Demographic and parasitic infection status of schoolchildren and sanitary conditions of schools in Sanliurfa, Turkey

BACKGROUND: The design and development of school health programmes will require information at demographic characteristics of schoolchildren and the major health burdens of the school-age group, the opportunities for intervention and the appropriateness of the available infrastructure. This study aims to analyse demographic and parasitic infections status of schoolchildren and sanitary conditions of schools in Sanliurfa province of south-eastern Turkey. METHOD: Three primary schools were randomly selected in the shantytown, apartment and rural districts. A total of 1820 schoolchildren between 7–14 years age were took part to the survey of whom 1120 (61.5%) were boys and 700 (38.4%) were girls. A child form (including child's name, sex, age, school grade and parasitic infections) and school survey form (including condition of water supply, condition of latrines, presence of soaps on the basins and presence of garbage piles around to the schools) were used for demographic, parasitic and sanitary surveys. Stool samples were examined by cellophane thick smear technique for the eggs of intestinal helminths. RESULTS: The demographic survey showed that number of schoolchildren was gradually decreased as their age's increase in shantytown school. The sex ratio was proportional until the second grade, after which the number of females gradually decreased in children in shantytown and rural schools while, in apartment area, schoolchildren was proportionally distributed between age groups and gender even the high-grade students. The prevalence of helminthic infections was %77.1 of the schoolchildren in shantytown, 53.2% in apartment district and 53.1% of rural area. Ascaris lumbricoides was the most prevalent species and followed by Trichuris trichiura, Hymenolepis nana and Taenia species in three schools. Sanitation survey indicated that the tap water was limited in shantytown school, toilet's sanitation was poor, available no soaps on lavatories and garbage piles were accumulated around the schools in shantytown and rural area, while, the school in apartment area was well sanitised. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicated that burden of parasitic infections and poor sanitation conditions constituted public health importance among to the shantytown schoolchildren. School health programmes including deworming and sanitation activities through the health education and improvement of sanitation conditions in the schools have a potential to better health and education for schoolchildren. These programmes also offer the potential to reach significant numbers of population in the shantytown schools with high level of absenteeism

Evaluation of the incidence of subclinical endometritis and results of intrauterine treatment in repeat breeder dairy cows

Bu çalısmada, tekrarlayan tohumlamalarda gebe kalmayan sütçü ineklerde subklinik endometritislerin tanısında kullanılan uterus biyopsisi ve mikrobiyolojik testlerin etkinliginin saptanması ve üçüncü veya dördüncü kez tohumlanan ineklere, tohumlamayı izleyen 24. saatte intrauterin antibiyotik uygulamalarının gebe kalma oranına etkisini belirlemek amaçlandı. Çalısmada 3-9 yaslı, Holstein-Friesian ırkından 48 bas inek kullanıldı. Bunlardan 24 bası postpartum iki tohumlamadan (Grup 1), 24 bası ise üç tohumlamadan sonra gebe kalmayan (Grup 2) hayvanlar arasından seçildi. Her iki gruptaki inekler de çevirdikleri son östrüslerinde tohumlanmayarak, izleyen 12±1. günde uteruslarından histopatolojik ve mikrobiyolojik incelemeler için iki adet biyopsi örnegi alındı. inekler izleyen östrüslerinde tohumlandı ve gruplar rasgele 12'ser baslık iki alt gruba ayrıldı, birer alt gruba tohumlamayı izleyen 24. saatte intrauterin 500 mg Oksitetrasiklin + 500 mg Furazolidon + 500 mg Clioquinol + 500 ?g Etinilöstradiol kombinasyonu verildi. Diger alt gruplar ise kontrol grupları olarak bırakıldı. Gebelik tanısı tohumlamayı izleyen 45. günde rektal palpasyonla yapıldı. Grup 1’de gebe kalma oranı tedavi uygulanan ve uygulanmayanlarda sırasıyla, %75.00 ve %58.30, Grup 2’de ise %75.00 ve %41.70 olarak belirlendi. Histopatolojik degerlendirmelerde birtakım dejeneratif, hiperplastik, regresif degisimlerin eslik ettigi endometrial asinkroni'yi anlatan 12 bulgu, rastlantı sıklıgına göre (-) ile (+++) arasında dört grupta degerlendirildi. Histopatolojik incelemeler sonucunda 1. gruptaki ineklerin %100'ünde, 2. gruptaki ineklerin ise %87.50'sinde, bir takım dejeneratif, hiperplastik regresif degisimlerin esliginde, endometrial asinkroni belirlendi. Tüm ineklerde endometriumlarında degisim belirlenenler hafif %31.25, orta %58.33 ve siddetli %4.17 seklinde dagılım gösterirken, endometriumlarında degisiklik belirlenmeyenlerin oranı ise %6.25 seklinde bir dagılım gösterdigi belirlendi. Mikrobiyolojik yoklama sonuçlarının tek basına subklinik endometritis'i degerlendirebilecek yeterlilikte olmadıgı anlasıldı. Sonuç olarak, iki ve üç kez çeviren ineklerde bir takım dejeneratif, hiperplastik regresif degisimlerin esliginde, endometrial asinkroni belirlendi. Bu tip sorunlu hayvanlarda tohumlamayı izleyen 24. saatte uygulanan intrauterin antibiyotik sagaltımının gebelik oranlarının yükseltilmesinde faydalı olabilecegi kanısına varıldı.The aims of this study were to estimate the incidence of subclinical endometritis, effectiveness of biopsy and microbiological analysis for diagnosis and also determination of the effect of intrauterine antibiotic infusion at the 24th hour following insemination upon pregnancy rate in repeat breeder dairy cows. Fourthy eight Holstein-Friesian dairy cows, between 3-9 years of age, were selected into two groups. Twentyfour of these cows were repeated oestrus after $2^{nd}$ insemination (Group 1) and the second group (Group 2) were composed with the animals repeating oestrus after $3^{rd}$ insemination. None of the cows was inseminated in the detected oestrus. Two biopsy samples were taken from the 12±1 days following the last oestrus for histopathological evaluation and microbiological analysis. The cows were inseminated during the following oestruses and study groups were randomly divided into two subgroups, each having 12 animals. Antibiotic combination containing 500 mg Oksitetrasiklin + 500 mg Furazolidon + 500 mg Clioquinol + 500 μg Etinilostradiol were infused into the uterus at 24 hour post insemination in one of the subgroups while others left as controls. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed by rectal palpation, following $45^{th}$ days after insemination. In histopathological examination 12 findings which are determinants of subclinical endometritis were evaluated into four degrees between (-) and (+++). In histopathological evaluation endometrial asynchrony and associated degenerative, hyperplastic, regressive changes were determined in endometrial biopsy samples. The incidence of these pathological events in the first and repeat breeder groups were 100 and 87.50%, respectively. There was no histopathological changes in 6.25% of the cows while 31.25% slight 58.33% moderate and 4.17% severe endometrial changes were observed in the other animals. The microbiological findings were not sufficient to determine the status of subclinical endometritis. The pregnancy rates of Group 1 for the treatment and controls subgroups were 75.00% and 58.30 %, while 75.00% and 41.70% in the second group, respectively. It was concluded that histopathological assessments are useful diagnostic tools for determining subclinical endometritis and degenerative, regressive, hyperplastic changes and associated endometrial asynchrony is a common finding in cows which returned twice or third times. It was suggested that intrauterine infusion at the $24^{th}$ hour post insemination may be successful method for treatment of repeat breeder cows

Diagnostic performance characteristics of rapid dipstick test for Plasmodium vivax malaria

We compared the diagnostic performance characteristics of newly developed method, the rapid dipstick test, which provides colorimetric determination by developing antibody to the lactate dehydrogenase enzyme of parasites, with conventional standard thick-blood film examination. For the rapid test, OptiMAL commercial kits were used. The results were also evaluated with clinical findings from patients. The parasites were determined by microscopic examination of thick-blood films from 81 patients with vivax malaria from southeastern Anatolia, Turkey. The OptiMAL test results were found to be negative in five patients who were diagnosed clinically and through thick-film testing as having vivax malaria. There was no false positivity observed with the OptiMAL test. We concluded that this rapid malaria test has a lower level of sensitivity than the classical thick-blood-film test for malaria, but that these methods have equal specificity

Investigation of Seroprevalence of Brucellosis among Occupational High Risk Groups in Elazig Region

Introduction: Brucellosis is one of the most important zoonotic diseases worldwide and continues to be a public health problem in many countries. The major transmission route of infection in endemic areas, including Turkey, is consumption of unpasteurized milk or dairy products. However due to the transmission of disease from animals to humans by direct/indirect contact, it can also be an occupational risk for some individuals. This study was conducted to investigate the seroprevalence of brucellosis among risk occupational groups in the Elazig region. Materials and Methods: Blood samples obtained from a total of 370 individuals particularly at risk of Brucella infection and from 50 individuals not at risk who served controls. All sera were evaluated by both the Rose-Bengal Plate and Standard Tube Agglutination (STA) tests. For determining seropositivity with STA test, a cut-off titer of ≥ 1/80 was adopted. Results: Seropositivity of brucellosis in the risk groups was 4% with RB test and 2.2% with STA test, while no positivity detected in control group. Seropositivity of brucellosis with STA was as follows: 4.2% (3/72) in animal husbandry workers, 1.9% in dairy farmers (1/53), 2.5% in butchers (1/40), 0% in abottoir workers (0/49), 2.6% in veterinarians (2/78) and 1.3% in laboratory personnel (1/78). Risk groups were compared with the control group, but there was no statistically significant differences between them. Seropositivity titer was ≥ 1/160 with STA in 3 of 370 serum samples, which were obtained from persons at risk of brucellosis. These three person were diagnosed brucellosis and treated for Brucella infection. Conclusion: High rate of brucellosis seropositivity in risk groups indicates the need for education and occupational preventions

Environmental pollution with soil-transmitted helminths in Sanliurfa, Turkey

Soil transmitted helminth (STH) infection are endemic in developing countries. A study was carried out of sewage farms, streams and vegetables to determine the sources and routes of STH infection in Sanliurfa, Turkey. Stool samples from farmhouse inhabitants as well as soil and vegetable samples from the gardens were collected and examined. In addition, water samples from streams and vegetable samples from the city market were collected and examined. One hundred and eighty-seven (59.5%) of a total of 314 samples, including 88.4% of the stool samples, 60.8% of the water samples, 84.4% of the soil samples and 14% of the vegetable samples, were found to be positive for STH eggs

Environmental pollution with soil-transmitted helminths in Sanliurfa, Turkey

Soil transmitted helminth (STH) infection are endemic in developing countries. A study was carried out of sewage farms, streams and vegetables to determine the sources and routes of STH infection in Sanliurfa, Turkey. Stool samples from farmhouse inhabitants as well as soil and vegetable samples from the gardens were collected and examined. In addition, water samples from streams and vegetable samples from the city market were collected and examined. One hundred and eighty-seven (59.5%) of a total of 314 samples, including 88.4% of the stool samples, 60.8% of the water samples, 84.4% of the soil samples and 14% of the vegetable samples, were found to be positive for STH eggs. These results indicate that the water, soil and vegetables are heavily contaminated, and suggest a vicious circle between humans and the environment. Improving environmental sanitation is imperative for the control of soil-transmitted helminthiasis in Sanliurfa