Servet Uluer - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Servet Uluer

Research paper thumbnail of Genotyping of Hepatitis C Virus by Direct Sequence Analysis of Polymerase Chain Reaction Products

DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Jun 1, 2002

Research paper thumbnail of Successful treatment of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in an immunocompetent host

Respirology, Jun 1, 2005

: Immunocompromised individuals are susceptible to pulmonary Aspergillus infection, but invasive... more : Immunocompromised individuals are susceptible to pulmonary Aspergillus infection, but invasive Aspergillus infection is extremely rare in the presence of normal immunity. A case of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in an immunocompetent 57‐year‐old female who was successfully treated with liposomal amphotericin‐B is reported here.

Research paper thumbnail of In vitro activity of linezolid & quinupristin/dalfopristin against Gram-positive cocci

PubMed, Dec 1, 2004

Background & objectives: Since the incidence of vancomycin- and methicillin-resistant Gram-positi... more Background & objectives: Since the incidence of vancomycin- and methicillin-resistant Gram-positive infections continue to increase, novel antimicrobials such as linezolid and streptogramin may provide new options to treat patients. The aim of this study was to investigate in vitro susceptibility of Enterococcus faecium resistant to glycopeptides, coagulase negative staphylococci and S. aureus resistant to methicillin isolated mainly from blood and also rectal swab cultures of patients against quinupristin/dalfopristin and linezolid. Methods: The in vitro susceptibility to linezolid and quinupristin/dalfopristin for a total of 332 isolates of Gram-positive cocci [127 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, 109 methicillin-resistant coagulase negative staphylococci (71 S. epidermidis, 38 S. haemolyticus) and 96 vanA genotype vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium] was investigated by E test. Results: All MRSA and MRCoNS isolates were susceptible to linezolid (MICs < 4.0 mg/l). Ninety per cent of VRE isolates were inhibited by linezolid at concentration of 2.0 mg/l and presented similar activities to quinupristin/dalfopristin. MICs for quinupristin/dalfopristin against staphylococci were also low (MIC(90) = 1.0 mg/l for both MRSA and MRCoNS isolates). Interpretation & conclusion: The results of the present study demonstrated that quinupristin/ dalfopristin and linezolid, have good in vitro activity against MRSA, MRCoNS and vancomycin resistant E. faecium in Turkey. These drugs could be promising therapeutic options in an era of rapidly growing antibiotic resistance in all parts of world.

Research paper thumbnail of Molecular Genetic Analysis of Nucleotide Polymorphisms Associated with Ethambutol Resistance in Human Isolates of <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i>

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Feb 1, 2000

Ethambutol (EMB) is a central component of drug regimens used worldwide for the treatment of tube... more Ethambutol (EMB) is a central component of drug regimens used worldwide for the treatment of tuberculosis. To gain insight into the molecular genetic basis of EMB resistance, approximately 2 Mb of five chromosomal regions with 12 genes in 75 epidemiologically unassociated EMB-resistant and 33 EMB-susceptible Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains isolated from human patients were sequenced. Seventy-six percent of EMBresistant organisms had an amino acid replacement or other molecular change not found in EMB-susceptible strains. Thirty-eight (51%) EMB-resistant isolates had a resistance-associated mutation in only 1 of the 12 genes sequenced. Nineteen EMB-resistant isolates had resistance-associated nucleotide changes that conferred amino acid replacements or upstream potential regulatory region mutations in two or more genes. Most isolates (68%) with resistance-associated mutations in a single gene had nucleotide changes in embB, a gene encoding an arabinosyltransferase involved in cell wall biosynthesis. The majority of these mutations resulted in amino acid replacements at position 306 or 406 of EmbB. Resistance-associated mutations were also identified in several genes recently shown to be upregulated in response to exposure of M. tuberculosis to EMB in vitro, including genes in the iniA operon. Approximately one-fourth of the organisms studied lacked mutations inferred to participate in EMB resistance, a result indicating that one or more genes that mediate resistance to this drug remain to be discovered. Taken together, the results indicate that there are multiple molecular pathways to the EMB resistance phenotype.

Research paper thumbnail of Hepatit B virus kantitasyonunda iki farklı gerçek zamanlı PCR testinin karşılaştırılması: COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan ve ARTHUS QS-RGQ KİT

DergiPark (Istanbul University), Dec 1, 2012

Amaç: Çalışmamızda Cobas AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HBV test v.2 (Roche Molecular Systems, ABD) ve Ar... more Amaç: Çalışmamızda Cobas AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HBV test v.2 (Roche Molecular Systems, ABD) ve Arthus HBV QS-RGQ Kit (Qiagen, Almanya) testlerinin karşılaştırılması amaçlanmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntem: Onsekiz klinik plazma örneği ve sekiz QCMD kalite kontrol örneği çalışmaya dahil edildi. Nükleik asit ekstraksiyonları ve amplifikasyonları firma önerileri doğrultusunda gerçekleştirildi. Arthus HBV QS-RGQ Kit test içi ve testler arası değerlendirmeleri için tüm örnekler aynı çalışmada çift çalışıldı ve başka bir çalışma gününde bir kez daha tekrar edildi. Elde edilen sonuçların log10 değerleri regresyon analizi ile değerlendirildi. Bulgular: COBAS TaqMan HBV test v.2 sonuçları ile Arthus HBV QS-RGQ Kit sonuçlarının ortalamaları ile karşılaştırıldığında logaritmik fark 0.08-1.26 arasında ve regresyon analizinde katsayı 0.91 (R2=0.91) olarak bulundu. Arthus HBV QS-RGQ Kit testler arası ve test içi değerlendirmelerinde logaritmik farklar sırasıyla 0.07-0.41 ve 0.02-0.19; regresyon analizinde katsayı her iki durum için de 0.99 (R2 =0.99) olarak hesaplandı. Arthus HBV QS-RGQ Kit kalite kontrol serumu sonuçları ortalamaları beklenen QCMD sonuçları ile karşılaştırıldığında logaritmik fark 0.60-0.89 arasında ve regresyon analizinde katsayı 0.99 (R2 =0.99) olarak bulundu. Arthus HBV QS-RGQ Kit testler arası ve test içi değerlendirmelerinde logaritmik farklar sırasıyla 0.04-0.1 ve 0.01-0.07; regresyon analizinde katsayı her ikisi için de 0.99 (R2 =0.99) olarak hesaplandı. Sonuç: Çalışmamızda Arthus HBV QS-RGQ Kit ile HBV DNA kantitasyonunda elde edilen klinik ve kalite kontrol sonuçlarının güvenilir ve tekrarlanabilir olduğu; COBAS TaqMan HBV test v.2 ve Arthus HBV QS-RGQ Kit sonuçlarının karşılaştırılabilir olduğu görüldü. Bir hasta örneği hariç bütün logaritmik farklar 1 log değeri altındaydı. Çalışmamızda elde edilen karşılaştırılabilir sonuçlara rağmen klinikte hasta takibinde aynı test kullanımı prensibi önemini korumaktadır.

Research paper thumbnail of Blood donation: Great opportunity for screening diabetes risk

International Journal of Diabetes in Developing Countries, Jan 14, 2015

Dear editor, Hyperglycemia is a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. According to th... more Dear editor, Hyperglycemia is a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), in 2011, 366 million people have DM, estimated to reach a total of 552 millions in 2030[1]. DM prevalence is rapidly increasing in Turkey according to the Turkey Diabetes Epidemiology Project (TURDEP), estimated at 7.2 % in the TURDEP-I in 2002, compared to a nearly double rate of 13.7 % in 2011 according to TURDEP-II [2]. Early detection of DM and maintaining blood glucose at a desired level is crucial for the prevention of complications. Communitybased, large-scale studies which require a fasting blood sample may miss young adult working males [3, 4]. Blood donations might represent an opportunity to screen adults, especially young working male population for the risk of diabetes. Thus, aim of this study was to determine the risk of diabetes among blood donors and the effecting factors. In this cross-sectional study, sample

Research paper thumbnail of Prevalence of Transmitted Drug Resistance among HIV-1 Patients in the Aegean Region: Results from the Western Part of Turkey

Current HIV Research, Mar 1, 2023

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the antiretroviral drug resistance in antiretroviral trea... more Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the antiretroviral drug resistance in antiretroviral treatment-naïve HIV-positive patients in the Aegean Region of Turkey from 2012 to 2019. Methods: The study included 814 plasma samples from treatment-naïve HIV-positive patients. Drug resistance analysis was performed by Sanger sequencing (SS) between 2012-2017 and by next-generation sequencing sequencing (NGS) between 2018-2019. SS was used to analyze resistance mutations in the protease (PR) and reverse transcriptase (RT) gene regions using a ViroSeq HIV-1 Genotyping System. PCR products were analyzed with an ABI3500 GeneticAnalyzer (Applied Biosystems). The sequencing of the HIV genome in the PR, RT, and integrase gene regions was carried out using MiSeq NGS technology. Drug resistance mutations and subtypes were interpreted using the Stanford University HIV-1 drug resistance database. Results: Transmitted drug resistance (TDR) mutation was detected in 34/814 (4.1 %) samples. Nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI), and protease inhibitor (PI) mutations were identified in 1.4 % (n =12), 2.4 % (n =20), and 0.3 % (n = 3) of samples, respectively. The most common subtypes were B (53.1 %), A (10.9%), CRF29_BF (10.6%), and B + CRF02_AG (8,2%). The most common TDR mutations were E138A (3.4%), T215 revertants (1.7%), M41L (1.5%), and K103N (1.1%). Conclusion: Transmitted drug resistance rate in the Aegean Region is compatible with national and regional data. Routine surveillance of resistance mutations may guide the safe and correct selection of initial drug combinations for antiretroviral therapy. The identification of HIV-1 subtypes and recombinant forms in Turkey may contribute to international molecular epidemiological data.

Research paper thumbnail of Hiv Seropositivity Rates Among the Samples Analysed in Diagnosic Laboratory and Among Blood Donors in a University Hospital in the Western Part of Turkey (İzmi̇r) (2009-2014)

8th Cuban Congress on Microbiology and Parasitology, 5th National Congress on Tropical Medicine and 5th International Symposium on HIV/aids infection in Cuba, Aug 16, 2014

The first HIV AIDS case in Turkey was diagnosed in 1985. HIV-1 subtype B is the dominant type in ... more The first HIV AIDS case in Turkey was diagnosed in 1985. HIV-1 subtype B is the dominant type in Turkey, followed by circulating recombinant forms (CRF). It is aimed to determine the HIV seropositivity rates among the samples sent for anti-HIV 1/2 test to the diagnostic Virology laboratory of Ege University Hospital and blood donors attended to the Blood Bank of Ege University during five years (June 2009 to June 2014). Method: HIV infection is screened with anti-HIV 1/2 test (Architect, Abbott, USA), samples found to be positive are repeated with another system (Vidas, BioMerieux; USA). Supplemental (confirmatory) test is performed with Inno-LIA (Innogenetics, Belgium). HIV-1 viral load test is performed when HIV infection is confirmed. Results: Anti-HIV test had been performed on 93917 serum samples (52810 females, 41107 males) in the diagnostic laboratory and 113055 blood donors. HIV-1 infection was confirmed in 135 (0.14%) patients (31 females, 104 males) in the diagnostic laboratory. Majority of the patiens belonged to the age group 25-49 (52.37%), followed by age groups; over 49 (26.10%), 15-24 (11.27%), and 0-14 (10.25%). Anti-HIV screening test was found to be positive in 50 donors (0.044%). They were called, 33 came and seven donors were confirmed and HIV-1 RNA was found to be positive (0.0062%). Conclusion: HIV infection rate seems to be low in this region, but it deserves attention and concern. More effort should be given to reach the HIV positive cases.

Research paper thumbnail of Mikrobiyolojik, Serolojik Tarama/Doğrulama ve Nükleik Asit Testleri

Turkiye Klinikleri Hematology - Special Topics, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of HIV-1 Subtype Distribution Determined by Phylogenetic Analysis of pol Gene Sequences and Automated Subtyping Tools among HIV-1 Isolates from the Aegian Region of Turkey

Mikrobiyoloji Bulteni, Jul 25, 2014

Yüksek genetik değişkenlik gösteren insan immün yetmezlik virusu (HIV)'nun, HIV-1 (grup M, N, O v... more Yüksek genetik değişkenlik gösteren insan immün yetmezlik virusu (HIV)'nun, HIV-1 (grup M, N, O ve P) ve HIV-2 (grup A-H) olmak üzere iki genotipi bulunmaktadır. HIV-1 grup M, dünyadaki enfeksiyonların önemli bir bölümünden sorumludur ve dokuz alttip, 45'ten fazla dolaşan rekombinant form (CRF) ve çok sayıda özgün rekombinant formlardan (URF) oluşmaktadır. Türkiye'de, Haziran 2013 tarihine kadar, Sağlık Bakanlığı verilerine göre 1096'sı AIDS'li olmak üzere toplam 6802 HIV pozitif olgu bildirilmiştir. Ülkemizde alttip B dominant olarak görülse de, son yıllarda yapılan yayınlarda tüm dünya ile paralel olarak artan oranda CRF'ler bildirilmektedir. Bu çalışmada, kurumumuza Nisan 2008-Haziran 2013 tarihleri arasında başvuran 70 hastadan (61 erkek, 9 kadın; yaş aralığı: 16-73 yıl, yaş ortalaması: 39.6 yıl) izole edilen HIV-1 izolatlarının alttip dağılımlarının belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Alttiplendirme için, pol gen bölgelerinin filogenetik analizi ile birlikte Stanford HIVdb v6.2.0 ve Rega v3.0 otomatize araçları kullanılmıştır. Los Alamos Ulusal Laboratuvarı HIV-1 2010 referans dizi seti ve Gen Bankasından elde edilen kökenlerin tüm genomlarından, pol gen bölgelerinin 1302 baz çiftlik bölümü kesilerek kullanılmış; filogenetik analiz

Research paper thumbnail of Probable hepatitis C virus transmission from a seronegative blood donor via cellular blood products

PubMed, 2014

Dear Sir, After the discovery of hepatitis C virus (HCV) as a cause of non-A, non-B hepatitis, sc... more Dear Sir, After the discovery of hepatitis C virus (HCV) as a cause of non-A, non-B hepatitis, screening among blood donors was initiated to ensure a safe blood supply. In spite of highly sensitive and specific third-generation HCV antibody tests, as also recommended by the World Health Organization1, screening for HCV infection using anti-HCV alone is not fully effective because of the window period, which lasts 45–68 days. In many developed countries the introduction of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAT) for donor screening has decreased the risk of viral transmission via blood transfusion. HCV transmission by blood products is still a problem in developing countries in which NAT cannot be implemented because of high cost and the requirement for particular technical skills. Here we present a case of probable transfusion-transmitted HCV infection in the absence of NAT. A 33-year old female came to make a first donation in October 2011. Mandatory donor blood tests were performed by an Abbott Architect i2000sr analyser using Abbott Architect HBsAg Qualitative II, Anti HCV, HIV Ag/Ab Combo and Syphilis TP Reagent Kits (Abbott Diagnostics, Wiesbaden, Germany). Tests for hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg), HCV, human immunodeficiency antigen and antibody (HIV Ag/Ab) and treponomal antibody were negative. No probable risk was identified in her donor questionnaire. She was accepted as a healthy blood donor. Three weeks later, she came back to report that her liver function tests had been found to be high during a routine check-up. Her blood tests were tested again with a new sample and anti-HCV was reactive with a sample-to-cutoff ratio (S/CO) of 5.8. The HCV RNA viral load was 7,849,700 IU/mL as measured with an Abbott Real Time HCV RNA Assay (Abbott Molecular, Des Plaines, IL, USA). Liver function tests were elevated (aspartate aminotransferase [AST]: 144 U/L; alanine aminotransferase [ALT]: 266 U/L). The archived material from the first donation was retested for HCV. The anti-HCV test was negative but HCV RNA testing yielded a positive result with a viral load of 22,039,549 IU/mL. The donor was diagnosed as having an acute HCV infection and started treatment with pegylated interferon alpha-2a monotherapy (180 μg/week) for 24 weeks. At week 4 of therapy, her viral load was 21 IU/mL. AST and ALT levels were 35 U/L and 48 U/L respectively. At week 12, the HCV RNA test was negative and liver function tests had returned to normal (AST and ALT levels were both 19 U/L). Blood components from the donor were tracked and look back examinations in recipients identified two patients who had been transfused with red blood cells and platelets. The plasma unit collected from the donor had not been used and was destroyed. The red blood cell unit had been transfused into a 44-year old female who had been admitted to the Emergency Service complaining of malaise and fatigue and whose haemoglobin and haematocrit values were found to be 6.7 g/dL and 25%, respectively. The platelet unit had been transfused into a 19-year old male with myeloid leukaemia who was an inpatient in the Haematology Department and had received several blood components because of his disease. After identification of the recipients, they were notified and invited to undergo further laboratory tests by the blood bank medical doctors. For both recipients it was the 16th day after transfusion with the HCV-infected blood products when we were able to collect their blood samples for anti-HCV and HCV-RNA tests. The female recipient had a negative anti-HCV test, a positive HCV-RNA test with a viral load of 24,988,013 IU/mL and abnormal liver function tests with elevated AST (151 U/L) and ALT (181 U/L). She started monotherapy with pegylated interferon alpha-2a (180 μg/week) for 24 weeks as treatment for acute HCV infection. At week 4 of therapy the anti-HCV test was weakly positive and the HCV viral load was 160 IU/mL. At week 24 of therapy the HCV RNA test was negative and serum AST and ALT levels were 12 U/L and 8 U/L, respectively. The male recipient had a negative anti-HCV test, and a viral load of HCV RNA of 8,300,192 IU/mL. No therapy for HCV infection was initiated due to his clinical condition and the medications for his primary disease. During follow-up controls the anti-HCV test was always negative and his viral loads (26,365,187 IU/mL and 32,881,519 IU/mL) remained high. Table I shows the HCV test results of the donor and the recipients. Table I HCV test results of the donor and the recipients. Archived material collected from the donor in October 2011 was also analysed for anti-HCV with three other systems. Anti-HCV was non-reactive with anti-HCV II (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany) (COI 0.048) on Modular Analytics E170 (Roche Diagnostics GmbH); Advia Centaur HCV test v3 (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USA) (Index 0.06) on Advia Centaur XP (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc.) and Vitros anti-HCV Assay (Ortho…

Research paper thumbnail of Hepatit C virüsünün polimeraz zincir reaksiyonu ürünlerinin doğrudan dizi analizi ile genotiplemesi

Flora infeksiyon hastalıkları ve klinik mikrobiyoloji dergisi, 2002

Research paper thumbnail of Hepatit C virüsünün polimeraz zincir reaksiyonu ürünlerinin doğrudan dizi analizi ile genotiplemesi

Flora infeksiyon hastalıkları ve klinik mikrobiyoloji dergisi, 2002

Research paper thumbnail of Use of Nucleic Acid Probes for Identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Directly from MB/BacT Bottles

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 1999

The feasibility of using nucleic acid probes directly from positive MB/BacT broth to identify myc... more The feasibility of using nucleic acid probes directly from positive MB/BacT broth to identify mycobacteria was determined in this study. A total number of 2,727 specimens were cultured into the MB/BacT (Organon Teknika) automated system and on conventional Loweinstein-Jensen (LJ) slants. The Gen-Probe AccuProbe culture identification tests (DNA probes) were used on samples from bottles which were identified as positive for mycobacteria by MB/BacT. Samples of positive MB/BacT broth (0.1 ml) were used directly in the broth culture method for the DNA probes as published by Gen-Probe. Centrifugation of the contents of the bottle was not done prior to probe testing. The number of mycobacteria detected by MB/BacT and LJ was 253 (221 isolates of M. tuberculosis and 32 isolates of mycobacteria other than M. tuberculosis [MOTT]). A total of 96.4% (213 of 221) of the bottles growing M. tuberculosis produced a positive direct DNA probe result for M. tuberculosis complex. One hundred percent (1...

Research paper thumbnail of Cord Formation in MB/BacT Medium Is a Reliable Criterion for Presumptive Identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex in Laboratories with High Prevalence ofM. tuberculosis

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 1999

We evaluated cord formation in MB/BacT broth as a rapid method for presumptive identification of ... more We evaluated cord formation in MB/BacT broth as a rapid method for presumptive identification of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Kinyoun acid-fast-stained smears from 370 positive MB/BacT bottles were examined for the presence of serpentine cording. The smears were examined independently by two observers. Observer 1 (the supervisor of the mycobacteriology laboratory) examined all of the smears while observer 2 (a clinical microbiologist not familiar with acid-fast bacillus [AFB] microscopy) examined 148 randomly chosen smears that were read by observer 1 without knowledge of which smear was which. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of cording for the presumptive identification of M. tuberculosis read by observer 1 were 88.2, 97.4, 99.2, and 69.7%, respectively. These values were reported at 90.6, 52.3, 82.8, and 69.7%, respectively, by observer 2. Our laboratory prevalence of M. tuberculosis among positive cultures was 78% during the ti...

Research paper thumbnail of Failure to detect Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA in cerebral aneursymal sac tissue with two different polymerase chain reaction methods

Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 2003

Research paper thumbnail of Genotyping of Hepatitis C Virus by Direct Sequence Analysis of Polymerase Chain Reaction Products

Flora Infeksiyon Hastalıkları ve Klinik Mikrobiyoloji Dergisi, 2002

Genotyping of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has become important and clinical interest has increased be... more Genotyping of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has become important and clinical interest has increased because of its associations with response to therapy and progless of disease. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis is useful in epidemiological studies. The aim of this study is to evaluate the routine use of direct sequence analysis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products for determining HCV genotypes and phylogenetic analysis. Fifty serum samples found to be HCV RNA positive by Cobas Amplicor test (Roche Molecular Systems, Branchburg NJ) were included in the study. Genotyping was based upon regions identified as discriminative within 184 base pairs of 5' noncoding region (NCR) of viral genome. Nucleotide sequences were determined by using Big Dye Terminator kit with ABI Prism 310 DNA sequencer (PE Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif.) and were aligned using Clustal W program. Phylogenetic tree was constructed by Treecon program. Genotyping could be achieved with 45 serum samples...

Research paper thumbnail of GB virus C/hepatitis G virus infection among renal transplant recipients in İzmir, Turkey: Molecular analysis of phylogenetic groups

International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2002

Research paper thumbnail of Molecular Genetic Analysis of Nucleotide Polymorphisms Associated with Ethambutol Resistance in Human Isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 2000

Ethambutol (EMB) is a central component of drug regimens used worldwide for the treatment of tube... more Ethambutol (EMB) is a central component of drug regimens used worldwide for the treatment of tuberculosis. To gain insight into the molecular genetic basis of EMB resistance, approximately 2 Mb of five chromosomal regions with 12 genes in 75 epidemiologically unassociated EMB-resistant and 33 EMB-susceptible Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains isolated from human patients were sequenced. Seventy-six percent of EMB-resistant organisms had an amino acid replacement or other molecular change not found in EMB-susceptible strains. Thirty-eight (51%) EMB-resistant isolates had a resistance-associated mutation in only 1 of the 12 genes sequenced. Nineteen EMB-resistant isolates had resistance-associated nucleotide changes that conferred amino acid replacements or upstream potential regulatory region mutations in two or more genes. Most isolates (68%) with resistance-associated mutations in a single gene had nucleotide changes in embB , a gene encoding an arabinosyltransferase involved in ce...

Research paper thumbnail of Hiv Seropositivity Rates Among the Samples Analysed in Diagnosic Laboratory and Among Blood Donors in a University Hospital in the Western Part of Turkey (İzmi̇r) (2009-2014)

The first HIV AIDS case in Turkey was diagnosed in 1985. HIV-1 subtype B is the dominant type in ... more The first HIV AIDS case in Turkey was diagnosed in 1985. HIV-1 subtype B is the dominant type in Turkey, followed by circulating recombinant forms (CRF). It is aimed to determine the HIV seropositivity rates among the samples sent for anti-HIV 1/2 test to the diagnostic Virology laboratory of Ege University Hospital and blood donors attended to the Blood Bank of Ege University during five years (June 2009 to June 2014). Method: HIV infection is screened with anti-HIV 1/2 test (Architect, Abbott, USA), samples found to be positive are repeated with another system (Vidas, BioMerieux; USA). Supplemental (confirmatory) test is performed with Inno-LIA (Innogenetics, Belgium). HIV-1 viral load test is performed when HIV infection is confirmed. Results: Anti-HIV test had been performed on 93917 serum samples (52810 females, 41107 males) in the diagnostic laboratory and 113055 blood donors. HIV-1 infection was confirmed in 135 (0.14%) patients (31 females, 104 males) in the diagnostic labor...

Research paper thumbnail of Genotyping of Hepatitis C Virus by Direct Sequence Analysis of Polymerase Chain Reaction Products

DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Jun 1, 2002

Research paper thumbnail of Successful treatment of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in an immunocompetent host

Respirology, Jun 1, 2005

: Immunocompromised individuals are susceptible to pulmonary Aspergillus infection, but invasive... more : Immunocompromised individuals are susceptible to pulmonary Aspergillus infection, but invasive Aspergillus infection is extremely rare in the presence of normal immunity. A case of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in an immunocompetent 57‐year‐old female who was successfully treated with liposomal amphotericin‐B is reported here.

Research paper thumbnail of In vitro activity of linezolid & quinupristin/dalfopristin against Gram-positive cocci

PubMed, Dec 1, 2004

Background & objectives: Since the incidence of vancomycin- and methicillin-resistant Gram-positi... more Background & objectives: Since the incidence of vancomycin- and methicillin-resistant Gram-positive infections continue to increase, novel antimicrobials such as linezolid and streptogramin may provide new options to treat patients. The aim of this study was to investigate in vitro susceptibility of Enterococcus faecium resistant to glycopeptides, coagulase negative staphylococci and S. aureus resistant to methicillin isolated mainly from blood and also rectal swab cultures of patients against quinupristin/dalfopristin and linezolid. Methods: The in vitro susceptibility to linezolid and quinupristin/dalfopristin for a total of 332 isolates of Gram-positive cocci [127 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, 109 methicillin-resistant coagulase negative staphylococci (71 S. epidermidis, 38 S. haemolyticus) and 96 vanA genotype vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium] was investigated by E test. Results: All MRSA and MRCoNS isolates were susceptible to linezolid (MICs < 4.0 mg/l). Ninety per cent of VRE isolates were inhibited by linezolid at concentration of 2.0 mg/l and presented similar activities to quinupristin/dalfopristin. MICs for quinupristin/dalfopristin against staphylococci were also low (MIC(90) = 1.0 mg/l for both MRSA and MRCoNS isolates). Interpretation & conclusion: The results of the present study demonstrated that quinupristin/ dalfopristin and linezolid, have good in vitro activity against MRSA, MRCoNS and vancomycin resistant E. faecium in Turkey. These drugs could be promising therapeutic options in an era of rapidly growing antibiotic resistance in all parts of world.

Research paper thumbnail of Molecular Genetic Analysis of Nucleotide Polymorphisms Associated with Ethambutol Resistance in Human Isolates of <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i>

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Feb 1, 2000

Ethambutol (EMB) is a central component of drug regimens used worldwide for the treatment of tube... more Ethambutol (EMB) is a central component of drug regimens used worldwide for the treatment of tuberculosis. To gain insight into the molecular genetic basis of EMB resistance, approximately 2 Mb of five chromosomal regions with 12 genes in 75 epidemiologically unassociated EMB-resistant and 33 EMB-susceptible Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains isolated from human patients were sequenced. Seventy-six percent of EMBresistant organisms had an amino acid replacement or other molecular change not found in EMB-susceptible strains. Thirty-eight (51%) EMB-resistant isolates had a resistance-associated mutation in only 1 of the 12 genes sequenced. Nineteen EMB-resistant isolates had resistance-associated nucleotide changes that conferred amino acid replacements or upstream potential regulatory region mutations in two or more genes. Most isolates (68%) with resistance-associated mutations in a single gene had nucleotide changes in embB, a gene encoding an arabinosyltransferase involved in cell wall biosynthesis. The majority of these mutations resulted in amino acid replacements at position 306 or 406 of EmbB. Resistance-associated mutations were also identified in several genes recently shown to be upregulated in response to exposure of M. tuberculosis to EMB in vitro, including genes in the iniA operon. Approximately one-fourth of the organisms studied lacked mutations inferred to participate in EMB resistance, a result indicating that one or more genes that mediate resistance to this drug remain to be discovered. Taken together, the results indicate that there are multiple molecular pathways to the EMB resistance phenotype.

Research paper thumbnail of Hepatit B virus kantitasyonunda iki farklı gerçek zamanlı PCR testinin karşılaştırılması: COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan ve ARTHUS QS-RGQ KİT

DergiPark (Istanbul University), Dec 1, 2012

Amaç: Çalışmamızda Cobas AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HBV test v.2 (Roche Molecular Systems, ABD) ve Ar... more Amaç: Çalışmamızda Cobas AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HBV test v.2 (Roche Molecular Systems, ABD) ve Arthus HBV QS-RGQ Kit (Qiagen, Almanya) testlerinin karşılaştırılması amaçlanmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntem: Onsekiz klinik plazma örneği ve sekiz QCMD kalite kontrol örneği çalışmaya dahil edildi. Nükleik asit ekstraksiyonları ve amplifikasyonları firma önerileri doğrultusunda gerçekleştirildi. Arthus HBV QS-RGQ Kit test içi ve testler arası değerlendirmeleri için tüm örnekler aynı çalışmada çift çalışıldı ve başka bir çalışma gününde bir kez daha tekrar edildi. Elde edilen sonuçların log10 değerleri regresyon analizi ile değerlendirildi. Bulgular: COBAS TaqMan HBV test v.2 sonuçları ile Arthus HBV QS-RGQ Kit sonuçlarının ortalamaları ile karşılaştırıldığında logaritmik fark 0.08-1.26 arasında ve regresyon analizinde katsayı 0.91 (R2=0.91) olarak bulundu. Arthus HBV QS-RGQ Kit testler arası ve test içi değerlendirmelerinde logaritmik farklar sırasıyla 0.07-0.41 ve 0.02-0.19; regresyon analizinde katsayı her iki durum için de 0.99 (R2 =0.99) olarak hesaplandı. Arthus HBV QS-RGQ Kit kalite kontrol serumu sonuçları ortalamaları beklenen QCMD sonuçları ile karşılaştırıldığında logaritmik fark 0.60-0.89 arasında ve regresyon analizinde katsayı 0.99 (R2 =0.99) olarak bulundu. Arthus HBV QS-RGQ Kit testler arası ve test içi değerlendirmelerinde logaritmik farklar sırasıyla 0.04-0.1 ve 0.01-0.07; regresyon analizinde katsayı her ikisi için de 0.99 (R2 =0.99) olarak hesaplandı. Sonuç: Çalışmamızda Arthus HBV QS-RGQ Kit ile HBV DNA kantitasyonunda elde edilen klinik ve kalite kontrol sonuçlarının güvenilir ve tekrarlanabilir olduğu; COBAS TaqMan HBV test v.2 ve Arthus HBV QS-RGQ Kit sonuçlarının karşılaştırılabilir olduğu görüldü. Bir hasta örneği hariç bütün logaritmik farklar 1 log değeri altındaydı. Çalışmamızda elde edilen karşılaştırılabilir sonuçlara rağmen klinikte hasta takibinde aynı test kullanımı prensibi önemini korumaktadır.

Research paper thumbnail of Blood donation: Great opportunity for screening diabetes risk

International Journal of Diabetes in Developing Countries, Jan 14, 2015

Dear editor, Hyperglycemia is a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. According to th... more Dear editor, Hyperglycemia is a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), in 2011, 366 million people have DM, estimated to reach a total of 552 millions in 2030[1]. DM prevalence is rapidly increasing in Turkey according to the Turkey Diabetes Epidemiology Project (TURDEP), estimated at 7.2 % in the TURDEP-I in 2002, compared to a nearly double rate of 13.7 % in 2011 according to TURDEP-II [2]. Early detection of DM and maintaining blood glucose at a desired level is crucial for the prevention of complications. Communitybased, large-scale studies which require a fasting blood sample may miss young adult working males [3, 4]. Blood donations might represent an opportunity to screen adults, especially young working male population for the risk of diabetes. Thus, aim of this study was to determine the risk of diabetes among blood donors and the effecting factors. In this cross-sectional study, sample

Research paper thumbnail of Prevalence of Transmitted Drug Resistance among HIV-1 Patients in the Aegean Region: Results from the Western Part of Turkey

Current HIV Research, Mar 1, 2023

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the antiretroviral drug resistance in antiretroviral trea... more Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the antiretroviral drug resistance in antiretroviral treatment-naïve HIV-positive patients in the Aegean Region of Turkey from 2012 to 2019. Methods: The study included 814 plasma samples from treatment-naïve HIV-positive patients. Drug resistance analysis was performed by Sanger sequencing (SS) between 2012-2017 and by next-generation sequencing sequencing (NGS) between 2018-2019. SS was used to analyze resistance mutations in the protease (PR) and reverse transcriptase (RT) gene regions using a ViroSeq HIV-1 Genotyping System. PCR products were analyzed with an ABI3500 GeneticAnalyzer (Applied Biosystems). The sequencing of the HIV genome in the PR, RT, and integrase gene regions was carried out using MiSeq NGS technology. Drug resistance mutations and subtypes were interpreted using the Stanford University HIV-1 drug resistance database. Results: Transmitted drug resistance (TDR) mutation was detected in 34/814 (4.1 %) samples. Nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI), and protease inhibitor (PI) mutations were identified in 1.4 % (n =12), 2.4 % (n =20), and 0.3 % (n = 3) of samples, respectively. The most common subtypes were B (53.1 %), A (10.9%), CRF29_BF (10.6%), and B + CRF02_AG (8,2%). The most common TDR mutations were E138A (3.4%), T215 revertants (1.7%), M41L (1.5%), and K103N (1.1%). Conclusion: Transmitted drug resistance rate in the Aegean Region is compatible with national and regional data. Routine surveillance of resistance mutations may guide the safe and correct selection of initial drug combinations for antiretroviral therapy. The identification of HIV-1 subtypes and recombinant forms in Turkey may contribute to international molecular epidemiological data.

Research paper thumbnail of Hiv Seropositivity Rates Among the Samples Analysed in Diagnosic Laboratory and Among Blood Donors in a University Hospital in the Western Part of Turkey (İzmi̇r) (2009-2014)

8th Cuban Congress on Microbiology and Parasitology, 5th National Congress on Tropical Medicine and 5th International Symposium on HIV/aids infection in Cuba, Aug 16, 2014

The first HIV AIDS case in Turkey was diagnosed in 1985. HIV-1 subtype B is the dominant type in ... more The first HIV AIDS case in Turkey was diagnosed in 1985. HIV-1 subtype B is the dominant type in Turkey, followed by circulating recombinant forms (CRF). It is aimed to determine the HIV seropositivity rates among the samples sent for anti-HIV 1/2 test to the diagnostic Virology laboratory of Ege University Hospital and blood donors attended to the Blood Bank of Ege University during five years (June 2009 to June 2014). Method: HIV infection is screened with anti-HIV 1/2 test (Architect, Abbott, USA), samples found to be positive are repeated with another system (Vidas, BioMerieux; USA). Supplemental (confirmatory) test is performed with Inno-LIA (Innogenetics, Belgium). HIV-1 viral load test is performed when HIV infection is confirmed. Results: Anti-HIV test had been performed on 93917 serum samples (52810 females, 41107 males) in the diagnostic laboratory and 113055 blood donors. HIV-1 infection was confirmed in 135 (0.14%) patients (31 females, 104 males) in the diagnostic laboratory. Majority of the patiens belonged to the age group 25-49 (52.37%), followed by age groups; over 49 (26.10%), 15-24 (11.27%), and 0-14 (10.25%). Anti-HIV screening test was found to be positive in 50 donors (0.044%). They were called, 33 came and seven donors were confirmed and HIV-1 RNA was found to be positive (0.0062%). Conclusion: HIV infection rate seems to be low in this region, but it deserves attention and concern. More effort should be given to reach the HIV positive cases.

Research paper thumbnail of Mikrobiyolojik, Serolojik Tarama/Doğrulama ve Nükleik Asit Testleri

Turkiye Klinikleri Hematology - Special Topics, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of HIV-1 Subtype Distribution Determined by Phylogenetic Analysis of pol Gene Sequences and Automated Subtyping Tools among HIV-1 Isolates from the Aegian Region of Turkey

Mikrobiyoloji Bulteni, Jul 25, 2014

Yüksek genetik değişkenlik gösteren insan immün yetmezlik virusu (HIV)'nun, HIV-1 (grup M, N, O v... more Yüksek genetik değişkenlik gösteren insan immün yetmezlik virusu (HIV)'nun, HIV-1 (grup M, N, O ve P) ve HIV-2 (grup A-H) olmak üzere iki genotipi bulunmaktadır. HIV-1 grup M, dünyadaki enfeksiyonların önemli bir bölümünden sorumludur ve dokuz alttip, 45'ten fazla dolaşan rekombinant form (CRF) ve çok sayıda özgün rekombinant formlardan (URF) oluşmaktadır. Türkiye'de, Haziran 2013 tarihine kadar, Sağlık Bakanlığı verilerine göre 1096'sı AIDS'li olmak üzere toplam 6802 HIV pozitif olgu bildirilmiştir. Ülkemizde alttip B dominant olarak görülse de, son yıllarda yapılan yayınlarda tüm dünya ile paralel olarak artan oranda CRF'ler bildirilmektedir. Bu çalışmada, kurumumuza Nisan 2008-Haziran 2013 tarihleri arasında başvuran 70 hastadan (61 erkek, 9 kadın; yaş aralığı: 16-73 yıl, yaş ortalaması: 39.6 yıl) izole edilen HIV-1 izolatlarının alttip dağılımlarının belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Alttiplendirme için, pol gen bölgelerinin filogenetik analizi ile birlikte Stanford HIVdb v6.2.0 ve Rega v3.0 otomatize araçları kullanılmıştır. Los Alamos Ulusal Laboratuvarı HIV-1 2010 referans dizi seti ve Gen Bankasından elde edilen kökenlerin tüm genomlarından, pol gen bölgelerinin 1302 baz çiftlik bölümü kesilerek kullanılmış; filogenetik analiz

Research paper thumbnail of Probable hepatitis C virus transmission from a seronegative blood donor via cellular blood products

PubMed, 2014

Dear Sir, After the discovery of hepatitis C virus (HCV) as a cause of non-A, non-B hepatitis, sc... more Dear Sir, After the discovery of hepatitis C virus (HCV) as a cause of non-A, non-B hepatitis, screening among blood donors was initiated to ensure a safe blood supply. In spite of highly sensitive and specific third-generation HCV antibody tests, as also recommended by the World Health Organization1, screening for HCV infection using anti-HCV alone is not fully effective because of the window period, which lasts 45–68 days. In many developed countries the introduction of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAT) for donor screening has decreased the risk of viral transmission via blood transfusion. HCV transmission by blood products is still a problem in developing countries in which NAT cannot be implemented because of high cost and the requirement for particular technical skills. Here we present a case of probable transfusion-transmitted HCV infection in the absence of NAT. A 33-year old female came to make a first donation in October 2011. Mandatory donor blood tests were performed by an Abbott Architect i2000sr analyser using Abbott Architect HBsAg Qualitative II, Anti HCV, HIV Ag/Ab Combo and Syphilis TP Reagent Kits (Abbott Diagnostics, Wiesbaden, Germany). Tests for hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg), HCV, human immunodeficiency antigen and antibody (HIV Ag/Ab) and treponomal antibody were negative. No probable risk was identified in her donor questionnaire. She was accepted as a healthy blood donor. Three weeks later, she came back to report that her liver function tests had been found to be high during a routine check-up. Her blood tests were tested again with a new sample and anti-HCV was reactive with a sample-to-cutoff ratio (S/CO) of 5.8. The HCV RNA viral load was 7,849,700 IU/mL as measured with an Abbott Real Time HCV RNA Assay (Abbott Molecular, Des Plaines, IL, USA). Liver function tests were elevated (aspartate aminotransferase [AST]: 144 U/L; alanine aminotransferase [ALT]: 266 U/L). The archived material from the first donation was retested for HCV. The anti-HCV test was negative but HCV RNA testing yielded a positive result with a viral load of 22,039,549 IU/mL. The donor was diagnosed as having an acute HCV infection and started treatment with pegylated interferon alpha-2a monotherapy (180 μg/week) for 24 weeks. At week 4 of therapy, her viral load was 21 IU/mL. AST and ALT levels were 35 U/L and 48 U/L respectively. At week 12, the HCV RNA test was negative and liver function tests had returned to normal (AST and ALT levels were both 19 U/L). Blood components from the donor were tracked and look back examinations in recipients identified two patients who had been transfused with red blood cells and platelets. The plasma unit collected from the donor had not been used and was destroyed. The red blood cell unit had been transfused into a 44-year old female who had been admitted to the Emergency Service complaining of malaise and fatigue and whose haemoglobin and haematocrit values were found to be 6.7 g/dL and 25%, respectively. The platelet unit had been transfused into a 19-year old male with myeloid leukaemia who was an inpatient in the Haematology Department and had received several blood components because of his disease. After identification of the recipients, they were notified and invited to undergo further laboratory tests by the blood bank medical doctors. For both recipients it was the 16th day after transfusion with the HCV-infected blood products when we were able to collect their blood samples for anti-HCV and HCV-RNA tests. The female recipient had a negative anti-HCV test, a positive HCV-RNA test with a viral load of 24,988,013 IU/mL and abnormal liver function tests with elevated AST (151 U/L) and ALT (181 U/L). She started monotherapy with pegylated interferon alpha-2a (180 μg/week) for 24 weeks as treatment for acute HCV infection. At week 4 of therapy the anti-HCV test was weakly positive and the HCV viral load was 160 IU/mL. At week 24 of therapy the HCV RNA test was negative and serum AST and ALT levels were 12 U/L and 8 U/L, respectively. The male recipient had a negative anti-HCV test, and a viral load of HCV RNA of 8,300,192 IU/mL. No therapy for HCV infection was initiated due to his clinical condition and the medications for his primary disease. During follow-up controls the anti-HCV test was always negative and his viral loads (26,365,187 IU/mL and 32,881,519 IU/mL) remained high. Table I shows the HCV test results of the donor and the recipients. Table I HCV test results of the donor and the recipients. Archived material collected from the donor in October 2011 was also analysed for anti-HCV with three other systems. Anti-HCV was non-reactive with anti-HCV II (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany) (COI 0.048) on Modular Analytics E170 (Roche Diagnostics GmbH); Advia Centaur HCV test v3 (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USA) (Index 0.06) on Advia Centaur XP (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc.) and Vitros anti-HCV Assay (Ortho…

Research paper thumbnail of Hepatit C virüsünün polimeraz zincir reaksiyonu ürünlerinin doğrudan dizi analizi ile genotiplemesi

Flora infeksiyon hastalıkları ve klinik mikrobiyoloji dergisi, 2002

Research paper thumbnail of Hepatit C virüsünün polimeraz zincir reaksiyonu ürünlerinin doğrudan dizi analizi ile genotiplemesi

Flora infeksiyon hastalıkları ve klinik mikrobiyoloji dergisi, 2002

Research paper thumbnail of Use of Nucleic Acid Probes for Identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Directly from MB/BacT Bottles

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 1999

The feasibility of using nucleic acid probes directly from positive MB/BacT broth to identify myc... more The feasibility of using nucleic acid probes directly from positive MB/BacT broth to identify mycobacteria was determined in this study. A total number of 2,727 specimens were cultured into the MB/BacT (Organon Teknika) automated system and on conventional Loweinstein-Jensen (LJ) slants. The Gen-Probe AccuProbe culture identification tests (DNA probes) were used on samples from bottles which were identified as positive for mycobacteria by MB/BacT. Samples of positive MB/BacT broth (0.1 ml) were used directly in the broth culture method for the DNA probes as published by Gen-Probe. Centrifugation of the contents of the bottle was not done prior to probe testing. The number of mycobacteria detected by MB/BacT and LJ was 253 (221 isolates of M. tuberculosis and 32 isolates of mycobacteria other than M. tuberculosis [MOTT]). A total of 96.4% (213 of 221) of the bottles growing M. tuberculosis produced a positive direct DNA probe result for M. tuberculosis complex. One hundred percent (1...

Research paper thumbnail of Cord Formation in MB/BacT Medium Is a Reliable Criterion for Presumptive Identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex in Laboratories with High Prevalence ofM. tuberculosis

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 1999

We evaluated cord formation in MB/BacT broth as a rapid method for presumptive identification of ... more We evaluated cord formation in MB/BacT broth as a rapid method for presumptive identification of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Kinyoun acid-fast-stained smears from 370 positive MB/BacT bottles were examined for the presence of serpentine cording. The smears were examined independently by two observers. Observer 1 (the supervisor of the mycobacteriology laboratory) examined all of the smears while observer 2 (a clinical microbiologist not familiar with acid-fast bacillus [AFB] microscopy) examined 148 randomly chosen smears that were read by observer 1 without knowledge of which smear was which. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of cording for the presumptive identification of M. tuberculosis read by observer 1 were 88.2, 97.4, 99.2, and 69.7%, respectively. These values were reported at 90.6, 52.3, 82.8, and 69.7%, respectively, by observer 2. Our laboratory prevalence of M. tuberculosis among positive cultures was 78% during the ti...

Research paper thumbnail of Failure to detect Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA in cerebral aneursymal sac tissue with two different polymerase chain reaction methods

Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 2003

Research paper thumbnail of Genotyping of Hepatitis C Virus by Direct Sequence Analysis of Polymerase Chain Reaction Products

Flora Infeksiyon Hastalıkları ve Klinik Mikrobiyoloji Dergisi, 2002

Genotyping of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has become important and clinical interest has increased be... more Genotyping of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has become important and clinical interest has increased because of its associations with response to therapy and progless of disease. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis is useful in epidemiological studies. The aim of this study is to evaluate the routine use of direct sequence analysis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products for determining HCV genotypes and phylogenetic analysis. Fifty serum samples found to be HCV RNA positive by Cobas Amplicor test (Roche Molecular Systems, Branchburg NJ) were included in the study. Genotyping was based upon regions identified as discriminative within 184 base pairs of 5' noncoding region (NCR) of viral genome. Nucleotide sequences were determined by using Big Dye Terminator kit with ABI Prism 310 DNA sequencer (PE Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif.) and were aligned using Clustal W program. Phylogenetic tree was constructed by Treecon program. Genotyping could be achieved with 45 serum samples...

Research paper thumbnail of GB virus C/hepatitis G virus infection among renal transplant recipients in İzmir, Turkey: Molecular analysis of phylogenetic groups

International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2002

Research paper thumbnail of Molecular Genetic Analysis of Nucleotide Polymorphisms Associated with Ethambutol Resistance in Human Isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 2000

Ethambutol (EMB) is a central component of drug regimens used worldwide for the treatment of tube... more Ethambutol (EMB) is a central component of drug regimens used worldwide for the treatment of tuberculosis. To gain insight into the molecular genetic basis of EMB resistance, approximately 2 Mb of five chromosomal regions with 12 genes in 75 epidemiologically unassociated EMB-resistant and 33 EMB-susceptible Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains isolated from human patients were sequenced. Seventy-six percent of EMB-resistant organisms had an amino acid replacement or other molecular change not found in EMB-susceptible strains. Thirty-eight (51%) EMB-resistant isolates had a resistance-associated mutation in only 1 of the 12 genes sequenced. Nineteen EMB-resistant isolates had resistance-associated nucleotide changes that conferred amino acid replacements or upstream potential regulatory region mutations in two or more genes. Most isolates (68%) with resistance-associated mutations in a single gene had nucleotide changes in embB , a gene encoding an arabinosyltransferase involved in ce...

Research paper thumbnail of Hiv Seropositivity Rates Among the Samples Analysed in Diagnosic Laboratory and Among Blood Donors in a University Hospital in the Western Part of Turkey (İzmi̇r) (2009-2014)

The first HIV AIDS case in Turkey was diagnosed in 1985. HIV-1 subtype B is the dominant type in ... more The first HIV AIDS case in Turkey was diagnosed in 1985. HIV-1 subtype B is the dominant type in Turkey, followed by circulating recombinant forms (CRF). It is aimed to determine the HIV seropositivity rates among the samples sent for anti-HIV 1/2 test to the diagnostic Virology laboratory of Ege University Hospital and blood donors attended to the Blood Bank of Ege University during five years (June 2009 to June 2014). Method: HIV infection is screened with anti-HIV 1/2 test (Architect, Abbott, USA), samples found to be positive are repeated with another system (Vidas, BioMerieux; USA). Supplemental (confirmatory) test is performed with Inno-LIA (Innogenetics, Belgium). HIV-1 viral load test is performed when HIV infection is confirmed. Results: Anti-HIV test had been performed on 93917 serum samples (52810 females, 41107 males) in the diagnostic laboratory and 113055 blood donors. HIV-1 infection was confirmed in 135 (0.14%) patients (31 females, 104 males) in the diagnostic labor...