Despite considerable achievements in the study of localized scleroderma, the etiology of the disease has not been investigated completely. Borrelia burgdorferi-the agent of Lyme disease-is suggested to be one of the possible etiological factors of localized scleroderma. However, among scientists, this hypothesis is quite controversial. We have conducted investigations of the level of IgM and IgG class antibodies to B. burgdorferi in the serum of patients with localized scleroderma. To rationally substantiate the role of B. burgdorferi in the occurrence of localized scleroderma, thirty-two patients with localized scleroderma treated at an in-patient department were examined. The level of anti-Borrelia antibodies was determined in ELISA. Diagnostic levels of IgM and/or IgG were detected in 18.8% of patients with localized scleroderma, which is more than in the population (p < 0.01). Positive levels of anti-Borrelia antibodies in patients with localized scleroderma confirm the borreliosis nature of the disease, requiring conduction of complex antimicrobial treatment.

Leptospirosis remains one of the most widespread zoonotic diseases in the world and Ukraine, in particular. Ukrainian clinicians have been faced with early detection of the disease due to the availability of only a serological method for routine diagnostics in Ukraine, namely the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). This paper demonstrates the first results of the complex application of MAT and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for routine verification of leptospirosis, which were first applied simultaneously in Lviv Oblast of Ukraine in 2016. We examined the sera of 150 patients clinically suspected of leptospirosis, 31 of whom were treated at the Lviv Oblast Clinical Hospital for Infectious Diseases (LOCHID). The application of PCR during the first seven days of the disease allowed increasing the share of confirmed leptospirosis cases by 16,1% in patients that were treated in LOCHID during 2016–2017.

Introduction: Lyme borreliosis (LB) is endemic spirochetosis with a transmission mechanism, which is often marked by a durable, recurrent course with multiple organ damages. LB is characterized by the appearance of migrating erythema at the site of tick bite. Durable persistence of the agent promotes disease progression and the occurrence of serious complications related to the nervous system, the heart and the locomotive apparatus. Infrequent and especially dangerous complications of LB include damage to the hearing apparatus with the development of sensorineural deafness -hearing loss, which develops within 24 hours due to impairment of the internal ear or auditory nerve function. These infectious diseases account for 12.8-13% of numerous causes of sensorineural deafness development. Most frequently, the disease caused by B. burgdorferi is mentioned. Aim:To analyze the clinical case of Lyme borreliosis complicated by sensorineural hearing loss. Materials and methods:Analysis of clinical-laboratory and instrumental data of the patient with Lyme borreliosis, whose course of disease was complicated by sensorineural hearing loss. The patient received care at the Lviv Regional Infectious Diseases Clinical Hospital (LRIDCH). results:The article presents a clinical case of Lyme borreliosis, complicated by sensorineural hearing loss, which appeared on the 15th day from the onset of erythema annulare in the patient. Hearing recovery could not be achieved via administration of etiotropic treatment (2.0 g/per day of ceftriaxone for 28 days), which was likely associated with the patient's late visit for medical assistance. conclusions:Sensorineural hearing loss is one of the rare, but severe lesions of hearing analyzer in LB. Hearing improvement after antibiotic therapy is possible in certain cases in early treatment. Keywords:Lyme borreliosis, hearing loss, deafness streszczenIe: wprowadzenie: Borelioza z Lyme (BL) to krętkowica endemiczna przenoszona za pośrednictwem kleszczy. Często ma charakter przewlekły, nawrotowy przebieg z wielonarządowymi porażeniami, a w miejscu ukłucia kleszcza powstaje rumień wędrujący. Trwałe żerowanie patogenu sprzyja rozwojowi choroby i powstaniu poważnych powikłań układu nerwowego, ruchu i serca. Wśród nieczęstych i szczególnie niebezpiecznych powikłań BL zdarzają się porażenia narządu słuchu z pojawieniem się głuchoty neurosensorycznej -utraty słuchu rozwijającej się w ciągu 24 godzin na skutek naruszenia funkcji ucha wewnętrznego czy nerwu słuchowego. Wśród licznych przyczyn rozwoju głuchoty neurosensorycznej, choroby infekcyjne stanowią 12,8-13% przypadków. Najczęściej chodzi o chorobę wywołaną B. burgdorferi.cel: Przebadanie klinicznego przypadku boreliozy z Lyme powikłanego rozwojem głuchoty neurosensorycznej.

Influence on pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines of an ill person is an urgent aspect of treatment of many diseases. For inhibition of synthesis of a high level of pro-inflammatory cytokines, medications which are recombinant monoclonal antibodies, especially to tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α), are used. However, these methods of treatment require further improvement by elaborating new approaches with a wider spectrum of influence on the immune system.A completely new method of reduction in high activity of TN F-α with the method of intradermal autoleukocyte immunization is presented in the article. Investigation was performed in a group of patients with psoriasis (24) with a high level of TNF-α in the blood (over 30 pg/ml). Simultaneously such investigation was performed on patients with psoriasis (9) without TNF-α detected (0 pg/ml).As a result of immunization, a significant reduction in TNF-α occurred in all patients with its high level, in 16 (66.7%) from 24 patients – to 0-5 pg/ml. The level of reduction and duration of the achieved effect was of an individual character and requires further investigation. However, the achieved results prove the expediency of administration of this immunization method for patients requiring reduction of TNF-α synthesis.However, the content of TNF-α in blood serum could not be detected in most patients with a low level of cytokine (in 6 from 9) after immunization (as well as before immunization), but an increase in its level from 0 to 5-8 pg/ml was observed in 3 patients. On the basis of the conducted research, the authors suggest that the influence of immunization on cytokine synthesis depends on the condition of immune cells and correlation of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in a patient's skin.

Gardnerella vaginalis is a bacterium that is found as the most common cause of bacterial vaginitis in women. In this paper, we describe a case report of a 22-years old woman infected with G. vaginalis , who was initially suspected to have Dengue fever. The similarity of clinical symptoms developed by this disease with the symptoms of some other tropical infectious diseases, as well as a travel history, complicated identification of the disease cause for this particular patient. Here, we present a detailed epidemiological and clinical description of this case, leading to a final diagnosis of a septic form of gardnerellosis.