Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic immune-related condition caused by interactions between genetics, immune dysfunction, gut microbiota changes, and environmental factors, often presenting as persistent or recurring diarrhea. Clinically, it commonly presents with chronic diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms. The global prevalence of IBD is increasing, currently affecting approximately 0.5% of the population, with projections suggesting a rise to nearly 1% by 2030. Fecal calprotectin is a neutrophil-derived S100 calcium-binding protein that is elevated in intestinal mucosal inflammation and serves as a reliable noninvasive biomarker of inflammatory activity. Due to its high stability and close association with intestinal inflammatory activity, fecal calprotectin has been established as a dependable, non-invasive marker for identifying intestinal inflammation. In clinical practice, it is extensively used to distinguish IBD from functional gastrointestinal disorders, especially irritable bowel syndrome, among patients presenting with chronic diarrhea. However, its diagnostic utility in Mongolia remains underexplored, and this study aims to determine its sensitivity and specificity in inflammatory bowel disease and compare its diagnostic performance with other inflammatory markers. Aim: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of fecal calprotectin in inflammatory bowel disease and to compare it with other inflammatory markers. Materials and Methods: A total of 109 participants aged 18-87 years with chronic diarrhea, who attended the gastroenterology outpatient clinics of the Mongolia–Japan Hospital and Intermed Hospital between December 2024 and December 2025 and provided informed consent, were enrolled in this study. Data were collected using structured questionnaires, and laboratory investigations included complete blood count, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and measurement of fecal calprotectin levels from stool samples. Based on fecal calprotectin results, selected participants underwent colonoscopic examination as clinically indicated. Results: Among the 109 participants included in the study, 17.4% were diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with a mean age of 47.41±15.52 years. Fecal calprotectin levels were significantly higher in the IBD group compared to the control group (p<0.001). Fecal calprotectin demonstrated a weak positive correlation with C-reactive protein (CRP) and leukocyte count (p=0.042, p=0.06), while no significant correlation was observed with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). At a cutoff value of 250 µg/g, fecal calprotectin showed a sensitivity of 94.4%, specificity of 69.2%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 37.8%, and negative predictive value (NPV) of 98.4%. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis identified an optimal cutoff value of approximately 400 µg/g (AUC=0.919, Youden index=0.724), at which the sensitivity remained 94.4% and specificity increased to 78.0%. In contrast, CRP and ESR demonstrated comparatively lower diagnostic performance, with AUC values of 0.640 and 0.644, respectively. Conclusion This study demonstrates that fecal calprotectin has superior diagnostic performance compared to conventional inflammatory markers in differentiating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). An optimal cutoff value of approximately 400 µg/g yielded the highest sensitivity and specificity. Therefore, fecal calprotectin may serve as a valuable tool in clinical practice for both screening and diagnostic confirmation.

Background: Ticks are notorious vectors of various pathogenic protozoa, bacteria, and viruses that cause serious and life-threatening illnesses in humans and animals worldwide. Screening of ticks for such pathogens by using molecular tools may identify the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in particular geographic environments. Babesia are tick-transmitted protozoa that comprise some of the most ubiquitous and widespread parasites of erythrocytes in humans and a wide range of wild and economically valuable domestic animals such as cattle and horses. For transmission to occur, therefore, the Babesia parasite must complete an elaborate developmental programme in the hostile tick environment.Objectives:To investigate molecular epidemiology of babesiosis in ticks from different ecological areas isolated in MongoliaSpecific objectives are:1. Molecular identification of tick-borne pathogens by multiplex PCR2. Analysis of molecular epidemiology focused on babesiosis in ticks from different ecological areas3. Determination of transmission ticks’ species of babesiosis Materials and Methods: A total of 528 ticks, including 5 species from three genera (D. nuttalli, D. niveus, D. silvarum, I. persulcatus and H. asiaticum), were collected from domestic animals, from humans, or by flagging of the vegetation at sites from 10 different provinces in Mongolia. 360 individual ticks were examined by multiplex PCR to detect DNA of tick borne pathogens. The multiplex PCR primers were specific to E. canis VirB9, Babesia spp 16S rRNA and H. canis 16S rRNA genes. At the final concentration each reaction was 25 μl. Results: DNA extraction was successful in 360 of these ticks. Babesia spp. were detected in 145 out of the 360 investigated ticks of all five tick species. Multiplex PCR products were from D. nuttalli, D. niveus, D. silvarum, I. persulcatus and H. asiaticum collected from horses, sheep, goats, camels, and cattle were identified as Babesia spp. The prevalences of babesiosis were in Тuv 2.1% (3/145), Dornogobi province 3.4% (5/145), Selenge 3.4% (5/145), Zavkhan 4.1% (6/145), Аrkhangai 6.9% (10/145), Bulgan 8.3% (12/145), Khovd 13.8% (20/145), Bayankhongor province 17.9% (26/145), Gobi-Altai 18.6% (27/145), Khuvsgul 21.4% (31/145) respectively.Conclusion:1. The infection rates of babesiosis were 40,2% by multiplex PCR2. The prevalences of babesiosis were in forest and forest-steppe 39.3%, forest-steppe and steppe 38.6%, gobi and desert 22% respectively.3. H. аsiaticum, I. persulcatus, D. niveus, D. silvarum, D. nuttalli play an important role as a vector of babesiosis.