Molecular Analysis of Dihydropteroate Synthase Gene Mutations in Isolates among Bulgarian Patients with Pneumonia.

pneumonia (PCP) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised people. The widespread use of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ) for the treatment and prophylaxis of opportunistic infections (including PCP) has led to an increased selection of TMP-SMZ-resistant microorganisms. Sulfa/sulfone resistance has been demonstrated to result from specific point mutations in the gene.

Study on the Prevalence of as a Causative Agent of Lung Pathology in People with Different Immune Status.

Background: pneumonia (PCP) commonly affects immunocompromised individuals, whereas in immunocompetent persons, it occurs relatively rarely, and in most cases, the infection is detected as an asymptomatic colonization. The present study aimed to establish the prevalence of infection in human hosts with different immune status (immunocompromised and immunocompetent), using molecular diagnostic methods, and to compare their diagnostic value with that of classical staining methods.

Methods: We used the collected-to-this-moment data from a prospective study on the prevalence of pneumocystosis among the Bulgarian population.

Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of imported malaria in Bulgaria: A retrospective study of а 21-year period.

Background: Bulgaria, with a high endemicity for malaria in the past, was declared by the WHO as a malaria-free country in 1965. We intended to analyze the epidemiological and clinical implications of imported malaria cases in Bulgaria.

Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of all recorded cases of imported malaria in Bulgaria over a 21-year period (2000-2020).

First case of ocular dirofilariosis in Bulgaria caused by gravid female Dirofilaria repens.

Dirofilariosis caused by Dirofilaria (Nochtiella) repens is recorded sporadically among people in Europe, Asia and Africa. Still a worldwide controversy exist upon human parasite hosting. Herein, the first case of ocular dirofilariosis in Bulgaria caused by gravid female is presented.

Study of IgG avidity and the level of specific IgA antibodies and their significance in the diagnosis of human toxocarosis.

Toxocarosis is a zoonotic disease caused by migration and subsequent localization of nematode larvae of Toxocara spp. in human organs and tissues, which is manifested with development of various non-specific clinical symptoms. Main diagnostic methods are serological and consists in proving the presence of anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies in patient's sera.

Extra-hepatopulmonary cystic echinococcosis in Bulgaria: frequency, management and outcome of the disease.

In the endemic countries, human cystic echinococcosis (CE) poses a serious medical and social problem. Because it most often affects the liver and lungs we aimed to define the proportion of cases with different organ localization, the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in such cases, and the outcome of them. For a period 2010-2019, a total of 2863 cases of CE were registered in Bulgaria, of which 148 (5.

Imported malaria in Bulgaria, status and prognosis after eradication in 1965.

Background: This retrospective analysis assessed all recorded malaria cases in Bulgaria after 1965, when the country was certified as malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO), and evaluated the readiness of the public health system to interrupt an outbreak of local transmission in case of infection importation.

Methods: The cases were analyzed according to causative species; geographic origin of the imported case; and the citizenship, age, and gender of the infected individuals.

Results: In the 50-year study period (1966-2015), there were a total of 3011 cases of malaria imported to Bulgaria from different regions of the world.

Human Parasitic Diseases in Bulgaria in Between 2013-2014.

Background: In Bulgaria, more than 20 autochthonous human parasitic infections have been described and some of them are widespread. Over 50 imported protozoan and helminthic infections represent diagnostic and therapeutic challenges and pose epidemiological risks due to the possibility of local transmission.

Aims: To establish the distribution of autochthonous and imported parasitic diseases among the population of the country over a 2-year period (2013-2014) and to evaluate their significance in the public health system.

Molecular characterization of Echinococcus granulosus isolates from Bulgarian human cystic echinococcosis patients.

Although cystic echinococcosis (CE) is highly endemic in Bulgaria, there is still scarce information about species and/or genotypes of the Echinococcus granulosus complex that infect humans. Our study tackled the genetic diversity of E. granulosus complex in a cohort of 30 Bulgarian CE patients.

Treatment of Hepatic Cystic Echinococcosis in Patients from the Southeastern Rhodope Region of Bulgaria in 2004-2013: Comparison of Current Practices with Expert Recommendations.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a clinically complex chronic parasitic disease, management options for which include surgery, percutaneous treatments, and treatment with albendazole (ABZ) for active cysts, and the "Watch-and-Wait" approach for uncomplicated, inactive cysts. We examined, retrospectively, the clinical management of 334 patients with hepatic CE from the southeastern Rhodope region of Bulgaria between 2004 and 2013. Cysts were reclassified according to the World Health Organization Informal Working Group on Echinococcosis (WHO-IWGE) on the basis of ultrasound reports and images.