The aim of this study was to assess quantitative and qualitative alterations in the carrier rate of Candida spp. in south-eastern Turkey among adolescents, and to investigate the effect of fixed orthodontic appliances on the Candida count in a 1-year follow-up study. In the first phase of the study, the oral Candida carriage rate of 72 patients was evaluated. Samples were collected from the dorsal surface of the tongue, the mid-palate and saliva. In the second phase of the study, 42 patients who were determined to be carriers of oral Candida were treated with fixed orthodontic appliances, and from these patients a second set of samples were collected from the saliva and the orthodontic brace surfaces of eight teeth adjacent to the enamel surfaces. The saliva samples were collected before and during orthodontic treatment at 1st, 6th and 12th month, and samples from the braces were collected during the 1st, 6th and 12th month of treatment. Forty-two of the 72 patients (58.5%) were oral Candida carriers. The distribution of Candida spp. in these patients was as follows: (i) Candida albicans was identified in 31 patients (73.8%), (ii) C. tropicalis, C. krusei and C. kefyr were found in three patients each (7.14%) and (iii) C. parapsilosis occurred in two patients (4.76%). During orthodontic treatment, the micro-organism count increased both in the saliva and on tooth surfaces. The results indicate that the prevalence of oral Candida spp. is high in young adults in south-eastern Turkey and that the Candida counts increase when braces are involved.

The reported prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients with lichen planus (LP) shows variations from different regions. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of HCV infection in patients with LP, in Diyarbakir region of Turkey. A total of 128 patients with LP and 128 healthy controls were detected for HCV infection, using a third generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Eight of 128 patients (6.25%) with LP were found to have anti-HCV antibodies, whereas only one patient (0.78%) in control group was found to have anti-HCV antibodies. A statistically significant difference was found between LP and control group (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the coexistence of HCV infection and lichen planus is more than coincidental, and it is appropriate to screen all patients with lichen planus for HCV infection.

Successful vaccination policies for protection from invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPD) dependent on determination of the exact serotype distribution in each country. We aimed to identify serotypes of pneumococcal strains causing IPD in children in Turkey and emphasize the change in the serotypes before and after vaccination with 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-7) was included and PCV-13 was newly changed in Turkish National Immunization Program. Streptococcus pneumoniae strains were isolated at 22 different hospitals of Turkey, which provide healthcare services to approximately 65% of the Turkish population. Of the 335 diagnosed cases with S. pneumoniae over the whole period of 2008-2014, the most common vaccine serotypes were 19F (15.8%), 6B (5.9%), 14 (5.9%), and 3 (5.9%). During the first 5 y of age, which is the target population for vaccination, the potential serotype coverage ranged from 57.5 % to 36.8%, from 65.0% to 44.7%, and from 77.4% to 60.5% for PCV-7, PCV-10, and PCV-13 in 2008-2014, respectively. The ratio of non-vaccine serotypes was 27.2% in 2008-2010 whereas was 37.6% in 2011-2014 (p=0.045). S. penumoniae serotypes was less non-susceptible to penicillin as compared to our previous results (33.7 vs 16.5 %, p=0.001). The reduction of those serotype coverage in years may be attributed to increasing vaccinated children in Turkey and the increasing non-vaccine serotype may be explained by serotype replacement. Our ongoing IPD surveillance is a significant source of information for the decision-making processes on pneumococcal vaccination.

In this study, bactericidal activity of microwave, ultraviolet (UV) and some of disinfectant solutions such as 1% Setridif and 2% Lysoformin and salina solution were investigated. Some bacterial strains such as Proteus vu1garis (6/10/225 RSKK), Bacillus cereus (RSKK 5127), Staphylococcus aureus (RSKK 395), , Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Listeria monocytogenes were selected for this purpose. One minutes of microwave exposure was enough to destruct all the bacterial strains used in this study except B.cereus. We observed that 5 minutes of microwave exposure was not enough for destruction of B.cereus. However, any of B.cereus was not observed for 10 minutes of microwave exposure. On the other hand, three minutes of UV exposure was found enough for destruction of S. aerus and P. aeruginosa. 5 minutes of UV exposure was found necessary for destruction of P.vulgaris and L.monocytogenes. However, we observed that at least 10 minutes of UV exposure was necessary to destruct E.coli and B. cereus. 30, 45 and 60 minutes of salina treatment was not observed as destructive agent for bacterial strains under investigation. 30 minutes of setridif and lysoformin treatment was found enough for destruction of E. coli, S. aureus and L. monocytogenes. 30, 45 and 60 minutes of setridif treatment was not found enough for destruction of P.vulgaris and B.cereus while 30 minutes of lysoformin was found enough for bactericidal activity. 45 minutes of setridif was enough for destruction of P.aeruginosa while 30, 45 and 60 minutes of lysoformin was not enough for bactericidal activity of same bacteria. In conclusion, these findings emphasize the need for caution in selecting an appropriate disinfectant or physical agents such as microwave and UV to use on contaminated surfaces.

The authors describe a case of phthiriasis palpebrarum embedded in the right upper eyelid of a 9-month-old male infant. The patient was successfully treated with mechanical removal of all lice and nits from the eyelashes. In children, phthiriasis palpebrarum should be considered in the differential diagnosis of blepharoconjunctivitis that is resistant to treatment.