[The occurrence of Cryptosporidium in a group of children and adults with diarrhoea of undetermined earlier aetiology].

In Poland since 2002 it is required to report the cases of human cryptosporidiosis, but so far none has been recorded. The aim of this study was to present some preliminary results of a study on the incidence of Cryptosporidium as a pathogen in children and adults with diarrhoea of undetermined aetiology. In 36 out of 246 stool samples collected from hospitalized patients with diarrhoea of undetermined aetiology, invasive parasite oocysts were detected.

[Development of efficient DNA isolation procedures for Cryptosporidium and Trichinella PCR detection in fecal samples].

PCR detection of genetic material of the parasites present in faeces may be an alternative for microscopic and serological tests routinely used for diagnosing parasitic enteral infections. However, small amount of target DNA combined with low efficiency of total DNA extraction, and presence of PCR inhibitors in the samples to be amplified, may cause false negative detection results. The aim of this work was to evaluate the impact of DNA isolation procedure used on the amplification of DNA fragments from the genomes of protozoan Cryptosporidium parvum and the nematode Trichinella spiralis.

Detection of Trichinella spiralis DNA in mouse faeces during the early stage of infection.

Trichinella spiralis is an etiological agent of trichinellosis, a parasitic disease present worldwide, affecting both animals and humans. The infection starts from the intestinal stage which usually lasts a few weeks and develops into the muscle phase when larvae enter the muscle cells and create a nurse cell-larva-complex. In animals, the infection is asymptomatic even if a high number of larvae is ingested.

Protective action of melatonin against oxidative DNA damage: chemical inactivation versus base-excision repair.

Melatonin is a hormone-like substance that has a variety of beneficial properties as regulator of the circadian rhythm and as anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer agent. The latter activity can be linked with the ability of melatonin to protect DNA against oxidative damage. It may exert such action either by scavenging reactive oxygen species or their primary sources, or by stimulating the repair of oxidative damage in DNA.