Ixodiphagus hookeri (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) and Tick-Borne Pathogens in Ticks with Sympatric Occurrence (and Different Activities) in the Slovak Karst National Park (Slovakia), Central Europe.

Ticks are involved in the transmission a plethora of pathogens. To effectively control ticks and mitigate the risks associated with tick-borne diseases, it is important to implement tick control measures. These may include the use of acaricides as well as the development and implementation of an alternative, environmentally friendly tick management program that include practices such as habitat modification or establishing biological control. Ixodiphagus hookeri Howard is a tick-specific parasitoid wasp that predates on several species of ixodid ticks and could contribute to the control of the tick population. This work aimed to detect the presence of parasitoid wasps in ticks (Ixodidae) using genetic approaches. Several tick species of the genera Ixodes, Haemaphysalis, and Dermacentor, with a sympatric occurrence in the Slovak Karst National Park in southeastern Slovakia, were screened for the presence of wasps of the genus Ixodiphagus. The DNA of the parasitoids was detected in four tick species from three genera. This work presents the first molecular detection of parasitoids in two Dermacentor tick species, as well as the first molecular identification of Ixodiphagus wasps in Ixodes ricinus and Haemaphysalis concinna ticks from the Karst area. In the given area, it was observed that I. ricinus and H. concinna ticks are hyper-parasitized by wasps. Moreover, it was observed that wasps here can parasitize several tick species, some of which are of less significance for human and animal health (as they transmit fewer pathogens).

[Medicinal products for human use in veterinary prescription]. / Preskripce humánních lécivých prípravku na veterinárních lékarských predpisech.

The paper deals with the problem of prescription and use of the medicinal products for human use in veterinary medicine. Using partial model analysis describes volume and structure of the prescription of medicinal products for human use in the veterinary practice in the years 2007-2011. Prescriptions included to the study were dispensed in a community pharmacy located in a county town in the Slovak Republic. Data were obtained from the basic collection of 845 veterinary prescriptions that included 1178 prescribed items in a total of 2954 packages.

Comparative study of binding of ovine complement factor H with different Borrelia genospecies.

This study presents the binding of ovine factor H (fH) by various serotypes of Borrelia and simultaneously correlates their complement resistance to sheep serum. Affinity ligand binding assay was employed to study the binding of borrelial proteins to ovine recombinant fH and its truncated forms (short consensus repeat, SCR 7 and SCRs 19-20). From a repertoire of 17 borrelial strains, only two strains showed affinity to sheep fH. A ~28-kDa protein of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (B. burgdorferi s.s., strain SKT-2) bound full-length fH as well as SCRs 19-20. This fH-binding protein was further identified as complement regulator-acquiring surface protein of B. burgdorferi (BbCRASP-1) by MALDI-TOF analysis. Surprisingly, a ~26-kDa protein of Borrelia bissettii (DN127) showed affinity to full-length fH but not to SCR 7 and SCRs19-20. In complement sensitivity assay, both strains-SKT-2 and DN127-were resistant to normal sheep serum. Significant complement resistance of two Borrelia garinii strains (G117 and T25) was also observed; however, none of those strains was able to bind sheep fH. Our study underscores the need of further exploration of fH-mediated evasion of complement system by Borrelia in domestic animals.

Host-dependent differential expression of factor H binding proteins, their affinity to factor H and complement evasion by Lyme and relapsing fever borreliae.

Binding of complement factor H is crucial for the resistance of Borrelia to complement-mediated lysis. This study was aimed to assess the correlation between the expression of fH binding proteins (FHBPs) during the early phase of infection (48 h after the entry of Borrelia into the blood circulation) and complement resistance of the Borrelia genus. As expected, B. afzelii, B. burgdorferi sensu stricto and B. garinii (Serotype 4, PBi) showed resistance to complement mediated lysis when incubated with human and dog complement, which coincided with the significantly higher expression (P<0.05) of the FHBPs. Similarly, B. coriaceae showed resistance to cattle complement. In non-reservoir hosts borreliae failed to induce expression of FHBPs within 48 h of complement challenge, and did not survive. It is important to note that not only the expression of FHBP but also their binding to fH is required for borrelial resistance to the complement. fH binding may depend on the coiled-coil (CC) motifs observed in the FHBPs, especially at the C terminus. A loss of the C-terminal CC motif in BgCRASP-1 of SKT-1 strain was found in in-silico CC prediction, and may be coupled with SKT-1's inability to bind factor H and evade complement-mediated attack. In contrast, the C-terminal CC motif was observed (P - 1.0) in BgCRASP-1 of PBi that may contributed to its factor H binding and human complement resistance.