Turkey is located in an important geographical location, in terms of the epidemiology of vector-borne diseases, linking Asia and Europe. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is one of the endemic diseases in a Turkey and according to the Ministry Health of Turkey, 45% of CL patients originate from Şanlıurfa province located in southeastern Turkey. Herein, the epidemiological status of CL, caused by L. tropica, in Turkey was examined using multilocus microsatellite typing (MLMT) of strains obtained from Turkish and Syrian patients. A total of 38 cryopreserved strains and 20 Giemsa-stained smears were included in the present study. MLMT was performed using 12 highly specific microsatellite markers. Delta K (ΔK) calculation and Bayesian statistics were used to determine the population structure. Three main populations (POP A, B and C) were identified and further examination revealed the presence of three subpopulations for POP B and C. Combined analysis was performed using the data of previously typed L. tropica strains and Mediterranean and Şanlıurfa populations were identified. This finding suggests that the epidemiological status of L. tropica is more complicated than expected when compared to previous studies. A new population, comprised of Syrian L. tropica samples, was reported for the first time in Turkey, and the data presented here will provide new epidemiological information for further studies.
We aimed to evaluate the epidemiological data of malaria cases by using the data of Gaziantep Public Health Directorate between January 2005 and December 2015. Methods: Blood samples were taken from suspicious cases and temporary agricultural workers living in the Fırat Watershed and in areas in where malaria was seen before and in the tent cities of Islahiye, Nizip and Karkamış by request of the ministry. The cases were evaluated in terms of age, gender, detected malaria species, months when malaria was detected, and whether they were imported cases. Results: Thirty-one malaria cases were detected in blood samples taken from 184.305 patients. The malaria positivity rate was determined as 0.017%. Five of the patients (16.3%) were indigenous; 2 (6.5%) were cases with relapse and 24 cases (77.2%) were imported. Conclusion: In our study, we last saw a new indigenous case in 2005. In the following years , cases with relapses and cases originating from abroad were seen, which was linked to the ease of transportation and the increase in touristic and commercial relations. Although lack of malaria in the samples taken from people living in tent cities in our region is favorable, necessary measures should be taken against new epidemics.
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