Background: Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) is a vector-borne natural focal disease that is not officially registered in Ukraine. The first 13 cases of HGA in adults in Ukraine were identified in 2007. The purpose of our study was to develop a predictive model of HGA based on clinical and laboratory characteristics to develop a three-level standard case definition of HGA.
Materials and Methods: Researchers examined 498 patients with suspected tick-borne infections and carried out a retrospective clinical and epidemiological analysis of 60 cases recruited from Lviv regional infectious disease hospitals. Logistic regression was used to create a model of the probability of the diagnosis of HGA depending on the presence of certain clinical and laboratory factors that, when examined, together may help to confirm a case of HGA. For logistic regression, eight clinical and laboratory factors were selected: history of tick bite, hyperthermia, signs of pharyngitis, changes in chest X-ray picture (enhancement of the pulmonary pattern and enlargement of the lung root boundaries), increased bilirubin (>21 lmol/L), increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT >36 U/L), erythema migrans, and detected Lyme disease.
Results: In the presence of all eight factors, the probability of HGA is 95.7%. When the five main signs are absentsigns of pharyngitis, changes in chest X-ray picture, increased bilirubin and ALT, and a history of tick bite the probability of HGA in the patient dramatically decreases to 6.8%, meaning that HGA might be excluded.
Conclusions: Based on the analysis of epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory signs, criteria for establishing a suspected, probable, and confirmed diagnosis of HGA have been developed to improve diagnosis

Patients with leptospirosis had lower levels of adaptation markers at the start of the disease, which likely corresponds to a "stress reaction". As the disease progressed there was a trend of the values returning to normal ranges, likely corresponding to the "reaction of orientation". These findings suggest a potential use of hematological blood indices as predictors of disease severity for leptospirosis.

Methylobacterium mesophilicum - is a gram-negative bacillus, most often isolated in medical establishments. For humans M. mesophilicum is considered to be conditionally pathogenic flora. Cases of infection with this agent in humans occur, as a rule, in immunodeficient individuals. A clinical description of a rare case of infection with Methylobacterium mesophilicum with development of acute meningitis in 26-year-old patient is presented in the article. A considerable decrease in bactericidal activity of neutrophils was detected in the patient. So far cases of meningitis due to Methylobacterium mesophilicum have not been described.

Seasonal features of leptospirosis clinical course in Lviv Oblast, Ukraine are decribed in this abstract.

This research was presented on the 2023 Annual Meeting of American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (18-22 October, 2023, USA)

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects both humans and animals worldwide. Clinical symptoms of leptospirosis in humans range widely, from mild to severe illness, with symptoms that can include severe jaundice, acute renal failure, hemorrhagic pneumonia, and meningitis. We present a detailed clinical description of a 70-year-old man with leptospirosis. This case presented without the typical prodromal period for leptospirosis, thus making diagnosis more difficult. This isolated case occurred in the Lviv region during the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine where Ukrainian citizens have been forced to hide in premises that are not properly adapted for their long-term stay, which result in conditions that can potentially lead to the emergence of many infectious diseases. This case highlights the need for heightened awareness into the symptoms of a variety of infectious diseases, including but not limited to leptospirosis.