Co-infection with Babesia canis and Borrelia burgdorferi S.L. in a dog from Northeastern Romania: a case report

This study describes a clinical case of a 9-year-old mixed-breed dog coinfected with Babesia canis and Borrelia burgdorferi. This dog was referred to a private clinic in northeastern Romania for a recurrent perianal tumour and a mild inflammation in the right elbow. The dog showed mild haemolytic anaemia, as well as increased alkaline phosphatase and glucose levels. Despite surgery and therapy, after four days, the patient had developed hyperthermia, severe anaemia and an inflammatory syndrome. The blood smear revealed the presence of piroplasm organisms identified as ‘large’ Babesia spp. On the 9th day of hospitalization the patient died during the blood transfusion, before applying the specific therapy for babesiosis. The blood collected before blood transfusion was tested for the following vector-borne diseases: Babesia spp., Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., Hepatozoon spp. and Borrelia spp. using molecular analysis. The final outcome indicated a co-infection with Babesia canis and Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. In conclusion, the introduction of vectorborne disease screening approach prior any surgical procedure can prevent lifethreatening events and improve diagnostic accuracy in dogs infected/co-infected simultaneously with different vector-borne diseases

Preliminary Study on Microplastic Contamination in Black Sea Cetaceans: Gastrointestinal Analysis of <i>Phocoena phocoena relicta</i> and <i>Tursiops truncatus ponticus</i>

Plastic pollution is a global concern that has a significant impact on marine life. Plastic is widely used and has become a pervasive pollutant in marine environments. Plastic contamination has been documented both in marine environments and biota. Plastic contamination in cetacean gastro-intestinal tract (GIT) content has received limited attention, especially in the Black Sea. This study aims to investigate plastic contamination in the GITs of bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises, introducing a novel methodology. Given the limited exploration of this issue in the Black Sea, the research predominantly focuses on microplastic contamination. The GITs were sampled through necropsy from stranded and by-caught cetaceans, and content was washed through a multi-sieves tool. The material retained on each sieve was analysed following specific protocols. All (100%) of the GITs contained plastics (meso- and microplastics). In total, 1059 items (fibres, fragments, and beads) ranging from 22.86 µm to 5776 µm were found, suggesting a high contamination level in the Black Sea cetaceans. Future efforts should concentrate on increasing the number of samples and using the results for the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD)

ORAL HEALTH OF YOUNG INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES, AN INDICATOR FOR THE QUALITY OF LIFE

Aim of the study Disability does not annul the right of an individual to receive qualitative health care, which includes oral and dental care; instead, it should actually increase the attentiveness of caregivers and medical providers regarding oral hygiene and treatment measures, considering the high risks of this category of population. Especially in the case of children and adolescents, population with a high prevalence of different types of disabilities, oral and dental care is often disregarded. This study aims to review current information in literature referring to disabled children and adolescents and the management of oral and dental care in the context of their quality of life. Material and methods A literature review was performed, after evaluating recent articles and studies, using the search terms: children, adolescents, disability, dental care. Results Inclusion of disabled individuals and their integration in society is more and more present, leading to concern regarding healthcare needs in general, and oral and dental care needs in particular. Since children and adolescents with disabilities present a greater risk for dental caries and periodontal pathology, efforts are made to prevent and properly manage these conditions. Conclusions Special needs dentistry benefits from the incredible evolution of social perception on disability, as well as technological and medical development available. Nevertheless, in our country, oral healthcare and dental prevention programs aimed at children and adolescents with disability are scarce, underlying an urgent need to develop and implement national strategies and plans to fulfil the worldwide current objective of a caries-free population

IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON ORAL HEALTH CARE IN CHILDREN WITH LEUKEMIA – A REVIEW

Aim of the study This paper aims to review existent literature regarding the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on oral health care in children with leukaemia. Material and methods An evaluation of the literature was carried out, after searching available databases for the following terms: COVID-19, oral care, paediatric oncology patients. Results The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have strongly interfered with dental care management of paediatric patients in terms of altering or disrupting treatments, restricting procedures and techniques, and an overall decrease in paediatric dental procedures worldwide. Literature is scarce regarding oral healthcare of paediatric oncology patients not only but especially during this period. Conclusions: Further studies are required to evaluate the amplitude of factors which impacted oral health in children with leukaemia