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The golden jackal (Canis aureus) is a medium-sized canid species native to Europe. This species is characterized by rapid large-scale expansion. A similar trend is also observed in Serbia, where the species is now distributed in more than a half of the territory. Although jackals prefer habitats in human-dominated landscapes, these animals have not been studied well enough from an eco-epidemiological point of view, and little is known about their potential for carrying zoonotic pathogens.

Mechanisms of resistance to quinolones were investigated in two in vitro DNA gyrase mutant Coxiella burnetii strains. Accumulation of pefloxacin was found to be lower in resistant strains than in susceptible strains. Pre-incubation with carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone had no apparent effect on intracellular quinolone fluorescence, indicating that an active efflux mechanism is not responsible for the decrease of pefloxacin accumulation. No differences were detected between the strains after outer membrane protein analysis. Decreased accumulation was found in all strains at acidic pH. It is possible that, apart from the mutation-induced mechanism of resistance, a pH-related mechanism is involved in the drug accumulation process.

ABSTRACTOver a period of 6 years (1989 to 1995), serum samples from 3,300 patients suspected to be infected by Coxiella burnetiiwere assayed for the presence of antibodies against antigen phase II of the microorganism by the indirect immunofluorescence antibody technique (IFAT). One hundred fifty-two cases were recorded, and blood samples from 17 patients were cultured for the isolation of the pathogen. By a centrifugation shell vial technique, eight strains were isolated from patients suffering from acute Q fever. The microorganism was detected in the cultures by IFAT, by Gimenez staining, and by the cytopathogenic effect on Vero and human embryonic lung (HEL) cells. PCR followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was used to confirm the diagnosis and identify the Coxiella burnetiistrains within the cell cultures as well as to compare them with reference strains. In order to avoid time-consuming cultures, to achieve direct detection of Coxiella burnetiiin clinical samples (blood, buffy coat, etc.), and to increase the specificity and sensitivity of the detection, nested PCR was performed. The first step of DNA extraction was performed with the QIAamp blood kit 250. For the second step of the PCR assays, the conditions of temperature and times of recycling were properly modified, and the microorganism was detected within 4 h. Our study demonstrates that Q fever is an endemic disease in Crete and that the diagnosis of Coxiella burnetiiinfection can be rapidly achieved by the detection of the microorganism in buffy coat samples by nested PCR. Although the presenting symptoms of the disease in this study differed from those in other studies, the Cretan strains do not differ genotypically from the reference strains (Nine Mile and Q212).

ABSTRACTThe present article is a study of the in vitro susceptibility of eight Greek Coxiella burnetiiisolates, derived from patients with acute Q fever, and two reference strains of Coxiella burnetiito tigecycline. The bacteriostatic activity of tigecycline was compared with those of six other antibiotics using a shell vial assay. The MICs of the examined antibiotics were as follows: tigecycline ranged from 0.25 to 0.5 μg/ml; doxycycline, trovafloxacin, and ofloxacin ranged from 1 to 2 μg/ml; linezolid and clarithromycin ranged from 2 to 4 μg/ml; and ciprofloxacin ranged from 4 to 8 μg/ml. Tigecycline was effective in inhibiting the infection of Vero cells by C. burnetii. No bactericidal activity was observed against C. burnetiiat 4 μg/ml.

This is the first case of Anaplasma phagocytophiluminfection described in Cyprus. A 9-year-old girl was infected after a tick-bite. The infection was diagnosed by molecular-based detection of the bacterium in 2 blood samples. The polymerase chain reaction product was sequenced, revealing a novel strain of Anaplasma phagocytophilum.

We describe a 16-month-old girl who suffered from encephalopathy leading to intensive care unit hospitalization, complicated by Guillain-Barre syndrome and hydrocephalus, and who had serologic and molecular evidence of central nervous system infection by B. quintana. The possible association of B. quintanawith Guillain-Barre syndrome and hydrocephalus has not been previously described and demonstrates the growing spectrum of neurologic complications of Bartonellaspp. infections.

ABSTRACTThree different spotted-fever group rickettsiae—Rickettsia conorii, R. massiliae, and R. rhipicephali—were detected and identified by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis in Rhipicephalusticks collected from domestic animals in the Fokida region of Greece, where a high seroprevalence of antibodies to R. conoriiwas previously demonstrated. The infection rate of ticks was 1.6%. Moreover, R. conoriiwas isolated from one Rhipicephalus sanguineustick.

ABSTRACTThe in vitro susceptibility to linezolid shown by nine Greek isolates of Coxiella burnetiiderived from patients with acute Q fever was investigated. MICs of linezolid were compared with those of pefloxacin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, trovafloxacin, doxycycline, and clarithromycin using the shell vial assay. MICs of linezolid and clarithromycin ranged from 2 to 4 μg/ml; those of doxycycline, trovafloxacin, and ofloxacin ranged from 1 to 2 μg/ml; those of pefloxacin ranged from 1 to 4 μg/ml; and those of ciprofloxacin ranged from 4 to 8 μg/ml. Linezolid was effective in controlling intracellular parasites in cultures of Vero cells infected by C. burnetii. No bactericidal activity by linezolid was obtained against C.burnetiiat 8 μg/ml.

Rickettsia conorii, a spotted fever group rickettsia which is transmitted by Rhipicephalus sp. complex ticks, was considered until now the only pathogenic rickettsia prevalent in Greece. Here, we report the presence of "Rickettsia mongolotimonae" (proposed name) detected simultaneously in a patient and in a Hyalomma anatolicum excavatum tick, sampled on the patient.

ABSTRACTRickettsia conorii, a spotted fever group rickettsia which is transmitted by Rhipicephalussp. complex ticks, was considered until now the only pathogenic rickettsia prevalent in Greece. Here, we report the presence of “Rickettsia mongolotimonae” (proposed name) detected simultaneously in a patient and in a Hyalomma anatolicum excavatumtick, sampled on the patient.

ABSTRACTThe antibiotic susceptibilities of eight Greek isolates ofCoxiella burnetiito trovafloxacin were determined by the shell vial assay. MICs of trovafloxacin and ofloxacin ranged from 1 to 2 μg/ml, those of pefloxacin ranged from 1 to 4 μg/ml, those of ciprofloxacin ranged from 4 to 8 μg/ml, those of doxycycline ranged from 1 to 2 μg/ml, and those of clarithromycin ranged from 2 to 4 μg/ml. Trovafloxacin exhibited no activity against C. burnetiiat 4 μg/ml.