Ten new determinations of the stable sulphur isotope content of anhydrite from Badenian rock salt in the Hrynivka 525 borehole (Ukrainian Carpathian Foredeep) show that δ34S values in anhydrite range from +20.2 to +22.7‰ and the average value of δ34S is +21.4 ± 0.3‰. Those values are similar to those of the Neogene marine sulphates. Comparison to other geochemical data (chemical composition of the brine contained in fluid inclusions and the bromine content in halite) suggests that the Badenian Carpathian Foredeep evaporite basin was supplied predominately by seawater solutes where, at different stages of salt accumulation, the influence of continental waters with lighter isotopic compositions of dissolved sulphate was important. The isotopic composition of sulphur (δ 34S) of Badenian seawater, calculated on the basis of sixty analyses of anhydrite related to halite of the Carpathian Region, is approximately +20.3‰, this value being similar to the sulphur isotopic composition of present-day seawater. The δ 34S value for Badenian seawater may have been slightly higher if we consider potential changes of the brine composition of salt-bearing basins caused by inflow of continental waters enriched in light 32S isotopes.
The extensive distribution of Echinococcus multilocularis cestode from endemic alpine areas to the parts of Central Europe has been recorded in recent years. The first confirmed finding of E. multilocularis in Slovakia was recorded in 1999 in the area adjacent to the Polish border. At present, this serious zoonosis occurs almost across the whole territory of Slovakia. The occurrence of these tapeworms in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) at the border regions of Slovakia and Poland has been monitored. In these districts, out of 152 faecal samples examined, 36.2% were positive for the coproantigen-ELISA. With the sedimentation and counting technique the prevalence of E. multilocularis in red foxes was up to 38.8%. The examination of foxes from neighbouring districts revealed worm burden ranging from 1–15,000 specimens, but the majority of animals harboured medium number of tapeworms. In the Small Carpathian and Sub-Carpathian regions of Poland, out of 65 samples examined, 13.8% were coproantigen positive. Using the small intestine scraping method only 6.1% prevalence of E. multilocularis in red foxes was determined, mostly with a high worm burdens over 1,000 specimens. The results suggest possible transborder transmission of E. multilocularis, the causative agent of serious alveolar echinococcosis.
Snails of Bythinella austriaca agg. from streams in karstic and mountain regions of the Czech Republic (Moravia), Slovak Republic and Poland were examined for larval trematodes. A total of 549 (14.4%) snails were infected and harboured 12 species of cercariae belonging to the families Troglotrematidae, Nanophyetidae, Allocreadiidae, Lecithodendriidae, Microphallidae, and the superfamily Opisthorchioidea. No metacercariae were found in the snails, which indicates that other aquatic invertebrates are used as second intermediate hosts in these areas. It is assumed that Bythinella austriaca agg. plays an important role as the first intermediate host in the life-cycles of trematodes in the Carpathian region of Central Europe.