Calf mortality constitutes a substantial loss for agriculture economy-based countries and is also a significant herd problem in developed countries. However, the occurrence and frequency of responsible gastro-intestinal (GI) pathogens in severe newborn diarrhea is still not well known. We aimed to determine the seasonal and age-associated pathogen distribution of severe diarrhea in newborn calves admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Erciyes University animal hospital over a year. Fecal samples were collected during the ICU admissions, and specimens were subjected to a diarrheal pathogen screening panel that included bovine coronavirus (BCoV), Cryptosporidium spp., ETEC K99+, and bovine rotavirus, using RT-PCR and conventional PCR methods. Further isolation experiments were performed with permissive cell cultures and bacterial enrichment methods to identify the clinical importance of infectious pathogen shedding in the ICU. Among the hospitalized calves aged less than 45 days old, the majority of calves originated from small farms (85.9%). The pathogen that most frequently occurred was Cryptosporidium spp. (61.5%) followed by rotavirus (56.4%). The frequency of animal admission to ICU and GI pathogen identification was higher during the winter season (44.9%) when compared to other seasons. Most calves included in the study were 1–6 days old (44.9%). Lastly, co-infection with rotavirus and Cryptosporidium spp. occurred more frequently than other dual or multi-infection events. This study was the first to define severe diarrhea—causing GI pathogens from ICU admitted newborn calves in Turkey.

Objective: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is an acute and highly fatal disease. In this study, our aim was to compare and evaluate the prevalence of CCHF virus (CCHFV) antibody among occupational high-risk groups by using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and draw attention to the occupational groups that are at high risk for CCHF infection in an endemic region for this zoonotic infection in Erzurum, Turkey. Materials and Methods: The antibody levels against CCHFV were surveyed among slaughterhouse workers, animal breeders, and veterinarians. The study population was composed of 72 participants having direct contact with animals and 19 blood donors who were not in direct contact with animals. Results: The overall rate of CCHF immunoglobulin G positivity in risk groups was found to be 6.94% (5/72). CCHFV antibodies were found in 4 (12.5%) individuals of the animal breeder group. This ratio was considered significantly higher compared with the healthy control group. CCHFV antibodies were found in only one person (4.0%) who was an abattoir worker. In the veterinarian group, all people were found negative. Conclusion: In our study, the variables showing important associations with the prevalence of anti-CCHFV antibodies were livestock breeding, rural areas, and age. It was concluded that our region is endemic with regard to CCHF infection and persons who had direct contact with animals are at high risk. Thus, these participants must take necessary measures to protect themselves from CCHF and should be trained by health authorities. Cite this article as: Aydin H, Uyanik MH, Karamese M, et al. Serological Investigation of Occupational Exposure to Zoonotic Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Infection. Eurasian J Med 2020; 52(2): 132-5.

The aim of this study is to detect the exogenous Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (exJSRV) in suspected cases of ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA) from the Eastern Anatolian region of Turkey. Pathological examination and PCR were carried out with the lung, lymph nodule, brain, heart and liver tissues of four sheep with suspected OPA. Histology of the lung sections indicated the well-circumscribed, multifocal and unencapsulated gray to white masses (arrows) on the parietal surface of medial and caudal lobes. exJSRV was detected in all tissue samples except for brain by nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR). In addition to the nested-PCR results, the presence of exJSRV into the clinical samples was confirmed with sequencing of two PCR-positive products for OPAV. This report highlights the first presence of exJSRV in the sheep suspected with OPA in Turkey. Furthermore, the results provide supporting evidence for the metastasis of exJSRV in extra-thoracic tissues.