Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Amaçları
Yayınlar
- Derleme MakaleYalnız künye2026Marine microsporidia: Hidden diversity, aquatic emergence and zoonotic risks
Bekircan, Çağrı; Kurnaz, Muammer
Marine Microsporidia represent an increasingly important but historically underestimated group of aquatic intracellular parasites. Although traditionally associated with invertebrates and fishes, recent molecular and environmental studies have revealed extensive hidden diversity across marine ecosystems together with unexpected phylogenetic links between aquatic and human-associated lineages. This review synthesizes five decades of research (1975–2025) concerning the biology, evolution, taxonomy, host–pathogen interactions, ecological diversity, and zoonotic significance of marine Microsporidia. Particular emphasis is placed on members of the Enterocytozoonidae, including Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei, Nucleospora spp., and Desmozoon lepeophtherii, which represent major threats to aquaculture sustainability and may contribute to cross-environmental transmission pathways. Environmental DNA studies further indicate that marine microsporidian diversity is substantially underestimated by morphology-based approaches. However, current evidence for zoonotic transmission remains largely indirect, resting chiefly on phylogenetic relatedness, shared genotypes across hosts and environmental (eDNA) detection; direct, seafood-borne human infection has not yet been demonstrated. Current evidence suggests that aquaculture intensification, climate-driven environmental change, and expanding seafood trade may facilitate the emergence and dissemination of zoonotic microsporidian lineages. Integrating marine Microsporidia into One Health surveillance frameworks is therefore increasingly important for both ecosystem and public health management.
- MakaleYalnız künye2026Spatial heterogeneity of microscopically detected Nosema spp. infection in honeybees: Climate-associated patterns in the Eastern Black Sea Region of Türkiye
Tosun, Onur; Bekircan, Çağrı; Kurnaz, Muammer
Nosemosis has emerged as the predominant microsporidian infection of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) in many regions, including Türkiye, yet the climatic drivers of its epidemiology remain insufficiently quantified. This study assessed the effects of temperature and relative humidity on nosemosis prevalence across seven provinces in the climatically diverse Eastern Black Sea region. A dataset of 2688 colony-level observations was analyzed using generalized linear models, mixed-effects models, beta regression, generalized additive models, and spatial autocorrelation. Both temperature and humidity were consistently significant predictors (p < .001). Quadratic temperature terms and nonlinear GAM smooths were consistent with a thermal performance pattern, with infection peaking at intermediate ranges. Humidity exerted threshold-like effects, with disproportionately higher prevalence at upper quantiles. Province-level random effects accounted for ∼18% of variance, underscoring spatial heterogeneity, while elevation was not significant once climatic variables were included. Exploratory spatial analysis (Global Moran's I = −0.476, p = 0.043) tentatively suggested dispersion rather than clustering; however, given the very small number of spatial units (n = 7), this result should be regarded as hypothesis-generating only. The beta mixed-effects model achieved moderate predictive accuracy under cross-validation (RMSE ≈ 0.109). Collectively, these findings indicate that nosemosis prevalence in the region is strongly associated with climatic variability, exhibits nonlinear and threshold-like responses, and shows pronounced spatial heterogeneity. We emphasize that these are statistical associations and that unmeasured factors (e.g., colony strength, nutrition, pesticide exposure, management practices, and co-infections) likely contribute to the unexplained variance. By integrating hierarchical, nonlinear, and spatial approaches, this study establishes a climate-associated epidemiological assessment of nosemosis risk in A. mellifera and highlights the importance of localized climatic suitability under ongoing climate change.