Background: Recent reports have demonstrated the presence of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) genomic material inHyalomma aegyptiumticks feeding primarily on tortoises belonging to the genusTestudo. This raises the question if these ticks and their hosts play a role in the natural transmission dynamics of CCHFV. However, the studies are limited, and assessing the relevance ofH. aegyptiumin perpetuating the virus in nature, and a potential spillover to humans remains unknown. This study aimed to detect CCHFV inH. aegyptiumticks and their tortoise hosts in the East Thrace region of Turkey, whereH. aegyptiumis the most common human-biting tick and where a high density of tortoises of the genusTestudocan be found.Methods: During the study period, 21 blood samples from different tortoises (2T. hermanniand 19T. graeca), 106 tick pools (containing 448 males, 152 females, 93 nymphs and 60 larvae) collected from 65 tortoises (5T. hermanniand 60T. graeca), 38 adult unfed questing ticks (25 males and 13 females, screened individually) and 14 pools (containing 8 nymphs and 266 larvae) of immature unfed questing ticks collected from the ground were screened for CCHFV genome by nested PCR and partial genomes sequenced.Results: As a result of the screening of these 179 samples, 17 (9.5%) were detected as positive as follows: 2 of 21 blood samples (9.52%), 13 (containing 18 nymphs in 3 pools, and 52 males and 8 females in 10 pools) of 106 tick pools from tortoises (12.26%), and 2 of 38 adult questing ticks (5.26%). No positive result was determined in 14 pools of immature questing ticks.Conclusions: Previous studies have shown that reptiles can participate in the transmission of arthropod-borne viruses, but they may contribute to different aspects of the disease ecology and evolution of tick-borne viral pathogens. Our results indicate the presence of CCHFV in questing and feedingH. aegyptiumticks as well as tortoise hosts. This may indicate that CCHFV circulates in a cryptic transmission cycle in addition to the primary transmission cycle that could play a role in the natural dynamic of the virus and the transmission to humans.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the prevalence and molecular characterization of Giardia duodenalis among dogs in Aydin, Turkey. A total of 473 faecal samples from dogs were collected. The overall prevalence of G. duodenalis was 18.8%. Higher infection rates were observed in dogs younger than three months old, from shelters, and with diarrhoea. Faecal samples of 89 dogs, diagnosed Giardia-positive by microscopy, were found positive by nested PCR. The β-giardin nested PCR assay revealed assemblage B in all samples (100%), whereas 38 of the samples were mixed with assemblage A (42%). Sequence analysis of isolates indicated sub-genotypes A3 and B4 which have been previously detected in human isolates from Turkey. The results of the present study indicated the relatively high prevalence of giardiasis and the presence of the zoonotic sub-genotypes suggesting the important role of dogs as potential reservoirs of human infections.

This study, based on a passive surveillance, has examined 21198 ticks which were detached from a number of people who received hospital consultation and service following the complaints of tick bites between the years of 2006 and 2011 in the city of Istanbul and its vicinity. The ticks have been evaluated in terms of species, developmental stage, gender, seasonal distribution, and locality as urban and rural areas. They belong to 21 species from the genera Ixodes, Hyalomma, Rhipicephalus, Haemaphysalis, Dermacentor, Argas, Ornithodoros and Otobius. The most prevalent ticks are the nymphs of Ixodes and Hyalomma, and Ixodes ricinus. While Ornithodorus lahorensis and Ixodes gibbosus have been seen on humans in Turkey for the first time, Ixodes acuminatus is a new record for the tick fauna of Turkey.