SummaryDogs serve as the vectors of serious parasitic diseases with a zoonotic character. In a one-year-study, we collected and examined 752 faeces of dogs. In these faecal samples, 11 different species of intestinal endoparasites were detected, as follows: Toxocara spp. eggs (21.9 %), eggs from the family Ancylostomatidae (18.4 %), coccidia oocysts (10.4 %), eggs of Trichuris spp. (10.0 %), Toxascaris leonina (7.3 %), Capillaria spp. (5.9 %), Taenia type eggs (3.2 %) and Giardia spp. cysts (1.6 %). Echinococcus multilocularis was detected in one sample. Toxocara spp. eggs were dominant in all dog categories, but in hunting dogs they occurred at the highest rate (45.1 %). Faecal samples of dogs from rural ecosystems showed 66.0 % prevalence of intestinal helminths. Presence of Toxocara spp. eggs was found in 25.0 % of sand samples.

SummaryHelminth infections caused by Enterobius vermicularis have a cosmopolitan character and most often affect the paediatric pre-school and school age population. The presented study was conducted to determine the prevalence of E. vermicularis in the analyzed population of children in the Eastern Slovakia. The Graham’s scotch tape method was used to investigate the presence of Enterobius vermicularis eggs in 390 specimens. The analyzed set consisted of 218 girls and 172 boys, divided by age into three groups – aged from 5 months to 2 years, aged from 3 to 6 years, and aged from 7 to 15 years. Investigation of perianal scotch tapes of children for the presence of E. vermicularis eggs revealed the prevalence of E. vermicularis was P = 3.59 %. Depending on the incidence of E. vermicularis infection, we detected no statistically significant difference (p> 0.05). The prevalence of E. vermicularis in boys was P = 4.07 %, and in girls P = 3.21 %. The highest prevalence of E. vermicularis was recorded in the group of children aged from 3 to 6 years (P = 5.03 %). Most of the samples were positive at age 4 and 5. The lowest prevalence was in the group of children aged from 5 months to 2 years (P = 0.97 %), and the prevalence of E. vermicularis in the group of children aged from 7 to 15 was P = 3.91 %. The difference in the incidence of E. vermicularis infection among different age groups of children was not statistically significant (p> 0.05).Enterobius vermicularis nematode infection and enterobiasis currently represents a major public health problem in Slovakia. At the present its occurrence is the most frequent in the paediatric population. Therefore it is important to introduce a targeted hygienic-epidemiological measure in children’s collectives, what also should include proper and effective diagnostics and frequent recurrent therapy.

63 SummaryThe number of parasites followed the rapid growing of human population worldwide, not only in developing but also in developed countries. Many of them are diagnosed in children and adolescents. The occurrence of selected intestinal endoparasites in children coming from areas with low hygienic and socioeconomic status was studied. Out of 81 faecal samples examined, 46 (56.8 %) were positive for presence of intestinal parasites. From helminths, Ascaris lumbricoides was found to be the leading parasite (24.7 %), followed by Trichuris trichiura (17.3 %). Tapeworm Taenia spp. eggs were detected in 4.9 % of examined children. From protozoan parasites Cryptosporidium spp. was observed in 36 children (44.4 %) and Giardia intestinalis in 20 children (24.7 %). The occurrence of these epidemiologically low risky parasites in Roma children population suggests low hygienic standard in the Roma settlements.

A. LAUKOVÁ , S. CZIKKOVÁ , Z. VASILKOVÁ , P. JURIŠ AND M. MAREKOVÁ . 1998. The occurrence of enterococci in cattle dung water from the basins of 25 cattle farms of 15 northeastern Slovakia districts was screened as well as bacteriocin production among selective enterococcal isolates. The average total count of enterococci detected reached 5·0 × 10 3 cfu ml −1 . Enterococcus faecium was the predominant species (25%) followed by Ent. casseliflavus (19·2%), Ent. faecalis (9·6%), Ent. avium and Ent. durans (1·9%). The antagonistic activity of isolates showed a mainly antilisterial effect. Enterococcus faecalis V24 strain produced a heat stable, largely hydrophobic antimicrobial substance with best production in the range pH 4 to 7 and with a strong inhibitory effect even against Gram-negative bacteria.

SummaryExaminations of the set of 2,760 samples of human stools revealed the current epidemiological situation in the occurrence of gastrointestinal parasitoses in Slovakia. Prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitic infection was P = 6.81 % out of which the protozoan infections was P = 2.64 % and helminthiases P = 4.17 %, in the representation of endoparasitic species Entamoeba coli, Giardia intestinalis, Blastocystis hominis, Endolimax nana, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and Enterobius vermicularis. The species with the highest proportion from the protozoa was Entamoeba coli (P = 0.79 %) and from the helminths Ascaris lumbricoides (P = 3.73 %). The highest prevalence of protozoan infections (P = 3.27 %) was found in the age group 8 -18 yearly and helminthic infections (P = 5.84 %) in the lowest age group of children at the age of 1 month to 7 years. Almost regularly, there was most frequently infection with Endolimax nana, Giardia intestinalis and Ascaris lumbricoides. By comparison of all age categories, a high statistical signifi cance of differences in the prevalence of helminthiases was found, which most frequently infected children aged from 1 month to 7 years (χ2, p≤ 0.0001). The statistical signifi cance of differences in the incidence of protozoan infections (χ2, p≤ 0.01) and helminthiases (χ2, p≤ 0.0001) was recorded between the compared regions of Slovakia (Western, Central and Eastern Slovakia) with the highest prevalence in the eastern region of Slovakia.