Incidence and analysis of campylobacteriosis cases in the Czech Republic in 1997-2017.

AIM: The aim of our study was to conduct analysis of reported epidemiological data on human campylobacteriosis in the Czech Republic (CZ) from 1997 to 2017 and to summarize the current knowledge about the disease. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive epidemiological analysis of data on campylobacteriosis cases reported to the national surveillance system of infectious diseases in the CZ (EpiDat) from 1997 to 2017. MS Excel 2010 and statistical program R were used for data management and analysis. The incidence maps were created using the ECDC Map Maker tool (EMMa). RESULTS: Overall, 411 699 campylobacteriosis cases (average annual incidence of 188.9/ 100 000) were reported in the CZ from 1997 to 2017. Between 1997 and 2005, the annual incidence of campylobacteriosis was increasing sharply, but it showed a fairly stable trend over the last decade. The highest average age-specific incidence of 1 068.5/100 000 was observed in the age group 1-4 years followed by 99% of cases). The most common etiologic agent of campylobacteriosis is Campylobacter jejuni. CONCLUSIONS: Since 2007, campylobacteriosis is the most common food- and water-borne disease in the CZ. Given the high number of cases, this infectious disease is a rising public health concern. The prevention should be focused on the main risk groups, i.e. children under 5 years of age, who are the most affected, and those older than 80 years, who have more complications and a higher hospitalization rate.

Prion diseases with a focus on Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a summary of the incidence of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the Czech Republic over the last 17 years, 2000-2017.

BACKGROUND: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a prion disease. It is a rare, rapidly progressing fatal disorder of the central nervous system, which occurs in four forms: sporadic (sCJD), genetic/familial (gCJD), iatrogenic (iCJD), and variant (vCJD). METHODS: CJD research in the Czech Republic (CR) is conducted by the National Reference Laboratory for Human Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, established in 2001 at the Department of Pathology, Thomayer Hospital, Prague. In 2003, this NRL was included in the European network of laboratories monitoring prion diseases. The purpose of the article is to analyse data reported to the EPIDAT system. RESULTS: From June 2000 to June 2017, 207 deaths in persons diagnosed with CJN and four suspected deaths due to gCJD were reported to the EPIDAT system (national program of reporting, recording, and analysis of data on transmissible diseases in the CR). CONCLUSION: Reporting CJD cases to the EPIDAT is helpful in meeting the important goals, i.e. monitoring the incidence and trends of the disease. The incidence of gCJD in particular requires improved diagnosis based on a detailed personal and family history, and thorough epidemiological investigation is crucial to detect possible iatrogenic diseases.

Silver Nanoparticles Stabilized Using Chitosan Films: Preparation, Properties and Antibacterial Activity.

In this work we present silver nanoparticles coated with chitosan films synthesized by a simple, environmentally friendly method. Silver nanoparticles were prepared and stabilized by reduction of silver nitrate with chitosan without addition of harmful reduction agents. The presence of silver nanoparticles in the solid films was studied by the X-ray diffraction spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Solid films were dissolved and the solution was observed by the ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The amount of silver in the solid samples was studied by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Antibacterial activity of solid films with silver nanoparticles was tested by disc test on two bacterial strains, Gram-positive Staphylococcus epidermidis and Gram-negative Escherichia coli. The presence of silver nanoparticles was confirmed both in solid film and in solution by the above mentioned methods. The films exhibited strong antibacterial activity against both bacterial strains. These films could be used as a wound dressing, antimicrobial packaging material or for long-term storage of silver nanoparticles for various applications.

Silver release and antimicrobial properties of PMMA films doped with silver ions, nano-particles and complexes.

Materials prepared on the base of bioactive silver compounds have become more and more popular due to low microbial resistance to silver. In the present work, the efficiency of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) thin films doped with silver ions, nanoparticles and silver-imidazole polymer complex was studied by a combination of AAS, XPS and AFM techniques. The biological activities of the proposed materials were discussed in view of the rate of silver releasing from the polymer matrix. Concentrations of Ag active form were estimated by its ability to interact with l-cysteine using electronic circular dichroism spectroscopy. Rates of the released silver were compared with the biological activity in dependence on the form of embedded silver. Antimicrobial properties of doped polymer films were studied using two bacterial strains: Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia coli. It was found that PMMA films doped with Ag(+) had greater activity than those doped with nanoparticles and silver-imidazole polymeric complexes. However, the antimicrobial efficiency of Ag(+) doped films was only short-term. Contrary, the antimicrobial activity of silver-imidazole/PMMA films increased in time of sample soaking.