Arif Ciloglu

Erciyes Üniversitesi · Department of Parasitology (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine)

This study was conducted to determine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the benzimidazole (BZ) resistance in strongyle nematode egg populations in horses using molecular techniques. A total of 200 fecal samples were collected from horses in 26 farms in two provinces (Kayseri and Nevşehir) of the Central Anatolia Region of Türkiye between M...

Parasite dispersal and host-switching may be better understood by knowing when they occurred. We estimated when the ancestor of a parasite of great reed warblers ( Acrocephalus arundinaceus ) dispersed to the Seychelles and began infecting the endemic Seychelles warbler ( A. sechellensis ). We used mitochondrial genomes and published molecular dive...

Characterizing the diversity of genes associated with virulence and transmission of a pathogen across the pathogen's distribution can inform our understanding of host infection risk. Borrelia burgdorferi is a vector-borne bacterium that causes Lyme disease in humans and is common in the United States. The outer surface protein C (ospC) gene of B. b...

Background Sequencing parasite genomes in the presence of host DNA is challenging. Sequence capture can overcome this problem by using RNA probes that hybridize with the parasite DNA and then are removed from solution, thus isolating the parasite DNA for efficient sequencing. Methods Here we describe a set of sequence capture probes designed to ta...

Infections of avian haemosporidian parasites are regularly identified by molecular methods including multiplex PCR, which allows researchers to distinguish mixed infections of parasites from multiple genera. Here we extend the utility of a previously designed multiplex PCR by designing a primer set specific to parasites of the subgenus Haemoproteus...

Microsporidia are obligate intracellular fungus-like parasites that infect humans and animals worldwide. However, there is limited epidemiological data on the occurrence and molecular diversity of microsporidia in buffaloes worldwide. In the present study, fecal samples of 300 water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) in Kayseri, Sivas, and Samsun province...

We assessed genetic diversities among Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (Ich) field isolates collected from farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Turkey. The overall prevalence of Ich was 35.3% (634/1798). Five novel Ich genotypes (ImulTR1 and ImulTR3‒ImulTR6) were described based on mitochondrial cox-1 and nad1_b genes. The remaining genotype I...

The protozoan Dientamoeba fragilis is one of the most common parasites in the digestive system of humans worldwide. The host range and transmission routes of D. fragilis, including the role of animals, are still ambiguous with few reports from non‐human primates, sheep, rodents, pigs, a cat and a dog. In this study, we used microscopic and TaqMan q...

Objective: Giardia intestinalis and Cryptosporidium spp. are important zoonotic protozoan parasites that infect humans and various animals. We investigated the occurrence of G. intestinalis and Cryptosporidium spp. infection in cats. To provide data on the zoonotic transmission dynamics of these parasites, genotypes of the detected isolates were i...

Aim: Macroecological analyses provide valuable insights into factors that influence how parasites are distributed across space and among hosts. Amid large uncertainties that arise when generalizing from local and regional findings, hierarchical approaches applied to global datasets are required to determine whether drivers of parasite infection pat...

Background Although avian Plasmodium species are widespread and common across the globe, limited data exist on how genetically variable their populations are. Here, the hypothesis that the avian blood parasite Plasmodium relictum exhibits very low genetic diversity in its Western Palearctic transmission area (from Morocco to Sweden in the north and...

The Mediterranean tick, Hyalomma marginatum, is the most important vector of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus and several pathogens that cause animal and human diseases and economic losses to livestock production. Given the medical and veterinary importance of this tick species, we sequenced and characterized its mitochondrial genome (mitogen...

The aim of this study was to compare three diagnostic methods for the diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis and to detect subtypes ofCryptosporidium parvum by sequences analyses of gp60 gene in diarrheic calves in several herds in Konya province located in Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. Fecal samples were collected from a total of 194 pre-weaned calve...

A total of 1340 fresh fecal samples from farm and pet animals in Central Anatolia and the Middle Black Sea Region of Turkey were investigated using a PCR assay targeting the SSU rRNA of Blastocystis sp. An overall Blastocystis sp. prevalence of 19.4% (183/940) was found in farm animals, including cattle, sheep, water buffaloes, and chickens. Fecal...

The molecular prevalence and genotypes of Giardia duodenalis in cattle were investigated. A total of 450 fecal samples were collected from cattle in three provinces of Central Anatolia from August 2017 to July 2019. Genomic DNA was extracted from the fecal samples and used in molecular analysis carried out by nested PCR analyses of the β-giardin (b...

Horses might play an important role as reservoir hosts in the epidemiology of Enterocytozoon bieneusi, which is one of the most important zoonotic microsporidian pathogens, with a wide range of hosts. Nevertheless, limited information is available on the infection rates and genotypes of E. bieneusi in horses, and no data are available on the occurr...

Globalization opens new market areas and affects food consumption habits, resulting in rapid and remarkable cultural change. Food habits such as consumption of raw fish meat have become popular, resulting in increased risk of emerging infectious diseases. Anisakis simplex sensu stricto (s.s) and A. pegreffii are the most common and important fish-b...

Parasite species evolve by switching to new hosts, cospeciating with their current hosts, or speciating on their current hosts. Vector transmitted parasites are expected to speciate by host switching, but confirming this hypothesis has proved challenging. Parasite DNA can be difficult to sequence, thus well resolved parasite phylogenies that are ne...

Avian haemosporidians (Haemosporida) represent a globally distributed, species-rich multiparasite-multihost host-parasite system. Each year, many of these parasite lineages are carried between temperate and tropical regions by migratory birds. While several factors can limit the transmission of avian haemosporidians to new areas, recent studies hav...

Dermanyssus gallinae , the poultry red mite is an obligatory blood-sucking ectoparasite and has been involved in the transmission of several pathogens between both animals and humans. In order to develop effective control strategies against D. gallinae, it is essential to determine their genetic compositions and investigate the potential vector rol...

The prevalence of Cryptosporidium species in calves and heifers with relation to diarrhea from several herds was investigated in this study. Fecal samples were collected from 135 and 120 pre-weaned calves and 79 and 130 heifers raised in the Central Anatolia (CAR) and Mediterranean Regions (MR) of Turkey, respectively. A total of 86 post-weaned cal...

Haemonchus contortus is one of the most important gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) infecting sheep, goats, and cattle worldwide. We developed a SYBR Green real-time PCR (qPCR) assay for detection and quantification of H. contortus by using specific primers based on a conserved region of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (mt-COI) gene,...

Microsporidia are opportunistic pathogens that infect a wide range of invertebrates and vertebrates. To assess the potential role of dogs in the transmission of these zoonotic pathogens, a total of 282 fecal samples from dogs in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey were analyzed by utilizing species specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the...

Accurate species identification provides the foundation for successful pest management and vector control of black flies. Accordingly, we examined the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene sequences of four morphologically and chromosomally identified species of black flies (Simulium vernumgroup sp., S. bergi Rubtsov, S. bezzii (Corti),...

The goal of our study was to investigate the molecular prevalence of Giardia intestinalis in naturally infected horses in Kayseri, Central Anatolia Region in Turkey, to determine the molecular characterization of the obtained isolates and to exhibit the potential role of horses in zoonotic transmission of G. intestinalis. Fecal samples were randoml...

The aim of this study was to determine the presence and prevalence of Wolbachia bacteria in natural population of fleas (Insecta: Siphonaptera) in Turkey, and to exhibit the molecular characterization and the phylogenetic reconstruction at the positive isolates with other species in GenBank, based on 16S rDNA sequences. One hundred twenty-four flea...

Identification of Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) biting midges to species has become important due to their potential role in the transmission of arboviruses such as bluetongue virus, bovine ephemeral fever virus, Akabane virus, African horse sickness virus, epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus and Schmallenberg virus. In several studies, mo...

Accurate detection and identification are essential components for epidemiological, ecological, and evolutionary surveys of avian haemosporidian parasites. Microscopy has been used for more than 100 years to detect and identify these parasites; however, this technique requires considerable training and high-level expertise. Several PCR methods with...

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the molecular characterization of moth flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) based on their mitochondrial DNA sequences and determine the vectorial potential and damage caused by moth flies in future researches. Methods: A total of 240 adult moth flies were collected from toilet, bathroom, and basement walls...

Hysterothylacium species are the most prevalent ascaridoid nematode reported from various freshwater, estuarial and marine fish species. However, there are very few studies about molecular identification and characterization of Hysterothylacium species in marine fish species from Turkish waters. The aim of the present study was to molecular identif...

The metacercariae of Clinostomum species which known as yellow grubs have zoonotic potential by infecting humans. In the present study, a total of 403 freshwater fish specimens belonging to different genera from Central Anatolia Region of Turkey were examined for yellow grub metacercariae infections. Only three specimens belonging to Squalius cepha...

The biotypes of Culex pipiens complex and Cx. torrentium were molecularly investigated in the mosquito specimens collected from different regions of Kayseri between June and August 2015 in this study. A total of 1052 female mosquito specimens were sampled during the field surveys and 315 (29.9%) out of these were morphologically identified and rese...

This study was performed to molecular characterization and expression of AMA-1 protein molecules of in vivo and in vitro cultivated and passaged isolates from “Babesia bigemina Kayseri/Turkey” strain, and also to determine the possible polymorphisms of these molecules due to the attenuation of the isolates. For this aim, target gene was completely...

Out of 400 mosquito specimens collected from Sultan Marshes ecosystem in Kayseri, 296 (74.0%) were identified as Culex pipiens, 63 (15.75%) as Aedes vexans, and 41 (10.25%) as Culiseta annulata. Individual DNA was extracted from adult mosquitos and PCR analysis was performed in terms of the wsp gene region. While Wolbachia positivity was detected i...

Hysterothylacium species are the most prevalent ascaridoid nematode reported from various freshwater, estuarial and marine fish species. However, there are very few studies about molecular identification and characterization of Hysterothylacium species in marine fish species from Turkish waters. The aim of the present study was to molecular identif...

This study reports intense horn fly infestations of horses raised in an important wetland ecosystem Sultan Marshes in Central Anatolia, Turkey. In total seven horses raised together were found to be harbored over 500 flies per site of each animal. Totally 376 fly specimens were collected from the horses by using the nets and subjected to the labora...

This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of filarial nematode infections in stray dogs in Avanos and vicinity. For this aim, a total of 138 blood samples were collected from stray dogs in different ages, sexes and breeds between May-September 2013. The blood samples were firstly examined by wet mount (direct microscopic examination),...

Accurate species identifications are the essential first step in understanding the medical, economic, and ecological importance of black flies. The utility of DNA barcoding based on cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) sequences was evaluated for identifying six common species of Palearctic black flies in the subgenus Wilhelmia, including several t...

This study was performed to investigate Babesia bigemina and B. bovis via real time PCR analyses in genomic DNA pools constructed from adult ixodid ticks on cattle in different parts of Kayseri, and to detect the phylogenetic characters of the isolates. TaqMan and Sybergreen real time PCR analyses with rap-1a and msa-2c gene specific primers for B....

Objective: This study aimed to determine the host preferences in blood meal of specimens belonging to Culex pipiens complex. Methods: A total of 1284 female mosquitos were morphologically examined, and genomic DNA isolations were individually performed on 376 (28.4%) specimens that were determined to be Cx. pipiens complex. PCR was performed with...

An extreme example of nonrandom rearrangements, especially inversion breaks, is described in the polytene chromosomes of the black fly Simulium bergi Rubtsov, 1956 from Armenia and Turkey. A total of 48 rearrangements was discovered, relative to the standard banding sequence for the subgenus Simulium Latreille, 1802. One rearrangement, an inversion...

Avian haemosporidians are common vector-borne blood parasites that have been reported in birds all over the world. Investigations of avian haemosporidian parasites are conducted mainly on passerine birds. However, studies that focus on non-passerine avian hosts are important for our understanding of the true diversity, host specificity and genetic...

In this study, the presence of anisakid nematodes in the European eels (Anguilla anguilla L.) was investigated. A total of 30 specimens of eels were caught by local fishermen from the Buyuk Menderes River, Turkey. Nematoda species of Raphidascaris acus was found from eels. This is the first record of R. acus from A. anguilla from Turkish waters. Th...

This study was carried out to investigate the molecular prevalence of Francisella-like endosymbionts (FLEs) and Francisella tularensis in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) and mosquitoes in Turkey. Genomic DNA pools were constructed from a total of 1477 adult hard ticks of Rhipicephalus (Rh.) annulatus, Rh. turanicus, Rh. sanguineus, Rh. bursa, Haemaphysalis...

This study was carried out to evaluate the molecular prevalence of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in horses from Southern Marmara Region of Turkey and to designate the molecular characterization of the obtained isolates. For this aim between May and July 2012, blood samples were collected from totally 203 horses. After the genomic DNA extractio...

This study was conducted to determine the molecular prevalence and characterization of Haemonchus contortus from sheep along with the benzimidazole (BZ) resistance in H. contortus populations. Fecal samples were collected from a total of 300 sheep in research area and analyzed by fecal flotation. qPCR assays were utilized on trichostrongylid egg po...

This study was carried out to investigate Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites in total of 400 whole peripheral blood samples with EDTA which were collected from the clinically healthy dogs in Kayseri region. Following the isolation of genomic DNA from the blood samples, spectrophotometric measurements of the obtained genomic DNAs wer...

This study was conducted to investigate Babesia canis vogeli, B. canis canis, B. canis rossi, B. gibsoni, Hepatozoon canis, Ehrlichia canis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum species, and to determine the molecular characterizations of the isolates in totally 400 whole blood samples of dogs in Kayseri region. According to the Real Time PCR results, the...

This study was performed to investigate Wolbachia endobacteria in Culex pipiens specimens collected from Kayseri province of Turkey. For this aim, totally 10 genomic DNA pools each including 6-15 Cx. pipiens specimens which were collected and identified within the scope of a project (No: 107O533) supported by TUBITAK, were examined by using the amp...

This study was carried out to compare Reverse Line Blotting (RLB), Nested PCR and Real Time PCR techniques in the molecular diagnosis of Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina in cattle. Genomic DNA extractions were performed on 400 blood samples which were previously collected from cattle in various provinces of Turkey and stored in the laboratory wit...

Avian blood parasites have been intensively studied using morphological methods with limited information on their host specificity and species taxonomic status. Now the analysis of gene sequences, especially the mitochondrial cytochrome b (mt-cytb) gene of the avian haemosporidian species of Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, Fallisia and Leucocytozoon, off...

This study was designed to determine the contamination status of playgrounds with ascarid species of dogs and cats in Kayseri province of Turkey and was carried out on totally 248 sand samples collected from children playgrounds in 20 picnic areas and parks. For this aim sand samples were collected from each park between August-October 2009 and eac...

Assessing vector-parasite relationship is important in understanding the emergence of vector-borne diseases and the evolution of parasite diversity. This study investigates avian Plasmodium parasites in mosquitoes collected from Kayseri province in Central Anatolian, Turkey and determines the haemosporidian parasite lineages from these mosquito spe...