The increased intrathecal expression of the monocyte-attracting chemokines CCL7 and CXCL12 in tick-borne encephalitis.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a relatively severe and clinically variable central nervous system (CNS) disease with a significant contribution of a secondary immunopathology. Monocytes/macrophages play an important role in the CNS inflammation, but their pathogenetic role and migration mechanisms in flavivirus encephalitis in humans are not well known. We have retrospectively analyzed blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) monocyte counts in 240 patients with TBE presenting as meningitis (n = 110), meningoencephalitis (n = 114), or meningoencephalomyelitis (n = 16), searching for associations with other laboratory parameters, clinical presentation, and severity.

Nocardia farcinica as a cause of chronic meningitis - case report.

Background: Nocardiosis is an uncommon disease caused by aerobic gram-positive bacteria Nocardia spp. Although it is usually an opportunistic infection affecting immunocompromised patients, even one third of cases occur in immunocompetent persons. The aim of the study was to describe the course of chronic meningitis due to Nocardia infection.

The intrathecal expression and pathogenetic role of Th17 cytokines and CXCR2-binding chemokines in tick-borne encephalitis.

Background: Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a clinically variable but potentially severe Flavivirus infection, with the outcome strongly dependent on secondary immunopathology. Neutrophils are present in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of TBE patients, but their pathogenetic role remains unknown. In animal models, neutrophils contributed both to the Flavivirus entry into central nervous system (CNS) and to the control of the encephalitis, which we attempted to evaluate in human TBE.

West Nile virus and USUTU--a threat to Poland.

In recent years emergence of new infectious diseases and the growing spread of pathogens to new areas is observed. Most of these pathogens are zoonotic viruses and their transmission route is from animals to humans and vice versa. These so called emerging and re-emerging pathogens that were present previously only in Africa and Asia are becoming a threat to European countries.

Lyme disease in Poland - A serious problem?

Purpose: We evaluated the clinical picture of patients hospitalized with Lyme disease (LD). Additionally, we analyzed the possible cause of sudden rise in LD incidence in Poland.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed medical documentation of patients admitted to the Department of Infectious Diseases and Neuroinfections, Medical University in Bialystok in 2013 with suspicion of LD.