I n t r o d u c t i o n: Infective endocarditis (IE) is a potentially life-threatening condition. According to current ESC (European Society of Cardiology) guidelines, the use of antibiotic prophylaxis should only be reserved for specific dental procedures with interruption of consistency of the oral mucosa such as extractions and should be reserved for patients with the highest risk of developing IE. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of need for IE prophylaxis in defi ned clinical settings among Polish dentists.
Ma t e r i a l a n d Me t h o d s: A specially self-designed internet questionnaire was created concerning the topic of infective endocarditis prophylaxis in specifi c clinical scenarios for patients undergoing dental extractions during outpatient visits. Th e survey was made available to the dentists via internet and was active in March 2018.
R e s u l t s: There were 352 Polish dentists who completed the survey. Antibiotic prophylaxis for IE during dental extractions was used in 93% of cases with prior IE, 89% with artifi cial heart valve, 69% with biological valve, 28% with pacemaker, 54% with coronary stent, 73% with cyanotic heart defect, 58% with diabetes mellitus, 20% after prior myocardial infarction and 54% with heart valve disease. There was a significant relationship between the time of working as a physician (>15 years) and more outdated or improper IE prophylaxis (p = 0.04).
C on c l u s i o n s: The management of patients for infective endocarditis prophylaxis undergoing dental extractions is suboptimal. Antibiotic therapy is overused in some clinical scenarios and on the other hand underutilized in those recommended by the current ESC guidelines.
A total of 704 fishes representing 39 species were examined. Twenty five digenean species were recognized. Only one species previously found by the present author in a fiord of this area was absent in the material. Pelagic species were usually not parasitized by digeneans, while demersal fishes were normally found to be infected. Results of the present study are compared to those from fiords. Seven species were found to be widely distributed. Two of them, Macvicaria pennelli and Genolinea bowersi, were associated with an inshore fiord environment and could be used as biological tags indicating the association of hosts with this kind of environment. Three of widely distributed species, Lepidapedon garrardi, Elytrophalloides oatesi and Lecilhaster macrocotyle, were not clearly associated with any environment.
Gonocerca phycidis, Neolebouria antarctica and other less widely distributed species, with the exception of Postmonorchis variabilis, were associated with deep part of fiords and/or open sea shelf environment. The level of infection of open sea fish at the South Shetlands was low. Many fish species living at South Georgia were massively infected; the dominant species in this area is E. oatesi, which was rare off the South Shetland Islands. A total of 45 digenean species occurring in the Antarctic fish were listed. Eleven of them were not endemic.
Thirty four specimens of bony fishes (5 species) and four specimens of skates (2 species) were examined. Skates were infected with adult representatives of Phyllobothrium sp. (Tetraphyllidea) and Macrobothridium sp. (Diphyllidea). Bony fishes were infected with three morphological forms of tetraphyllidean cercoids (with mono- and bilocular bothridia, and bothridia undivided with hook-like projections), diphyllobothrid plerocercoids and one pseudophyllidean species, Bothriocephalus antarcticus sp.n. This species, as well as two species found in skates, seems to be endemic for the Kerguelen subregion.
In total, 18 species and larval forms of endoparasitic worms were found in 19 newly examined notothenioid fishes of three species, Trematomus hansom, Notothenia coriiceps and Chionodraco hamatus, caught off Adelie Land. One digenean species, Neolepidapedon trema-tomi, was recorded in this area for the first time. A total list of endoparasitic worms prepared by Zdzitowiecki etal. (1998) increased from 20 to 21 species and larval forms and concerns 11 determined and one determined species of Digenea (the most diverse group), three larval forms of Cestoda, three species (one identified only to genus) of Acanthocephala, two species (one in the larval stage) and one larval form of Nematoda. All these species and forms, with the exception of the indetcrmined digenean, occur also in the deep Antarctica, in the Ross Sea and/or in the Weddell Sea. The prevalence and relative density of infection with each parasite in three host species is given based on summarized previous and new data.
The infections of four fish species, Trematomus newnesi, T. bernacchii, Lindbergichthys nudifrons and Harpagifer antarcticus with parasitic worms, in the coastal zone off the Vernadsky Station (Argentine Islands, West Antarctica) are described. Data on infections are compared with previous results from Admiralty Bay at the South Shetland Islands. Indices of infection are for each host-parasite relationship. In total, 16 taxa of parasites were recorded: 6 digeneans, 3 larval cestodes, 4 (adult and cystacanth) acanthocephalans, and 3 (adult and larval) nematodes. Fifteen of them have been previously recorded in Notothenia coriiceps from this area. Hence, the number of parasitic taxa recorded in this region increased from 21 to 22. Either the digenean Macvicaria georgiana or acanthocephalan Corynosoma pseudohamanni were dominants in different hosts. Trematomus bernacchii was the most strongly infected, especially with M. georgiana (prevalence 100%, mean abundance 113.7). The infection parameters of the majority of parasites were lower at the Vernadsky Station than in the Admiralty Bay, especially for host-parasite relations with larval cestodes and nematodes. The presently reported study have confirmed that the southern range of distribution of two acanthocephalans, Aspersentis megarhynchus and Corynosoma hamanni extends south to the area near the Argentine Islands.
The objectives of this study were to determine the genetic relatedness, antibiogram and virulence factors of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) isolated from bovine mastitis, associated farm workers, dairy cow farm veterinarians (private veterinarians), veterinary students, and non-veterinary university students. A total of 84 S. aureus isolates (27 from mastitis, 11 from farm workers, 9 from private veterinarians, 22 from veterinary students, and 16 from non-veterinary university students) were used to determine antimicrobial sensitivity patterns using disk diffusion test, virulence factors using PCR technique and phylogenic analysis using pulsed field gel electrophoresis. All S. aureus isolates were resistant to 2 or more commonly used antibiotics. All isolates from mastitis, farm workers, and veterinary students carried the genes encoding coagulase and thermonuclease factors while isolates from non-veterinary university students carried the genes encoding coagulase, clumping, and thermonuclease factors. The mecA gene was detected in 22.2%, 81.8%, 100%, 95.5% and 100% of isolates from mastitis, farm workers, private veterinarians, veterinary students, and non-veterinary university students, respectively. In the phylogenic analysis, 10 (45.5%), 6 (66.7%) and 8 (72.7%) isolates from veterinary students, private veterinarians and farm workers, respectively were more than 80% similar to isolates from mastitis. Results of this study indicate that S. aureus isolates from mastitis milk and those from related dairy cow personnel and veterinarians share similar antimicrobial sensitivity patterns and virulence factors, therefore a common source of bacteria may exist. Furthermore, possible transmission of S. aureus between cows and cow-related personnel and vice versa could also exist.