Haemonchus contortus is a globally significant parasitic nematode in ruminants, with widespread resistance to benzimidazole due to its excessive and prolonged use. Given the extensive use of benzimidazole anthelmintics in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we hypothesized that resistance is prevalent. The aim of this study was to identify the presence of anthelmintic resistance to benzimidazole in H. contortus from naturally infected sheep, goats and cattle in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the detection of the Phe/Tyr polymorphism in the amino acid at position 200 of the β-tubulin protein. From 19 locations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a total of 83 adult H. contortus were collected from the abomasum of ruminants. Among these, 45 H. contortus specimens were isolated from sheep, 19 from goats and 19 from cattle. Results showed that 77.8% of H. contortus in sheep exhibited homozygous resistant genotypes at position 200 of the β-tubulin gene, with 15.5% being heterozygous. In goats, all tested H. contortus (100%) were homozygous resistant, and no heterozygous resistant or homozygous sensitive genotypes were found. Cattle had 94.7% homozygous resistant H. contortus, with no heterozygous resistant genotypes detected. In H. contortus from sheep and cattle, 6.7% and 5.3%, respectively, displayed homozygous sensitive genotypes. This study, for the first time, highlights the presence of a resistant population of H. contortus in sheep, goats and cattle in Bosnia and Herzegovina, using the rt-qPCR method. The resistance likely spread from sheep or goats to cattle, facilitated by shared pastures and the practice of transhumance, indicating a widespread and growing issue of anthelmintic resistance.

Gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infections remain one of the most prevalent and important issue affecting ruminants worldwide. Until date, the majority of GIN control has relied on the administra-tion of chemical anthelmintic medications on a regular basis, in recent years, the problem of anthel-mintic resistance has reached new heights where it can no longer be ignored as a major issue in the control of parasites of livestock. Anthelmintics are generally used at farmers' discretion, with no restrictions to access to commercially available drugs and without any assistance from veterinarians. Thus, inadequate use of anthelmintics is not rare, animals are often treated excessively, interfering with production, accelerating selection of resistant parasites, and posing significant problems for the ruminant industry. The unusually high frequency of multi-drug resistance (MDR) in sheep and goat nematodes threatens the sustainability of small-ruminant enterprises in several parts of the world. Although resistance in horses and cattle nematodes has not yet reached the levels reported in small ruminants, data shows that resistance issues, particularly MDR worms, are rising in these hosts. Both innovative non-chemical parasite control methods and molecular tests capable of detecting resistant worms are urgently needed. Keywords: Anthelmintics; Multidrug resistance; Gastrointestinal nematodes; Ruminants; Preva-lence

The increase of global fish consumption brings with it the problem of fish mislabeling, which leads to economic losses for consumers or may even result in consumers’ health risk. Thus, continuous development of methods used in identification of exact fish species is essential. There are numerous modern identification methods, which use DNA or specific fish proteins as biomarkers, but they all come with various benefits and drawbacks. Protein-based methods include electrophoretic methods, ELISA, HPLC and MALDI-ToF Mass Spectrometry, while the methods that use DNA as a biomarker include PCR-RFLP, SSCP, qPCR, RAPD, FINS, DNA microarray, DNA barcoding, pyrosequencing and metabarcoding. There is a continuous development of new or improved methods. Most of the methods display a much better performance when analyzing raw or lightly processed fish, such as chilled or frozen, while heat treatment often leads to changes in the biomarker molecules, making the species identification difficult. The ideal method does not yet exist, but methods such as DNA barcoding, MALDI-ToF Mass Spectrometry and metabarcoding are the ones that show most potential.

Background: According to the WHO (2019), more than 1.5 billion people worldwide are infected with soil-transmitted parasites. Previous research in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H) was mainly conducted in the area of the Sarajevo Canton. Therefore, the aim of the research was to explore contamination of soil and vegetation with developmental forms of parasites in the other cantons of FB&H. Methods: Between Apr and Oct 2018, a total of 1,618 soil and vegetation samples were taken from 386 different locations in the 9 cantons of the FB&H. Results: Positive samples were observed, 65/66 (98.48%) municipalities/cities and on 239/386 (61.92%) locations. Out of 1,618 samples taken in total (1,263 soil samples and 355 vegetation samples), 357 (22.06%) were positive, out of which 337 (26.68%) and 20 (5.63%) were soil and plant samples, respectively. In total, the following adult and developmental forms were identified: Taeniidae eggs (7.30%), Toxocara spp. eggs (62.08%), Ancylostomatidae eggs (25.00%), Trichuris spp. eggs (9.55%), Capillaria spp. eggs (3.37%), Toxascaris leonina eggs (1.40%), Nematodes larvae (19.38%), Giardia duodenalis cysts (5.06%), Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts (1.4%), oocysts and cysts of different species of Protozoa (3.93%). Conclusion: The identified developmental forms of parasites pose a permanent threat to human health. It is necessary to carry out measures to reduce the contamination of soil and vegetation in coordination with systematic solutions (legislation), paralelly with contribution of animal owners, veterinarians, physicians, ecologists, parents and all the others involved in this issue.

Introduction. Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is a very dangerous infectious, acute, usually afebrile disease characterized by muscle spasms. The causative agent of the disease is bacteria Clostridium tetani. This bacteria produces a specific neurotoxin or tetanus toxin with two components: tetanospasmin and tetanolysin. Light chains of tetanospamine cleavage synaptobrevin, which in turn prevent release of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA into the synaptic cleft. The α - motor neurons are, therefore, under no inhibitory control, as a result of which they undergo sustained excitatory discharge causing the characteristic motor spasms of tetanus. Materials and Methods. In this research, we attempted to normalize disorders caused by tetanus toxin by using haloperidol (at doses of 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 mg/kg b.w.), alone and in combination with (-)-nuciferine (at dose of 5 mg/kg b.w.) and aminooxyacetic acid (at dose of 20 mg/kg b.w.). Experiments were conducted on albino mice. Experimental tetanus was induced by application of tetanus toxin. Results and Conclusions. Application of haloperidol (alone and in combination with (-)-nuciferine and aminooxyacetic acid) was carried out 24 hours following the application of tetanus toxin. It was found that haloperidol, given alone in a dose of 4 mg/kg, prolonged the survival time of mice with experimental tetanus, about 24.35 hour compared to the control group. Thus, application of haloperidol in this dose showed to be the only effective method. Additionally, combination of haloperidol with (-)-nuciferine slightly extend survival time, while combination with aminooxyacetic acid produced the best effect on the extension of this period (about 27.74 hour compared to the control group).

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.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the presence of Aspergillus species in Bosnian sudžuk, the most preferred dry sausage in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and evaluate their aflatoxigenic potential. A total of 145 bulk and vacuum packed samples of Bosnian sudžuk were collected from retail in the Sarajevo region; 105 samples from individual artisanal producers, and 40 samples were industrially produced Bosnian sudžuk. In total, four and seven A. flavus and A. parasiticus were isolated, respectively, while one or more genes responsible for biosynthesis of aflatoxins (nor-1, ver-1, omt-1 and apa-2) were detected in eight isolates. Aflatoxigenic strains were not found in the industrially produced samples. This is the first report about the presence of aflatoxigenic Aspergillus species in Bosnian sudžuk. Key words: A. flavus; A. parasiticus; aflatoxigenicity; Bosnian sudžuk, aflatoxin genes