Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Russia and neighbouring countries: high incidence of mixed isolates

A total of 365 isolates of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato from 12 major administrative territories of Russia (from St. Petersburg in the west to South Sakhalin in the east) and from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Byelorussia, Moldavia, Ukraine and Kirghizia were identified by analysis of restriction polymorphism of ribosomal rrf-rrl spacer amplicons. The isolates were obtained mainly from ixodes persulcatus and I. ricinus ticks. Other sources included small mammals, human patients and I. trianguliceps ticks. The results showed that B. garinii (two variants) together with B. afzelii circulated throughout the territories studied. The distribution of the variant NT29 of the species B. garinii, the most frequently isolated, was associated with that of I. persulcatus ticks. B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, and the species B. valaisiana and B. lusitaniae (formerly the genomospecies VS116 and PotiB2, respectively) were isolated only from I. ricinus ticks in the western part of the studied territories. None of these three species were found in 327 isolates from Russia where I. persulcatus is the most frequently distributed vector. This work also provides evidence for a high incidence of mixed Borrelia infections within vectors and hosts (9.3% of isolates were mixtures of Borrelia species). A detailed analysis of Borrelia species distribution over the territories studied is presented.     

Mycobacterium tuberculosis reactive T cell clones from naturally converted PPD-positive healthy subjects: recognition of the M. tuberculosis 16-kDa antigen

The methods of spatial statistics were applied to assess the geographical pattern of risk of Lyme borreliosis in Central Bohemia, the Czech Republic, based on retrospective data on disease contractions. The statistical risk was then compared at 15 selected localities with the infection challenge presented by ticks and insects carrying borreliae. Over 5,000 Ixodes ricinus (L.) ticks and 390 haematophagous dipterans were screened by direct immunofluorescence method, and the spatial and seasonal variance of infection rates were studied. Infected ticks were found at each locality throughout the warm season; in nymphs, sample infection rates ranged from 4.9% to 23.1% with a mean of 14.5% in spring, from 7.7% to 28.7% with a mean of 16.1% in summer, and from 7% to 20.6% with a mean of 13.6% in autumn. The statistical risk was found to correlate well with an average nymphal infection challenge, i.e. I. ricinus nymphal abundance x infection rate, at a given locality. Statistically significant cumulation of insect-history recalling patients into several, generally wetland, areas was ascertained; borreliae were revealed in 0.5% of the dipterans examined.     

Frequency of replication errors in colorectal cancer and their association with family history

In the Czech Republic, the incidence of Lyme borreliosis (LB) has shown a rising trend since 1988. The goal of this study has been to find out to what extent a selected part of population is aware of ticks and of the relationship between ticks and LB. The study was based on a questionnaire survey. A total of 110 respondents were selected, including 19 secondary school students, 32 blood donors, 44 park-goers, 15 countryside people. As many as 99% of the respondents were aware of the presence of ticks, 91% knew that ticks are sucking blood of humans and animals, 1.8% thought they eat leaves. 74.5% of the respondents expect ticks to reach them from the vegetation while 22% believe that ticks fall from the trees. Furthermore, 87% and 75% of the respondents indicated to have had ticks attached to the skin or to have removed a tick from other persons' skin, respectively. Only 6.7% of them had never come into contact with ticks. 17% of the respondents use disinfectant when removing a tick, while 67% use oil for tick removal. Almost 30% remove ticks with naked hands. Over 14% destroy the ticks by squashing them with naked fingers. Finally, about 11% of the population studied had never heard about LB and 41% were not aware of the risk of tick-borne encephalitis.     

Involvement of serotonergic receptor subtypes in the production of antinociception by psychological stress in mice

The infestation of birds by immature Ixodes ricinus was studied during 6 months in a Swiss woodland, where Lyme borreliosis is endemic. Thirteen passerine species were found to be parasitized by I. ricinus subadults and specially Turdus merula, T. philomelos and Erithacus rubecula. Overall, 300 larvae and 162 nymphs were collected on 95 avian hosts. Prevalence of infestation of nymphs on birds was higher in spring; larvae peaked in summer. The infection of birds by Borrelia burgdorferi was also studied using blood cultivation and examination of ticks. Motionless spirochetes were isolated from two E. rubecula. Infected ticks were removed from five species of passerines, and mainly three species of Turdidae (T. merula, T. philomelos and E. rubecula). Infection rate of larvae and nymphs by spirochetes averaged 16.3% and 21.7%, respectively. These percentages, compared to the infection rate of questing ticks collected through dragging, suggest that some Turdidae may play a role as amplifying hosts for spirochetes in the focus.     

Geographic distribution of ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in Michigan, with emphasis on Ixodes scapularis and Borrelia burgdorferi

A 12-yr (1985-1996) passive survey in Michigan based upon tick submissions from citizens yielded 4,755 ticks of 21 species, 16 of which were probably indigenous in the state. Three species of Dermacentor [most common, D. variabilis Say and D. albipictus (Packard)]; 2 species of Amblyomma [most common, A. americanum (L.)]; and 12 species of Ixodes (most common, I. cookei Packard and I. scapularis Say), as well as Haemaphysalis leporispalustris (Packard), Rhipicephalus sanguineus Latreille, and the soft ticks Ornithodoros kelleyi Cooley & Kohls, and Otobius megnini (Duges) were submitted. New state records were I. kingi Bishopp, I. texanus Banks, I. sculptus Neumann, and I. baergi Cooley & Kohls. Examination of gut smears from dissections of 1,037 ticks of 13 species by indirect immunofluorescent assay, using murine monoclonal H9724 as the primary antibody, revealed that 11 of 175 I. scapularis were infected with Borrelia spp. All positive I. scapularis were from Menominee County in the upper peninsula of the state, which also provided 79.8% of all submitted I. scapularis. Surveys for ticks on 5,449 hunter-killed white-tailed deer were conducted from 1988 to 1990, encompassed deer taken from 65 of the state's 83 counties, and showed that although D. albipictus was distributed widely in the northern part of the state, I. scapularis occurred only on deer taken from southern townships of Menominee County. Of 1,218 canine sera tested for antibodies to B. burgdorferi in 1992 and 1993, 25 of 299 (8.0%) from Menominee County were positive but only 1 of 919 sera submitted from 5 counties in the lower peninsula was positive.     

Long-term sedation with isoflurane in postoperative intensive care in cardiac surgery

Eight new 0 (91-98) and H (46-49) antigens are described. Their reference strains come from Czech Republic, Cuba and USA. The majority of reference strains are of human origin. Some of the new antigens have been found in other strains coming mostly from water.     

Skin tests in the diagnosis of eruptions caused by betalactams

The assumption that the amount of rainfall in the summer months influences the frequency of TBE is based on the fact that the determining factor for the existence, development and activity of Ixodes ricinus is relative air humidity (RH) and the finding that low RH negatively influences dynamics of infection and infection rate of I. ricinus with TBE virus. A higher incidence of TBE then develops due to the coincidence of increased activity of ticks and recreational activity of humans after an intense prolonged rainfall. This presumption was verified by comparing the dynamics of rainfall as an indicator of RH in the tick environment with concomitant seasonal fluctuations of TBE incidence in humans. The total monthly rainfall in two regions of the Czech Republic was compared with data on the incidence of TBE in each respective region and period. Furthermore, in the district of Ceské Bud?jovice, typical by high prevalence of this disease, a detailed follow-up was carried out by decades. The comparisons were made between April and October from 1993 to 1995. The values of both variables were related to their long-term averages estimated within each particular period and region. Monthly data were analyzed for the Central Bohemian Region and the South Bohemian Region, both with a high incidence of TBE. The July above-average incidence of TBE was preceded by an above-average rainfall in June. If there was a below-average rainfall, there was a below-average incidence of TBE afterwards. Whenever, there was an above-average rainfall in August then there was an above average incidence of TBE in September, in the opposite case, no September peak of TBE occurred. The follow-up at ten-day intervals shows that any above-average rainfall was followed by an increased incidence of TBE, in every other ten-day period or two. This time shift is due to the incubation period, and partly also to the scattered attacks by ticks during the period of increased RH. The relationship found could be useful for the short-term prognosis of TBE incidence as well as for individual prevention of this serious infection by taking special care when going outdoors after heavy rain.     

Importance of localized skin infection in tick-borne encephalitis virus transmission

Arboviruses are transmitted to vertebrates by the "bite" of infected arthropods. Events at the site of virus deposition are largely unknown despite increasing evidence that blood-sucking arthropods immunomodulate their skin site of feeding. This question is particularly relevant for ixodid ticks that feed for several days. To examine events under conditions mimicking tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus transmission in nature (i.e., infected and uninfected Ixodes ricinus ticks feeding on the same animal), infected adult and uninfected nymphal ticks were placed in one retaining chamber (skin site A) and uninfected nymphs were placed within a second chamber posteriorly (skin site B) on two natural host species, yellow-necked field mice (Apodemus flavicollis) and bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus). Virus transmission from infected to uninfected cofeeding ticks was correlated with infection in the skin site of tick feeding. Furthermore, virus was recruited preferentially to the site in which ticks were feeding compared with uninfested skin sites. Viremia did not correspond with a generalized infection of the skin; virus was not detected in an uninfested skin site (C) of 12/13 natural hosts that had viremia levels > or = 2.0 log10 ic mouse LD50/0.02 ml blood. To characterize infected cells, laboratory mouse strains were infested with infected ticks and then explants were removed from selected skin sites and floated on culture medium. Numerous leukocytes were found to migrate from the skin explants of tick feeding sites. Two-color immunocytochemistry revealed viral antigen in both migratory Langerhans cells and neutrophils; in addition, the migratory monocyte/macrophages were shown to produce infectious virus. The results indicate that the local skin site of tick feeding is an important focus of viral replication early after TBE virus transmission by ticks. Cellular infiltration of tick feeding sites, and the migration of cells from such sites, may provide a vehicle for transmission between infected and uninfected cofeeding ticks that is independent of a patent viremia. The data support the hypothesis that viremia is a product, rather than a prerequisite, of tick-borne virus transmission.     

Measurement of apoptotic fragments in growing hair follicles following gamma-ray irradiation in mice

Feeding ticks are generally spatially distributed in clusters on vertebrate hosts. To test the effect of clustering on transmission of a tick-borne pathogen, Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt & Brenner-infected Ixodes ricinus L. nymphs and uninfected I. ricinus larvae were allowed to feed together in retaining chambers on uninfected AKR/N mice. Engorged infective nymphs dropped off at days 5, 6, and 7, and the 1st infected larvae that fed in the chambers together with the infected nymphs dropped off at day 5. In contrast, ear biopsies and xenodiagnostic larvae placed on the head remained negative during that period. These results suggest that a cofeeding transmission occurred between B. burgdorferi-infected ticks and noninfected ones in the absence of a disseminated infection. Further investigations are being undertaken to determine whether the mechanism responsible for this cofeeding transmission is similar to that described previously with virus-infected ticks.     

Historiography of Czech psychology.

The paper is aimed at presenting the development of the Czech historiography of psychology, which was strongly influenced by the political changes in Central and Eastern Europe. The authors deal with the historiography of psychology at the three universities offering an undergraduate program in psychology, located in Prague, Brno, and Olomouc, and at the Institute of Psychology of the Czech Academy of Sciences. Recent research, teaching, textbooks, and journal articles published in Czech and in foreign languages are showcased. The historiography of Czech psychotherapy is mentioned as a special thematic development. Contemporary problems and perspectives in the field of the history of psychology in the Czech Republic are discussed, sources of information are given. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Serologic and molecular detection of granulocytic ehrlichiosis in Rhode Island

A new indirect fluorescent-antibody (IFA) assay with antigen produced in vitro in the human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL60 was used to identify the first recognized case of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis in Rhode Island. This IFA assay was used to detect granulocytic ehrlichiae in white-footed mice and in a dog inhabiting the area surrounding the patient's residence. Host-seeking Ixodes scapularis ticks found in the same habitat also were infected. I. scapularis ticks collected from other locations were fed on dogs and New Zealand White rabbits to assess the competency of these species as hosts of granulocytotropic Ehrlichia. Tick-induced infections of dogs were confirmed by serologic testing, tissue culture isolation, and PCR amplification, whereas several rabbits seroconverted but were PCR and culture negative. PCR amplification of the 16S rRNA gene and DNA sequencing of the PCR products or culture isolation was used to confirm granulocytic Ehrlichia infections in humans, dogs, white-footed mice, and ticks.     

Production of monoclonal antibodies against Rickettsia massiliae and their use in antigenic and epidemiological studies

Rickettsiae are gram-negative, obligate intracellular bacteria which have historically been divided into three groups: the typhus group, the scrub typhus group, and the spotted fever group (SFG). Recently, several new SFG rickettsiae have been characterized, and most of these species are associated with ticks and have, as yet, no known pathogenicity toward humans. Rickettsia massiliae, which is widely distributed in Europe and Africa, is one such rickettsia. In order to investigate the antigenic relationships between R. massiliae and other rickettsial species and to develop a more convenient methodology for identifying R. massiliae, we produced monoclonal antibodies against the type strain (Mtu1T) of R. massiliae by fusing immunized splenocytes with SP2/0-Ag14 myeloma cells. A panel of 16 representatives were selected from the 163 positive hybridomas identified on initial screening, and their secreted monoclonal antibodies were further characterized. The reactivities of these 16 monoclonal antibodies with a large panel of rickettsial species were assessed by the microimmunofluorescence assay. All species of the SFG rickettsiae reacted with the monoclonal antibodies directed against epitopes on lipopolysaccharide, which is the common antigen among the SFG rickettsiae. Some closely related species of the SFG, such as Bar29, "R. aeschlimanni," and R. rhipicephali, showed strong cross-reactivities with the monoclonal antibodies directed against epitopes on the two major high-molecular-mass heat-labile proteins (106 and 120 kDa). In addition, species-specific monoclonal antibodies demonstrated that R. massiliae is antigenically different from other rickettsial species. Moreover, these species-specific monoclonal antibodies were successfully used for identifying R. massiliae in the ticks collected from southern France, and are therefore potentially useful tools in the identification and investigation of R. massiliae in ticks in large-scale field work.     

Urinary incontinence in patients in long-term institutional care. Results of an international study in 8 countries

BACKGROUND: Urinary incontinence (UI) represents a prevalent nursing problem in geriatric facilities. Yet, comparison of the Czech Republic with countries using different chronic care system has not been conducted. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data from INTERRAI international database from 8 countries: Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Sweden and USA have been evaluated in the sample of 280,271 nursing home residents. Prevalence of bladder and bowel incontinence and correlates with selected clinical factors have been determined and national samples compared with the results of 1080 patients in the Czech Republic. Prevalence of UI reached from 42.9% in Japan to 65.2% in France. France and CR belong to countries with the highest prevalence of both bladder and bowel incontinence. Cognitive impairment and dependency in ambulation are factors significantly associated with UI in all countries (p < 0.001). Immobility, age, gender and urinary tract infection reached the statistical significance only in some countries. CONCLUSIONS: High prevalence of bladder and bowel incontinence has been demonstrated in an extended sample of nursing home residents. Common protocol Resident Assessment Instrument-Minimum Data Set (RAI-MDS) and creation of a large cross-national database are opening up possibilities for a new level of clinical research in geriatrics.     

Mark and recapture of adult Ixodes pacificus (Acari: Ixodidae) to determine the effect of repeated removal sampling on tick abundance

The effect of biweekly flagging on adult Ixodes pacificus Cooley & Kohls abundance was determined by using mark-recapture techniques. Ticks were recaptured up to three times during the 12-wk study, and increasingly higher proportions of marked ticks were recaptured as the study progressed. By week 6 of the study, 46% of the collected ticks had been marked, and on the final sampling date, all ticks had been captured previously. Removal sampling would have substantially reduced estimates of the abundance of the questing I. pacificus adult population. For ecological studies that require the repeated sampling of a given habitat, the most representative data are obtained by returning flagged ticks to their collection site.     

Seasonal activity of ixodid ticks on goats in northern Greece

Ixodid ticks were collected at monthly intervals for 20 consecutive months from 25 goats of the local breed selected at random from a flock grazing permanently around a village in northern Greece. Three species of ixodid ticks were recovered, Ixodes gibbosus, Rhipicephalus bursa and Dermacentor marginatus. I gibbosus was the most abundant and prevalent species. It was found on the animals from October to April, and its activity increased with lower mean temperatures and higher relative humidities. R bursa was present from May to August, and its activity increased with higher mean temperatures and lower relative humidities. D marginatus was present in very small numbers from January to March, with no significant correlation with climatic factors.     

Decrease in cardiovascular disease mortality in the Czech Republic from 1984 to 1993 and its possible causes

BACKGROUND: The objective of the investigation was to evaluate the ten-year development of the cardiovascular mortality rate in two population groups in the age bracket from 25 to 64 years, i.e. in subjects living in six districts which participated in the international WHO project MONICA and in the population of the whole Czech Republic. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data on the mortality rate in 1984-1993 for the age group from 25-64 years were provided by the Institute of Health Information and Statistics, information on the prevalence of risk factors was obtained in three cross-sectional studies implemented in six districts as part of the MONICA project in 1985, 1988 and 1992. In the mortality rate per 100,000 population in the six districts the following changes were revealed (in parentheses the values for 1984 and 1993 are given): men - a statistically significant declining trend in the from all caused mortality (849.3-742.5; p < 0.001) and cardiovascular mortality (367.2-280.4; p < 0.001) and cerebrovascular mortality (69.7-44.8; p < 0.001). In the mortality from ischaemic heart disease (215.7-170.6; ns) a declining trend was not recorded. In women aged 25-64 years in the six districts there was a statistically significant decline of the mortality from all caused (359.5-322.1; p < 0.001), the cardiovascular mortality (115.6-100.6; p < 0.001) and cerebrovascular mortality (31.1-23.6; p < 0.001). The mortality from ischaemic heart disease did not change (49.2-48.8; ns). In the population of the Czech Republic in men the following were detected: a drop of the from all caused mortality (907.1-784.8; P < 0.001), the cardiovascular mortality (383.5-308.4; p < 0.001) and cerebrovascular mortality (76.5-55.3; p < 0.001). Also in women of the Czech Republic a decline of the mortality from all caused was recorded (390.1-328.5; p < 0.001), the cardiovascular mortality (135.3-103.8; p < 0.001), ischaemic heart disease (58.0-48.6; p < 0.001) and cerebrovascular mortality (43.5-27.4; p < 0.001). In 1990 an increased cardiovascular mortality was recorded in men different from the trend during 1984-1993, statistically significant in the Czech Republic (p < 0.05) and in the six districts (p < 0.05). The reasons of this trend are not clear. The role of health services in the mortality drop is not clear, although available data indicate their improvement. Favourable changes were found in risk factors: during the period from 1985-1992 the prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia declined significantly in men and women, the prevalence of hypertension in women and the prevalence of smoking in men declined in the six districts. From nationwide data ensues that after 1989 significant changes occurred in the diet of the Czech population. The meat consumption declined by 1993 by 13%, the milk and dairy product consumption by 26.8% the butter consumption by 43.6% the consumption of vegetable fats increased by 16%, of vegetables by 8%, tropical fruit by 43.2%. These changes probably had an impact on the cholesterol level and BMI of the Czech population. CONCLUSIONS: In the declining cardiovascular mortality trend during 1984-1993 the following may have participated: improved medical care, dietary changes, improvement of the risk profile and other, in particular socioeconomic factors. With regard to the close temporal association of the investigated changes it may be assumed that this development is at least partly associated with changes of the political and economic position in the Czech Republic after 1989.     

Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) collected from small and medium-sized Kansas mammals

Seven species of hard-bodied ticks were collected from 20 species of small and medium-sized mammals in Kansas; Amblyomma americanum L., Dermacentor variabilis (Say), Haemaphysalis leporispalustris (Packard), Ixodes cookei Packard, I. kingi Bishopp, I. sculptus Neumann, and I. texanus Banks. Dermacentor variabilis was found statewide, A. americanum only in the eastern one-third of the state, and the Ixodes spp. and H. leporispalustris were widely scattered. The most common tick found was D. variabilis, both by itself and in association with other ticks. Mammals that ticks were collected from included Canis latrans Say, Cynomys ludovicianus ludovicianus (Ord), Didelphis virginianus Kerr, Geomys bursarius (Shaw), Lynx rufus (Schreber), Marmota monax bunkeri Black, Mephitis mephitis (Schreber), Microtus ochrogaster (Wagner), Mus musculus L., Peromyscus leucopus (Rafinesque), P. maniculatus (Wagner), Procyon lotor hirtus Nelson and Goldman, Reithrodontomys megalotis (Baird), Sciurus niger rufiventer Geoffroy, Sigmodon hispidus texianus (Audubon and Bachman), Sylvilagus floridanus (J. A. Allen), Taxidea taxus taxus (Schreber), and Vulpes velox velox (Say).     

Lizards as hosts for immature Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) in North Carolina

Previously archived museum specimens of lizards collected throughout North Carolina were examined for Ixodes scapularis (Say). Lizards (n = 1,349) collected in 80 of North Carolina's 100 counties were examined. Lizards with ticks were collected in 23 (29%) of the 80 counties from which lizards were examined. I. scapularis was detected on 8.7% (n = 117) of the lizards and was the sole species of tick obtained from lizards. Immature ticks were most frequently found on the southeastern five-lined skink, Eumeces inexpectatus, and the eastern glass lizard, Ophisaurus ventralis. Larvae were most frequently found on the six-lined racerunner, Cnemidophorus sexlineatus. One C. sexlineatus harbored 177 larvae and 2 nymphs. Nymphs were most frequently observed on E. inexpectatus. The majority of counties (chi 2, P < 0.01) where ticks were found on lizards were in the Coastal Plain.