Epidemiology of tick-borne encephalitis in Poland (2010-2019) and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the notified incidence of the disease.

INTRODUCTION: Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is endemic in many parts of Eurasia including countries previously considered to be free from the disease. The incidence of TBE is changing owing to various ecological and climatic factors. The factors influencing the variability of the number of TBE cases are still under investigation. In 2020 the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 emerged causing COVID-19 pandemic. Governments have reorganized health care systems to contain a surge of COVID-19 cases and avoid hospital overload. Moreover, new measures have modified several aspects of social habits leading to a change in the incidence of numerous diseases. We aimed to evaluate the epidemiology of TBE in the last decade (2010-2019) and to demonstrate the impact of the surge of SARS-CoV-2 infections on the TBE incidence as reported to a national surveillance database. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed the analysis of the TBE notification from the epidemiologic reports in the years 2010-2019 and in the pandemic year 2020 at a national and regional level in Poland. We included data from two infectious disease departments located in the most TBE-prevalent province of Poland. RESULTS: Most cases of TBE occur in two provinces of Northeastern Poland from May to December. The increasing temporal trend occurred in Poland in 2016-2017. The increased number of cases of COVID-19 coincided with a reduction of the number of the reported TBE cases in 2020. CONCLUSIONS: Tick-borne encephalitis virus activity in Poland is invariably concentrated in endemic regions of Northeastern Poland fluctuating considerably from year to year. The decrease of TBE incidence with surge of COVID-19 patients conceivably resulted from underreporting due to limited access to specialized diagnostics. In endemic areas, TBE should be included in the differential diagnostics in all the cases when the central nervous system infection in suspected.

Nanoantibiotics containing membrane-active human cathelicidin LL-37 or synthetic ceragenins attached to the surface of magnetic nanoparticles as novel and innovative therapeutic tools: current status and potential future applications.

Nanotechnology-based therapeutic approaches have attracted attention of scientists, in particular due to the special features of nanomaterials, such as adequate biocompatibility, ability to improve therapeutic efficiency of incorporated drugs and to limit their adverse effects. Among a variety of reported nanomaterials for biomedical applications, metal and metal oxide-based nanoparticles offer unique physicochemical properties allowing their use in combination with conventional antimicrobials and as magnetic field-controlled drug delivery nanocarriers. An ever-growing number of studies demonstrate that by combining magnetic nanoparticles with membrane-active, natural human cathelicidin-derived LL-37 peptide, and its synthetic mimics such as ceragenins, innovative nanoagents might be developed. Between others, they demonstrate high clinical potential as antimicrobial, anti-cancer, immunomodulatory and regenerative agents. Due to continuous research, knowledge on pleiotropic character of natural antibacterial peptides and their mimics is growing, and it is justifying to stay that the therapeutic potential of nanosystems containing membrane active compounds has not been exhausted yet.

Varicella-Zoster Disease of the Central Nervous System in Immunocompetent Children: Case Series and a Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV) is characterized by its ability to enter a dormant state within the body. When the wild or vaccine virus reactivates, it can lead to herpes zoster (HZ), which infrequently manifests as a neuroinfection. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to analyze the clinical manifestations and outcomes associated with VZV reactivation in the CNS in immunocompetent children. METHODS: We searched medical databases for case reports using the keywords "zoster", "meningitis", "encephalitis", and "immunocompetent". The inclusion criteria were age below 18 years, any gender, race, and ethnicity, no features or history of immunodeficiency, and confirmation of VZV reactivation through the detection of VZV DNA in the CSF. Patients were categorized into two groups: children experiencing the reactivation of the wild virus and children with the vaccine strain virus. RESULTS: The cohort included six children hospitalized in our hospital and 49 children reported in the literature. In 37 (67%), a wild-type virus was detected, while in 18 (33%), an infection was caused by the vaccine strain. There were no differences in the clinical presentation between the two groups. A typical rash was observed in 32 (58%) children. Approximately 41 of the 55 children (75%) received antiviral treatment. Four patients experienced complications. CONCLUSIONS: Neither a history of VZV immunization nor the absence of a skin rash can definitively exclude VZV meningitis. It is important to note that any seemingly healthy child, regardless of recognized risk factors, could develop HZ meningitis.