Background: The most common sexually transmitted infection in the world is human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV types 16 and 18 are responsible for 60–80% of cervical cancers and precancerous cervical lesions worldwide. Aim: In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the correlation of HPV genotype distribution with cervical cytology results in cervical smear samples and to contribute to HPV epidemiology. Materials and Methods: This study included 72 female patients. For detection of the HPV genotypes, a multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method that could detect more than 25 different HPV types was used. The cervical cytology and histopathology results of the patients were also evaluated simultaneously. Results: The frequency of high-risk HPV was 35% (25/72). The most common types were HPV51 (10%), HPV16 (8%), and HPV66 (8%), respectively. The most common type HPV51 and multiple HPV types were seen in 21–34 age groups. HPV DNA was detected in 21 of 43 samples that had cervical smear diagnosis grouping. Twelve samples (26%) had normal cytology. Low grade squamous intraepithelial lesions were the most common cytological diagnosis in HPV DNA positive samples. The most common HPV types in the patients diagnosed low grade squamous intraepithelial lesions and high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions were HPV16 and HPV52. Conclusions: In this study, the frequency of high-risk HPV genotypes was 35% as similar to reports of the other studies conducted in our country. The most common types were HPV51, HPV16, and HPV66, respectively. The follow-up of patients with HPV51 infection in our area could help to improve the natural course of the disease and effective prevention programs.

Introduction: Human bocavirus (HBoV) is a linear single-stranded DNA virus belonging to the Parvoviridae family. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of HBoV and co-infections in pediatric patients with symptoms of viral respiratory tract infection. Methodology: This study included 2,310 patients between the ages of 0-18 in whom HBoV and other respiratory tract viral pathogens were analyzed in nasopharyngeal swab specimens. Results: In the pediatric age group, HBoV was found in 4.5% (105/2310) of the patients and higher in children between the ages of 1 and 5. Mixed infection was detected in 43.8% (46/105) of HBoV positive patients (p = 0.10). Mono and mixed infection rates were higher in outpatients than in inpatients (p < 0.05). Respiratory syncytial virus was significantly higher than the other respiratory viral pathogens (p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study is important as it is one of the rare studies performed on the incidence of HBoV in the Marmara region. In pediatric age group, the incidence of HBoV was found 4.5%. The incidence rate of HBoV in this study was similar to those in studies around the world, but close to low rates. The incidence of HBoV was found higher especially among children between the ages of 1-5 in this study. In addition to the incidence of HBoV, accompanying co-infections in the pediatric age group were also investigated in this study. Since concurrence of RSV, HRV and hMPV with HBoV was the most common it must be considered that there may be more than one agents in patients with symptoms of respiratory tract infection.

Introduction: In this study, we aimed investigate the relationship of SARS-CoV-2 viral load cycle threshold (Ct) values with pneumonia. Methodology: A total of 158 patients in whom SARS-CoV-2 was confirmed in upper respiratory tract (URT) samples with molecular method and who had computed tomography (CT) of the chest, between April 2020 and June 2020 were included in this retrospective cross-sectional study. Results: Mean age of 158 PCR positive patients was 45.22 ± 17.89 and 60.8% of them were male. Pneumonia was detected in 40.5% of the patients on their chest CT. A weak but significant correlation was found between SARS-CoV-2 Ct value detected with PCR in analysis of oropharyngeal/ nasopharyngeal (OP/NP) samples and chest CT score (Pearson’s r: 0.197, p = 0.01). No correlation was found between the first detected viral load Ct value and age, gender and mortality. There was no significant correlation between chest CT score and mortality. While the areas remaining under ROC curve for Ct value in analysis of OP/NP samples in prediction of chest CT score ≥ 1, ≥ 5 and ≥ 10 were 0.564, 0.640 and 0.703 respectively. Conclusions: We found that the amount of SARS-CoV-2 viral load (inverse relationship with Ct) detected in OP/NP samples of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia did not reflect the increasing severity of pulmonary lesions on chest CT. Although primary target of SARS-CoV-2 is all epithelial cells of the respiratory tract we believe studies comparing viral loads in lower respiratory tract samples are needed to determine the severity of pulmonary disease.

Background/Objectives: Understanding the regional distribution of human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes is essential for guiding effective vaccination and screening strategies. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and distribution of HPV genotypes among unvaccinated women aged 30 years and older undergoing routine screening in Ankara. It also aimed to compare the frequencies of genotypes included and not included in current vaccines and to investigate their association with cervical smear cytology. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional, single-center study was conducted at Ankara Etlik City Hospital between 15 November 2024 and 15 February 2025. A total of 500 sexually active, unvaccinated women aged 30 years or older were enrolled. Cervical swab samples were analyzed for HPV DNA and genotypes using real-time PCR (28-type panel), and cytology results were retrospectively obtained from medical records. Results: HPV infection was detected in 18.2% of participants. Among HPV-positive women, 71.4% had single-type and 28.6% had multiple-type infections. The most common high-risk genotypes among HPV-positive individuals were HPV 16 (13.2%), HPV 18 (13.2%), and HPV 59 (13.2%). While 35.2% of HPV-positive cases included genotypes covered by the nonavalent vaccine, 64.8% involved at least one genotype not covered, mainly HPV 59, 44, and 51. HPV was detected in 17% of individuals with normal cytology, 19% of those with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US), and 100% of cases with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The findings emphasize the persistence of high-risk and non-vaccine-covered HPV types in the population, highlighting the need for updated vaccination policies and the development of broader-spectrum vaccines aligned with local genotype profiles.

Objective: Measles virus is an unsegmented, single-stranded and negative-polarized RNA virus belonging to Morbillivirus genus in Paramyxoviridae family in the order of Mononegavirales. This study aimed to evaluate measles antibody seropositivity proportions in different age groups from different geographical regions within three years. Material and methods: This retrospective study, IgM and IgG antibodies specific to measles were detected in serum samples with enzyme immunoassay method. Measles IgG antibody seroprevalence was calculated by correlating all data with demographic variables. Results: Median age of patients included in the study was 27 years and while 352 (44.4%) were male. Seropositivity rate of measles IgG antibody was 87.1%. Seropositivity in the age group of 0-18 was 77.7% (p = 0.002). IgG seropositivity rates were 82.8%, 88.8% and 90.7% between 2017 and 2019 respectively (p = 0.05). Seropositivity rate of IgM antibody in all cases was 11.1% and the highest rate was detected in the age group of 0-18 (13.5%) (p = 0.09). IgM antibody seropositivity rate was determined most in the winter months (23.8%) (p < 0.001). While measles IgM positivities were 10.6% and 21.1% in Turkish and foreign patients respectively IgG positivities were 86.9% and 92.3% (p = 0.32, p = 1.00 respectively). Measles IgG seropositivity was the highest in patients living in Aegean region (96.8%). Conclusions: In conclusion, measles IgG seropositivity was 87.1% in this study. This rate was lower in pediatric age group. Increasing regional seroprevalence studies may help enhancement efforts on vaccination program to reach and sustain high population immunity.

Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection is closely associated with the development of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cervical cancer. In recent years, the potential impact of viral co-infections on this process has also been investigated. This study investigated the presence of HR-HPV, HSV-1/2, and HHV-8 DNA in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) cervical biopsy samples, as well as their association with lesion severity. A total of 276 FFPE cervical tissue samples were evaluated. Viral DNA was detected by real-time PCR. The samples were histopathologically classified as normal/non-dysplastic, low-grade (LSIL), and high-grade (HSIL) lesions. HR-HPV DNA was detected in 112 samples (40.6%), with the highest prevalence observed in the 30–39 age group (51.2%). Among the HPV-positive cases, 46.5% (52/112) had single-type infections, 32.1% (36/112) had multiple-type infections, and 21.4% (24/112) were untypable. Together, these categories accounted for all HPV-positive samples. The most common genotype was HPV-16 (16.7%). HHV-8 and HSV-2 DNA were not detected. HSV-1 DNA was detected in only three non-dysplastic, HPV-negative cervical samples. In conclusion, HR-HPV DNA was detected in 40.6% of cervical biopsy samples and showed a significant association with increasing histological severity, highlighting its critical role in the progression of cervical lesions. Although the absence of HHV-8 and HSV-2 suggests a limited contribution of these viruses to cervical disease, the use of a single real-time PCR assay limits the ability to draw generalized conclusions regarding their clinical relevance. Further large-scale, multicenter studies employing both tissue-based and serological approaches are needed to validate these findings and to better understand the dynamics of viral co-infections in cervical disease.