The evaluation of topography Borrelia burgdorferi by atomic force microscope (AFM)

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the topography of spirochetes’ cells Borrelia burgdorferi s.s. B31 in atomic force microscope (AFM). Results: The length of spirochetes B. burgdorferi has ranged between 15.38-22.68μm. The cells of spirochetes do not constitute structures of a fixed diameter and height. Thus, in order to identify real parameters of cells, the horizontal distance and vertical distance have been used in the measurements. The average value of a spirochetes’ diameter has been estimated by taking series of measures and it is 0.40 μm. The average value of a spirochetes’ height has been estimated by taking series of measures and it is 70.14 nm. The analysis of a relation between measured parameters of spirochetes: diameter and height revealed that along with the growth of diameter of a bacteria cell, its height also grows. The average value of a fibers’ diameter has been estimated by taking series of measurements and it is 0.09 μm and the average height of fibers was 7.91 nm. Conclusions: The atomic force microscope (AFM) is a modern tool with a broad spectrum of observatory and measure abilities and is a technique which has been used in biology and microbiology to investigate the topography of surface and in the evaluation properties of cells

Dane demograficzne jako czynniki ryzyka aktywnej postaci gruźlicy płuc

Background. The incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis is dependent on many factors, not just health but also demographics. The primary objective of the study was to identify and evaluate selected risk factors for active tuberculosis in patients treated in the former specialist clinic in the eastern part of Lublin Province and to compare them with the ones researched by other authors. Material and methods. The work was retrospective as it concerns the analysis of the data drawn from the records of 100 patients with active tuberculosis. The information on the examined patients included the following parameters: sex, age, place of residence and marital status. Results. The majority of the studied population were male (69.0%), among whom the highest proportion concerned the fourth age group, i.e. 51-60 years old (mean 36.3%). As for sex and place of residence of the patients, the proportion of the infected men living in the country was twice as high (68.7%) when compared to women (31.3%). However, there were no differences with regard to the subpopulation percentage of women (67.8%) and men (66.7%). In turn, considering the sex and marital status of the examined persons, we found that the highest proportion of men were bachelors − 39.1%, while the percentage of married persons was similar among men (56, 5%) and women (58.1%). Conclusions. The analysis of the data shows that in the studied area pulmonary tuberculosis is most common among married men aged 51-60 years living in the country.Wprowadzenie. Zapadalność na gruźlicę płuc zależy od wielu czynników, nie tylko zdrowotnych, lecz również wskaźników demograficznych. Celem pracy była identyfikacja i ocena wybranych czynników ryzyka gruźlicy prątkującej w populacji chorych leczonych w specjalistycznym ośrodku lecznictwa zamkniętego we wschodniej części województwa lubelskiego oraz porównanie ich z wynikami badań innych autorów. Materiał i metody. Praca miała charakter retrospektywny i była oparta na analizie danych pochodzących z historii chorób 100 pacjentów z aktywną postacią gruźlicy płuc. Zakres zbieranych danych obejmował następujące parametry: płeć, wiek, miejsce zamieszkania oraz stan cywilny badanych chorych. Wyniki. W badanej populacji większość stanowili mężczyźni (69,0%), wśród których najwyższy odsetek odnotowano w czwartej grupie wieku, tj. 51- 60 lat (36,3%). Biorąc pod uwagę płeć i miejsca zamieszkania badanych osób, to aż dwukrotnie wyższy był odsetek mężczyzn zamieszkałych na wsi (68,7%) w porównaniu z kobietami (31,3%). Jednak nie ma różnic w udziałach badanych w subpopulacji kobiet (67,8%) i mężczyzn (66,7%). Z kolei uwzględniając płeć i stan cywilny badanych stwierdzono, że w badanej populacji dowiedziono, że największy udział mieli tu mężczyźni zaliczeni do kategorii stanu cywilnego (kawaler) 39,1%, natomiast zbliżone były udziały osób będących w związku małżeńskim, zarówno wśród mężczyzn (56,5%), jak i kobiet (58,1%). Wnioski. Z analizy uzyskanych danych wynika, że gruźlica płuc na terenie objętym badaniami występuje najczęściej u mężczyzn w grupie wieku 51-60 lat, mieszkających na wsi i pozostających w związku małżeńskim

The analysis of appearing and disappearing dynamics of antibodies for borrelia burgdorferi antigenic protein from in vivo group among forest service employees on the basis of two-stage studies

The aim of our this work was analysis of specific immune response for B. burgdorferi according to in vivo antigens in regard to symptoms subjectively perceived by foresters, in 2009 and 2012. Material and methods: study group include 41 foresters (19 - 86 years old), from the forest district in Lubelskie region. All persons underwent serological diagnostic. We used  2 phase diagnosis  method of Lyme diseases according to standards. Used tests include Borrelia antigens from in vivo group, which are not use in standard diagnosis test. The study was carried out in 2009 and then again in 2012. Results: The analysis of antibodies for Borrelia proteins, including the in vivo, demonstrated how active, long-term and time-variable is the process of B. burgdorferi infection. Conclusions: The expression of Borrelia proteins and high immunogenicity translates into effectiveness of diagnostic procedures concerning B. burgdorferi identification. Considering to not clear clinical manifestation and changeable immune response require individual approach to each patient

Sytuacja epidemiologiczna i standardy diagnostyczne boreliozy z Lyme w Polsce i na Ukrainie

Lyme borreliosis (LB) is the most common tick-borne disease in Europe and the number of cases continues to grow. The aim of the following paper was to present the epidemiological situation and standards of LB diagnosis in the two neighboring countries of Central-Eastern Europe, i.e. Poland and Ukraine. Lyme borreliosis is considered endemic both in Poland and Ukraine. In Poland, the surveillance system for LB was started in 1996, as the number of LB cases increases systematically. Presently, LB occupies a prominent place amongst occupational diseases. In Ukraine, registration of LB began in 2000, and the incidence of this disease in the country increases each year. At the same time, Ukraine does not officially recognize LB as an occupational disease, which would provide the sick with proper social guarantees. Poland has available recommendations issued by the Polish Society of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases for diagnosis and treatment of LB. In turn, common recommendations for methods of diagnosis and treatment of LB in Ukraine are still missing. In the absence of any guidelines on laboratory diagnostics of LB in Ukraine, some serious efforts should be made to harmonize standards in the diagnosis of Lyme disease in this country, which could be based on the guidelines in force in European countries.Borelioza z Lyme (LB) jest najczęstszą chorobą przenoszoną przez kleszcze w Europie, a liczba zachorowań stale rośnie. Celem pracy było przedstawienie sytuacji epidemiologicznej oraz standardów diagnostycznych LB w dwóch sąsiadujących krajach Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej: Polsce i Ukrainie. Borelioza z Lyme uważana jest za endemiczną zarówno w Polsce jak i Ukrainie. W Polsce system nadzoru dla LB rozpoczęto w 1996 roku, a liczba rejestrowanych przypadków zachorowań systematycznie rośnie. Borelioza z Lyme zajmuje czołowe miejsce wśród rozpoznawanych w Polsce chorób zawodowych. Na Ukrainie rejestracja LB rozpoczęła się w 2000 roku, a częstość występowania tej choroby rośnie z każdym rokiem. Brakuje jednocześnie oficjalnego uznania LB jako choroby zawodowej z odpowiednimi gwarancjami socjalnymi. W Polsce dostępne są rekomendacje Polskiego Towarzystwa Epidemiologii i Chorób Zakaźnych dotyczące diagnostyki i leczenia LB. Zalecenia dotyczące metod diagnozowania i leczenia LB na Ukrainie są na dzień dzisiejszy nieobecne. W związku z brakiem rekomendacji dotyczących diagnostyki laboratoryjnej LB na Ukrainie, należy podjąć starania zmierzające do harmonizacji standardów w diagnostyce boreliozy z Lyme w tym kraju na podstawie wytycznych obowiązujących w krajach europejskich

Current infectious threats associated with the development of civilization and progress in medicine - methods of prevention and education

The development of civilization, economic growth, urbanization, industrialization and progress in medicine bring to the society an improvement in the quality of life, but at the same time caused changes in lifestyle, environmental conditions, and changes in the natural environment. All of these led to develop civilization diseases which have critical impact and the adverse effect on our health, about what we not always realize. In the past fifty years, about 30 new pathogens appeared causing diseases such as legionellosis, Lyme disease, and increase unexpectedly tuberculosis incidence which in some regions is associated with HIV infections. Also widespread use of antibiotics caused and still causing bacterial resistance increase to most of them. With the development of medicine and surgery, parallel effects of surgical areas and infections associated with implanted cardiac devices in the majority of the life-saving ones appeared. The development of research techniques allowed for the finding of new relationships between ecosystems in the microbiome of the gastrointestinal tract with of obesity in the society. The presence of new health aspects of civilization diseases impose pressure to create new prevention methods and public education