{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]],"date-time":"2025-10-12T02:35:54Z","timestamp":1760236554941,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":54,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,29]],"date-time":"2021-11-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1638144000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100005357","name":"Slovak Research and Development Agency","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["APVV-16-0158"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["APVV-16-0158"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100005357","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pathogens"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infected people, the immunodeficiency caused by a reduced level of CD4\u2009(cluster of differentiation 4) T-lymphocytes increases the risk of infectious diseases. Additionally, in individuals with immunologically compromising conditions, tick-borne or some parasitic pathogens may cause chronic, debilitating opportunistic infections and even death. The study aimed at determining the IgG seropositivity of HIV-infected patients to Toxoplasma gondii, Toxocara spp., Echinococcus multilocularis, and E. granulosus s.l. and performing the molecular identification of T. gondii and some tick-borne pathogens, namely, Borrelia spp., Babesia spp., Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Rickettsia spp., and Bartonella spp. Out of 89 HIV-positive patients, specific IgG antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 17 (19.1%) and to Borrelia spp. in 12 (13.5%) individuals. Seropositivity to Toxocara spp., E. multilocularis, and E. granulosus s.l. was not recorded. Molecular approaches showed positivity to T. gondii in two (2.2%) patients, and 11 (12.4%) individuals had positive PCR signal for the msp2 gene of A. phagocytophilum. Relatively high prevalence of A. phagocytophilum in HIV-positive patients suggests that these people are more susceptible to some vector-borne pathogens. The presence of opportunistic infections may pose a health risk for patients with weakened immune systems, and should not be neglected during the regular monitoring of the patient\u2019s health status.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens10121557","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,30]],"date-time":"2021-11-30T23:22:56Z","timestamp":1638314576000},"page":"1557","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Parasitic and Vector-Borne Infections in HIV-Positive Patients in Slovakia\u2014Evidence of an Unexpectedly High Occurrence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"given":"Katar\u00edna","family":"\u0160imekov\u00e1","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic of Infectology and Travel Medicine, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital in Martin, Comenius University Bratislava, Koll\u00e1rova 2, 036 01 Martin, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"\u013dubom\u00edr","family":"Soj\u00e1k","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectology and Geographical Medicine, Center for Treatment of HIV\/AIDS Patients, Academic L. Derer\u2019s University Hospital, Limbov\u00e1 5, 833 05 Bratislava, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6538-3044","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bronislava","family":"V\u00edchov\u00e1","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Human Parasitology, Institute of Parasitology of Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01 Ko\u0161ice, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lenka","family":"Balogov\u00e1","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic of Infectology and Travel Medicine, University Hospital of L. Pasteur, Rastislavova 43, 040 01 Ko\u0161ice, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"J\u00falia","family":"Jaro\u0161ov\u00e1","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Human Parasitology, Institute of Parasitology of Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01 Ko\u0161ice, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9358-2163","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniela","family":"Antolov\u00e1","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Human Parasitology, Institute of Parasitology of Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01 Ko\u0161ice, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2007). 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