Vol 2, No 4 (2012)

Abstract. For many years, the viral hepatitis C is considered as one of the most actual infectious pathologies of human. During the last decade the number of registered cases of chronic viral hepatitis C in Russia increased two times and reached 40.9‰. According to the current virological classification, hepatitis C virus (HCV) is differentiated into 6 genotypes and more than 200 subtypes. At the same time, increasing number of publications report about novel genetic variants of HCV. A high mutation rate is considered to be a major factor behind HCV genetic diversity. Recombination as another mechanism for creating genetic variation was not recognized as important factor for generating the HCV diversity. For a long time it was believed that the natural recombinants of hepatitis C virus were not viable. The first inter-genotype HCV recombinant RF1_2k/1b was identified in 2002 in Saint-Petersburg. The structural genes of the recombinant strain were similar to those of the HCV subtype 2k, while its nonstructural genes (except for the part of the NS2 gene) belonged to the HCV subtype 1b. Since that time, many studies were initiated to indentify natural HCV recombinants. This review presents current data regarding the genomic organization of HCV and its natural inter-genotype recombinant RF1_2k/1b as well as information about circulation of this recombinant in the world.

Absract. The following pathogenicity factors of microorganisms prevailed in case of acute inflammation of the upper respiratory tract were studied: adhesive characteristics, hemolytic, hemagglutination, neuraminidase activities. It was established that microorganisms of the Moraxella genius have strongest adhesive characteristic. The high hemolytic and hemagglutination activity is inherent in microorganisms of the Staphylococcus and Streptococcus genius. In the case of isolation from patients microbial associations the clinical symptoms and pathogenicity factors of microbes-associates were more apparent.

Abstract. The clinical course of hepatitis C virus infection partially depends on the patient’s immune system status. It was shown that balance between levels of regulatory T-cells and activated NK-cells changed depending on viral load and virus genotype. Patients with high viral load demonstrated shift of this balance toward regulatory T-cells increasing.

Abstract. The criteria of reliable validation of population protection against diphtheria on the base of two indices including quantity of antitoxic antibodies to diphtheria and avidity index have been established. For this purposes it was proposed to use the modified variant of ELISA allowed to detect both indices simultaneously. The formula of probable development of diphtheria in case of the close contact with patients or Corynebacterium diphtheriae bacteria carriers as well as determination of revaccination time have been proposed. The authors developed “The algorithm of population immunity control and assessment of non-susceptibility to diphtheria” and “The algorithm of micro biological testing of clinical samples for C. diphtheriae”.

Abstract. Presence of specific antibodies to H. pylori and to its Cag A toxin was studied in 1917 persons, including 860 children and 1057 adults, in Pasteur Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, St. Petersburg, Russia. The studied group was presented by the subjectively healthy individuals and blood donors living in St. Petersburg. The growth and stabilization of serological positive rates to H. pilory at high level, as well as increasing the proportion of CagA-positive infection among children and adults in St. Petersburg in 2007–2011 have been established. There are 3 age risk groups of H. pylori infection among children population: 4–5 years, 7–8 years and 14–15 years. The shift of the maximum H. pylori seropositivity rates from age group of 30–39 years in 2007 to age group 40–49 years in 2011 was detected.

Abstract. The analysis of epidemic process and definition of the etiology of the seasonal increase of serosal meningitis incidence in the Novgorod oblast in September-November, 2008 has been carried out. It was shown that in the specified period 73 persons had enteroviral meningitis. The proportion of children under 17 years old in the group of patients was 89.9%. The etiological agents of disease (enteroviruses ECHO 6 и ECHO 30) were detected by the virological and molecular-biological methods. It was established that two genetic variants of ECHO 6 and one variant of ECHO 30 co-circulated in the Novgorod oblast. The last virus variant was closely related to the strain isolated from enteroviral meningitis patients in Nizhniy Novgorod in 2007. The obtained data support the idea about necessity of systematic epidemiological and virological surveillance on enteroviral infection to get new information about circulation of non-poliomyelitis enteroviruses in the population and to define peculiarities of epidemic process development.

Abstract. The numerous guidelines to improve medical care of infectious patients in hospitals and in home conditions have been developed due to importance of this issue. The growing complexity of work, the needs to improve the quality of treatment and diagnostic measures in the pre-hospital stage led to the creation of special consulting service for infectious diseases patients. This article is based on the existing orders, instructions and rules for tactics of local doctors in identifying of patients with infectious disease. Following to the orders of the Ministry of Health, to requirements for the organization of infectious diseases units is obligatory as perform the State standards.