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Article Citation - WoS: 1Citation - Scopus: 1Detection of Sexually Transmitted Infection Agents in Pregnant Women Using Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction Method(BMC, 2025) Bakir, Ayfer; Cendek, Busra Demir; Usluca, Selma; Aral, Murat; Korkut, Gizem; Morkoc, Mehmet; Keskin, Huseyin LeventBackgroundSexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a significant public health concern that can lead to serious outcomes such as infertility, pregnancy complications, and neonatal infections. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of STI and their associated risk factors in symptomatic and asymptomatic pregnant women.MethodsBetween July and October 2024, a total of 300 pregnant women in their third trimester, including 113 symptomatic and 187 asymptomatic individuals aged 18 to 45 years, who sought antenatal care at the Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinic of Ankara Etlik City Hospital, were included in the study. The detection of STIs agents in vaginal swab samples was performed using multiplex polymerase chain reaction in the Molecular Diagnosis Laboratory of the Department of Microbiology.ResultsThe overall prevalence of STIs was 34.3% (103/300), with single and multiple infections accounting for 28.3% and 6.0% of cases, respectively. The most frequently detected pathogens were Ureaplasma parvum/urealiticum (29.0%), Mycoplasma hominis (4.6%), and Chlamydia trachomatis (2.3%). Co-infections were commonly observed between Ureaplasma parvum/urealiticum and Mycoplasma hominis. No significant difference in STI prevalence was observed between the symptomatic (35.4%) and asymptomatic (33.7%) groups. Co-infection with non-STI bacterial agents, such as Gardnerella vaginalis and Streptococcus agalactiae, increased the risk of STIs by 1.96 times (p = 0.006).ConclusionsThis study revealed that STIs occur at similar rates among symptomatic and asymptomatic pregnant women. This finding highlights the critical importance of detecting asymptomatic cases to prevent the spread of silent infections and to safeguard maternal and neonatal health. Ureaplasma parvum/urealiticum were identified as the most common pathogens. Given that co-infections with non-STI bacterial agents significantly increase the risk of STIs, multiplex PCR-based multicenter and prospective studies are essential to refine screening strategies for pregnant women.Book Part Malaria and Molecular Diagnosis(NOBEL TIP KİTABEVLERİ, 2024) Usluca, SelmaMalaria is named after the Italian term “mal’aria”, which means “bad air” to represent the association of the disease with mar shy areas (Fikadu and Ashenafi, 2023; Tuteja, 2007). Towards the end of the 19th century, Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, a French army surgeon, noticed parasites in the blood of a patient suffering from malaria, and Ronald Ross, a British medical offi cer in Hyderabad, India, discovered that mosquitoes transmitted malaria. The Italian professor Giovanni Battista Grassi subsequ ently showed that human malaria could only be transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes (Tuteja, 2007).Book Part PERİPROSTETİK EKLEM ENFEKSİYONU TANIMLAMALARI(UBAK Publishing House, 2025) Usluca, Selma; Aral, MuratPeriprostetik eklem enfeksiyonlarının (PEE) tanımlanması, multidisipliner bir yaklaşımın merkezinde yer alır ve tanısal kesinlik için uluslararası ölçekte kabul görmüş kriterlere ihtiyaç duyar. Ancak, ‘altın standart’ kabul edilebilecek evrensel bir tanımın bulunmaması, PEE’nin klinik, laboratuvar ve mikrobiyolojik tanısında farklı yaklaşımlara yol açmaktadır. MSIS, ICM, IDSA ve EBJIS gibi kurumlar tarafından oluşturulan tanım sistemleri, farklı duyarlılık ve özgüllük profilleriyle enfekte vaka oranlarını önemli ölçüde değiştirmektedir. Bu tanımlar arasındaki farklılıklar yalnızca enfeksiyonun teşhis oranlarını değil, aynı zamanda tedavi stratejilerinin belirlenmesini ve klinik sonuçların yorumlanmasını da etkilemektedir. Özellikle EBJIS tanımının düşük dereceli ve kültür negatif enfeksiyonları daha etkin şekilde yakalayabildiği gösterilmiştir. Bununla birlikte, her tanımın temel hedefi, yanlış negatifleri azaltmak ve PEE tanısında standardizasyonu güçlendirmektir. Bu bölüm, söz konusu tanımlama sistemlerinin tarihsel gelişimini, klinik performans farklılıklarını ve tanı sürecine olan yansımalarını ele almaktadır.Book Human Microbiota: Molecular Foundations, Systemic Interactions, and Clinical Perspectives(Ortadoğu Reklam Tanıtım Yayıncılık Turizm Eğitim İnşaat Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş., 2026) Aral, Murat; Usluca, Selma; Bakır, AyferDear Readers, Over the past two decades, the rapid progress achieved in the field of the human microbiota has led to the emergence of a new biological framework that extends beyond the classical “commensal–pathogen” dichotomy. It is now supported by strong molecular and clinical evidence that microbial communities residing in different anatomical sites, particularly the gut, play a decisive role in immune system development, metabolic balance, neurodevelopment, and disease progression. Thanks to highthroughput sequencing technologies, multiomics approaches, and advanced bioinformatic analyses, the composition and functional potential of the microbiota can be characterized in detail, opening new windows for understanding the delicate balance between health and disease. Nevertheless, a significant gap still remains between the rapidly expanding body of knowledge in microbiota science and its translation into clinical practice. Although numerous studies have identified strong associations between microbial alterations and various diseases, interpreting these relationships within a causal framework and integrating them reliably into clinical decisionmaking processes involve substantial methodological and biological challenges. Differences in sampling strategies, diversity of analytical platforms, interpopulation heterogeneity, and the lack of standardized reference ranges are among the main factors limiting the generalizability of current findings. Therefore, the translation of microbiotarelated knowledge into clinical practice requires not only technical accuracy but also conceptual caution. This book aims to address the human microbiota not merely as a descriptive ecosystem, but as a dynamic biological system that changes throughout life and remains in continuous interaction with environmental and clinical factors. The physiological foundations of microbiota development from infancy to old age, the conceptual boundaries of dysbiosis, associations with different disease groups, and the current level of evidence regarding microbiotabased interventions are presented through a holistic approach grounded in the contemporary literature. In particular, attention is drawn to issues frequently encountered in clinical translation, such as overgeneralization, methodological uncertainty, and limitations in evidence level, with the aim of providing readers with a critical framework for evaluation. The fundamental approach of this book is not to present the microbiota as the “key to every disease,” but to evaluate it in a manner that remains faithful to biological reality and the limits of existing evidence. Clearly defining diagnostic and therapeutic methods, explicitly stating what the applied technologies can and cannot measure, and shaping clinical expectations in alignment with scientific data constitute the core of this approach. Within this framework, the book aims to serve as a robust, balanced, and uptodate reference source for both researchers and clinicians in the field of microbiota science. The future of microbiota research will be shaped by interdisciplinary collaboration, standardized methodologies, and studies focusing on clinically meaningful outcome measures. This book seeks not only to compile existing knowledge, but also to contribute to this process by encouraging critical thinking and promoting progress guided by scientific prudence. During the preparation of this book, the scientific guidance and critical evaluations provided by the section editors played a decisive role in shaping its academic framework. The meticulous contributions of the associate editors regarding content coherence, terminological consistency, and adherence to publication standards strengthened the integrity and readability of the work. The dedicated efforts of the contributing authors, who combined current literature with a clinical perspective, formed the fundamental scientific basis of this volume. We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to Türkiye Klinikleri Publishing House, whose constructive approach and experience in academic publishing supported the process at every stage. The coordination and editorial support provided by the publishing team made a significant contribution to maintaining the scientific quality of the book. Sincerely,Book Part PARAZİTER ÜVEİTLER(UBAK Publishing House, 2025) Usluca, SelmaParaziter üveitler; Toxoplasma gondii, Toxocara canis/cati, Taenia solium’un larval formu (Cysticercus cellulosae), Echinococcus granulosus ve filarial Onchocerca volvulus gibi etkenlerin göz dokularını tutmasıyla gelişir ve dünyanın birçok bölgesinde önlenebilir görme kaybının önemli nedenleri arasında yer alır (Kalogeropoulos et al., 2021; Ahn et al., 2014; Pujari et al., 2021; Guo et al., 2017; Brattig et al., 2020). Toksoplazmoz, özellikle Latin Amerika’da posterior üveitin başlıca sebebi olup erişkinlerde ve çocuklarda benzer şekilde ciddi görme kaybına neden olabilir (De Angelis et al., 2021; Arruda et al., 2021). Toksokariyaz olguları çoğunlukla çocuklarda tek taraflı granülomatöz arka üveit/panüveit ile seyrederken, sistiserkozis ve nadiren ekinokokkozis intraoküler kistler, belirgin vitritis ve subretinal yerleşimle ağır görme kaybına yol açabilir (Ahn et al., 2014; Wender et al., 2011; Bhende & Bhende, 2019; Guo et al., 2017). Onkoserkiyazis ise Sahra Altı Afrika başta olmak üzere endemik bölgelerde kornea hastalığı ve üveit tablosuyla enfeksiyöz körlüğün küresel yüküne katkı verir (Enk, 2006; Brattig et al., 2020).Bu etkenlerde patogenez, parazitin doğrudan doku invazyonu ile konak immün yanıtının tetiklediği inflamasyonu ile birlikte şekillenir. Toksoplazmozda kan-göz bariyeri bozulur, IFN γ/IL-1β gibi sitokinler parazit kontrolünde rol oynarken, aşırı yanıt retina üzerinde sekel bırakabilir (Chen et al., 2024; Pleyer et al., 2019). Toksokariyazda göz içi granülom ve traksiyonel komplikasyonlar gelişebilir (Ahn et al., 2014). Sistiserkoziste canlı kist düşük, dejeneran kist ise belirgin granülomatöz reaksiyon oluşturur; ekinokokkoziste kist rüptürü şiddetli inflamatuvar yanıta neden olabilir (Dhiman et al., 2017; Sweed et al., 2023). Tanıda klinik tipik bulgular temel olmakla birlikte seroloji, aköz/vitreus PCR, Goldmann-Witmer katsayısı ve çok modlu görüntüleme, ayırıcı tanı ve atipik sunumlarda kritik önemdedir (Sève et al., 2017; Ammar et al., 2020; Kalogeropoulos et al., 2021; Sanchez-Ovejero et al., 2020).