The diversity and distribution of TEM, SHV and CTX-M type of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) are important for the treatment and control of infections. Determination of ESBL genes in clinical isolates by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing can obtain useful data for their molecular epidemiology and risk. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of beta-lactamase genes in Acinetobacter baumannii strains isolated from different regions of Turkey. A total of 519 A.baumannii strains collected from hospitals located at 12 different provinces of Turkey (Bolu (n= 67), Tokat (n= 47), Trabzon (n= 25), Ordu (n= 27), Diyarbakır (n= 47), Niğde (n=31), Kayseri (n= 36), Ankara (n= 41), Kirikkale (n= 26), Kahramanmaraş (n= 25), Mersin (n= 40), Istanbul (n= 107)] between 2011-2012 period were included in the study. Identification of the isolates were performed by both conventional methods and automated systems, VITEK2 Compact (BioMerieux, France) and API 32GN (BioMerieux, France). Disc diffusion method was used for the detection of antibiotic susceptibilities of the isolates and the results were evaluated according to CLSI (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute) criteria. Tigecycline and colistin sensitivities of the isolates were evaluated according to BSAC (British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy) criteria. The presence of beta-lactamase genes, namely blaoxa-51, blaTEM, blaSHV, blaCTX-M1, blaCTX-M2, blaGES and blaVIM were detected by PCR. In our study, the resistance rates against colistin, tigecycline, ampicillin-sulbactam, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, cefoperazone/sulbactam, tobramycin, ceftriaxone, piperacillin-tazobactam, gentamicin, ampicillin, tetracycline, cefepime, piperacillin, amikacin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, meropenem, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, imipenem and ceftazidime were detected as; 0.6%, 2.7%, 11.9%, 15.2%, 21%, 22.9%, 23.9%, 48.6%, 59.5%, 61.8%, 66.3%, 67.8%, 69.2%, 71.1%, 77.5%, 78.6%, 81.1%, 82.9%, 87.5% and 89.4%, respectively. All of the isolates (100%) were OXA-51 positive, while 443 (85.4%) out of 519 strains harbored other beta-lactamase genes searched in the study. When the distribution of the genes were evaluated, blaTEM-1 was found as the predominant one with a frequency rate of 55.7% (n=289/519), followed by blaCTX-M2 (63/519, 12.1%), blaCTX-M1 (42/519, 8.1%), blaSHV (40/519, 7.7%), blaGES (8/519, 1.5%) and blaVIM (1/519, 0.2%). Cooccurence of ESBL genes was detected in 16.3% (72/443) of the strains, being mostly TEM+CTX-M2 (20/72, 27.8%), TEM+SHV (11/72, 15.3%) and TEM+CTX-M1 (10/72, 13.9%). In addition, it was noted that the distribution of ESBL genes between isolates showed differences according to the provinces. Accordingly, none of the strains isolated from four provinces (Bolu, Niğde, Mersin, Kahramanmaraş) and from three provinces (Bolu, Kahramanmaraş, Diyarbakir) harbored blaCTX-M1/M2 and blaSHV genes, respectively. The blaTEM gene was detected in isolates collected from all of the provinces, with a highest frequency in Niğde (28/31, 90.3%) and lowest in Trabzon (1/25, 4%). The presence of GES-11 type ESBLs was found only in the isolates sent from Niğde province (8/31; 25.8%). Screening of metallo-beta-lactamase VIM gene also yielded a single positive result amongst only Niğde isolates (1/31; 3.2%), and this gene was identified as VIM-5 type by DNA sequencing. This study which is the first comprehensive national research to characterize ESBLs in A.baumannii isolates by molecular methods, showed that the most prevalent ESBL type is TEM (289/519, 55.7%) amongst A.baumannii strains isolated from different regions of our country. The data of our study is parallel to the results of previous studies carried out from Turkey.

Pyrazoles, Schiff bases and the quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) such as N-alkyl substituted azachalcones are the important group of chemical individuals with widespread usage in many fields of science. In particular, these compounds have proven biological activities. In addition, the emergence of resistance against antibiotics used is the cause of an increasing necessity of new effective substances. Therefore, new N-alkyl substituted derivatives (4-7), 1,3,5-trisubstituted-2- pyrazoles (8-10) and Schiff bases (11-13) with biological activities such as phenolic. antioxidants or QAC were synthesized, starting from azachalcones. The structures of the compounds were elucidated with spectral methods including IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, COSY spectral data and elemental analyses. The prepared compounds were evaluated for antibacterial activity against four Gram-positive bacteria, and four Gram-negative bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the N-alkylated azachalcone derivatives 5 and 7 (7.8 mg/mL) showed strong antimicrobial activities, especially against Bacillus cereus. Antioxidant capacities of the synthesized compounds were determined by using CUPRAC and FRAP methods. As a result, compound 9 was observed to be more effective than other compounds.

Objective: In our study, K. pneumoniae strains (non-susceptible to carbapenem) (n = 60) were obtained from various clinical samples from Rize State Hospital between 2015 and 2017 and it is aimed to identify antibiotic resistance genes and replicon typing. Methods: Antibiotic susceptibility tests of the strains were performed with Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion test and the Vitek-2 automated system (BioMerieux, France). Antibiotic resistance genes and replicon typing was characterized by PCR method. Results: It was determined that K. pneumaniae isolates were mostly isolated from the samples of the intensive care unit. All of the K. pneumoniae strains examined in this study were found to be ampicillin/sulbactam and ertapenem resistant but colistin susceptible. Amoxacillin/clavulonic acid resistance was detected at 98.14% of strains. The bla_OXA-48 gene was mostly detected in isolates. The most common type of plasmid was I1 and 3 different plasmid types were found in five different strains together. Conclusion: This study also shows that the distribution of NDM-1 and OXA-48 carbapenemases has increased since the first co-display in Türkiye and that IncHI1 is the first record in our country. This study provides an overview of the major plasmid families occurring in multiple antibiotic-resistant strains of K. pneumoniae. To our knowledge, this study represents the first report of IncHI1 record in Türkiye.

Genotype and cultivar identification is essential for conserving tea genetic diversity within plantation ecosystems and ensuring the sustainability of high-quality tea production. This study represents the first large-scale genetic characterization of 200 elite varietal candidate tea (Camellia sinensis) clones, which were pre-selected from 2,034 genotypes originating from the Eastern and Western Black Sea regions of Türkiye. Eight polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers located near loci associated with catechin content, including epicatechin (EC), epicatechin gallate (ECG), epigallocatechin (EGC), and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), were employed. SSR profiles were generated for all 200 tea clones cultivated in control plots at the National Tea Gene Bank, and the resulting data were additionally used for DNA barcoding of 12 varietal candidate tea clones currently under registration. Among the evaluated markers, TM412 (EGC) exhibited the highest polymorphism information content (PIC = 0.8816), whereas TM376 (EC) showed the lowest (0.4321). Notably, TM412 (EGC) and TM399 (ECG) displayed high PIC values, indicating their strong discriminatory potential for Turkish tea genotypes. The findings indicate that Turkish tea germplasm possesses substantial genetic diversity, and some markers may be effectively utilized in variety registration and breeding efforts. This study presents the first comprehensive molecular characterization of tea genetic resources in Türkiye. It contributes to the long-term conservation of selected clones and supports the variety registration process through DNA barcoding and a QR code-based traceability system. The genetic dataset generated in this work contributed directly to the establishment of Türkiye’s first and the world’s fifth-largest tea gene pool in Rize Province, providing a valuable reference for strengthening tea genetic resource conservation and breeding programs at both national and global scales.

The establishment of tea gardens and tea production in Turkey began to spread after 1938 and became an important economic sector. The first tea gardens in Ordu province were established in 1960 in Perşembe district due to the expansion of the tea production area with a law enacted in 1951. Since this date, the production area and the number of producers began to develop rapidly. The tea production area in this district is between 250-800 m altitude, which is expressed as the middle and high region, and has a topographic area with variable slopes. Since the gardens established in Perşembe, as in other gardens in our country, are established with seeds, the plants differ from each other. This difference in the genetic structure of the plant is reflected in the product, namely the quality of the tea. Therefore, determining this difference is important. This study was conducted to determine the genetic diversity of the teas grown in Perşembe and the genetic relationship between intra-population and inter-cultivar. The plant materials used in the study were taken from different elevations and different gardens. 20 plant materials were collected to represent the study area. There are three standard varieties as control: Derepazarı7, Fener3 and Tuğlalı10. ISSR method was used in the study. Genetic diversity and related relationships were revealed in the study using 10 ISSR markers. According to the cluster analysis performed using UPGMA, significant differences were detected among individuals.

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a disease caused by phenylalanine hydroxylase enzyme deficiency in newborn infants and is the most important cause of treatable mental retardation. One of the causes of the disease comes from the defects of the PTPS in the metabolic pathway of phenilalanine metabolisms. Treatment of the disease is not feasible, and life-time tetrahydrobiopterin loading is performed in chronic patients. Today, tetrahydrobiopterin is chemically synthesized. Biological production is a different point of view due to the long duration of chemical synthesis, costs, and exposure to chemical pollutants. For this reason, the gch-I gene from the thermophilic A. flavithermus DSM 2641T was identified by PCR method. We cloned the gchI gene that was 603 bp and its open reading frame has 200 amino acids. The gene was cloned into pET28a(+) expression vector with 6xHis tags and transform in E. coli BL21(DE3)pLys host cells to express with 1 mM IPTG induction. After purification with Ni-NTA resin, we determined that GCH-I is 24 kDa, its optimum pH is 8.0 and temperature is 65C.Under optimal conditions, GCH-I exhibited enzymatic activity with Km- and Vmax- values of 243 ± 23,25 μM and 100,93 ± 3,5 nM/min/mg protein, respectively.