The objective of the study was to determine the immunostimulatory effect of β-(1,3/1,6)-D-glucan in puppies. The effect exerted on the efficacy of vaccination, especially against canine parvovirus and rabies infection, was studied. The application of vaccine and glucan leads to significant increases in the nonspecific immunological parameters (phagocytic ability of leukocytes, blastogenic response of lymphocytes, metabolic and chemotactic activity of polymorphonuclear cells). The level of antibodies against canine parvovirus (Ab CPV) and rabies infection reached the most statistically significant values on the 28th day after the application of vaccine and a syrup containing β-(1,3/1,6)-D-glucan (Group GV) as compared to the control group (Group V, puppies receiving only vaccine). Dogs without glucan supplementation did not produce such significant levels of antibodies. We can conclude that glucan has relevant immunostimulatory effects in dogs with altered immunity. The glucan product tested in this study (PleraSAN V, PLEURAN, Bratislava, Slovakia) could be used in the small animal clinical practice.

The aim of this study was to investigate the arterial blood supply of the thoracolumbar spinal cord in rabbit. The study was carried out on twenty adult New Zealand white rabbits. Ten rabbits were used in the corrosion technique and ten rabbits in the dissection technique. After the killing, the vascular network was perfused with saline. Batson's corrosion casting kit no. 17 © was used as a casting medium. After polymerisation of the medium, in ten rabbits the maceration was carried out in KOH solution, and in ten other rabbits, formaldehyde was injected by the dissection technique into the vertebral canal. We found high variability of segmental arteries supplying blood to the spinal cord. There are 12 intercostal arteries and 1 costo-abdominal artery. Dorsal branches arising from the dorsal surface of the aorta thoracica were found as follows: in 70% of the cases, 9 pairs were present; in 20% of the cases 8 pairs; and in 10% of the cases 10 pairs. The paired arteriae lumbales were present in 6 pairs in 90% of the cases and in 5 pairs in 10% of the cases. On the dorsal surface of spinal cord, we found two irregular longitudinal arteries in 70% of the cases, no longitudinal arteries in 20% of the cases and three irregular longitudinal arteries in 10% of the cases receiving dorsal branches of rami spinales. Among the dorsal branches observed in the thoracic region, 60.5% were left-sided, 39.5% right-sided and in the lumbar region, 52.5% were left-sided and 47.5% right-sided.

The authors verified the possibility of antioxidative protection of squalene adjuvant emulsions by the antioxidants α-tocopherol and β-carotene. They determined the influence of β-carotene on the stability and antigenic effectiveness of adjuvant emulsion in combination with rabies vaccine. The composition of the adjuvant emulsions or vaccines was: 2.5% squalene; 6% detergents; 0.5% antioxidant; 91% water phase. The oxidative injury after UV-irradiation was followed by the detection of the peroxide value of the emulsions. The stability of the emulsions was evaluated by the determination of the emulsion's particle size. The level of rabies antibodies (RAB) in mice sera until day 90 after vaccination, was determined by the rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test. In the in vitro system of squalene adjuvant, α-tocopherol acted as a prooxidant, while β-carotene effectively reduced the oxidative injury. The homogenization of the squalene adjuvant during a prolonged period from 8 to 10 min did not change the particle size. The oxidation processes were efficiently reduced by β-carotene during the preparation process and also during the 70-d storage. The vaccine with β-carotene induced a gradual increase in the RAB levels with the highest value on day 28. While the inactivated rabies vaccine with adjuvant without β-carotene developed a rapid formation of RAB, the application of the vaccine with β-carotene induced a slower but more uniform production of RAB. The level of RAB was significantly higher after the application of the vaccine with β-carotene and reached the protective value of 0.5 IU/mL, in contrast to the vaccine without β-carotene.

In the presented work, we compared the results of determination of rabies antibodies using three in vitro methods: rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test (RFFIT), fluorescent antibody virus neutralisation test (FAVNT) and the immunoenzymatic assay (ELISA). 196 dog sera samples were examined with FAVNT, RFFIT methods and the ELISA test. Sera with low and sufficiently high titre of antibodies had a similar result in determining by all methods. A critical level of rabies antibodies close to the required protection level (0.5 IU/cm 3 ) was seen in sera of 18 dogs (9.18%); these were the sera obtained after primary vaccination of dogs. At this level, even small differences can cause a change in the assessment of the patient's serum seronegativity or seropositivity. Therefore, it is important to choose the appropriate method that has sufficiently strict criteria while having a good reproducibility.

The existence of bats is crucial for all ecosystem units as they fulfil numerous ecological roles. However, they are also considered to be natural reservoirs of a wide range of zoonotic microorganisms, especially viruses. In this review article we briefly summarize current knowledge about various ecological factors that facilitate bat pathogen dispersal and about the current approaches to monitoring viral communities present within bat populations. On the basis of the cited papers, we suggest that the increased focus on complex viral populations in bats and their interactions with other populations and the environment is necessary to fully comprehend the relationship between emerging infectious diseases, the environment and their toll on human health.

221 SummaryAscaris suum is a parasitic nematode of pigs with worldwide distribution causing economic loses due do health interactions, reduced feed to gain efficiency and loses due to liver condemnation at abattoirs. To survey the herd prevalence of ascariosis in Slovakia, the presence of milk spots in liver of slaughtered pigs is monitored at abattoirs. According to shortened life-span of fattening pigs, this is the most suitable screening method for efficiency evaluation of control measures. Within the monitoring in 2000 -2009, in total 279 herds (19 017 animals) were examined. During this period, marked decrease in occurrence of pathological lesions, resp. milk spots, in liver was recorded (from 39.51 % to 6.85 %) in investigated herds.

Anaplasmosis is a vector-borne, infectious and non-contagious disease. The disease is caused by various pathogens of the genus Anaplasma. The different species cause different types of anaplasmosis depending on which cells that are infected in the mammalian host. Anaplasmosis has a wide host range, including humans, and it is distributed worldwide. The zoonotic potential of some species is of great importance in regards to public health concerns. This review presents information about anaplasmosis in animals and its prevalence in Europe, and other countries in the world.

Coxiella burnetii is a worldwide zoonotic pathogen causing Q fever in various animal species and humans. In Slovakia, cases of C. burnetii infection in both animals and humans are confirmed every year. The role of horses in the epidemiology of this neglected disease is still unclear. In our study, we focused on a serosurvey of C. burnetii in the equine population in Slovakia by the ELISA method. Subsequently, a nested PCR was performed to detect the 16S rRNA fragment of the genus Coxiella. Among 184 horse sera, the presence of specific antibodies to C. burnetii was detected in four samples, representing a 2.17% seropositivity. All the positive horses were mares; two originated from Central Slovakia and two from Eastern Slovakia. Although the number of positive samples was too small for a determination of statistical significance, our results provide the first confirmation of antibodies to C. burnetii in horses from Slovakia. Although no positive PCR result was obtained, these serological findings may help to clarify the circulation of the pathogen in the environment.