Background Data on the epidemiology of hepatitis B and C in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) are lacking. Objectives To assess the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti-hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) in blood samples of first time blood donors in a well-defined region of B&H. Our secondary goal was to estimate the prevalence of HBsAg and anti-HCV in the general population of the same region. Patients and Methods We evaluated 8196 blood samples for the presence of HBsAg and/or anti-HCV, adjusted for differences in gender, and used the ratio estimation method to determine the prevalence in the general population. Results We analyzed 1263 (15.4%) female and 6933 (84.6%) male blood donors (male-to-female ratio: 5.49 to 1). The adjusted prevalence of HBsAg among blood donors was 0.787% (95% CI = 0.535-1.038), while the prevalence of anti-HCV was 0.267% (95% CI = 0.016-0.519). There was no difference in the prevalence of HBsAg or anti-HCV between men and women. We estimate that the prevalence of HBsAg and anti-HCV in the general population is 1.057% to 1.535% and 0.29% to 0.89%, respectively. Conclusions The prevalence of HBsAg and anti-HCV among blood donors suggests that our region has low endemicity for both hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

Background Data on the epidemiology of hepatitis B and C in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) are lacking. Objectives To assess the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti-hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) in blood samples of first time blood donors in a well-defined region of B&H. Our secondary goal was to estimate the prevalence of HBsAg and anti-HCV in the general population of the same region. Patients and Methods We evaluated 8196 blood samples for the presence of HBsAg and/or anti-HCV, adjusted for differences in gender, and used the ratio estimation method to determine the prevalence in the general population. Results We analyzed 1263 (15.4%) female and 6933 (84.6%) male blood donors (male-to-female ratio: 5.49 to 1). The adjusted prevalence of HBsAg among blood donors was 0.787% (95% CI = 0.535-1.038), while the prevalence of anti-HCV was 0.267% (95% CI = 0.016-0.519). There was no difference in the prevalence of HBsAg or anti-HCV between men and women. We estimate that the prevalence of HBsAg and anti-HCV in the general population is 1.057% to 1.535% and 0.29% to 0.89%, respectively. Conclusions The prevalence of HBsAg and anti-HCV among blood donors suggests that our region has low endemicity for both hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

Background Data on the epidemiology of hepatitis B and C in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) are lacking. Objectives To assess the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti-hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) in blood samples of first time blood donors in a well-defined region of B&H. Our secondary goal was to estimate the prevalence of HBsAg and anti-HCV in the general population of the same region. Patients and Methods We evaluated 8196 blood samples for the presence of HBsAg and/or anti-HCV, adjusted for differences in gender, and used the ratio estimation method to determine the prevalence in the general population. Results We analyzed 1263 (15.4%) female and 6933 (84.6%) male blood donors (male-to-female ratio: 5.49 to 1). The adjusted prevalence of HBsAg among blood donors was 0.787% (95% CI = 0.535-1.038), while the prevalence of anti-HCV was 0.267% (95% CI = 0.016-0.519). There was no difference in the prevalence of HBsAg or anti-HCV between men and women. We estimate that the prevalence of HBsAg and anti-HCV in the general population is 1.057% to 1.535% and 0.29% to 0.89%, respectively. Conclusions The prevalence of HBsAg and anti-HCV among blood donors suggests that our region has low endemicity for both hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

Urinary tract infections (UTI) cause a great number of morbidity and mortality. These infections are serious complications in pregnancy, patients with diabetes, polycystic kidneys disease, sickle cell anaemia, kidney transplant and in patients with functional or structural anomalies of the urinary tract. The aim of this investigation was to determine a dominant causative agents of UTI and some of the clinical and laboratory characteristics of acute community-acquired UTI in adult hospitalised patients. We studied 200 adult patients with acute community-acquired UTI hospitalised in the Clinic for Infectious Diseases Tuzla from January 2006 to December 2007. The patients were divided into two groups: a group of patients with E. coli UTI (147) and a group of patients with non-E. coli UTI (53). In these two groups, the symptoms and signs of illness, blood test and urine analysis results were analysed. Our results have shown that the patients with E. coli UTI frequently had fever higher than 38,5 degrees C (p<0,0001), chills (p=0,0349), headache (p=0,0499), cloudy urine (p<0,0001), proteinuria (p=0,0011) and positive nitrite-test (p=0,0002). The patients with non-E. coli UTI frequently had fever lower than 38,5 degrees C (p<0,0001) and urine specific gravity <1015 (p=0,0012). There was no significant difference in blood test results between patients with E. coli and non-E. coli UTI. These clinical and laboratory findings can lead us to early etiological diagnosis of these UTI before urine culture detection of causative agents, which takes several days. Early etiological diagnosis of the E. coli and non-E. coli UTI is necessary for an urgent administration of appropriate empirical antibiotic treatment. This is very important in prevention of irreversible kidney damage, prolonged treatment, complications, as well as recidives and chronicity of the illness.

Prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) is an issue that is not sufficiently researched and there is a need for studies that would explore this in detail.The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of HCV genotypes in the group of patients with chronic hepatitis C and also in the group of first time blood donors that tested positive for anti HCV antibodies during the blood screening process. Our secondary goal was to compare the proportions of HCV genotypes between these two groups.We analyzed 75 blood samples of patients with confirmed chronic hepatitis C. We also analyzed 13/16082 blood samples of first time blood donors found to be HCV positive during the blood screening process. We also determined HCV genotype in HCV RNA positive samples.We have found that genotype 1b was more prevalent in chronic hepatitis C patients (52/75; 69,3%) than in first time blood donors (6/13; 46,1%), however this difference was not statistically significant (c2=1,721; df=1; p=0,19). Genotype 1a was more prevalent in the group of first time blood donors (3/13; 23,1%) than in the group of chronic hepatitis C patients (3/75; 4%), but this was also with limited statistical significance (c2=3,71; df=1; p=0,054). We have not found any significant difference in prevalence of genotypes 1a (p=0,2) and genotypes 3 (p=0,70) when compared between chronic patients (3/75 and 16/75; respectively) and first time blood donors (3/13 and 4/13; respectively). Our study confirmed domination of genotype 1b in the region of northeastern B&H which is in accordance with HCV genotype prevalence in other countries in our part of Europe.

Background: Accurate estimations of hepatitis B virus transmission risk for any region in Bosnia and Herzegovina are not clearly established. We aimed to determine levels of risk associated with intrafamilial transmission of hepatitis B infection within families in our region. Patients and Methods: Family members of 81 chronic carriers of hepatitis B surface antigen (>6 months positive and considered as index case) were tested for hepatitis B markers. For family members, we recorded their age, sex, and family relationship to the index case, and vaccination status. Results: The proportion of HBsAg positive family members was 25/207 (12.1%), while the proportion of family members with evidence of exposure to HBV was 80/207 (38.6%). Only 17/207 (8.2%) family members had evi--dence of past HBV vaccination. Age was found to be a significant predictor of HBV exposure of family members (odds ratio 1.05, 95% CI 1.03-1.07, P< .001). In a multivariate analysis, HBsAg positivity was associated with a female index case (odds ratio 11.31, 95% CI 3.73-34.32, P< .001), HBeAg positivity in the index case (odds ratio 5.56, 95% CI 1.80-17.23, P< .005) and being a mother of the index case (odds ratio 9.82, 95% CI 2.43-39.68,P< .005). A female index case (odds ratio 4.87, 95% CI 2.21-10.72, P< .001), HBeAg positivity in the index case (odds ratio 3.22, 95% CI 1.15-9.00, P< .05) and being a mother of the index case (odds ratio 3.72, 95% CI 1.19-11.64, P< .05) were also risk factors for HBV exposure among family members. The combination of HBeAg positivity and female index case was a significant predictor for HBsAg positivity of family members (odds ratio 70.39, 95% CI 8.20-604.61, P< .001). Conclusions: Children of HBeAg positive mothers are at highest risk for becoming chronic carriers them--selves and generally, the combination of female sex and HBeAg positivity dramatically increases the chances of HBV transmission within the family.

Retrospektivno su analizirane klini~ke i epidemiolo{ke karakteristike bruceloze u 91 bolesnika koji su bili hospitalizirani u Klinici za infektivne bolesti u Tuzli od 1.1.2000. godine do 1.8.2008. godine. Definitivna dijagnoza bruceloze postavljena je na temelju pozitivnih rezultata hemokulture i/ili nekog od relevantnih serolo{kih testova (ELISA test, ROSE-BENGAL aglutinacija). Ve}ina bolesnika bila je iz 5 op}ina Tuzlanskog kantona: @ivinice, Tuzla, Lukavac, Kalesija, i Srebrenik, ukupno (81,3 %) bolesnika. Najve}i broj bolesnika (93 %) bio je iz ruralne regije. Bilo je znatno vi{e mu{karaca (82,4 %). Ve}ina bolesnika bila je u dobi od 20 – 29 godina i 50 – 59 godina po 25,3 %. Najvi{e bolesnika bilo je hospitalizirano u proljetnim mjesecima, travnju 24,1% i svibnju 23,0 %. Kontakt s inficiranim `ivotinjama registriran je kod 82,4 % bolesnika. Vode}i simptomi i znaci bolesti bili su povi{ena temperatura, bolovi u zglobovima, op}a slabost, no}no znojenje, glavobolja, hepatosplenomegalija, a najva`niji patolo{ki laboratorijski nalazi ubrzana sedimentacija eritrocita i povi{ena vrijednost C-reaktivnog proteina. Bolesnici su lije~eni kombinacijom streptomicina ili gentamicina s doksiciklinom u odraslih, ili gentamicinom i trimetoprim-sulfametoksazolom u djece, u trajanju 6 tjedana. Komplikacije su dokumentirane u 23,0 % mu{karaca i 1,1 % `ena. Orchiepididimitis je utvr|en u 6,5 %, pneumonija 4,3 %, periferni artritis 4,3%, spondilitis 3,2 %, sakroileitis 2,1 %, epiduralni absces u 2,1 % i spondilodiscitis u 1 % bolesnika. Relaps je zabilje`en u 13,1 % bolesnika. Svi bolesnici su izlije~eni. Bruceloza je rastu}i javno-zdravstveni problem u Tuzlanskom kantonu, ali i {ire u Bosni i Hercegovini.