Molecular detection of Ehrlichia canis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in blood samples from dogs in Bulgaria

The aim of the study was to develop a molecular diagnosis protocol of monocytic ehrlichiosis and granulocytic anaplasmosis in dogs by conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and to compare the results from PCR and a rapid serological test. One hundred and six blood samples from dogs were tested by the rapid serological test SNAP 4Dx Plus (IDEXX Laboratories, Westbrook, ME) and by conventional PCR. Sixty-two of them (58.49%) were positive for antibodies to Ehrlichia canis/Ehrlichia ewingii and 14 (13.21%) for antibodies to Anaplasma phagocytophilum/Anaplasma platys. In 24 (22.64%) blood samples, antibodies against both pathogens were simultaneously de-tected. Six (5.66%) samples were seronegative. Fourty-six of the 106 tested samples (43.4%) were positive for a 345 bp segment of the ribosomal gene of family Anaplasmataceae. In 28 of them the presence of a 444 bp fragment of the ankA gene of A. phagocytophilum was detected, and in 26: a 409 bp fragment of the gene of E. canis. Nine samples were simultaneously positive for genetic se-quences of E. canis and A. phagocytophilum. The target DNA fragments specific for the two studied pathogens were not detected in one of the Anaplasmataceae-positive samples. In the remaining 60 cases (56.6%), the presence of a 345 bp segment of the ribosomal gene was not detected. In the present study, the DNA of E. canis and of A. phagocytophilum was detected for the first time in Bulgarian dogs by the conventional PCR

Human dirofilariasis in Bulgaria between 2009 and 2018

Autochthonous Dirofilaria repens infections have been found in dogs and other carnivores in most European countries. In the same countries, reports of human dirofilariasis are becoming increasingly prevalent. We present 18 cases of people infected with D. repens for a 10-year period traced in our hospital. The data was collected from the observations and tests of all 18 patients from the whole country treated at the Specialized Hospital for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases in Sofia in the period 2009 – 2018. We used a morphological method, serology test and Knott’s method for microfilariae. The patients were 11 to 74 years of age, 12 female and 6 male. In most cases, patients have subcutaneous nodules or face, eyelid and eyes localization. The trend of increasing incidence in Bulgaria continues, with age and sex distribution and localization of the larva being similar to those in other European countries

Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) Infection Among Immunocompromised Individuals: A Brief Narrative Review

Radostina Alexandrova,1 Ilia Tsachev,2 Plamen Kirov,1 Abedulkadir Abudalleh,1 Hristo Hristov,1 Tanya Zhivkova,1 Lora Dyakova,3 Magdalena Baymakova4 1Department of Pathology, Institute of Experimental Morphology, Pathology and Anthropology with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria; 2Department of Microbiology, Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria; 3Department of Synaptic Signaling and Communication, Institute of Neurobiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria; 4Department of Infectious Diseases, Military Medical Academy, Sofia, BulgariaCorrespondence: Magdalena Baymakova, Department of Infectious Diseases, Military Medical Academy, Sofia, Bulgaria, Tel +359-882-28-50-87, Email [email protected]: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus that belongs to Hepeviridae family. HEV is the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are estimated 20 million HEV infections worldwide every year, leading to estimated 3.3 million symptomatic cases of HEV infection. The WHO estimates that HEV infection caused approximately 44,000 deaths in 2015, which represents 3.3% of mortality rates due to viral hepatitis. In low-income (LI) countries and lower-middle-income (LMI) countries, HEV is a waterborne infection induced by HEV genotype (gt) 1 and HEV gt 2 that cause large outbreaks and affect young individuals with a high mortality rate in pregnant women from South Asian countries and patients with liver diseases. HEV gt 3, HEV gt 4, and HEV gt 7 are responsible for sporadic infections with zoonotic transmission mainly through the consumption of raw or undercooked meat from different animals. Acute HEV infection is relatively asymptomatic or mild clinical form, in rare cases the disease can be moderate/severe clinical forms and result in fulminant hepatitis or acute liver failure (ALF). Furthermore, HEV infection is associated with extrahepatic manifestations, including renal and neurological clinical signs and symptoms. Pregnant women, infants, older people, immunocompromised individuals, patients with comorbidities, and workers who come into close contact with HEV-infected animals are recognized as major risk groups for severe clinical form of HEV infection and fatal outcome. Chronic HEV infection can occur in immunocompromised individuals with the possibility of progression to cirrhosis.Keywords: acute and chronic infection, cancer, cirrhosis, hepatitis E virus, HEV, HIV, solid organ transplant

A molecular study on Hepatitis E virus (HEV) in pigs in Bulgaria

Information on hepatitis E virus (HEV) strains circulating in animal reservoirs in Bulgaria is currently lacking. Herein, by screening HEV seropositive sera obtained from Bulgarian swine and wild boars, viral RNA was detected at high prevalence rate (28.2%) in industrial pigs. Sequence analysis of the partial polymerase (RdRp) region revealed the highest genetic correlation with HEVs of genotype (Gt) 3 identified in French and Dutch patients. For three such strains, a 700-bp fragment of the open reading frame 2 gene was generated. On phylogenetic analysis, the Bulgarian strains clustered tightly (93.8–98.3% nt) with human and animal HEVs classified within the Gt3 subtype c

A molecular study on Hepatitis E virus (HEV) in pigs in Bulgaria

Information on hepatitis E virus (HEV) strains circulating in animal reservoirs in Bulgaria is currently lacking. Herein, by screening HEV seropositive sera obtained from Bulgarian swine and wild boars, viral RNA was detected at high prevalence rate (28.2%) in industrial pigs. Sequence analysis of the partial polymerase (RdRp) region revealed the highest genetic correlation with HEVs of genotype (Gt) 3 identified in French and Dutch patients. For three such strains, a 700-bp fragment of the open reading frame 2 gene was generated. On phylogenetic analysis, the Bulgarian strains clustered tightly (93.8–98.3% nt) with human and animal HEVs classified within the Gt3 subtype c

A molecular study on Hepatitis E virus (HEV) in pigs in Bulgaria

Information on hepatitis E virus (HEV) strains circulating in animal reservoirs in Bulgaria is currently lacking. Herein, by screening HEV seropositive sera obtained from Bulgarian swine and wild boars, viral RNA was detected at high prevalence rate (28.2%) in industrial pigs. Sequence analysis of the partial polymerase (RdRp) region revealed the highest genetic correlation with HEVs of genotype (Gt) 3 identified in French and Dutch patients. For three such strains, a 700-bp fragment of the open reading frame 2 gene was generated. On phylogenetic analysis, the Bulgarian strains clustered tightly (93.8–98.3% nt) with human and animal HEVs classified within the Gt3 subtype c