One of the objectives of the study was to identify the fungus involved in fruit rot on pomegranates in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey. The fungus designated as Coniella granati (Saccardo) Petrak and Sydow based on morphological characteristics. The fungus colonized the fruit after 5 to 8 days, followed by the appearance of fruit rot symptoms leading to the formation of abundant pycnidia covering the peel. Secondly, the efficacy of fungicides against C. granati was evaluated by mycelial growth and conidial germination assays. Tebuconazole, boscalid+pyraclostrobin and iprodione at 1.0, 25, and 50 μgml-1 concentrations, respectively, completely inhibited mycelial growth. In the azoxystrobin and dodine, relatively higher concentrations required to inhibit mycelial growth. Tebuconazole exhibited the greatest inhibition (82.2%) of mycelium growth. The EC50 values in mycelial growth of C. granati ranged from 0.13 to 151.9. The highest EC50 values occurred for tebuconazole (0.13μgml-1). Tebuconazole, boscalid+pyraclostrobin and iprodione at 200, 10 and 5 μgml-1 concentrations, respectively, were the highly effective in inhibiting conidial germination. Azoxystrobin exhibited a low effect (61%) on conidial germination. The EC50 values on conidial germination of C. granati ranged from 0.2 to 28.7. Tebuconazole had the lowest EC50 value, while boscalid+pyraclostrobin exhibited the highest EC50 value.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with different ecological niches are widely seen in fermented meat, vegetables, dairy products and cereals as well as in fermented beverages. Lactic acid bacteria are the most important group of bacteria in dairy industry due to their probiotic characteristics and fermentation agents as starter culture. In the taxonomy of the lactic acid bacteria; by means of rep-PCR, which is the analysis of repetitive sequences that are based on 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequence, it is possible to conduct structural microbial community analyses such as Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of DNA fragments of different sizes cut with enzymes, Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) polymorphic DNA amplified randomly at low temperatures and Amplified Fragment-Length Polymorphism (AFLP)-PCR of cut genomic DNA. Besides, in the recent years, non-culture-based molecular methods such as Pulse Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE), Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE), Thermal Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (TGGE), and Fluorescence In-situ Hybridization (FISH) have replaced classical methods once used for the identification of LAB. Identification of lactic acid bacteria culture independent regardless of the method will be one of the most important methods used in the future pyrosequencing as a Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) techniques. This paper reviews molecular-method based studies conducted on the identification of LAB species in dairy products.

Salmonellosis is a critical challenge in commercial poultry farming. This study aimed to calculate seroprevalence, identify Salmonella spp., and its pathological investigation from January to December 2019. One hundred fifty (150) serum samples and fifty (50) cloacal swabs from apparently ill and healthy birds were collected in this study. Seroprevalence was observed by serum plate agglutination (SPA) tests. The tentative diagnosis of salmonellosis was made based on history, clinical signs and bacteriological studies. Salmonella spp. was further confirmed using an automated microbiological method (VITEK®2). Post mortem examination was done in apparently sick birds, and gross and microscopic pathological lesions were investigated and recorded in a datasheet. The overall seroprevalence of salmonellosis was 42.67% in commercial chickens. Age wise prevalence of avian salmonellosis showed significantly highest infection rate in adult layers (≥ 45 days old) 65.31%, then 40.74%up to 45 days. In case of broiler, the prevalence rate in 0-10 days, 11-20 days, and 21-35 days were 13.63%, 44.12%, and 16.67%, respectively. Seasonal influence showed significantly highest proportionate prevalence of salmonellosis during summer 66.15%in comparison to winter 25.00% and rainy 24.44% seasons respectively. In bacteriological study, 12 samples were positive for Salmonellae among 50 cloacal samples. Out of 12 positive samples 5 samples were selected for the automated microbiology system VITEK® 2, and only two samples were confirmed as Salmonella gallinarum. Gross pathology of representative organs revealed bronze-colored enlarged liver, hemorrhages in the spleen and lungs, and hemorrhages in the ovary with stalk development. Microscopically, multifocal nodule formation and infiltration of inflammatory cells in the liver parenchyma and marked congestion with inflammatory cells in the spleen, hemorrhage and congestion in the lungs and intestine.

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Listeria species, specifically Listeria monocytogenes, in raw milk, pasteurized milk, white cheese, and homemade cheese. A total of 200 food samples were collected and analyzed to examine the presence of Listeria spp. The EN ISO 11290-1 method was used for isolation of Listeria. API Listeria test kit was used for biochemically characterization. Listeria spp. were isolated in 25 of the 200 samples (12.5%). The largest number of Listeria spp. was detected in homemade cheese (24%), followed by raw milk (18%), and white cheese (8%). Listeria spp. were not isolated from the pasteurized milk. The most common species isolated were Listeria innocua (5.5%); the remaining Listeria isolates were Listeria ivanovi (3.5%), Listeria welshimeri (3%), and Listeria monocytogenes (0.5%). Listeria monocytogenes was detected in only raw milk.