[The image of S.P. Botkin based on his letters from Bulgaria ("S.P. Botkin's letters from Bulgaria, 1877")].
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In the course of many years the authors have studied the etiological structure of the leptospiroses in Bulgaria and have typed a significant number of leptospira strains isolated from humans and animals. The strains have been isolated by the authors themselves for the most part, while some others have been received from other laboratories in the country. The contributions of other authors in this field have been taken into consideration. In identifying these strains use has been made of the methods of the cross agglutination-lysis reaction and the cross absorption according to Schüffner and Bohlander, while in typing the strains from the Icterohaemorrhagiae and Australis serogroups there have been applied also factor sera according to the method of KMETY. The presence of the following serotypes has been established in Bulgaria: L. icterohaemorrhagiae, L. copenhageni, L. sofia, L. canicola, L. bulgarica, L. srebarna, L. lora, L. jalna, L. bratislava, L. pomona, L. mozdok, L. tsaratsovo, L. sejroe, L. balcanica, L. saxkoebing, L. mini, L. batabiae, L. tarassovi. Three of these serotypes, namely, L. sofia (874) L. bulgarica (Nikolaevo) and L. balcanica (1627 Burgas), have been isolated for the first time in Bulgaria, accepted as independent serotypes, and included as such in the International Classification Scheme of the Leptospirae. The serotypes srebarna and tsaratsovo have recently been established by MANEV as independent Bulgarian serotypes, but they have not yet been accepted internationally as such, since no control has been carried out by other reference laboratories.
Five field strains of Blattella germanica from different areas of Bulgaria were tested for resistance to DDT. The strain from Sofia-city after 24 hours of exposure was resistant to DDT in terms of mortality by resistant ratio of 3.76 at the LT50 level. Also 5 strains of B. germanica from 3 regions of Bulgaria have been tested to the carbamate insecticide--Propoxur. For the first time in Bulgaria, DDT- and Propoxur-resistant cockroach strains have been found. It is due to female and nymph resistance, while the males are highly susceptible to Propoxur.
Several tens of ritual plates are preserved in Bulgaria on which elements of glorification are found of god Mithras who gained popularity particularly in the 1st-IIIrd century in the regions of Thrace and today's North Bulgaria, then provinces of the Eastern Roman Empire. Mithras seemed to be respected by slaves, soldiers, and merchants alike, but was also an exemplar to the Roman emperors, being considered by them as Sol invictus or Deo invicto. The central scene in all plates is that of Mithras tauroctonus (Mithras, the killer of bulls). This scene is likewise of interest to veterinarians as it shows that in such early epoch the people that lived within the territory of Bulgaria of today used a method for the felling of large animals, the elements of which--fixing the head and bending it backwards, fastening the thorax with a belt or another loop, loading the animal's back--are still existing and are used in a number of modern methods of felling (that of Hess, the Caucasian way of felling, the Chinese one of Dou-Chan-Than, etc.) Besides, the people of ancient time knew that ruminants have an incomplete upper dentition. They skilfully employed this to bring animals that had to be felled into an unusual nonphysiologic posture. Not sooner than 16 centuries prior to the preformists (the spermists) they supported the concept that the testes were the source of life.
The Hungarian geographer, archaeologist, and ethnographer Kánitz Félix, great friend and admirer of the Bulgarian people has left valuable and comprehensive information about North Bulgaria and the Balkan Mountain by the end of the Ottoman oppression in his work La Bulgarie Danubienne et le Balkan (1882). The book contains also valuable references concerning the animal breeding activities within the 1860-1880 period in this part of the world. In the mountainous region in Bulgaria sheep- and goat-breeding were well developed, and this accounted to a large extent for the destruction of forests. Numerous and large flocks of sheep were raised in Dobrouja, a portion of which belonged to the famous shepherds of the town of Kotel. During the winter season a great number of flocks from Transylvania were also kept in this region. The breeding of sheep was the main source of meat supply both for North Bulgaria and the Balkan Mount region and for the markets of the Ottoman Empire. It also yielded a total of 120,000 okas of wool (78 okas = 100 kg) annually to meet the needs of the Empire manufacture as centered at that time in the town of Sliven for the production of textiles for the army. The raising of cattle was also prosperous during the same time. On the other hand, stock breeding was unfavourably influenced by heavy taxing in the form of both cash payment and remuneration in kind, by requisitioning (especially in war time) and the endless thefts and robberies done by tatars and cherkesses that had moved to this country from Caucasus. This exploitation concerned equally Bulgarian and Turkish animal breeders.
Data on the occurrence of endemic nephropathy (EN) and urinary tract and other cancers in an endemic region of Vratza district, Bulgaria, for the years 1965-1974, are presented. In endemic villages a high incidence of urinary tract tumours, affecting in particular the renal pelvis and ureter, closely correlated with the EN incidence and mortality rates. In the villages with high and moderate EN incidences urinary tract tumours are the most common neoplasms. They account for 25% of all tumour sites in males and 30% in females. In hyperendemic villages age-adjusted incidences in EN and urinary tract tumours were 506/10(5) and 104/10(5) in females, and 315/10(5) and 89/10(5) in males respectively. EN mortality in these villages accounted for over 40% of all deaths in females and about 30% in males. Both diseases displayed peculiar geographic clustering. Females and middle-aged persons were most often affected. Urinary tract neoplasms were often multiple and nearly 90% of them originated in the uro-epithelium. In endemic and non-endemic villages of the region studied, the frequency and pattern of non-urinary tract cancers were rather similar, with statistical values close to those of the rural population of Vratza District and Bulgaria as a whole.
The work presents results of investigations on Q fever seroepizootology in Bulgaria during the last five years. These data are compared with the preceding period from 1950 to 1983. The basic method for investigation is Complement fixation test. Also used are immunofluorescence, agglutination reaction, cultivation and direct Electron microscopy. In general 15,814 samples were tested. Q fever positivity was foundin 10.08% of cattle, 20.44% of sheep, 10.17% of goats, 59.25% of dogs, 26.66% of magpies, 11.11% of wood-pigeons, 7.40% of mouflons, 7.14% of foxes and 5.82% of hens. These data confirm the results of our preceding investigations for the wide dissemination of C. burnetti among domestic animals. Positive data for the significant spread of C. burnetti among the wild animals and birds also exists. The disease manifests itself clinically in abortions in sheep and cattle and mastitis in sheep. The inapparent form, however, is much more frequent. The infected dogs represent a special interest. The control measures are based on the wide use of tetracyclines. The presented data testify to the continuing importance of the problem of Q fever in Bulgaria.
In 1990 an increased number of strains of Shigella boydii serotype 2 were isolated from different regions of Bulgaria. Strains were reported as sporadic, although they showed identical phenotypic characteristics, including resistance to ampicillin, carbenicillin, streptomycin, sulfonamide, tetracycline, ticarcillin, and trimethoprim. The objective of this study was to determine the genetic relatedness of the strains and the mechanism of their antimicrobial resistance. Plasmid fingerprinting showed an identical pattern for 23 of 25 of the selected strains. All 25 strains tested transferred their resistances en bloc to an Escherichia coli recipient. Transconjugants contained a 112-kb R plasmid which carried all the resistance genes, including that conferring type I dihydrofolate reductase-mediated trimethoprim resistance (MIC greater than 2,000 micrograms/ml). Riboprobe analysis showed identical restriction length fragment polymorphisms, suggesting a highly conserved genome. All findings indicate that strains of S. boydii serotype 2 isolated in 1990 from different regions of Bulgaria were highly related genetically and can be considered representatives of a single bacterial clone. The presence of an R plasmid and selection pressure because of the usage of antimicrobial agents, particularly trimethoprim, have likely facilitated the spread of the clone throughout the country.
The National Influenza Center of Bulgaria made the epidemiological analysis of the spread of influenza virus, type A, for the period of 11 years on the basis of mass laboratory investigations. Subtype A (H1N1) was found to be the main factor of epidemics in 1978 and 1982, while the epidemics of 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988 were mainly caused by subtype A (H3N2). The data of laboratory and epidemiological studies indicated that after 20-year absence influenza virus A, subtype A (H1N1), was found again to circulate among the population of Bulgaria, and in 1978-1988 circulated simultaneously with the previous subtype A (H3N2). The simultaneous circulation of two subtypes of influenza virus was of great importance for the frequency, spread and duration of influenza epidemics.
Progress in and problems of combatting human echinococcosis in Bulgaria are reviewed. It is emphasized that due to complex measures of the disease control started in 1960 considerable progress has been made in decreasing the morbidity and mortality rate of the population and animals. Along with the obvious progress there are also drawbacks and problems in the work performed. However, it is noteworthy that in Bulgaria there are all the necessary conditions for reducing the echinococcosis morbidity rate to just sporadic cases.
Virological examinations of 72 specimens obtained during an outbreak of a poliomyelitis-like disease in Bulgaria, 1975, yielded 23 strains of enterovirus type 71 (E71) and 5 strains of enteroviruses of other types. The viruses were isolated in green monkey kidney cell cultures, in newborn cotton rats, newborn white mice and in monkeys. Most of E71 strains (16 out of 23) were isolated from the autopsy materials (brains and spinal cords) from 9 children dying of poliomyelitis, meningoencephalitis, and encephalitis. The remaining E71 strains and all the strains of other enterovirus serotypes, with the exception of ECHO7, were isolated from stool specimens of children with aseptic meningitis and their contacts. The antigenic similarity of the group of Bulgarian strains and their relationship with the prototype BrCr strain of E71 was established. The conclusion is that E71 was the causative agent of an outbreak of a poliomyelitis-like disease in Bulgaria.
The paper describes organization and achievements of the struggle against human helminthiases over a 30-year period in Bulgaria. Over this period, in Bulgaria Taenia solium was eradicated, while the incidence of taeniasis, ascariasis, trichocephaliasis, hymenolepiasis, enterobiasis and ascariasis, trichocephaliasis, hymenolepiasis, enterobiasis and echinococcosis was reduced several-fold. The authors suggest effective measures for the struggle against other helminthiases in the following 5-10 years.
A vast literary review on Q-rickettsial endocarditis is presented--spread, frequency, predilection, clinical course, laboratory findings, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis. The first case of Q-rickettsial endocarditis in Bulgaria is reported. The case was proved by the high titre of the specific antibodies while the patient was still alive and post mortem by visualizing the causative agent in the aortic valve and by its isolation through inoculation of material from the aortic valve. The infection was not influenced by high doses of penicillin, gentamycin and brulamycin but was suppressed by vibramycin in combination with lincomycin and biseptol. The lethal outcome was due to severe heart failure. It is suggested that other cases of Q-rickettsial endocarditis should be expected since Q-fever is widely spread in Bulgaria and the characteristics of the disease, its diagnosis and treatment ought to be well known.
Authors examined a total of 3849 specimens of mammals included in 36 species from different region of Bulgaria. Adiaspiromycosis was detected microscopically in 18 mammals species. Strains of Emmonsia crescens Emmons et Jellison 1960 was isolated from 6 species--Apodemus flavicollis, Apodemus sylvaticus, Clethrionomys glareolus, Microtus arvalis, Musmusculus and Rattus norvegicus.
Virological and serological studies of an epidemic disease in Bulgaria, 1975, were carried out. Epidemiologically, clinically and pathomorphologically, the disease simulated almost all known forms of poliomyelitis, acute stem encephalitis, encephalomyocarditis and aseptic meningitis. The studies completely rules out the participation of polioviruses and provided comprehensive evidence for the etiological role of a peculiar enterovirus subsequently identified as enterovirus (EV) type 71 known in the literature since 1974. Altogether, in 1975 and 1976 from 65 cases of poliomyelitis-like disease (PLD) 92 strains of EV71 were isolated, including 37 strains from the brain and medulla, 1 from the cerebrospinal fluid, 10 from mesenterial lymph nodes and tonsils and 44 from faeces. In addition, in 282 convalescent cases of the disease, diagnostic seroconversion or high titers of antibody to this virus were demonstrated. The most successful virus isolation was achieved by inoculation of green monkey kidney cell cultures and newborn white mice. Bulgarian strains of enterovirus 71 regularly caused paralysis in monkeys and morphological poliomyelitis-like lesions in their CNS, and paralysis and myositis with Zenker necrosis in newborn white mice, cotton rats, Syrian hamsters, and 3-week-old cotton rats. The diseased rodents had much more virus in their mucles than in brains.