Vector-borne diseases use to be a major public health concern only in tropical and subtropical areas, but today they are an emerging threat for the continental and developed countries also. Nowadays, in intercontinental countries, there is a struggle with emerging diseases, which have found their way to appear through vectors. Vector-borne zoonotic diseases occur when vectors, animal hosts, climate conditions, pathogens, and susceptible human population exist at the same time, at the same place. Global climate change is predicted to lead to an increase in vector-borne infectious diseases and disease outbreaks. It could affect the range and population of pathogens, host and vectors, transmission season, etc. Reliable surveillance for diseases that are most likely to emerge is required. Canine vector-borne diseases represent a complex group of diseases including anaplasmosis, babesiosis, bartonellosis, borreliosis, dirofilariosis, ehrlichiosis, and leishmaniosis. Some of these diseases cause serious clinical symptoms in dogs and some of them have a zoonotic potential with an effect to public health. It is expected from veterinarians in coordination with medical doctors to play a fundamental role at primarily prevention and then treatment of vector-borne diseases in dogs. The One Health concept has to be integrated into the struggle against emerging diseases. During a 4-year period, from 2009 to 2013, a total number of 551 dog samples were analyzed for vector-borne diseases (borreliosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, dirofilariosis, and leishmaniasis) in routine laboratory work. The analysis was done by serological tests – ELISA for borreliosis, dirofilariosis, and leishmaniasis, modified Knott test for dirofilariosis, and blood smear for babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis. This number of samples represented 75% of total number of samples that were sent for analysis for different diseases in dogs. Annually, on average more then half of the samples brought to the laboratory to analysis for different infectious diseases are analyzed for vector-borne diseases. In the region of Vojvodina (northern part of Serbia), the following vector-borne infectious diseases have been found in dogs so far borreliosis, babesiosis, dirofilariosis, leishmaniasis, and anaplasmosis.

Some Staphylococcus aureus strains, identified as causative agents of mastitis in cattle, exhibit the ability of producing a viscous extracellular polysaccharide layer (slime), which is nowadays considered to be a virulence factor, as it promotes bacterial adhesion onto the mammary epithelial cells and protects bacteria from opsonization and phagocytosis. Some strains of this genus are believed to exist in the form of a biofilm in the udder tissue, which may partly explain frequent therapeutic failures and a chronic course of infection. In this study we investigated the ability of slime production and biofilm formation in 70 subclinical and clinical bovine mastitis isolates S. aureus. Slime production was determined from colony morphology of isolates in Congo red agar. The ability of biofilm formation was assessed in a quantitative assay using a microtiter-plate test involving crystal violet staining and for selected strains, scanning electron microscopy on stainless steel coupons was done. Eight S. aureus isolates (11.42%) formed black colonies of dry consistency, characteristic for slime-producing strains. According to the result of microtiter plate test, 9 isolates (12.86%) were categorized as strong biofilm producers, 21 (30%) as moderate, and 40 (57.14%) as weak biofilm producers. Scanning electron microscopy revealed differences between investigated isolates with respect to their ability to colonize stainless steel surfaces and to form a three-dimensional biofilm structure

Summary:Lyme disease is a tick borne zoonotic infection, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. bacteria. For the transmission of the disease, the presence of ticks is a prerequisite. Lyme borreliosis mostly occurs in people and dogs, but it may occur in other animals. Ticks which carry B. burgdorferi s.l. in Serbia are of the Ixodes ricinus specis. In Serbia, Lyme disease was detected for the first time in the late '80-es. In dogs, clinical symptoms may occur even months after a tick bite, and include weakness, lymphadenopathy, fever, lameness, arthritis, etc. In our survey, we have observed tick and dog populations in the province of Vojvodina (northern part of Serbia). I. ricinus ticks were collected and examined for the presence of B. burgdorferi s.l. in several chosen locations. In addition, blood samples were collected from house dogs and pets from the same locations, and analyzed for the presence of antibodies specific for B. burgdorferi s.l. The results showed a mean infection of ticks of 22.12 %, and a mean seroprevalence of Lyme disease in dogs of 25.81 %. We conclude that in Vojvodina there is an actual risk of Lyme borreliosis for other animals and humans, because of the persistence of B. burgdorferi s.l. in both tick and dog populations.

No abstract

Abstract:The abortions in sheep are important at various aspects, i.e. economical, animal healthcare or zoonotic. Abortions in sheep may occur sporadically or as enzootic outbreaks. The causative agent of the abortion is investigated if more than 2% of abortions in pregnant animals are registered within the herd. The amount of suspect material to be delivered for examination ranges from 12% to 21% of all registered abortions.Our research was carried out at the territory of AP of Vojvodina. Over a three-year-period we investigated 367 serum samples obtained from sheep that have aborted. Serum samples were examined for brucellosis, leptospirosis, listeriosis, toxoplasmosis, enzootic abortion (chlamydiosis), Qfever, salmonellosis.All examined sera were negative to brucellosis. Leptospirosis was diagnosed in 3.2% cases. Specific antibodies were detected for L.hardjo and L. grippotyphosa . Serotype L.hardjo was first identified in cattle at the territory of Vojvodina, and in the recent years it has been also registered in sheep. T.gondii was detected in 7.1% abortions in sheep. Presence of specific antibodies against C.burnetii was established in 19.6% of investigated serum samples. Vojvodina is considered endemic region for Q-fever, and sheep are the primary reservoir of C.burnetii that was confirmed in this research.