First evidence of Brucella ovis infection in rams in the Pirot Municipality, Serbia.

This paper describes a research on Brucella ovis infection in rams in the Pirot Municipality of South Serbia. A positive result with indirect immunoenzyme test (i-ELISA) was confirmed in 67 (29.8%) and suspicious in 31 (13.

A case of human monocytic ehrlichiosis in Serbia.

Introduction: Ehrlichiosis is a bacterial zoonosis transmitted by hematophagous arthropods--ticks. In humans, it occurs as monocytic, granulocytic, and ewingii ehrlichiosis. Pathological process is based on parasitic presence of Ehrlichia organisms within peripheral blood cells--monocytes and granulocytes.

Simultaneous detection of vaccinal and field infectious bursal disease viruses in layer chickens challenged with a very virulent strain after vaccination.

Infectious bursal disease virus is an important poultry pathogen. It is distributed worldwide and causes significant economic losses. In this study, a system was adopted for the simultaneous monitoring of vaccine and virulent strains using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Oropharyngeal tularemia in father and son after consumption of under-cooked rabbit meat.

Tularemia has been recognized for more than 10 y in Serbia, since the first epidemic of tularemia occurred in Sokobanja region in 1999. We report 2 cases of oropharyngeal tularemia in a father and son after the consumption of under-cooked rabbit meat. Both presented with fever, unilateral tonsillopharyngitis and cervical lymphadenitis.

Borrelia burgdorferi in ticks and dogs in the province of Vojvodina, Serbia.

Lyme disease is a tick borne zoonotic infection, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. bacteria.

Results of bacteriological and cytological examinations of the endometrium of subfertile mares in stud farms in Serbia.

Uterine microbiology, antimicrobial susceptibility and endometrial cytology were investigated in a total of 51 mares with fertility problems from 16 different stud farms in Serbia. Uterine cultures were performed after collection with a double guarded uterine swab, and endometrial cytology was evaluated after collection of endometrial cells with a special device (cytology brush). In 21 of 51 mares, at least one bacterial species was isolated from the uterus; the most frequent were Streptococcus equi subsp.

Prevalence of antibodies to Rickettsiae in different regions of Serbia.

We assayed the presence of antibodies specific for Rickettsia typhi, R. akari, and R. conorii in sera of persons from several localities in Serbia with different geographic, climatic, and lifestyle characteristics.

[Human ehrlichiosis].

Background: Human ehrlichiosis is a newly recognized disease. It is a tick-borne disease caused by several bacterial species of the genhus Erlichia. These are small gram-negative pleomorphic cocci, that are obligatory intracellular bacteria.

Improved serodiagnosis of early Lyme borreliosis: immunoblot with local Borrelia afzelii strain.

To improve the serodiagnosis of Lyme borreliosis (LB) the performances of four tests were evaluated. An indirect immunofluorescent assay based on Borrelia burgdorferi s.s.

Semi-quantitative adsorption for detection of antibodies to Candida albicans germ tubes by indirect immunofluorescence test.

Adsorption of antibodies against antigens expressed on the Candida albicans blastoconidia cell walls was standardized for the detection of antibodies to germ tubes by an indirect immunofluorescence test (IIFT). Sera from rabbits immunized with C. albicans bearing germ tubes, were diluted by two-fold serial dilutions to obtain specimens 1 : 640-1 : 20 positive by IIFT.

[An epidemic of tularemia in the Nish area].

Tularaemia, as a rare disease, surprised medical workers in 1999 and 2000 when it was detected and diagnosed in 31 patients. In 1999 patients were registered in villages of the Sokobanja community, and in 2000 also in other communities in the district of Nish. Patients were peasants, mostly housewives.

Isolation of a coronavirus from kidney biopsies of endemic Balkan nephropathy patients.

Endemic Balkan nephropathy (EBN) is a kidney disease of unknown etiology limited to Bulgaria, Rumania and former Yugoslavia. Primary kidney tissue cultures were established as explants from tissue obtained at operations from 5 EBN patients with urinary tract tumors. Four out of the five biopsy specimens on extended culture incubation at 33 degrees C yielded a coronavirus virus (EBNV) which was cytopathogenic for human fibroblast and Vero cells.

[Tonsillo-pharyngeal form of tularemia].

Clinical, laboratory and serologic features of tonsillopharyngeal form of tularemia in 14 patients were analyzed in the study. The disease was ignored under the diagnosis of typical tonsillopharyngitis followed by cervical lymphadenopathy. Routine laboratory analyses results were non-specific and didn't reveal the disease etiology, while microagglutination test (MAT) of F.

[Clinical characteristics of Lyme disease].

Clinical characteristics of Lyme disease were analysed in 22 patients. Erythema migrans was found in 20 (91%), arthralgia in 18 (81%), neuralgia in 8 (36%), encephalitis in 3 (13%), carditis in 2 (9%) and arthritis in 2 (9%) patients. The positive antibody titer was found in 14 (63%) patients.

[The first isolation of Borrelia burgdorferi in Apodemus flavicollis in Yugoslavia].

Small rodent species, as well as their ectoparasitic fauna, and the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi in their blood and internal organs (liver and spleen) was investigated, at two locations (Kosutnjak, Lipovicka suma) in Belgrade. Animals were caught between September 15-17, 1992. On location Kosutnjak two Apodemus flavicollis were trapped and Borrelia burgdorferi was isolated from the spleen of one of them.

[Vectors of Borrelia burgdorferi].

During the period 1990-1992-5,915 ticks were collected and identified in the area of Belgrade. Identification has shown that 99.8% were Ixodes ricinus and 0.

[Ecology of Borrelia burgdorferi].

Much still remains to be understood about ecology of Borrelia burgdorferi which is transmitted by a number of ticks belonging primarily to the Ixodes complex, known to feed on different animal hosts and humans. This article pretends to be a review of previous knowledge of Borrelia burgdorferi ecology. Special emphasis is placed on the preliminary results of an investigation conducted in Yugoslavia on the risk of developing lyme borreliosis after a tick bite (Ixodes ricinus).

[Modern immunologic tests in the diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis].

In this work we described the results that were obtained using various immunodiagnostic assays for the detection of lyme borreliosis. Sera of the patients that were in acute or chronical phase of the disease were analysed in indirect immunofluorescent, immunoenzyme and immunoblot assays which were prepared and carried out in our laboratory. As a control for the validity of these investigations, we used sera of the healthy people, as well as of the patients suffering of lues or rheumatoid illnesses.

[Lyme borreliosis in Belgrade].

In the period 1990-1992 in Belgrade area a diagnosis of Lyme disease was registered in 487 patients. There were 195 men and 292 women. The disease was registered in all ages groups, median age 38 y.

[Rheumatic manifestations in Lyme borreliosis: personal experience in patients with oligoarthritis of "unknown" origin].

Lyme borreliosis is an infectious illness caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted by tick vectors. A prospective study was performed from January 1990, to investigate whether Lyme arthritis might have been undetected among patients with (unclassified arthritis) oligoarthritis of "unknown" aetiology. 210 patients were tested for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi: 82 patients with oligoarthritis of "unknown" aetiology; 52 patients with Reiter's syndrome; 20 patients with seronegative, B-27 positive oligoarthritis and 56 controls.

[Epidemiologic characteristics and serologic findings in erythema migrans].

Our three-year research covered 417 patients with erythema migrans, of both sexes and all age groups. Among them 87.3% had a history of tick bite.

[Etiology and pathogenesis of Lyme borreliosis].

Some characteristics of B. burgdorferi which have crucial role in the pathogenesis of Lyme-borreliosis are described. The pathogenesis of Lyme-borreliosis is a complex process resulting from inflammation, release of interleukin-1, dissemination and adherence of borrelia to different tissues.