Screening of opportunistic Encephalitozoon intestinalis and Enterocytozoon bieneusi in immunocompromised patients in Slovakia.

Objective: In recent years new infectious diseases, i.e. emerging or re-emerging diseases, have been coming to the forefront.

Chlamydiosis in farmed chickens in Slovakia and zoonotic risk for humans.

Introduction: is an obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterium causing respiratory disease (chlamydiosis) or asymptomatic carriage in poultry. In humans, it is a zoonotic agent of ornithosis/psittacosis. Due to low awareness of the disease and variable clinical presentation, psittacosis is often remains unrecognised as such by general practitioners.

Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis Infection and Its Association with Sexual Behaviour and Alcohol Use in the Population Living in Separated and Segregated Roma Settlements in Eastern Slovakia.

The aim of the study was to explore sexual behaviour and the occurrence of (CT) infection in the population living in Roma settlements compared to the majority population in Slovakia and to assess the association between alcohol use and sexual behaviour within both populations. A cross-sectional population-based Hepa-Meta study was conducted in Slovakia in 2011. The final sample comprised 452 Roma and 403 non-Roma respondents.

Detection of CHLAMYDIA PSITTACI in feral pigeons (COLUMBA LIVIA DOMESTICA) in Slovakia and their characterisation.

Introduction And Objectives: Chlamydia psittaci, an obligate intracellular bacterium, which is the etiologic agent of avian chlamydiosis in birds and ornithosis/psittacosis in humans, has been reported to be one of the most common pathogens found in feral pigeons worldwide, and thus constitutes a zoonotic risk. The aim of the study was to investigate pigeons in Slovakia living in areas in close proximity to humans for the presence of C. psittaci, using pharyngeal and cloacal swabs.

Occurrence of antibodies to Anaplasma phagocytophilum in patients with suspected tick-borne encephalitis.

Introduction And Objectives: Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) is an emerging tick-borne infectious disease caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum. In Europe, the first serological evidence of HGA was described in 1995 in Switzerland, and the first clinical case was confirmed in 1997 in Slovenia. Since then, many European countries, including Slovakia, have reported the occurrence of HGA.

Differences between Roma and non-Roma in how social support from family and friends helps to overcome health care accessibility problems.

Background: Roma are the most deprived ethnic minority in Slovakia, suffering from discrimination, poverty and social exclusion. Problematic access to good quality health care as result of institutional and interpersonal discrimination affects their health; therefore, factors which affect health care accessibility of Roma are of high importance for public health and policy makers. The aim of this study was to explore the association between health care accessibility problems and ethnicity and how different levels of social support from family and friends affect this association.

The prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis in the population living in Roma settlements: a comparison with the majority population.

Background: We aimed to study the occurrence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in the population living in Roma settlements and to compare the obtained results with the prevalence in the majority population.

Methods: We examined 340 people for the presence of bacterium C. trachomatis, 208 of them were Roma (66 men, 142 women) and 132 were from the majority population (75 men, 57 women).

Serological screening of selected microsporidia in HPV-positive women.

Microsporidiosis is considered to be emerging opportunistic infection in immunocompromised individuals worldwide. The aim of this study was to identify the specific serum antibodies to intestinal microsporidia Encephalitozoon cuniculi and Encephalitozoon intestinalis in women with Human Papillomavirus HPV and without HPV by the indirect immunofluorescence (IFA). From total number of 669 examined women, 225 were HPV positive and 444 women HPV negative.

Occurrence of microsporidia as emerging pathogens in Slovak Roma children and their impact on public health.

Introduction And Objective: Microsporidia are identified as ubiquitous organisms of almost every animal group and are now recognized as emerging opportunistic pathogens of human. The risk factors include immunodeficiency, lack of sanitation, and exposure to contaminated water and infected animals. In Slovakia, the places with an increased risk of infection due to the presence of risk factors and routes of transmission are represented by Roma settlements.

Rare positive laboratory tests for the presence of influenza virus A/H1N1--2009 in May, June, July, 2011, in the districts of Kosice I-IV and surroundings of Kosice in the Slovak Republic.

Influenza illnesses and positive laboratory tests for the presence of influenza virus in recent years in the districts of Kosice I-IV and surroundings have only occurred during the winter season. In May to July 2010 only one positive laboratory test for the presence of influenza virus A/H1N1-2009 was reported. In 2011, during the same period, a total of 29 positive laboratory tests recorded the presence of influenza virus A/ H1N1-2009 in individuals with typical clinical symptoms of influenza.

Changes in surveillance of acute respiratory infections including influenza in the Slovak Republic during 1993-2008.

The authors evaluated surveillance of acute respiratory infections (ARI), influenza and influenza-like illnesses (ILI) in the Slovak Republic (SR). They analyze morbidity, age-specific morbidity, complications, mortality, number of influenza viruses isolations and vaccination coverage rates in the SR in the years 1993-2008. They focus mainly on the analysis during the epidemic.

[Ehrlichiosis/Anaplasmosis].

Ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis are zoonoses caused by bacteria from the family Anaplasmataceae, including human and animal pathogens. The human pathogens are Ehrlichia chaffeensis, the causative agent of human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME), Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the pathogen causing human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), E. ewingii and Neorickettsia sennetsu, granulocytotropic and monocytotropic Ehrlichia species, respectively.

Occurrence of IgG antibodies to Anaplasma phagocytophilum in humans suspected of Lyme borreliosis in eastern Slovakia.

Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) and Lyme borreliosis (LB) are tick-borne and emerging infectious diseases caused by the Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi species. In Europe, including Slovakia, the principal vector of both pathogens is the common tick - Ixodes ricinus, in which double infections with these pathogens have been reported. The aim of our study was evidence of IgG antibodies against A.

Occurrence of antibodies against Chlamydophila abortus in sheep and goats in the Slovak Republic.

Chlamydophila abortus is one of the most important causative agents of enzootic abortion and other chlamydial infections of sheep and goats. The presence of specific serum antibodies to Chlamydophila abortus was studied in sheep and goats breeding in the Slovak Republic by the complement fixation test. 22,040 sheep and goats were examined during 5 years.

[Q fever].

Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, is a Gram negative coccobacillus. It resides and replicates in the host s monocytes and macrophages. The developmental cycle of C.

Present possibilities of Q fever therapy.

The first-line therapy for acute Q fever is 14 to 21 days of doxycycline, or fluoroquinolones such as ofloxacin or pefloxacin. Clarithromycin is a potential effective alternative. Chronic Q fever, especially endocarditis, requires treatment for at least 18 months, with the preferred combination of doxycycline and hydroxychloroquine.

Heterogeneity of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and their reflection on immune response.

Geographically different strains of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (B. burgdorferi sensu stricto Ir 105, B. burgdorferi s.

Application of specific primers in the diagnosis of Encephalitozoon spp.

In our experiment, 3 species-specific primer pairs cultivated in cell lines were used: Encephalitozoon cuniculi -specific primer pairs (ECUNF and ECUNR), Encephalitozoon hellem -specific primer pairs (EHELF and EHELR), and Encephalitozoon intestinalis -specific primer pairs (SINTF and SINTR). The PCR products were estimated to be 550 bp in E. cuniculi , 547 bp in E.

Q fever prevention and vaccination.

The simpliest way how to avoid the development and spreading of any infection, including Q fever in extenso, is prevention. The main principles of prevention are: educate the public on sources of infection, appropriately dispose of placenta, birth products, fetal membranes, and aborted fetuses at facilities housing sheep and goats, restrict access to barns and laboratories used in housing potentially infected animals, use only pasteurized milk and milk products, use appropriate procedures for bagging, autoclaving, and washing of laboratory clothing, quarantine imported animals, periodical monitoring of seroprevalence in cattle, sheeps and goats, vaccination of the risk groups etc. Four different basic types of Q fever vaccines have been developed: 1) live attenuated vaccines were derived from the Coxiella burnetii strain Grita in phase I of a highly reduced virulence but preserved immunogenicity, 2) highly purified corpuscular formalin-inactivated vaccine derived from the C.

Small mammals (Insectivora, Rodentia) as a potential source of chlamydial infection in East Slovakia.

The presence of antibodies against Chlamydophila (Chlamydia) psittaci in small mammals (Insectivora, Rodentia) in the region of East Slovakia are presented. The hosts were caught in several areas of Slovakia in habitats with different levels of anthropogenic disturbance. Research was carried out during 2000-2002.

Immune response in mice infected by Encephalitozoon cuniculi and suppressed by dexamethasone.

Several indicators of immune response were observed in immunocompetent mice of the ICR line and those suppressed by dexamethasone upon their experimental infection with the microsporidia of Encephalitozoon cuniculi. The mice were infected by one-shot intraperitoneal administration of 5 x 10(7) pathogenic spores. On Days 7, 14, 28 and 42 after infection, peripheral blood leukocyte phagocytic activity was determined and compared, including phagocytic index and the blastogenic response in spleen cells to mitogenic activation by concanavalin A and phytohaemagglutinin.

Molecular evidence for Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Ixodes ricinus ticks from eastern Slovakia.

Ixodes ricinus ticks (20 males, 20 females and 20 nymphs) collected in Kosice, Slovakia were examined for the presence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) by PCR.

Serological screening of occurrence of antibodies to Encephalitozoon cuniculi in humans and animals in Eastern Slovakia.

Encephalitozoon cuniculi is one of the mamalian microsporidian pathogens that can affect a number of different species of animals as well as humans. The presence of specific serum antibodies to Encephalitozoon cuniculi was studied in a group of animals and humans from Eastern Slovakia by the indirect immunofluorescence of antibodies (IFA). 456 people, 571 rabbits, 457 mice, 193 dogs, 72 cats, and 59 sheep were examined.

Wild pigeons and pheasants--a source of Chlamydophila psittaci for humans and animals.

The authors present results of serological examination in 275 pheasants (Phaisanus colchicus) and 273 pigeons (Columba livia f. domestica) for the presence of Chlamydophila (Ch) psittaci IgG antibodies. Using micromethod of complement fixation (CF) test with genus-specific antigen Ch.

Seroprevalence of anti-Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies in sheep and goats from mountainous areas of Slovakia.

In the present study, domestic animals such as sheep and goats from eastern Slovakia were screened for the presence of anti-Borrelia antibodies. Seroprevalence in 181 sheep and 65 goats were carried out in 1999 and 2000. Modified ELISA method was used for detection of anti-Borrelia IgG antibodies.