The main aim of our study was to verify the effectiveness of simple disinfection using wet wipes for reduction of microbial contamination of mobile phones and computer keyboards. Bacteriological swabs were taken before and after disinfection with disinfectant wipes with active ingredients chlorhexidine digluconate and triclosan. The incidence and type of microorganisms isolated before and after disinfection was evaluated; the difference was expressed as percentage of contamination reduction. Our results confirmed the high degree of surface contamination with bacteria, some of which are opportunistic pathogens for humans. Before the process of disinfection, on both surfaces, mobile phones, and computer keyboards, the common skin commensal bacteria like coagulase-negative staphylococci were diagnosed most frequently. On the keyboards, species of the genus Bacillus and representatives of the family Enterobacteriaceae were abundant. The potentially pathogenic species were represented by Staphylococcus aureus. Cultivation of swabs performed 5 min after disinfection and subsequent calculation of the reduction of contamination have shown that simple wiping with antibacterial wet wipe led to a significant reduction of microbial contamination of surfaces, with effect ranging from 36.8 to 100%.

Background Distribution and biology of Pholeoixodes ticks is not very well understood. The goal of the study was to collect new data on the Pholeoixodes tick occurrence in Slovakia. Methods Tick infestation of red foxes in the regions of Košice, Prešov, Bratislava and Žilina was studied during the period 2017-2018. Ticks were collected from the fur of animals using tweezers and identified using appropriate keys. In total, 146 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were investigated. Results In total, 39 (26.7%) of animals were found to be infected with ticks from five species. Pholeoixodes ticks were found on 13 (3.4%) of the foxes: Ixodes hexagonus (Leach, 1815) on 5 specimens (3.4%), in the Košice, Prešov and Žilina regions; I. crenulatus (Koch, 1844) on 8 specimens (5.5%) in the Prešov and Bratislava regions; Ixodes ricinus (Linnaeus, 1758) collected from 25 (17.2%) foxes in every locality; Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) from 5 foxes (3.4%) in the Košice, Prešov and Žilina regions; Haemaphysalis concinna (Koch, 1844), from 4 foxes (2.8%) from the Košice region. Conclusions Ixodes hexagonus has been previously recorded in Slovakia. However, this is the first finding of I. crenulatus in the country. The morphological features of the I. crenulatus specimens found in Slovakia were identical to those of ticks described in Poland and descriptions given in identification keys.

The study evaluates the role of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) in the process of striated muscle cell transformation after occupation by Trichinella spiralis. Its relationship with other apoptosis-related factors [apoptotic protease-activating factor 1, Bcl-2 associated protein X (BAX), Bcl-2, caspase 3, survivin, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1), and endothelial and inducible (iNOS) nitric oxide synthase] was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. In the context of low BAX and caspase 3 expression and strong distribution of AIF in the sarcoplasm and nucleus at the very early stage of infection, we suppose that AIF-mediated signaling is involved in the apoptosis activation in the area of Trichinella occupation. In the time course of nurse cell formation, survivin and caspase 3 migrated into the enlarged nuclei with strong PARP-1 expression. In the end of encapsulation of Trichinella, expression of all proapoptotic factors ceased and only survivin in the nuclei and Bcl-2 positivity in the cytoplasm persisted in the formed nurse cell. The expression of sarcoplasmic iNOS was absent during the process of muscle cell de-differentiation and reappeared within the nurse cell. It seems that upregulation and downregulation of factors of apoptosis in the skeletal muscle cell represents an adaptive mechanism providing a comfortable niche for the parasite.