Vivid COVID-19 LAMP is an ultrasensitive, quadruplexed test using LNA-modified primers and a zinc ion and 5-Br-PAPS colorimetric detection system.

Sensitive and rapid point-of-care assays have been crucial in the global response to SARS-CoV-2. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) has emerged as an important diagnostic tool given its simplicity and minimal equipment requirements, although limitations exist regarding sensitivity and the methods used to detect reaction products. We describe the development of Vivid COVID-19 LAMP, which leverages a metallochromic detection system utilizing zinc ions and a zinc sensor, 5-Br-PAPS, to circumvent the limitations of classic detection systems dependent on pH indicators or magnesium chelators.

AIMSurv: First pan-European harmonized surveillance of invasive mosquito species of relevance for human vector-borne diseases.

Human and animal vector-borne diseases, particularly mosquito-borne diseases, are emerging or re-emerging worldwide. Six invasive mosquito (AIM) species were introduced to Europe since the 1970s: , , , , and . Here, we report the results of AIMSurv2020, the first pan-European surveillance effort for AIMs.

VirPool: model-based estimation of SARS-CoV-2 variant proportions in wastewater samples.

Background: The genomes of SARS-CoV-2 are classified into variants, some of which are monitored as variants of concern (e.g. the Delta variant B.

Certain predictors of coping with stress in adolescents.

Background: The purpose of the study was to search for variables that show a relationship with coping with stress as well as to search for the possibility of predicting a stress coping mechanism in the studied adolescents. Two questions were formulated in the study: Are mental resilience and communication with peers significant predictors of coping with stress in the studied group? To what extent will the analysed predictors explain individual strategies to cope with stress?

Participants And Procedure: The study involved three tools: the Resilience Measurement Scale (RMS-18), the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations Questionnaire (CISS), and the Scale of Communication of Adolescents with Peers (SCAP). The study was carried out on a randomly selected group of 546 adolescents.

Sequential development of several RT-qPCR tests using LNA nucleotides and dual probe technology to differentiate SARS-CoV-2 from influenza A and B.

Sensitive and accurate RT-qPCR tests are the primary diagnostic tools to identify SARS-CoV-2-infected patients. While many SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR tests are available, there are significant differences in test sensitivity, workflow (e.g.

Monoclonal antibodies targeting two immunodominant epitopes on the Spike protein neutralize emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.

Background: The emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern B.1.1.

An unwanted companion reaches the country: the first record of the alien mosquito Aedes japonicus japonicus (Theobald, 1901) in Slovakia.

Background: Invasive mosquitoes of the genus Aedes are quickly spreading around the world. The presence of these alien species is concerning for both their impact on the native biodiversity and their high vector competence. The surveillance of Aedes invasive mosquito (AIM) species is one of the most important steps in vector-borne disease control and prevention.

Thelazia callipaeda in Slovakia - From sporadic cases to endemic areas.

Spirurid nematode Thelazia callipaeda, transmitted by the fruit fly Phortica variegata, is a causative agent of an ocular parasitic disease called also canine thelaziosis. Dogs, cats, and wild canids are considered the primary definitive hosts for the parasite, but humans may also serve as aberrant definitive hosts. For long decades the geographic range of T.

Nanopore sequencing of SARS-CoV-2: Comparison of short and long PCR-tiling amplicon protocols.

Surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 variants including the quickly spreading mutants by rapid and near real-time sequencing of the viral genome provides an important tool for effective health policy decision making in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Here we evaluated PCR-tiling of short (~400-bp) and long (~2 and ~2.5-kb) amplicons combined with nanopore sequencing on a MinION device for analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences.

Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.1.7 in Slovakia using a novel, multiplexed RT-qPCR assay.

The emergence of a novel SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.

A SARS-CoV-2 mutant from B.1.258 lineage with ∆H69/∆V70 deletion in the Spike protein circulating in Central Europe in the fall 2020.

SARS-CoV-2 mutants carrying the ∆H69/∆V70 deletion in the amino-terminal domain of the Spike protein emerged independently in at least six lineages of the virus (namely, B.1.1.

in Bulgaria: The First Genetic Baseline Data and an Overview of the Current Status.

, the agent of canine dirofilariosis, is a common parasite of domestic and wild carnivores with zoonotic potential and worldwide distribution, being endemic in many countries. Bulgaria is among European countries recognized as endemic for this heartworm parasite. In the present study, adults recovered from pulmonary arteries of domestic dog and golden jackal originating from the Pazardzhik region in southern Bulgaria, and from red fox originating from the Plovdiv region in central-southern Bulgaria, were genetically analyzed in nuclear targets.

Retrospective review and current knowledge on the occurrence of West Nile virus in mosquito vectors, reservoirs and hosts in Slovakia (Central Europe).

West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus (the genus Flavivirus) representing a medical and veterinary public health concern. Birds are the most important reservoirs. Culicine mosquitoes transmit WNV to vertebrate hosts (including horses and humans) and migratory birds play role in its long-distance transport.

Bartonella species in medically important mosquitoes, Central Europe.

Here, we provide the first mass molecular screening of medically important mosquitoes for Bartonella species using multiple genetic markers. We examined a total of 72,115 mosquito specimens, morphologically attributed to Aedes vexans (61,050 individuals), Culex pipiens (10,484 individuals) and species of the Anopheles maculipennis complex (581 individuals) for Bartonella spp. The initial screening yielded 63 Bartonella-positive A.

Rare Case of Intraocular Infestation in an Asymptomatic Dog.

The presented clinical observation shows an atypical case of intraocular infection in an 18-month-old male beagle from north-eastern Slovakia. The dog presented with a motile worm in the anterior chamber of the right eye. No ocular signs or symptoms of a systemic disease were observed.

Heartworm on the rise-new insights into Dirofilaria immitis epidemiology.

Until recently Dirofilaria immitis, the causative agent of serious canine heartworm disease, has been detected relatively infrequently in Central Europe in comparison with the predominant D. repens species. In the present study, the elevated number of heartworm cases among dogs from a breeding establishment in south-western Slovakia is described.

Urbanization impact on mosquito community and the transmission potential of filarial infection in central Europe.

Background: Despite long-term research on dirofilariosis in Slovakia, little attention has thus far been paid to Dirofilaria vectors. The particular aim of the present study was molecular screening for filarioid parasites in two different habitats of Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia. In addition, the effect of urbanisation on mosquito species abundance and composition, associated with the risk of mosquito-borne infections, was studied and discussed.

Endoparasites of the grey wolf (Canis lupus) in protected areas of Slovakia.

Although the grey wolf was on the brink of extinction in Central Europe in the last century, it never became extinct in Slovakia and nowadays its population is considered stable. The wolf population in Slovakia is estimated to be around 400 individuals with seasonal variations, and due to these small numbers, studies on the parasite fauna of wolf are scarce. Of the 35 parasitic species recorded worldwide in grey wolves in temperate and mountain zones of the Palearctic region, 15 were detected in Slovakia.

Nematode Thelazia callipaeda is spreading across Europe. The first survey of red foxes from Slovakia.

Canine thalaziosis caused by the spirurid nematode Thelazia callipaeda has started to spread across Western and Central Europe during the last decade. In Slovakia, the first autochthonous cases of this infection were recorded in 2016 in four dogs from the south-eastern part of the country. In August 2017 other autochthonous case, again from the same locality, was reported.

GIS-based environmental analysis of fox and canine lungworm distribution: an epidemiological study of Angiostrongylus vasorum and Crenosoma vulpis in red foxes from Slovakia.

Over a period of intervening years, the distribution of two canine cardiopulmonary metastrongylid nematodes, Angiostrongylus vasorum and Crenosoma vulpis, has been recognised in Central Europe. Here, we report the first epidemiological research conducted in red foxes from Slovakia and the potential influence of selected environmental variables on the parasites' occurrence, quantified by logistic regression. The environmental models revealed that distribution of C.