Introduction: Leptospirosis is an infection caused by spiral bacteria from the family Leptospiraceae, and is considered to be the most widespread zoonosis in the world. Aim: To analyze the clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients with Leptospirosis over five years. Methods: The study included 160 patients aged 17-79 years, who in the period 01.01.2014. to 21.12.2018. were hospitalized at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases of the University Clinical Center Tuzla. They were diagnosed based on medical history, clinical examination, laboratory and microbiological results. The definitive diagnosis was confirmed by serological testing from the patients' blood. Results: In the observed period, the highest number of patients were in 2014 80/160, and the lowest in 2015 15/160. Male patients were more likely to suffer from 118 (73.8%) than female 42 (26,3%). The mean age was ±56.5 years. The most common symptoms in patients were: fever (95,6%), headache (93,8%), malaise (87,5%) and myalgia (85,6%). In all patients, 160/160 (100%) accelerated erythrocyte sedimentation and elevated C-reactive protein was observed. The following findings were reported from white blood cell findings: leukocytosis in 81/160 (50,6%), neutrophilia in 103/160 (64,4%) and lymphopenia in 128/160 (80%) patients. Liver findings had the following values: elevated AST in 142/160 (88%) and ALT in 130/160 (81,3%) patients. Total bilirubin was elevated in 105/160 (65,6%) and direct in 107/160 (66,9%). Thrombocytopenia was in 142/160 (88%) patients. Urea was elevated in 103/160 (64,4%) and creatinine in 101/160 (61,3%) patients. Conclusion: it is very important that physicians in their day to day practice, especially in ambiguous febrile conditions, differentially diagnose leptospirosis and establish a timely diagnosis, this is ley to adequate and timely therapy, and therefore to reducing to development of complications and mortality.

Probiotics can convert a dysbiotic bacterial environment into a healthy one. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of daily intake of a probiotic milk drink on the composition of bacterial species in dental supra- and subgingival biofilms. Sixteen dental students were enrolled into this study with a crossover, within subject, design. The participants were asked to allow plaque accumulation by refraining from cleaning their molars during two separate periods, each lasting three weeks. Each period consisted of an initial professional dental cleaning procedure done at the university clinic, then a 3 week plaque accumulation period, followed by a return to the clinic for supra- and subgingival plaque sampling. The first period served as a control, and during the second plaque accumulation period the participants drank 200 ml probiotic milk beverage each day. The accumulated plaque removed at the end of the accumulation period was later tested against a panel of 20 oral bacterial species using the checkerboard method. Three weeks consumption of a probiotic beverage led to a significant reduction in 15 of 20 bacterial species present in supragingival plaque and a reduction in 4 of 20 bacterial species in subgingival plaque (all P<0.05). This study showed a favorable effect of probiotics on periodontopathic bacteria in dental biofilms. The potential influence of this kind of probiotic in prevention or treatment of periodontal inflammation deserves further study.

Background: Leptospirosis is the most common zoonotic disease in Tuzla Canton. Objective: Determine the influence of environmental and precipitation factors on the incidence of leptospirosis. Methods: A retrospective study included 80 patients with leptospirosis. Data on precipitation were obtained from the online database of Federal Hydrometeorological Institute of BiH. OpenStreetMap (OSM) was used for spatial analysis; patients were geolocated and put on a map. Statistical data processing included basic tests of descriptive statistics. Results: In the period between 01.01.2014 and 31.12.2014, 80 patients with leptospirosis confirmed by clinical and serological testing were hospitalized in the Clinic for Infectious Diseases of the University Clinical Center Tuzla. Gender wise, out of 80 patients, 54 were male (67.5% of the total), and 26 were female (32.5%). More patients lived in the countryside: 64/80 (or 89%). The largest number of patients was engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry: 48/80 (or 60%), mostly cows 32/80 (40%), chickens 12/80 (15%), sheep 4/80 (5%) and pigs 3/80 (3.8%). Of the total number of patients, 50 (or 62.5%) had contact with domestic animals: dogs 10/80 (or 12.5%) and cats 5/80 (or 6.3%). Half of 53/80 (66.3%) patients had contact with flooded areas in the study period. The increase in leptospirosis diagnosed patients in the City of Srebrenik was statistically significant for 2014 (p<0.01). Conclusion: Leptospirosis in one of the neglected infectious diseases in our area, but the proven increase in the number of infected people after heavy rainfall obliges us to control the risks associated with this disease.

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aim&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;To characterize methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains phenotypically and genotypically and to determine their clonal affiliation, representation and antibiotic resistance profile.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; A total of 62 randomly selected MRSA isolates of different clinical samples collected from 2009 to 2017 were phenotypically and genotypically analysed. Phenotypic analyses were performed by standard microbiological procedures, and using VITEK 2/AES instrument as well as MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization) technology. Genotypic characterization included spa, MLST (multilocus sequence typing) and SCCmec typing, and detection of the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) and other enterotoxin encoding genes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;The largest number of isolates, 21 (33.87%) belonged to ST228-MRSA-I, spa type t041, t1003 and t001. Other major&lt;br /&gt;clones were: ST239-MRSA-III, spa type t037 and t030 (27.41%); ST8-MRSA-IV, spa type t008 and t121 (12.9%); ST247-MRSA-I, spa type t051 (4.83%). PVL was detected in 10 isolates (SCCmec IV/V). During 2009 and 2010 the most frequent MRSA strain was South German clone, ST228-MRSA-I (80% and 90%, respectively), while in later years it was replaced with Brazilian-Hungarian clone ST239-MRSA-III (75% in 2015 and 2016). The South German clone, spa type t041 in 90.48% of cases was resistant to clindamycin, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, cefoxitin, gentamicin, kanamycin, tobramycin and penicillin, while 70.58% samples of the Brazilian-Hungarian clone spa type t037 were additionally resistant to tetracycline and rifampicin.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusion&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;This research can supplement the existing knowledge about the clonal distribution of MRSA in Bosnia and Herzegovina&lt;br /&gt;and their sensitivity to antibiotics in order to improve the national control of these infections&lt;/p&gt;