A comparative study was carried out to evaluate the Strongyloides stercoralis infections in children and dogs inside and outside the segregated settlement in Medzev, Eastern Slovakia, and a survey of the soil within the settlement was included. Applying the Koga agar plate (KAP) culture method and microscopy examination of stool samples collected from 60 Roma and 21 nonRoma children, no larvae of S. stercoralis were detected but eggs of three nematodes (Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and Enterobius vermicularis) and cysts of two protozoan endoparasites (Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp.) were often found. However, immunoenzymatic assay (ELISA) for the evidence of IgG antibodies against S. stercoralis showed 33.3% seroprevalence in Roma children and 23.8% prevalence in children from the majority population, attending the same school. Eosinophilia was regularly present in children with exclusive infection of S. stercoralis (eight cases) as well as in individuals suffering from mixed infections of S. stercoralis and some of the above listed parasites (16 cases); high eosinophil counts sometimes, but not always, occurred in parasitized children lacking S. stercoralis antibodies. A comparison of S. stercoralis in dogs from the settlement (40 dogs) and from a distant dog shelter (20 dogs) did not reveal remarkable differences: the direct microscopy of faecal samples revealed rhabditiform larvae in 13.3% of the dogs from the settlement (4/30) and in 10.0% of the dogs from the shelter (2/20). Out of blood samples collected from the second dog group, 55% of the dogs contained antibodies against S. stercoralis. In the soil collected from 14 various locations within the settlement, S. stercoralis larvae were observed in two samples (14.3%); however, 13 samples (92.9%) were positive for human or dog endoparasites of the genera Ancylostoma, Ascaris, Toxocara, Toxascaris, Trichuris, and Hymenolepis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the use of a standardized animal model subjected to antibiotic treatment, and the effects of this treatment on the course of dextran sodium sulphate (DSS)-induced colitis in mice. By decontamination with selective antibiotics and observation of pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC) induced chemically by exposure of mice to various concentrations of DSS, we obtained an optimum animal PGF model of acute UC manifested by mucin depletion, epithelial degeneration and necrosis, leading to the disappearance of epithelial cells, infiltration of lamina propria and submucosa with neutrophils, cryptitis, and accompanied by decreased viability of intestinal microbiota, loss of body weight, dehydration, moderate rectal bleeding, and a decrease in the selected markers of cellular proliferation and apoptosis. The obtained PGF model did not exhibit changes that could contribute to inflammation by means of alteration of the metabolic status and the induced dysbiosis did not serve as a bearer of pathogenic microorganisms participating in development of ulcerative colitis. The inflammatory process was induced particularly by exposure to DSS and its toxic action on compactness and integrity of mucosal barrier in the large intestine. This offers new possibilities of the use of this animal model in studies with or without participation of pathogenic microbiota in IBD pathogenesis.

The unicellular parasite Giardia duodenalis has been divided to eight assemblages (A-H) from which A and B have the most important zoonotic potential. All remaining genotypes have a strong commitment to various host animals. We present here the first clinical case of a human infection with the dog-specific genotype C of G. duodenalis in Slovakia. The patient, 44-year-old woman, suffered from long-term diarrhoea, abdominal pain, anorexia, weight loss, severe itching and dermatitis in the perianal area. The initial microscopic diagnosis was completed by a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) which revealed the first evidence of human giardiasis caused by the dog-specific genotype of G. duodenalis on a European scale. A possible role of dogs in zoonotic transmission of giardiasis and its epidemiological and public health relevance is accentuated.

Periodontal disease is one of the most common health problem affecting dogs.

During the years 2015-2016 we obtained 15 samples of faeces of brown bears (Ursus arctos) and 2 samples of gastrointestinal (GI) tracts of young female brown bears for helminthological examinations. The samples of faeces were collected from various sites in the protected landscape area CHKO-Poľana, and the gastrointestinal tracts originated from bears hunted down in the same area within permitted regulation of bear population for 2015. Of the 17 samples collected from the CHKO-Poľana area, 13 were positive for the presence of parasites (76.47 %). Parasitological examinations revealed the presence of 5 species of endoparasites: Eimeria, Cryptosporidium, Sarcocystis, Baylisascaris and Ancylostoma. Roundworms Baylisascaris transfuga (46.15 %) and Ancylostoma spp. (30.77 %) were the dominant species. Observation of the seasonal dynamics showed the highest prevalence of parasites during autumn and winter.Genus/Species Prevalence Cryptosporidium 15.38 % Eimeria 7.69 % Sarcocystis 15.38 % Ancylostoma 30.77 % Baylisascaris transfuga 46.15 %