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Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (App) is the etiological agent of porcine pleuropneumonia. The purpose of the study was to present a serological report on App prevalence among pigs in industrial farms in Bulgaria. Seventy-two pigs from four industrial farms in four districts of Bulgaria – Eastern Bulgaria (Razgrad and Yambol districts) and Western Bulgaria (Lovech and Sofia districts) were included. Animals were divided in two age groups: weaners and fattening pigs. A commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA, INgezim APP MIX, Eurofins Ingenasa, Madrid, Spain) for the detection of antibodies against App parasuis in porcine serum was used. Microtitrе plate was coated with App antigen of the serovars 1, 2, 9 and 11. Positive results for anti-App antibodies were detected in 32 (44.4%) of all 72 tested sera. The overall seropositivity in weaners and fattening pigs was 22.2% (8/36), and 66.7% (24/36), respectively. The highest App seropositivity in pigs was found in Eastern Bulgaria - 61.1% (22/36; P

Background: Fever of unknown origin (FUO) is a perplexing medical problem. The causes for FUO are more than 200 diseases. The aim of the study was to present human clinical cases of Coxiella burnetii infection debuting as FUO. Methods: The following methods were conducted in the study: literature search, laboratory, imaging, and statistical methods. Criteria of Durack and Street were applied for FUO definition. For the etiological diagnosis indirect immunoenzyme assay (ELISA) for antibodies detection against Coxiella burnetii was used (cut-off = 0.481–0.519). Results: From 2008 until 2015, nine patients with FUO caused by C. burnetii were hospitalized at the Military Medical Academy of Sofia. Male gender was predominant (male/female – 77.8 /22.2), mean age was 48.78±14.52 years (range: 26–67), hospital stay was 9.78±2.95 days (range: 5–15), fever duration was 54.33±56.23 days (range: 21–180). Laboratory investigations estimated the elevation of erythrocyte sedimentation rate 49.11±31.74mm/h (95CI = 13.09–111.31), C-reactive protein 37.68±37.62mg/L (95 CI = 36.07–111.42) and fibrinogen 5.69±1.59g/L (95 CI=2.57–8.81). The mean values of liver enzymes were in reference range. Among imaging tests, abdominal ultrasound and X-ray demonstrated 33.3 contribution to the final diagnosis. Transthoracic echocardiography found 22.2 contribution. Serological methods presented 100 contribution. Conclusion: C. burnetii infection was accepted as a final diagnosis among 9 patients with FUO based on the integrated information from the applied methods. Active search and establishment of this pathogen among FUO should lead to avoiding potential complications and consequences in case of untreated patients infected with C. burnetii.

Granulocytic anaplasmosis is one of the leading vector-borne diseases in the world. This article presents a brief review of the scientific literature about Equine granulocytic anaplasmosis (EGA). Various points of view have been considered: general characteristics, clinical manifestation, laboratory diagnosis, therapy and prevention. Improving the knowledge of the EGA is an important step in dealing with this infection.

Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection is one of the most common vector-borne diseases. The aim of this article is to review the scientific literature on various aspects of Anaplasma phagocytophilum – general characteristics, epidemiological cycle, vectors, reservoirs and hosts, an infection in wild animals and rodents. The review of the literature has shown that over the last 30 years, knowledge of Anaplasma phagocytophilum has increased significantly.

Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) is one of the leading vector-borne diseases in the world. This article presents a brief review of the scientific literature. Various points of view have been considered: etiology, clinical manifestation, laboratory diagnosis, etiologic diagnosis, therapy and prevention. Improving the knowledge of the HGA is an important step in dealing with this infection.