Nematode Infections Spread in Slovakia, an European Temperate Region

Nematode parasitic infections in the twenty-first century present a serious problem. They occur not only in developing but also in industrialised countries of temperate regions. It is well-known that these infections are common for communities living in poverty. Large numbers of nematode infections are transmitted via the faecal-oral route, where invasive parasitic eggs are excreted into the environments by the definitive hosts. The aim of this chapter is to investigate the occurrence of the most important nematode infections spread in major populations and population living under low hygienic standard conditions in the Slovak Republic territory. The data are compared with data available within European Union countries. The incidence of nematodes in domestic animals increases the health risks in low-privilege population. Contamination of the environment with nematodes as well as proposed countermeasures in urban and rural localities are discussed and suggested

Disinfection of Water Used for Human and Animal Consumption

This chapter deals with disinfection of water used for human and animal consumption. Water is the most abundant chemical component of the Earth and is very extensively used by mankind. Anthropogenic pressure on the environment leads to decrease in water quality. The quality of water is determined using the most important range of parameters (physical, chemical, and microbiological). This chapter discusses major pollutants of water, protection of water sources, micro-organisms causing the main waterborne diseases and methods of treatment, and disinfection of water. Different methods are used to disinfect drinking water. One of the most frequently used methods is disinfection with active chlorine, which is the only method providing continuous protection against microbial regrowth. However, this method has also some disadvantages (e.g., formation of trihalomethane and haloacetic acid precursors) linked to increased risk of cancer. It is important to remember that none of the products used to disinfect water is capable of ensuring complete safety of treated water if the water comes from unsuitable sources

Heavy Metals and the Environment

Global environmental contamination is one of the most significant environmental problems in contemporary society. Pollutants are entering the environment from different sources, and on the basis of their physico-chemical properties, they are transported and participate in biochemical cycles in the varied components of the environment, namely in the air, aquatic environment, soil and in rocks or segments. They enter the food chain through which they enter the human body, where they are transformed into either harmless metabolites (detoxification) that are easily excluded or else harmful, reactive products are formed. Heavy metals are one of the most dangerous groups of biologically important pollutants. The burden of the environment puts more significant burden on populations and ecosystems. They form integrant part of the earth’s surface and therefore are present throughout the land. We can utter that contamination of the environment and its consequences for living organisms have long been in forefront of the interest in scientific as well as lay community

Sanitation and the Environment

The environment is severything that creates natural conditions for the existence of organisms, including humans, and is a prerequisite for its further development. Proper environmental hygiene can prevent the outbreak and spread of infectious diseases. The function of disinfectants is to kill and prevent the growth of microorganisms. Disinfectants are potentially noxious substances which are used in intensive animal production and disease control programmes. In fulfilling this role, disinfectants may also have an adverse impact on the environment. These products may harm beneficial microorganisms, plant and animal life, and even humans, when used without due caution. Proper selection of disinfectant which is based on the knowledge of the resistance of microorganisms to the effect of the disinfectant and the efficacy of the disinfectants as well as the potential negative impact on the environment minimizes the risk of microbiological contamination and improves quality of the environment

Neglected Diseases—Parasitic Infections among Slovakian Children from Different Populations and Genotypes of Giardia duodenalis

Children are most prone to parasitic infections. The objectives of the study were to examine the occurrence of parasitic infections in children from different populations and to perform molecular characterization of human Giardia duodenalis isolates. We examined 631 stool samples from Roma and non-Roma children for the presence of parasitic developmental stages. Samples were collected from three eastern Slovakia districts. The ages of the children ranged from 1 months to 17 years. Subsequently, the molecular characterization of human G. duodenalis isolates by PCR detected triosephosphate isomerase (tpi) and beta-giardin (bg) genes was performed. The overall prevalence of parasitic infection was 19.8%. Ascaris lumbricoides eggs were the most frequent, with an occurrence of about 13.8%. G. duodenalis cysts were present in 6.3% of samples. G. duodenalis isolates obtained from 13 children were subjected to DNA sequencing with tpi and bg genes. Five isolates were categorized as bearing subassemblage BIII, the three isolates as subassemblage BIV, one person was infected with a mixture of subassemblages BIII and BIV, four children had subassemblage AII, and one isolate revealed a structure corresponding with subassemblage AI. Our work is proof that poverty and poor hygiene contribute the most to public health problems associated with neglected parasitic diseases

Effect of Wastewater Treatment on Bacterial Community, Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Endoparasites

Wastewater and wastewater treatment plants serve as urban reservoirs of pathogenic microorganisms. Wastewaters frequently contain bacteria, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and developmental stages of parasites with significant zoonotic potential. Five wastewater treatment plants in the central part of Slovakia were investigated to determine the effect of treatment on bacterial community, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and the occurrence of helminth eggs. Although all monitored chemical factors (chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, N-NH4, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus) in the effluent were in line with the legislative standards for discharge into public waterways, the results of minimal inhibitory concentrations show that reclaimed water harbors E. coli resistant to several commonly used antibiotics (ampicillin, piperacillin, and tazobactam, combine ampicillin and sulbactam, cefotaxime, tetracycline). The presence of endoparasite developmental stages in wastewater and sludge (Ascaris spp., Hymenolepis nana, eggs from the Ancylostomatidae family, Giardia duodenalis) indicates potential health risks for humans and workers at these sites. Treatment such as composting before applying sludge to land is necessary to reduce human pathogens

Genotyping of Ascaris spp. infecting humans and pigs in Italy, Slovakia and Colombia

Background The systematics and taxonomy of Ascaris lumbricoides and Ascaris suum, two of the world's most widespread nematodes, still represent a highly debated scientific issue. Two different transmission scenarios have been described according to endemicity: separated host-specific transmission cycles in endemic regions, and a single pool of infection shared by humans and pigs in non-endemic regions. The swine roundworm A. suum is now recognized as an important cause of human ascariasis also in endemic areas such as China, where cross-infections and hybridization have also been reported, as well as in non-endemic regions like Italy. This study aimed to investigate the molecular epidemiology of human and pig ascariasis in three countries representing different epidemiological scenarios: Italy as a non-endemic country, Colombia as an endemic country, and Slovakia as a non-endemic country, but with a poor socio-economic context linked to some focal populations of Roma settlements. Materials and methods A total of 237 nematodes were analysed: 46 from Colombia (13 from humans, 33 from pigs), 114 from Slovakia (20 from humans, 94 from pigs) and 77 from Italy (17 from humans and 60 from pigs). Genotyping by PCR-RFLP of nuclear (ITS) and sequencing of mitochondrial (cox1) target regions were performed. ITS genotypes were used to estimate the Hardy-Weinberg (HW) equilibrium according to hosts and country of origin. The partial cox1 sequences were used to analyse genetic polymorphisms according to hosts and country of origin, as well as to infer the network of haplotypes, their evolutionary relationships and geographical distribution. Results 110 quality cox1 sequences were obtained. Haplotype network revealed three main groups corresponding to clade A, B and C. Clade C included most of the human cases from Italy, while those from Slovakia and Colombia were grouped in clade B. Ascaris from Italian and Colombian pigs showed HW equilibrium at the ITS marker, while disequilibrium was found in A. lumbricoides from Slovak pigs, which suggest a high unexpected amount of roundworms of human origin circulating also in pigs. Conclusions This study updates and extends the current understanding of Ascaris species and genotypes circulating in different epidemiological scenarios, with particular attention to the inclusion of human-derived Ascaris in the phylogenetic cluster C. Despite the evidence of HW equilibrium in the ITS in pig-derived Italian samples, the amount of genetic variation seems to support the existence of two closely related species