronaVac compared with the groups vaccinated with BioNTech as a booster suggested that continuing the heterologous CoronaVac/BioNTech vaccination, revised according to current SARS-CoV-2 variants and with at least a six-month interval booster would be an effective and safe strategy for protection against COVID-19, particularly in health care workers.

In 2009, human Dobrava-Belgrade virus (DOBV) infections were reported on the Black Sea coast of Turkey. Serologic and molecular studies of potential rodent reservoirs demonstrated DOBV infections in Apodemus flavicollis and A. uralensis mice. Phylogenetic analysis of DOBV strains showed their similarity to A. flavicollis mice–borne DOBV in Greece, Slovenia, and Slovakia.

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype and its variability in certain sociodemographics in patients with chronic hepatitis. Materials and Methods: Anti-HCV was performed by chemiluminescent micro-particle immune assay (Abbott Architect i2000SR, Germany), and HCV-RNA viral load detection was applied with real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in the system (Cobas AmpliPrep-Cobas TaqMan, Roche, Germany). Genotype detection was performed with RT-PCR upon with RT-PCR method in the system of Abbott RT-HCV Genotype 2 (Abbott Laboratories, USA) and with Bosphore-HCV Genotyping KitV3 in the Montania 4896 device (Anatolia Diagnostics and Biotechnology Products, Turkey). Frequency and percentage dispersions of all data obtained from patient files and laboratory information system were evaluated through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences statistics software program. Results: HCV-RNA was positive in 628 of 2,381 patients with anti-HCV positivity (26.4%), and genotypes of 319 of which were evaluated. Mean age of 319 patients was 51.6 (standard deviation: 16.1). The most frequent genotypes were 1b (61%), 3 (19%), and 1a (10%). Incidences of genotype 1b among all genotypes between the dates of 2015-2018, were found 34.7%, 29%, 15.5% and 20.7% respectively (p=0.001). Contagion sources were medical interventions, and 1b was the most frequent genotype. Genotype 3 was most common in patients with intravenous drug addiction. A total of 168 of 238 patients who were Turkish citizens were detected to have genotype 1b, whereas 28 of them had genotype 3 and 25 had genotype 1a. Seventy-eight (24.7%) of the 316 patients, whose genotypes were tested, were foreigners coming mostly from Georgia, Turkmenstan, and Syria respectively. The most frequent genotype of Georgian and Turkmenistanian was 1b and Syrian was both 1a and 4. Conclusion: This study shows the most frequent genotype to be 1b and its prevalence is statistically decreased over the years, whereae other genotypes (1a, 3, 4, 3a, 1a/3, 1b/3, c-k, 2/3, 1/4, 3/4, and 5) increased.

Amaç: Çalışmamızın amaçları, 2011-2012 tarihleri arasında, alt üriner sistem enfeksiyonu (ÜSE) tanılı poliklinik hastalarından izole edilen mikroorganizmaların dağılımı, antibiyotik direnç profillerinin araştırılması ve uygun ampirik tedavi seçeneklerinin belirlenmesidir.Materyal ve Metot: 2011–2012 tarihleri arasında, hastanemiz polikliniklerinden alt ÜSE ön tanısı ile gönderilen 14096 idrar örneğinin kültür / antibiyogram sonuçları retrospektif olarak değerlendirildi. Tekrarlayan üremeler hariç tutularak toplam 2005 örnekteki üremeler değerlendirmeye alındı. Kültür ve identifikasyon testleri konvansiyonel/yarı otomatik ve otomatik yöntemlerle yapıldı. Antibiyotik duyarlılık testleri CLSI (Clinical Laboratory Standarts Institute) önerileri doğrultusunda Kirby-Bauer disk difüzyon yöntemiyle gerçekleştirildi.Bulgular: Örneklerin %83,7’sinde Enterobacteriaceae üyeleri üredi. Bunların 1287’si (%64,2) E.coli; 238’i (%11,9) K.pneumoniae idi. Toplam 67 (%3,3) örnekte P.aeruginosa üredi. Gram-pozitif üremelerin oranı; 55’i (%2,7) metisiline dirençli koagülaz negatif stafiolokok, 55’i (%2,7) E.faecalis, 49’u (%2,4) S.agalactia v.b. olmak üzere %12,86 idi. Genişlemiş spektrumlu beta laktamaz prevalansı E.coli izolatlarında %23,2; K.pneumonia izolatlarında %25,4 olarak belirlendi. Gerek Gram-pozitif, gerekse Gram-negatif izolatlarda, oral kullanımı olan antimikrobikler içinde nitrofurantoin (NF) en düşük direnç oranına sahipti (sırasıyla %2,7 ve %12,1). Öte yandan Gram-pozitif bakteriler için ampisilin (%6,3), Gram-negatif bakteriler için ise sefuroksim (%25,9) en düşük direnç oranlarına sahip diğer oral tedavi seçenekleri olarak belirlendi.Sonuç: Yetişkin yaş grubundaki poliklinik hastalarımızın alt ÜSE enfeksiyonlarında NF en geniş antibakteriyel etki spektrumuna sahip oral ilaç olarak öne çıkmaktadır. Ampisiline duyarlı Gram-pozitif izolatların (Enterokokspp. hariç) sefuroksime de duyarlı olacağı düşünülürse, ikinci en geniş spektrumlu oral ilacın sefuroksim olduğu söylenebilir. Sanford, IDSA v.b. tedavi kılavuzlarında NF, trimetoprim sulfametoksazol (TMP-SXT), ilk veya ikinci tedavi seçeneği olarak önerilmekle birlikte çalışmamızda bu oran %35 düzeyinde bulunduğu için TMP-SXT, hasta grubumuz için uygun bir tedavi seçeneği gibi görünmemektedir.