Isolation of a rickettsial organism (Eperythrozoon) from mice during virological testing of ixodid ticks.

A strain of Eperythrozoon (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) was isolated from suckling SPF mice (SM) inoculated with a homogenate of nymphal Ixodes ricinus (L.) ticks. The strain, passaged in the SM brain, was partially filterable through a 220-nm Millipore membrane, moderately sensitive to diethylether, and pathogenic for SM while no symptoms were observed in inoculated adult mice or male guinea pigs. A conspicuous cytopathic effect was produced in PS and SPEV (embryo pig kidney) stable cell lines. Both the cell cultures and SM could be used for the infectivity titration of the agent.

Anti-hantavirus antibodies in human sera in Czechoslovakia.

By indirect immunofluorescence using antigens of hantavirus Hantaan and CG 18-20 on Vero E6 cells were examined 5,827 samples of sera from 5,299 probands of Czechoslovakia. In 49 persons (0.94%) were found antibodies of titres 1:32 and higher. Two groups of elderly farm workers showed a cluster of positive individuals amounting to 9.9% and 29.4% respectively. The ratio of positivities in some other, randomly and specifically selected groups was deep below 1%. The partial results for the group of farmers were confirmed by RIA test. Occasionally antibodies only to one of the hantavirus serotypes, at other time, to both were found. The authors discuss the findings of antibodies of the two serotypes in humans as related to the evidenced existence of two hantavirus antigen serotypes in animals.

[Small mammals as leptospirosis carriers on waste dumps]. / Kleinsäuger als Leptospirosewirte auf den Mülldeponien.

In 1980-1986 the authors examined 2,720 small mammals (17 species) from six dumps of wastes in South-Bohemia serologically for leptospirosis. 397 small mammals from the agglomeration of Ceské Budejovice and 1,399 from four characteristic biotops in the valley of the river Vltava in South-Bohemia were investigated for a comparison. In small mammals from the dump of wastes at Ceské Budejovice antibodies against L. grippotyphosa were detected in 4.9%, against the serovars from the serogroup Sejroe in 2.6% and against L. icterohaemorrhagiae in 0.1%. In other five dumps of wastes only L. grippotyphosa antibodies were ascertained in small mammals, namely from 1.6% to 6.7%. In the agglomeration of the town Ceské Budejovice small mammals were positive in 4.0%, also for L. grippotyphosa only, in seven localities in the valley of the river Vltava with the same serovar in an average of 2.3%, with sorex-jalna in 0.1%.

Leptospirosis in man, in wild and in domestic animals at waste disposal sites in Cairo.

The authors examined 65 Rattus rattus, 28 pigs, 12 donkeys, 67 goats, 5 sheep, 1 cow and 1 dog as well as 196 inhabitants at two settlements on the waste disposal sites at the periphery of Cairo. Rattus norvegicus were positive in 55.4% for L. ictero-haemorrhagiae, pigs in 14.3% for L. pomona and in 3.6% for L. ictero-haemorrhagiae. 2 out of 12 donkeys were positive for L. pomona, 1 of them for L. pyrogenes and L. icterohaemorrhagiae as well, goats in 1.5% for L. grippotyphosa. Human sera reacted positively in 8.7% of the cases, 7.1% of which with L. bratislava, 1.0% with L. icterohaemorrhagiae and 0.5% with L. grippotyphosa and L. sejroe respectively.

[Toxoplasmosis in dogs in Greece]. / Zur Toxoplasmose der Hunde in Griechenland.

In Greece, not only raw meat feeding but also the possible faecal transmission of disease from the vast amount of strayed domestic cats play an important role in the incidence of toxoplasmosis among dogs. This must be concluded from the high contamination rate of 21.2% to 30.8% in all four presented investigations.

[Transmission of visceral leishmaniasis with studies of dogs in Greece]. / Zur Frage der Verbreitung der visceralen Leishmaniose mit Untersuchungen bei Hunden in Griechenland.

According to our results the public fear in Greece of infection from dogs or the dog as a possible reservoir could not be confirmed. A total of 749 dogs were investigated. Positive findings were demonstrated successfully in 10 cases of 19 clinical cases and serologically confirmed in 10 cases. Strains were isolated in the experimental animal the hamster.

Serological investigations for leptospirosis in humans in Columbia.

The authors examined serologically 353 clinically healthy persons in 5 localities in South Columbia for leptospirosis using the MAL-reaction with 15 serovars of 15 serogroups. The positivity was high - 18.4% namely with the serovars of the serogroups Icterohaemorrhagiae, Canicola, Pyrogenes, Australis, Pomona, Grippotyphosa, Sejroe, Hebdomadis, Bataviae, Panama and Shermani. Sera reacted positive in titer levels of 1:400 and higher only with the serovars of the serogroups Icterohaemorrhagiae, Canicola, Australis, Grippotyphosa, Sejroe, Hebdomadis, Panama and Shermani. In the total positivity were the serovars of the serogroups Icterohaemorrhagiae with 30.8%, Grippotyphosa with 23.1%, Australis with 15.4%, Panama and Pyrogenes with 10.8% each, Pomona with 6.2%, Shermani with 4.6% and Canicola, Sejroe, Hebdomadis, Bataviae with 3.1% each. The high positivity of the sera from the Mocoa for L.grippotyphosa was surprising - 20.7%.

Results of leptospirosis examinations of human sera from El Salvador.

The authors examined 984 human sera for leptospirosis with the serovars from 15 serogroups serologically in 15 localities of El Salvador. In 17.5% of the sera the following reactions were found with serovars of 13 serogroups: Australis 6.8%, Pomona 5.5%, Grippotyphosa 3.2%, Icterohaemorrhagiae and Tarassovi each 2.1%, Javanica, Canicola, Pyrogenes, Cynopteri, Autumnalis, Sejroe, Hebdomadis, Bataviae, Shermani, between 0.2%-1.4%. Men showed a 18.5% and women 17.0% positive reaction. Positivity increases with an increase in age, an increase was shown from 11.5% in the group of up to 10 years, to 40.4% in the group of 51 to 60 years, in the last age group of over 60 years a decrease was shown of 34.7%. In 8 localities we were able to compare the serological positivity of the population, the highest percentages were found in Fey Esperanza 35.1%, San Jose de la Montana 31.6% and Domus Maria 27.8%, the lowest in Credisa 6.4% and Ametepec 7.6%.

A survey of leptospirological studies carried out on the Cape Verde Islands.

The authors subjected 611 human sera, 1295 sera of domestic and 211 sera of wild living animals from two islands of the Cape Verde archipelago to serological tests for leptospirosis. Among the human sera 7.2% reacted positively. Antibodies to L. bratislava of the serogroup Australis were most frequent (59.1% of all positive sera). Antibodies to L. icterohaemorrhagiae were found in 1.3% of the sera tested, to L. sejroe in 1.1%, to L. canicola in 0.7%, to L. pyrogenes in 0.3% and to L. pomona, L. bulgarica and L. grippotyphosa in 0.2% each. The existence of natural foci of leptospiroses could not be proved since tests of 211 wild-living mammals were all negative. The investigation of domestic animal sera showed a positivity of 3.1% with goats being positive most frequently (85% of all positive sera), followed by donkeys with 3.3% and cattle with 2.0%. Sera of dogs, sheep and pigs were all negative. The results indicate that anthropurgic foci exist on the Cape Verde Islands.

Leptospirosis in the Melut district--upper Nile province (south Sudan)--an overview.

The authors examined 195 domestic animals for leptospirosis serologically in Sudan (170 cattle, 7 sheep and 18 goats) and 771 wild animals (36 species) with 13 serovars from 13 serogroups. 54% of domestic animals namely, 108 cattle and 1 sheep were positive in titer levels of 1:400 and higher. Cattle sera with the serovars of the serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae were 2.4% positive with Cynopteri 2.4%, Autumnalis 3.5%, Australis 1.2%, Pomona 2.9%, Grippotyphosa 2.9%, Hebdonadis 17.1%, Bataviae 9.4% and Tarassovi 50.6%. Only one Numida meleagris of the 54 wild birds (14 species) was positive in low titer level of 1:100 with L. canicola. Seventy (9.8%) of the 717 wild mammals (22 species) examined were positive namely with the serovars of the serogroups Icterohaemorrhagiae 3.4%, Javanica 3.0%, Pomona 2.0%, Grippotyphosa 0.7%, Hebdomadis 0.4%, Ballum, Australis, Pyrogenes, Bataviae each 0.3% and Cynopteri 0.1%, whereby sera from 7 animals reacted simultaneously with the serovars of two serogroups. With regard to the species, positive reactions were found in Erinaceus albiventris, Eidolon helbum, Cercopithecus aethiops, Genetta spec., Canis adustus et aurus, Felis silvestris, Leptailurus serval, Arvicanthis niloticus, Mastomys spec., Mus spec., Gazella spec., Tragelaphus spec. The positivity in rodents was very low - 1.2%.

First evidence of the leptospirosis natural foci of the serotype Saxkoebing in Austria.

The authors examined serologically and bacteriologically 129 wild living small mammals (9 species) in Neumarkt, in Styria. A total of 17 animals were positive (all Microtus agrestis), of these 10 serologically (6 with L. saxkoebing, 3 with L. grippotyphosa and 1 with L. sorexjalna) and 7 bacteriologically. Of the 7 isolated leptospirae-strains one did not survive up to typing, the 6 remaining were identified as L. saxkoebing. It is the first evidence of the existence of leptospirosis natural foci of the serovar saxkoebing in Austria and at the same time the first isolation of L. saxkoebing from Microtus agrestis in Central Europe. The serovar saxkoebing, which BORG-PETERSEN described in the year 1942 (1943) and isolated from the yellow-neck mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) is found in most European countries (KATHE and MOCHMANN, 1967), may, however not be found in some regions although its main reservoir, the yellow-neck mouse dwells, as SEBEK (1965) and SEBEK and ROSICKY (1974) drew attention to in Czechoslovakia. In Austria, in fact L. saxkoebing antibodies have been demonstrated in wild- and also domestic-animals (SEBEK, et. al., 1973b, 1976a, 1976b), however, a reliable proof of these serovars was not found.

[Serologic studies of domestic animals for listeriosis, Q-fever, and brucellosis in Cairo]. / Serologische Untersuchungen von Haustieren auf Listeriose, Q-Fieber, Brucellose in Kairo.

First serological investigations among domestic animals (donkey, goat, sheep, swine, dog) and rats (Rattus norvegicus) carried out in the surroundings of persons from waste disposal sites in Cairo indicate the occurrence of listeriosis, Q fever and brucellosis.

Results of serological examination for leptospirosis of domestic and wild animals in the Upper Nile province (Sudan).

195 domestic and 766 wild animals were serologically examined for leptospirosis. Cattle was found to be positive at titres 1 greater than or equal to 400 in 63.5%, namely 50.6% for Tarassovi, 17.1% for Sejroe-Hebdomadis, 9.4% for Bataviae, 1.2-3.5% for Icterohaemorrhagiae, Cynopteri, Autumnalis, Australis, Pomona and Grippotyphosa. Sera from 35 animals reacted with the serovars from two or more serogroups. Of 7 sheep 1 was positive for Pomona and 18 goats proved to be negative. 10.2% of wild mammals were positive at titres 1 greater than or equal to 100, namely 3.5% for Icterohaemorrhagiae, 3.1% for Javanica, 1.7% for Pomona and 0.1-0.8% for Sejroe-Hebdomadis, Grippotyphosa Pyrogenes, Australis, Ballum, Bataviae, Cynopteri and Canicola. The sera of 10 animals were simultaneously positive with the serovars of two serogroups. Erinaceus albiventris, Eidolon helvum, Tadarida condylura and T. pumila, Cercopithecus aethiops, Genetta sp., Ichneumonia albicauda, Canis adustus and C. aureus, Felis silvestris, Leptailurus serval, Arvicanthis niloticus, Mus sp. and species from the subfamilies Tragelaphniae, Reduncinae and Gazellinae were serologically positive. The positivity rate in rodents was only 1.2%.

To the knowledge of the common hamster (Cricetus cricetus Linné, 1758; Rodentia) as host of leptospirosis in Czechoslovakia.

A total of 1288 hamsters (Cricetus cricetus), coming from two regions of Czechoslovakia, were serologically investigated on the presence of leptospirosis. In 1114 hamsters from eastern Slovakia, where an outbreak occurred and local populations lived quite atypically, there was 31.8% positivity, in 174 animals from central Moravia, where the populations were at higher levels but lived normally, the positivity amounted to 17.2%. The serological positivity increases proportionately to the weight, i.e. to the age of the animals. The serovar grippotyphosa was dominant in them (29.6% of examined hamsters), while 6.0% were positive for L. pomona, 1.0% for serovars from the serogroup Sejroe, 0.2% for L. sorex-jalna and L. bataviae respectively, and 0.1% for L. bratislava. The hamsters from central Moravia were positive only for the serovar grippotyphosa. Antibodies in lower titres against L. pomona, having the character of coagglutinations, were simultaneously detected in some hamsters positive for L. grippotyphosa. In Czechoslovakia the common hamster is one of the potential hosts of L. grippotyphosa, its importance increasing during severe outbreaks, when the incidence of infection with L. grippotyphosa in hamster populations increases and the animals inhabit most varied types of biotopes and transfer to synanthropic way of life.

Investigations of wild animals as Leishmania reservoir in South Sudan.

In 1982-1983, 628 small mammals from around the so-called "kala-azar villages" in the Melut district and Paloich (Upper Nile region) were studied. A massive leishmania infection was found only in 1 jakal. All other attempts at isolation of an infectious agent were negative. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a jakal as a reservoir in the southern Sudan. In the Melut District (South Sudan) during the years 1982 and 1983, wild animals (small mammals) were investigated as reservoir of leishmania. Detailed studies have already been submitted by hoogstraal (1).

The occurrence of leptospirosis in Iran.

The author examined 2,448 human and 541 domestic animal sera from Iran serologically for leptospira antibodies. Human sera revealed a 3.3% positivity rate in titer levels of 1:100 and higher, namely with the serovare of the serogroups Australis 2.3%, Sejroe 0.8%, Grippotyphosa 0.2%, Icterohaemorrhagiae 0.1%, Canicola 0.1%, Autumnalis 0.4% and Javanica 0.04%; domestic animal sera revealed a 6.8% in titers of 1:800 and higher, namely with Icterohaemorrhagiae 3.8%, Grippotyphosa 1.4%, Sejroe 1.2% and Bataviae 0.4%. The positivity rate for men was 3.1% for women 3.6%. In Teheran the seropositivity was higher--3.6% as in Rasth, the capital of the Gilan province--1.9%.

[Territorial dissemination of antibodies against leptospirae at individual farms throughout a district, detected on the basis of serological testing of slaughter cattle and pigs]. / Plosné rozsírení protilátek proti leptospirám v jednotlivých zemedelských závodech okresu, zjistované na základe sérologického vysetrení jatecného skotu a prasat.

The serological reaction of microagglutination-lysis (RMAL) was performed to examine 4995 head of slaughter cattle and 8211 slaughter pigs for the presence of antibodies to leptospirae. The animals came from 33 farms of the Strakonice district. Antibodies to leptospirae were found in slaughter cattle from 25 (75.75%) farms and in slaughter pigs from 24 (72.72%) farms. As suggested by the examination, the antibodies to leptospirae occur in animals throughout the territory of the district, irrespective of the nature of the landscape. The occurrence of the above-mentioned antibodies on farms occurred within the range from 0.52% to 8.33% in slaughter cattle and from 0.32% to 8.10% in slaughter pigs; only rarely did it exceed 9.0%. The most frequent reactions were those with the leptospirae of the L. grippotyphosa serovar.