Derya Dirim

Ege University

Objective: Fresh vegetables are an important part of a healthy and nutrient-rich diet but the consumption of raw vegetables without proper washing is the main way for transmission of parasites. This study was aimed at determining the rate of parasitic contamination in prewashed fresh vegetables sold at randomly selected 10 retail markets which is...

PurposeBlastocystis sp. is one of the most prevalent intestinal protozoa found in humans and many other animals. The present study aimed to examine the distribution and genetic diversity of Blastocystis sp. in stool samples from patients with gastrointestinal complaints in İzmir, Turkey.Methods All stool samples of 439 patients with gastrointestina...

Purpose: This study was aimed to investigate the presence of pathogenic free-living amoebae (FLA) in suspected cases of meningoencephalitis with unknown causes of death in Turkey. Method: A total of 92 patients, who were diagnosed as meningoencephalitis, were enrolled. All cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were directly microscopically examined...

Purpose: The primary aim of this study is to investigate Acanthamoeba in clinical samples of keratitis cases (n = 60), in contact lens (CL) and lens care solutions of asymptomatic CL users (n = 41), and to identify the genotypes in positive samples. The secondary aim is to assess the risk factors and clinical features of Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK...

Dermatological cases caused by myiasis make up approximately 20% of travel diseases. Ocular involvement occurred in approximately 5% of these myiasis cases. The conjunctival involvement of Oestrus ovis (O. ovis) larvae, which is the active agent in most ocular infestation cases in humans, causes external ophthalmomyiasis. External ophthalmomyiasis...

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that infects all animals, including humans, and causes toxoplasmosis. If toxoplasmosis occurs during pregnancy, it may affect the foetus owing to transplacental transmission. Such transmission may lead to foetal complications, some of which can be very serious, e.g. hydrocephaly and chorioreti...

Objective: We aimed to describe the clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in our region to find additional clues that can help diagnosis. Materials and Methods: All the patients with VL who admitted to our clinic between January 2010 and January 2018 were reviewed retrospectively. The patients with sy...

Background Dientamoeba fragilis is a protozoan parasite of the human gastrointestinal tract and still controversial in association with gastrointestinal symptoms. Purpose We present cross-sectional study of the prevalence of D. fragilis, and sociodemographic and clinical features in the patients with gastrointestinal symptoms. Methods A total of...

Brucellosis and fascioliasis are zoonoses which induce different type of cell-mediated immune responses and rarely cause hepatitis with together. Brucellosis induces T helper type 1 (Th1) immune response whereas Fasciola hepatica induces T helper type 2 (Th2) immune. It may be speculated that chronic fascioliasis can predispose to brucellosis by su...

Toxocariasis caused by Toxocara canis or less frequently by T.catis is a common parasitic infection worldwide. Clinical spectrum in humans can vary from asymptomatic infection to serious organ disfunction depending on the load of parasite, migration target of the larva and the inflammatory response of the host. Transverse myelitis (TM) due to toxoc...

Objective: Hydatid disease is a parasitic infestation by a tapeworm of the genus Echinococcus. It is an important cause of morbidity in endemic areas and can be life threatening. In our country it can occur from childhood onwards and usually requires the prolonged use of medications. Material and Methods: Twelve paediatric cases admitted to the Ege...

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease that is caused by Leishmania spp and transmitted to humans by female sandflies. The cutaneous form of the disease, Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL), is endemic in western and southeastern Anatolia, and its clinical manifestations of the disease vary according to the factors related to the parasite and host. Definiti...

Cyclospora cayetanensis and Cryptosporidium spp are the two emerging coccidian parasites causing human infections by inhabiting the intestinal tract and can either remain asymptomatically, or can cause endemic and epidemic diarrhea in both children and adults. In the present study, the prevalence of C. cayetanensis and Cryptosporidium spp were asse...

The acid-fast staining method is widely used in the diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis, a disease causing diarrhea in humans. However in this technique, some of Cryptosporidium spp oocysts can not be stained and seen as formed "ghost-like bodies" and which can only be evaluated by experienced microscopists. In the recent years, PCR technique which is p...

Cyclospora cayetanensis and Cryptosporidium spp are the two emerging coccidian parasites causing human infections by inhabiting the intestinal tract and can either remain asymptomatically, or can cause endemic and epidemic diarrhea in both children and adults. In the present study, the prevalence of C. cayetanensis and Cryptosporidium spp were asse...

Plasmodium vivax is the second most prevalent global Plasmodium species causing malaria after P. falciparum. These two Plasmodium spp. co-exist in most endemic areas, apart from west and central Africa, which has only P. falciparum. However, southeastern Turkey is one of the exceptional regions with the sole presence of P. vivax infection, where a...

The causative agent of amoebiasis is currently attributed to two distinct species (E. histolytica and E. dispar). The aim of this study was to differentiate these species by PCR in stool samples. Isolated genomic DNA was amplified by PCR and band products of 101 bp (E. dispar) were obtained. All seven stool samples were found to be E. dispar, not E...

This study was designed to investigate the distribution of cyclosporiasis between October 2003 and October 2004 and the relationship between Cyclospora infection and seasonal as well as patient factors in western Turkey. Stool samples from 4660 immunocompetent patients with gastrointestinal symptoms and 326 immunocompetent patients with allergic sy...

Patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) have strong delayed-type hypersensitivity and in vitro proliferative responses to leishmanial antigens during active and cured diseases. To define the T cell response in patients with antroponotic CL infected with L. tropica is important to clarify the immunopathologic nature of the disease. T cell respons...

Cryptosporidium sp is a protozoan that displays an intracellular settlement primarily in the intestinal systems of humans and can result in diarrhoea. Undernourished children and persons with immunosuppression in developing countries are especially vulnerable to infection with this parasite. A 12-month-old female presented at Ege University, Facult...

Background: Lupoid leishmaniasis (LL) is an unusual chronic form of cutaneous leishmaniasis with clinical and histopathological features resembling lupus vulgaris. It is estimated that lupoid leishmaniasis represents approximately 0.5-6 % of all cutaneous leishmaniasis. In this report, a case of lupoid leishmaniasis that has been misdiagnosed as "l...