The first finding of Neospora caninum and the occurrence of other abortifacient agents in sheep in Slovakia.

Neosporosis is an infection of animals caused by an intracellular coccidian parasite, Neospora caninum, closely related to Toxoplasma gondii. The parasite is one of important abortifacient agents of bovine abortions worldwide. The aim of the study was to detect the prevalence of anti-Neospora antibodies in dairy aborting sheep from two eastern Slovak regions and to compare it with the occurrence of other potential abortifacient agents. Sera of 382 sheep, mainly the Improved Valachian and Merino breed, were tested for the presence of anti-Neospora and anti-Toxoplasma antibodies by ELISA, anti-Leptospira sp. by micro-agglutination-assay and anti-Chlamydophila antibodies using the complement fixation test. The mean seroprevalence of N. caninum was 3.7% and of T. gondii, 24.3%. This phenomenon of higher susceptibility of sheep to T. gondii is in the opposite of N. caninum infection in cattle. Anti-Leptospira antibodies were observed in 2.9% of serum samples with titres from 800 to 1600, whereas IgG antibodies against Chlamydophila abortus were found in 13.6% with titres from 64 to 1024. Half of N. caninum positive sera were simultaneously positive for T. gondii and one sample for C. abortus. From examined abortifacient agents the most important, from the frequency point of view, were toxoplasmosis (24.3%) and chlamydiosis (13.6%). No significant association between the frequencies of the abortions and mean seroprevalence of the abortifacient agents in Kosice region was determined. Likewise, no significant differences between the mean seroprevalence of neosporosis and toxoplasmosis in the two regions were detected. The first survey of neosporosis in aborting sheep from eastern Slovakia revealed a low prevalence resulting in a lower impact on reproduction losses in these small ruminants.

Serological response of cattle to Chlamydophila abortus in Slovakia in 1996-2000.

In the Slovak Republic, in 1966-2000, 37,275 blood sera of cattle were investigated for the presence of antibodies against Chlamydophila abortus using the method of complement fixation. The antibody occurrence had following tendency: in 1996--3.72%; 1997--10.02%; 1998--9.15%; 1999--15.99%; 2000--9.51% of the tested sera contained the antibodies. In most cases, antibodies in low titres, 1:32-1:64, were detected. Positive serological reactions at such serum dilutions are not indicative of the clinical disease of cattle; they reflect an immune response of the host organism following contact with the Chlamydophila abortus antigen. The chlamydial antibody titres of 1:256, which were confirmed in 1998-1999, indicate the chlamydial infections.

[Determination of pentoxifylline and its major metabolites in human plasma using HPLC]. / Stanovenie pentoxifylínu a jeho hlavného metabolitu v plazme l'udí s vyuzitím HPLC.

The present paper describes a rapid, reliable and simple method of pentoxiphyllin in plasma. The worked-out one-step extraction with dichloromethane yields 63% recovery of pentoxiphyllin, 58% recovery of the metabolite and 54% recovery of the internal standard. The employed column with a reverse load of Spherisorb ODS, mobile phase 65% of 0.01 M KH2PO4 and 35% acetonitrile, detection at the wavelength lambda = 273 nm, makes it possible to achieve determination of pentoxiphyllin at the levels commencing with 5 ng.ml-1 of plasma. Reproducibility of determination is 6.8%, or 4.5% in the pentoxiphyllin concentrations of 50, or 100 ng.ml-1.

[Synantrophic flies and other insects in the area of a hospital and microflora detected on their body surfaces]. / Synantropní mouchy a dalsí hmyz v areálu nemocnice a mikroflóra zjistená na povrchu jejich tel.

During the summer period (June-September) 1988 the authors examined the incidence of synantropic flies and other insects on the grounds of hospital in Prague. By means of isolation tests the microflora of their body surfaces was recorded. A total of 521 flies of 35 species were collected; furthermore 1 wasp species and 1 ant species were found. This material was subjektes to 90 tests, in which 108 strains of 21 species of microbes were isolated. In 96% G-rods were found. The majority of the microbes were intestinal, potentially pathogenic microbes which currently occur in hospital environment. The authors discuss the possible role of flies and other synantropic insects in the mechanism of transmission of the detected microflora.

[Salmonella bulovka 6,7:z44:--a new serovar isolated in Czechoslovakia]. / Salmonella bulovka 6,7: z44:--nový sérovar izolovaný v Ceskoslovensku.

The authors describe a new serovar of Salmonella, Salmonella bulovka, isolated from the faeces of a 35-year-old man with diarrhoea. The antigenic formula is 6.7:z44:--.

[Determination of nifedipine and its metabolites in plasma using gas chromatography]. / Stanovenie nifedipínu a jeho metabolitu v plazme metódou plynovej chromatografie.

A method was worked out to determine nifedipine and its metabolite in plasma with the use of the packed chromatographic column 3% OV-101 and the detector of electron capture. The adjustment od plasma is simple. It consists in denaturation of plasma proteins and subsequent simple extraction with benzene. Denaturation of proteins present in canine plasma is carried out with methanol, where as denaturation of human plasma with ammonium phosphomolybdate. The minimal detectable amount of nifedipine is 0.5 ng.ml-1 of plasma and that of its metabolite, 0.1 ng.ml-1 of plasma. As nifedipine is unstable in daylight, the whole extraction of plasma including the withdrawal of blood must be performed in yellow light. At -18 degrees C and in darkness, nifedipine samples in plasma can be kept for 30 days.

To shigellosis epidemicity in East-Slovakian region.

A set of 2227 strains of Shigella sonnei isolated from dysentery patients in East-Slovakian region from 1975 through 1977 was analyzed by age and sex of patients, place and time of isolation, and by phage type, colicin type and antibiogram patterns of strains. The study showed that some phage types tended to occur in association with certain colicin types, the most common combination being that of phage type 75 and col factór Ei (86% of strains). In 1976 and 1977 this phage type gradually replaced col factor Ia that in 1975 was predominant. The rise in the incidence of these strains was striking and pointed to their intensive circulation among the population of East-Slovakian districts, particularly among children of preschool age. A hypothetic assumption is that such changes in the phage type and colicin type patterns might precede the new epidemic wave of dysentery outbreaks in the population. That would also explain e.g. the irregularity of dysentery epidemic cycles encountered in Czechoslovakia during the decade from 1972 through 1982. The analysis of strains by pattern of antibiogram showed that the percentage of strains resistant to all antimicrobials and sulphonamides tested remained virtually constant over the three years under study and did not exceed 6% of strains. Only the strains monoresistant to tetracycline were found to show a striking rise in their incidence from 5% in 1975 to 23% in 1977. In the majority of cases they were S. sonnei strains with col factor Ei.

Outbreaks of alimentary bacterial infections reported in CSR between 1979 and 1982.

Outbreaks of alimentary infections of bacterial origin (dg 002--typhoid or paratyphoid fever; dg 003--infections due to other Salmonella species; dg 004--bacillary dysentery; dg 005--alimentary intoxications; dg 008--intestinal infections due to other bacteria; dg 009--intestinal infections of unknown etiology) which had been reported in the Czech socialist republic from 1979 to 1982 are overviewed and analyzed. The outbreaks of alimentary infections were analyzed by the number of epidemic episodes reported annually, by the number of cases involved, by the geographical and seasonal distribution pattern, by the place of onset, and by the mode of spread of infectious agents. Hospital-related salmonelloses were further analyzed by the serotype of Salmonellae responsible for these nosocomial infections. Outbreaks of water-borne alimentary infections were analyzed by the type of contaminated water source. Changes and trends in the epidemiology of alimentary bacterial infections encountered between 1979 and 1982 are discussed in detail. This study confirms that a systematic analysis of these outbreaks should constitute an integral part of the alimentary infections surveillance program for it may help assess the risk of population exposure to the varied causes of these infections.