To date, publications have shown that compositions of oral microbiota differ depending on their habitats (e.g. tongue, tonsils, pharynx). The absence of set standards for the choice of the areas and conditions of material collection makes the oral microbiome one of the most difficult environments for a comparative analysis with other researchers, which is a meaningful limitation during an assessment of the potential effects of microorganisms as biomarkers in the courses of various human diseases. Therefore, standardisation of basic conditions of a dental examination and collection of material for the next generation sequencing (NGS) is worth attempting. The standardisation of the dental exam and collection of the clinical materials: saliva, swab from the tongue ridge, hard palate, palatine tonsils and oropharynx, supragingival plaque and subgingival plaque. Protocol involved the patients (n = 60), assigned to 3 groups: I—COVID-19 convalescents who received antibiotics, n = 17, II—COVID-19 convalescents, n = 23 and III—healthy individuals, n = 20. The collected biological samples were used to conduct NGS (16S rRNA). The conditions of patient preparation for collecting biological materials as well as the schedule of dental examination, were proposed. Based on the research conducted, we have indicated the dental indicators that best differentiate the group of COVID-19 patients (groups I and II) from healthy people (group III). These include the DMFT, D and BOP indices. The use of alpha and beta diversity analysis provided an overall insight into the diversity of microbial communities between specific niches and patient groups. The most different diversity between the studied group of patients (group II) and healthy people (group III) was noted in relation to the supragingival plaque. The order of activities during the dental exam as well as while collecting and securing clinical materials is particularly important to avoid technical errors and material contamination which may result in erroneous conclusions from the analyses of the results of sensitive tests such as the NGS. It has been shown that the dental indices: DMFT, D number, PI and BOP are the best prognostic parameters to assess the oral health. Based on beta diversity the most sensitive niche and susceptible to changes in the composition of the microbiota is the supragingival plaque. The procedures developed by our team can be applied as ready-to-use forms in studies conducted by other researchers.

Currently, there are three known subtypes of scabies: ordinary, crusted, and bullous. The worldwide prevalence of scabies remains high in the 21st century. To decrease the social, economic, and psychological impact on the enormous population infected, a lot of important work has been completed over the last 20 years concerning the management of scabies. For example, a standardization of guidelines for the treatment of scabies has been completed and programs have been designed for the prevention and treatment in endemic populations, called mass drug administrations. Unfortunately, these only apply to the ordinary form of scabies. Moreover, resistance to the drugs currently used in treatment is growing, which imposes the need to search for new treatments. For this purpose, new acaricides are being developed to enhance the therapeutic options for the patients’ benefit and effectively treat this disease. There is also the necessity for prevention before the development of scabies. An effective vaccine has the potential to protect people before this disease, especially in endemic areas. Unfortunately, there are no such vaccines against Sarcoptes yet.

Background: Conventional brackets are often used during orthodontic therapy of patients with malocclusion. The complex construction of such brackets greatly inhibits oral hygiene, which predisposes to increased carriage of microbiota. Orthodontic brackets could act as reservoir of yeast and predispose to oral candidosis. The aim of this study was to assessCandidaprevalence and the role of oral hygiene during fixed appliance therapy.A further aim was to characterize the isolated yeasts according to their ability to form biofilms.Methods: Seventeen participants (average age 17 ± 7 years) were monitored by taking oral rinses and elastomeric ligature samples, and by evaluating the approximal plaque index (API) and gingival bleeding index (GBI) before and after placement of the orthodontic conventional brackets for 12 weeks. Isolated yeasts were counted and biofilm formation was evaluated.Results: One hundred and sixteen samples (67 oral rinses and 49 orthodontic elastomers) were collected. Ten patients (58.8% subjects) wereCandida-carriers (two were colonized after bracket placement) andC. albicanswas the most common species. The average number of yeasts in the oral cavity showed some fluctuation during the study, but in general had an upward trend (adj. R2 = 0.7967,p = 0.07025). A correlation was found between median number of yeasts and the periodontal indices (API, GBI). The average API values decreased in theCandida-carriers (adj.R² = 0.95;p = 0.01709), while average GBI values increased in the noncarriers (adj.R² = 0.92;p = 0.0256).Conclusions: Treatment with orthodontic appliances promotesCandidayeast colonization, which is variable over time in terms of strain and species, with dominance ofC. albicans, and without increased biofilm-forming activity. The API value decreases over time in carriers, and the GBI value increases in uncolonized patients, which may have predictive significance for the development of oral candidiasis during orthodontic treatment.

Background/Objectives: The genus Acinetobacter demonstrates resistance to antibiotics and has been shown to spread in the hospital environment causing epidemic outbreaks among hospitalized patients. The objectives of the present study was to investigate the antibiotic resistance, biofilm formation, and clonality among Acinetobacter baumannii strains. Materials and Methods: The study involved 6 (I Outbreak) and 3 (II Outbreak) A. baumannii strains isolated from patients hospitalized in vascular surgery unit. Results: All tested A. baumannii strains were extensively drug resistant (XDR) and all the isolates were carbapenem-resistant and among them, all carried the bla_OXA-51 gene, the bla_OXA-24 gene, as well as the bla_OXA-23 gene. All of the investigated strains had the ability to form a biofilm, but all of them produced less biofilm than the reference strain. Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) showed that all strains belonged to the ST2 clone. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) divided the tested outbreak strains into two clones (A and B). Conclusion: This study shows a nosocomial spread of XDR A. baumannii ST2 having the bla_OXA-51 gene, the bla_OXA-24 gene, as well as the bla_OXA-23 gene, low biofilm formers, that was prevalent in the vascular surgery unit. To identify the current situation of vascular surgery departments targeted epidemiological investigation was needed. Effective implementation of infection control prevented the spread of the epidemic outbreaks.

Drug-resistant bacteria from the genus Enterococcus are currently among the most important pathogens behind healthcare-associated infections. The drug resistance of these bacteria has been on the increase since the 1980s, leeding to their multi-drug resistance. Selective pressure, present mainly in the hospital environment, contributed to this phenomenon. However, also outside the hospital environment selective pressure comes into play, namely the use of antibiotics as promoters of growth in animal husbandry and in food production. Household pets form a reservoir of drug-resistant enterococcal strains, too. The exchange of resistance genes between enterococcal strains from different niches poses a threat to public health. 1. Introduction. 2. Hospital environment. 3. Farm animals. 4. Food. 5. Household pets. 6. Summary