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An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including Indigenous aesthetics and intercultural cosmopolitanisms, contemporary desert practices and art, and innovation in curatorial practice.

Abstract: Objectives: The burden of acute gastrointestinal infections (AGIs) on the society has not been well studied in Central European countries, which prevents the implementation of effective, targeted public health interventions. Methods: We investigated patients of 11 randomly selected general practices and 8 hospital units. Each patient meeting the international AGI case definition criteria was interviewed on costs incurred related to the use of health care resources. Follow-up interview with consenting patients was conducted 2 to 4 weeks after the general practitioner (GP) visit or discharge from hospital, collecting information on self-medication costs and indirect costs. Costs were recalculated to US dollars by using the purchasing power parity exchange rate for Poland. Results: Weighting the inpatient costs by age-specific probability of hospital referral by GPs, the societal cost of a medically attended AGI case was estimated to be US $168. The main cost drivers of direct medical costs were cost of hospital bed days (US $28), cost of outpatient pharmacotherapy (US $20), and cost of GP consultation (US $10). Patients covered only the cost of outpatient pharmacotherapy. Considering the AGI population GP consultation rate, the age-adjusted societal cost of medically attended AGI episodes was estimated at US $2222 million, of which 53% was attributable to indirect costs. Conclusions: Even though AGIs generate a low cost for individuals, they place a high burden on the society, attributed mostly to indirect costs. Higher resources could be allocated to the prevention and control of AGIs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is the most important tick-transmitted arbovirus causing human disease in Europe, but information on its endemic occurrence varies between countries because of differences in surveillance systems. Objective data are necessary to ascertain the disease risk for vaccination recommendations and other public health interventions. In two independent, separately planned projects, we used real-time RT-PCR to detect TBE virus in questing ticks. In Poland, 32 sampling sites were selected in 10 administrative districts located in regions where sporadic TBE cases were reported. In Germany, 18 sampling sites were selected in two districts located in a region with high TBE incidence. Altogether, >16 000 ticks were tested by real-time RT-PCR, with no sample testing positive for TBEV. A systematic search for published studies on TBEV prevalence in ticks in Poland and Germany also suggested that testing large numbers of collected ticks could not consistently assure virus detection in known endemic foci. Although assignment of results to administrative regions is essential for TBE risk mapping, this was possible in only 10 (investigating 22 417 ticks) of 15 published studies (>50 000 ticks) identified. We conclude that the collection and screening of ticks by real-time RT-PCR cannot be recommended for assessment of human TBE risk. Alternative methods of environmental TBEV monitoring should be considered, such as serological monitoring of rodents or other wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the non-urban car culture in Australia, the roles of cars in Aboriginal kinship, and the impacts of automobility on the daily life of Australian individual.

Abstract: In Poland, large-scale serologic surveys carried out in 1965–1972 revealed regions of Poland with particularly high prevalences of antibodies against tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). The information provided by the routine surveillance of communicable diseases during 1970–2005 indicated, however, that the geographic distribution of the disease is limited to a few eastern and south-western regions of Poland (defined as endemic for the purpose of this study). In the present serologic survey, 1498 human serum samples collected in 1996–2005 were randomly selected from a serum bank, and 358 goat serum samples were collected from milk-producing farms in selected areas of Poland 2002–2006. Thirty-nine human samples were positive for anti-TBEV antibodies, with an overall seroprevalence of 2.6%. Seroprevalence in endemic provinces ranged from 0.8% to 4.3%, and seroprevalence in non-endemic provinces ranged from 1.9% to 4.3%. In endemic, compared to the non-endemic provinces, the highest seroprevalence was found in the age group >60 years (7% vs. 1%) and in inhabitants of villages (3.9% vs. 1.8%). In non-endemic, compared to endemic provinces, the highest seroprevalence was detected in the age groups 30–39 years (5% vs. 2%) and 40–49 (4% vs. 0%), and in inhabitants of large towns inhabited by >100,000 people (4.1% vs. 2.5%). Out of 358 goat samples, 17 (4.7%) were positive for anti-TBEV antibodies. Seroprevalence in goats reached 14/151 (9.3%) in endemic, and 3/207 (1.4%) in non-endemic provinces. The present study indicates the possible existence of endemic foci in north-western provinces of Poland, in which barely any cases were reported during 1970–2005. The socio-demographic profile of seropositive subjects in non-endemic regions suggests that they might have been exposed to TBEV during travels to known endemic regions. This would mean, however, that they were missed by the surveillance system. A thorough review of diagnostic protocols in non-endemic regions and work towards an improvement of the TBE surveillance sensitivity is necessary. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We investigated the genotypes of Francisella tularensis (F. tularensis) strains isolated in Poland during the period 1953–2013 and studied their genetic relationship to F. tularensis strains isolated in other countries using MLVA. We examined the mosquito and tick samples collected in Poland for the presence of F. tularensis DNA using PCR. Our results revealed a high genetic diversity among the strains of F. tularensis collected from Poland, suggesting that the bacterium is commonly found in the environment. However, we did not detect F. tularensis DNA in ticks and mosquitoes, showing that the arthropod bites might not be the main source of infection. We also propose the application of a practical assay called v4-genotyping that can be directly performed on the clinical and environmental samples. In addition, we discovered genetic variations among Schu S4 reference strains used in various laboratories and showed that MLVA analysis should not be based on amplicon sizes only because point mutations occurring within the MLVA loci might not always be manifested by a change in the amplicon size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]