Institute of Epidemiology
Information about institute
Educational activity
Institute of Epidemiology provides education for:
- study branches General Medicine and Dentistry - Basic epidemiology of infectious diseases and Epidemiology of chronic non-communicable diseases, including the characteristics of selected diseases of epidemiological importance (emerging diseases, nosocomial infections, etc.) with actual epidemiologic situation in Slovakia, Europe and worldwide with preventive and repressive measures
Institute of Epidemiology provided in the past also education for:
- Nursing - Bachelor´s and Master´s study
- Physiotherapy - Bachelor´s study
- Laboratory investigation methods in health care - Bachelor´s study
- Midwifery - Bachelor´s and Master´s study
- Public Health - Bachelor´s and Master´s study
Science and research activity
Science and research activity of the Institute is targeted on primary and secondary prevention preferably on communicable diseases.
Institute of Epidemiology is intent on relevant questions of some bacterial zoonotic infections more than half of a century realizing diagnostics and epidemiologic long term surveillance. It is the only institution realizing research work on problems of leptospiroses and tularaemia, thirty years dealing with diagnostics and epidemiologic aspects of legionellosis and more than twenty five years on selected questions of Lyme borreliosis in the Slovak Republic.
The staff of the Institute of Epidemiology accomplishes long-term investigations of natural foci of leptospirosis and tularaemia in the whole Slovakia – it makes inquiry of new foci and surveys the old ones. It identifies animal reservoirs of these two infections and relevant arthropod-vectors (tularaemia) of their etiological agents. Research is focused on isolation and identification of agents on sub-generic level by classic bacteriological methods and PCR or in cooperation with other scientific institutions by other molecular-biologic methods, too. The Institute maintains the collections of Francisella tularensis and Leptospira spp. strains (more than 200 reference strains representing different leptospira serovars recognized by the Taxonomic Subcommittee on Leptospira). In cooperation with Institutes of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (which assure the trap of small terrestrial rodents and their identification) there has been gained valuable knowledge on the ecology of relevant pathogenic agents, their host-animals, arthropod-vectors and their dynamics with actual view on changing epidemiological characteristics of these both infections.
The Institute provides direct and indirect diagnostic methods (including PCR) for detection of legionella infection in the community as well as nosocomial cases with long-term national surveillance of legionellosis in Slovakia. One member of the Institute is the national contact point for surveillance of Legionnaires’ disease in Europe through ECDC net (ELDSNet) with duty of cases notification from Slovakia and supply of information about risk assessment of legionella infections in hospitals and civil buildings. This is performed by investigation of water samples and proposal of measures against legionella colonisation of water systems, often in cooperation with public health service. Important was in this item the collaboration on preparing the regulation for legionella contamination in health-care facilities in Slovakia. The same environmental sampling and risk assessment is done in the case of notification of travel associated legionnaire´s disease (TALD) with exposure in our country (EWGLINet) through the same responsible person (national contact).
Of special concern is examination of oncological patients (also children) or individuals with immunosuppression for risk of hospital acquired legionella infection. Significant in this sense is monitoring of water colonisation of health care facilities also as preventive aspect.
Among non-communicable diseases are of special interests epidemiology of orofacial clefts, risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes type II., incidence and prevalence studies of myasthenia gravis in Slovakia and risk factors contributing to osteoporosis in out-patients in cooperation with other institutes and clinics.
Obtained scientific results are published in professional journals and presented on conferences and symposia.
Therapeutic – preventive activity
Since many years, in the Institute of Epidemiology there is realized the diagnostics of human leptospiroses and tests for diagnostics of Legionnaires´ disease for the whole territory of Slovakia, of tularaemia and in the past of Lyme borreliosis (especially cases with neuroborreliosis). Since 1970, in cooperation with the State Veterinary Institute in Bratislava, the complex surveillance of leptospiroses and tularaemia for the whole Slovakia have been yearly worked up, published and distributed to the institutions of human and veterinary medicine interested in the above and Public and Veterinary Health Services.
Institute of Epidemiology is responsible for diagnosis of legionella infections and notification of cases to European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control in Stockholm and for monitoring of occurrence of travel associated legionellosis through international ELDSNet system.
Additional information
One scientist is the chairman of the Certification Committee for Poliomyelitis Eradication and one person is the member of the European working group for legionella infections (EWGLI) and national contact point for notification of cases to ECDC and cooperation in TALD occurrence with exposure in Slovakia.
History
Employees
Tel: 00421-2-90119 489
Head of the Institute:
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Assoc. prof. Alexandra Bražinová, MD, PhD,MPH. | epidemiologia.sekretariatfmed.uniba.sk alexandra.brazinova@fmed.uniba.sk tel.: 02/90119493 |
Deputy Head:
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Mgr. Miriam Fulová, MD, PhD.
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Secretary of the Inst.:
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Martina Kotrbancová, Mgr. PhD. | martina.kotrbancova@fmed.uniba.sk tel.: 02/90119488 |
Typist:
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Helena Beluská | epidemiologia.sekretariatfmed.uniba.sk tel.: 02/90119489 |
Readers:
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| Assoc. prof. Alexandra Bražinová, MD, PhD, MPH. | epidemiologia.sekretariatfmed.uniba.sk alexandra.brazinova@fmed.uniba.sk tel.: 02/90119493 |
Lecturers:
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Branislav Vohnout, MD, PhD. – ptj.
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Vanda Výrosteková, MD, PhD. | vanda.vyrostekovafmed.uniba.sk tel.: 02/90119485 |
Mgr. Miriam Fulová, MD, PhD. | tel.: 02/90119487 |
Mgr. Martina Kotrbancová, PhD. | martina.kotrbancovafmed.uniba.sk tel.: 02/90119488 |
RNDr. Jana Perželová, PhD.
Mgr. Kristína Doležalová | tel.: 02/90119488 kristina.dolezalovafmed.uniba.sk tel.: 02/90119491 |
Staff:
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Pavol Cáder
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Jana Makýšová
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Božena Pavlovičová
| bozena.pavlovicovafmed.uniba.sk tel.: 02/90119496 |
Mgr. Miroslava Vaneková | miroslava.vanekova@fmed.uniba.sk tel.: 02/90119492 |
Marta Dojčanová
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Grants and projects
Grants and projects in the last five years
Name of project:
No. of project: Principal investigator: Study time: |
Epidemiology and diagnostics of selected infectious diseases - tularemia, leptospiroses and legioneloses by classic and molekular biologic methods.
VEGA 1/0426/11 doc. RNDr. Darina Guryčová, PhD.
2011 - 2014 |
Name of project:
No. of project: Principal investigator: Study time: | Mass spectrometry MALDI-TOF as a new method for identification of Legionella spp.
UK/106/2015 Mgr. Martina Kotrbancová
2015 |
Name of project:
No. of project: Principal investigator: Study time: | Validation of PCR for detection of DNA of pathogenic leptospires in vitro and in biological material.
UK/49/2015 RNDr. Jana Perželová
2015 |
Name of project:
No. of project: Principal investigator: Study time: | Risk of legioneloses for oncologically diseased children Project supported by League against cancer in Slovak Rep.
Assoc. prof. Margita Špaleková, MD, PhD. 2016 |
Cooperation on other projects:
Name of project:
No. of project: Principal investigator: Study time: |
MPH (Master of Public Health) curriculum development at Comenius University in Bratislava in English language anglickom jazyku. ITMS code: 26140230009 Prof. Ľudmila Ševčíková, MD, CSc. 2013 - 2015 |
Name of project:
No. of project: Principal investigator: Study time: | Efect of lyophilizate Cornus mas L. on cardiometabolic and inflammatory parameters in experimental metabolic syndrome VEGA 2/0137/16 LF Branislav Vohnout, MD, PhD. 2016 - 2018 |