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Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia is common in immunocompromised patients. It has significant mortality, which is why it is important to consider an infection with P. jirovecii in these patients and use appropriate diagnostic methods. When the clinical features indicate P. jirovecii pneumonia, we perform imaging studies (chest radiograph and chest computer tomography), take blood for biochemical analysis (lactate dehydrogenase and beta-D-glucan) … Preberite več >>

Necrotizing soft tissue infections represent a surgical emergency and require immediate clinical attention. Most cases of necrotizing soft tissue infections are the result of damaged host defences, be it anatomical barriers or some underlying immune deficiency. They are characterized by the absence of clear local boundaries or palpable limits between necrotic tissue and surrounding viable tissue. Any delay in surgical … Preberite več >>

It has been a century since the Brazilian physician Carlos R. J. Chagas first described the basic morphology and life cycle of the American trypanosome, a parasite which causes Chagas disease. Chagas disease is a zoonosis caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. Trypanosoma cruzi is found mostly in blood-sucking triatomine insects and small mammals in areas ranging from the southern and southwestern … Preberite več >>

BACKGROUNDS. Antibiotics are antibacterial agents that are used for empirical, oriented and prophylactic treatment of various infectious diseases. Although the majority of antibiotics is prescribed outside hospitals, hospitals remain foci of formation of bacterial resistance. Despite numbers of research were made around the world we still do not know what should the optimal usage of antibiotics in hospitals be like.… Preberite več >>

Actinomycosis is a rare, slowly progressive infection caused by Gram-positive anaerobic bac­teria from the Actinomyces genus. The disease is characterized by the formation of abscesses surrounded by dense fibrosis that slowly spread across natural anatomic boundaries. Acti­nomycosis can affect virtually any site in the body, and is commonly confused with a neoplasm. The disease is treated with high doses of … Preberite več >>

Ticks are well-known vectors of numerous diseases caused by bacteria, viruses and protozoa. In the recent years, the incidence of these illnesses has increased worldwide. Tick-borne meningoencephalitis and Lyme borreliosis are endemic in Slovenia. The authors review the latest findings in epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical picture and treatment of tick-borne diseases, and stress their significance and the risk of acquiring these … Preberite več >>

Experiments on animals have demonstrated that during the initial 24 hours of tick attachment, the likelihood of transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, from an infected tick to the host is negligible. The risk of infection increases abruptly with attachment times 48 hours or longer. The aim of the study was to determine whether this observation … Preberite več >>

Early descriptions of various disorders, now recognized as part of Lyme borreliosis, included various psychiatric symptoms. Although they occur frequently in Lyme disease patients, they are poorly documented in the literature. After dissemination to the central nervous system, Borrelia burgdorferi may remain quiescent for months to years before producing symptoms. The most frequent psychiatric manifestations of Lyme disease include irritability, … Preberite več >>