Taxus baccata L., yew, is dioecious, small to medium-sized evergreen tree, native to Europe, Africa and Asia, but it is cultivated worldwide because of its ornamental features. It is long known that all parts of yew (except for aril) are toxic, due to the alkaloid taxine. Nevertheless, some parts of yew tree can be used to treat cancer and as antimicrobial agents. Unlike its antibacterial properties, antifungal activity of T. baccata is poorly investigated. In this research, antifungal activity of yew methanolic and aqueous extracts was tested against Candida albicans ATCC 10231, Aspergillus brasiliensis ATCC 16404, and Ascosphaera apis MUCL 30769, through the agar well diffusion method. Leaves, bark and reproductive structures extracts were prepared separately for male and female plants. Unlike the aqueous, methanolic extracts caused variable degree of fungal growth inhibition. The strongest inhibition was observed in the activity of the aril extract against A. brasiliensis and C. albicans, with the activity of the male bark extract against A. apis following close. Considering the emerging multidrug resistance in C. albicans, an interesting finding is the inhibition of this species by all tested methanolic extracts, which is significantly stronger in comparison to the inhibition by standard antimycotic solution. According to the available data, male reproductive structures of this species were not tested earlier for their antifungal activity, and our study showed high level of antifungal activity of methanolic microstrobili extract.           

Bites of laboratory animals are treated as the bites of any other animals since the possibility of existence of pathogenic microorganisms, unfavorable for human health, in the rooms where these animals reside, is not excluded. A rare case of a laboratory rat bite, used for scientific research and previously infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa , is presented here. The patient's wound was located on the forefinger of his hand and was 1 cm long and up to 0.2 cm deep. The antitetanus prophylaxis was administered in an ambulance, including antibiotic therapy with amoxicillin-clavulanate per os. There exists a need for checks and special guidelines for the handling and retention of laboratory animals. The patient has successfully remedied the wound, thanks to consistent antibiotic therapy and antitetanus prophylaxis, and possible inflammatory complications were prevented .

in broiler’s small intestine. Investigation were carried out on isolated smooth muscle of the circular and longitudinal layer of the broilers small intestine (strip dimension 3-4 mm x 2 cm). The muscle strips were placed in an isolated organ bath. The mechanical activity of the preparations were recorded via an isotonic force transducer coupled to a pen recorder. This was done following the addition of serotonin (nonselective 5-HT agonist), 2-Me-5HT (5-HT3B agonist) and Y-25130-hydrochloride (selective 5-HT3B antagonist). The research established a presence of serotonergic 5HT3B type receptors within the smooth musculature of the small intestines of broilers (COBB 500). The 5HT3B type receptors were present in smooth muscles of duodenum, jejunum and ileum, especially in longitudinal smooth muscles since this layer reacted even to low serotonin concentration (10-6). Statistical tests of obtained results showed significant differences (p< 0.001) in responses related to muscle layers, applied concentrations and intestinal parts which were observed. In the light of these findings, we suggest that investigated substances may have considerable physiological and therapeutic implications in disturbed function of small intestine of broiler’s.

U radu su navedena najnovija saznanja o uzrocniku bolesti plavog jezika, patogenezi te klinickoj slici koja se javlja kod ovaca, goveda i koza. Također je ukazano na elemente koji pomažu u postavljanju sumnje, te pravilan odabir reprezentativnog uzorka koji se dostavlja u laboratoriju. Važnost preventivnih mjera, kao sto je smanjenje populacije vektora, ima poseban znacaj u smanjenju broja oboljelih životinja, odnosno sirenja virusa plavog jezika u populaciji domacih životinja.

At the end of August 2002, clinical symptoms of bluetongue in the sheep flocks in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina were recorded. In an extensive testing campaign, a total of 8967 blood serra of sheep were tested for the presence of anti-bluetongue virus antibodies using competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA) and the standard agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test. The c-ELISA and the AGID test detected  BTV-seropositive reactions in 187 (1.94%) and 141 (1.53%) samples, respectively. Virus neutralizing test (VN) performed at the G. Caporale Institute in Teramo, Italy, detected serotype 9 bluetongue virus, which was at the time present throughout the Mediterranean basin. Key words: bluetongue virus (BTV), cELISA, AGID

Honey, pollen and propolis have been used since the ancient times in the treatment of infected wounds. These substances express antimicrobial activity even against microorganisms resistant to conventional antibiotics and antiseptics. The goal of the research is to answer the question of whether these substances could help in healing of the udder wounds under the real field conditions. Substances subject to research were mixed in a remedy, which was applied directly into the udder wounds once daily. The wounds were treated with “Apimelem” during May and June, 2012. “Apimelem” applied into the udder wounds gave good results in elimination of infection, prevention of reinfection and faster tissue healing. Prepared “Apimelem” proved efficient, nontoxic and financially affordable, this is especially important for poor or natural disaster- affected areas. Key words: infected wound, “Apimelem”, antimicrobic activity, udder, cow

Propolis is a resinous substance made by the bees that collect resin from the buds of plants and exudates of trees, enriching it with the salivary enzymes, pollen and wax. Beside of biological activities, propolis also has an antifungal activity. Candida albicans is a commensal yeast that may cause candidiasis in humans and animals, too. Ascosphaera apis is a heterothalic fungus and represents an agent of chalkbrood larval disease (cystic mycosis) of honeybees, Apis mellifera. Propolis from Bosnia and Herzegovina has shown an inhibitory effect on C. albicans and A. apis. 30% concentration of ethanol extracts of propolis has shown the strongest average inhibition zone with the disc diffusion method, with inhibition diameter of 7.56 mm for C. albicans and 14.5 mm for A. apis, as well as 8 mm for the reference strain of C. albicans ATCC 10231 and 12,2 mm for the reference strain of A. apis MUCL 30764. Key word: propolis, antifungal activity, Candida albicans, Ascosphaera apis

At the end of August 2002, clinical symptoms of bluetongue (BT) (fever between 39 degrees C and 41 degrees C, muco-purulent or bloody nasal discharge, oedema of the lips and the intramandibular space, foot lesions including laminitis and coronitis in some cases, diarrhoea and dysentery) were recorded in Pramenka sheep flocks in north-east Bosnia in August 2002. A total of 9 599 serum samples (ovine: 8 967; bovine: 632) from 40 communities of Bosnia and Herzegovina were tested for the presence of anti-bluetongue virus (BTV) antibodies using competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA) and the standard agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test. The c-ELISA revealed BTV-seropositive reactions in 187 (1.94%) samples and the AGID test detected 141 (1.53%) cases. Complete agreement was recorded between the c-ELISA and AGID test results for bovine sera. These results indicate that the ability of c-ELISA to detect anti-bluetongue virus antibodies in ovine sera was superior to that of the AGID. All positive sera were collected from animals in the river areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina.