The hepatitis B virus (HBV), belonging to the Hepadnaviridae family, is responsible for a global health concern still in the 21st century. The virus is divided into 10 genotypes, which differ in geographical distribution and in their effect on disease progression and transmission, susceptibility to mutations, and response to treatment. There are many methods for diagnostics of HBV and differentiating its genotypes. Various commercial kits based on real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) and hybridization available, as well as whole genome sequencing or the sequencing of only individual parts of the genomes. We compared a commercial kit AmpliSens HBV-genotype-FRT, based on RT PCR, with an adapted method of amplification of the surface genomic region combined with Sanger sequencing. In the examined samples we identified the A, B, C, D, and E genotypes. By PCR with Sanger sequencing, the genotypes were determined in all 103 samples, while by using the commercial kit we successfully genotyped only 95 samples, including combined genotypes, which we could not detect by sequencing.

Introduction and objective: Intestinal parasitoses are important causes of morbidity and mortality, especially in immunocompromised individuals. In patients with chronic renal insufficiency (CRI), the accumulation of non-excreted metabolites leads to uraemia, which induces a state of...

Background: It is assumed that the prevalence of hepatitis D in HBsAg-positive individuals reaches 4.5–13% in the world and on average about 3% in Europe. Data from several European countries, including Slovakia, are missing or are from an older period. Methods: We analyzed all available data on hepatitis D from Slovakia, including reports from the Slovak Public Health Authority and the results of one prospective study, and three smaller surveys. The determination of anti-HDV IgG and IgM antibodies and/or HDV RNA was used to detect hepatitis D. Results: In the years 2005–2022, no confirmed case of acute or chronic HDV infection was reported in Slovakia. The presented survey includes a total of 343 patients, of which 126 were asymptomatic HBsAg carriers, 33 acute hepatitis B, and 184 chronic hepatitis B cases. In a recent prospective study of 206 HBsAg-positive patients who were completely serologically and virologically examined for hepatitis B and D, only 1 anti-HDV IgG-positive and no anti-HDV IgM or HDV RNA-positive cases were detected. In other smaller surveys, two anti-HDV IgG-positive patients were found without the possibility of HDV RNA confirmation. In total, only 3 of 329 HBsAg-positive patients (0.91%) tested positive for anti-HDV IgG antibodies, and none of 220 tested positive for HDV RNA. Conclusion: The available data show that Slovakia is one of the countries with a very low prevalence of HDV infection, reaching less than 1% in HBsAg-positive patients. Routine testing for hepatitis D is lacking in Slovakia, and therefore it is necessary to implement testing of all HBsAg-positive individuals according to international recommendations.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) represents a threat for people with immune-mediated diseases. It seems that patients with psoriasis appear to have a similar SARS-CoV-2 infection rate as the general population. Our study aimed to identify factors associated with contracting COVID-19 and determining the severity of COVID-19 among psoriatic patients in a real practice setting. We conducted a cross-sectional study with 379 respondents. About one-quarter (n = 78; 25.8%) of the respondents who provided information on their COVID-19 (n = 302) status had contracted COVID-19. Most variables tested for their effect on getting COVID-19 proved to be statistically insignificant, except education, age and gender. Our study proved the protective effect of vaccination, especially the third dose, against the COVID-19 outcome. From all the potential variables, we found that non-Roma ethnicity increased the chance of being vaccinated at least once by 2.6-fold. Patients with a longer psoriasis duration had a higher chance of being vaccinated. We consider biological treatment of psoriasis safe during COVID-19. Vaccination of patients was a statistically significant protector against COVID-19. It is important to point out that only three doses of vaccine decreased with statistical significance the chance of getting the illness. Our findings should be confirmed on larger samples in further studies.