Vol 15, No 1 (2010)

The paper discusses the specific features of parasitic system functioning in pneumococcal infections and the basic epidemiological features of their morbidity. It analyzes the incidence of invasive and noninvasive pneumococcal infections in Russia. Despite the fact that pneumococcal infections are shown to present a serious medical problem, their official registration has not been made until recently. Rational lines in the improvement of epidemiological and microbiological surveillance of pneumococcal infections are proposed. The efficacy of 23- and 7-valent vaccines that are used for the specific prevention of pneumococcal infections in foreign countries is considered.

The studies were undertaken to examine the incidence of urogenital infections in the Volga Federal District (VFD) over 14 years. Official state statistical reporting forms Nos. 9 and 34 over 1995-2003 were analyzed. The structure of urogenital infections and the trends in their morbidity were studied in the VFD versus those in the Russian Federation during 14 years. The incidence of sexually transmitted infections remains high in both Russia as a whole and VFD. There is a steady rise in the incidence of viral infections in the VFD and the Russian Federation as well.

The paper analyzes the basic epidemiological indices calculated on the basis of state and sectoral tuberculosis reporting data and preventive measures implemented in the penitentiaries of the Oryol Regin to reduce tuberculosis morbidity.

The paper reviews the current views of healthy carriage formation, such as colonization of the entry of infection. It presents an update of the genetically heterogeneity of a meningococcal population and differences between the strains isolated from carriers and patients. The process of mucosal colonization and biofilm formation are described. Data on an immune response in bacterial carriage are pooled and it is concluded that carriage gives rise to a systemic immune response that protects from a generalized disease caused by the serogroup that is homologous to strain carriage. However, the occurring local (mucous) immune response is inadequately tense and fails to protect from recolonization. When mass immunization can affect the spread of carriage due to elimination of the powerful infection sources - patients with generalized forms is discussed.

A total of 1007 fecal samples from the infants admitted to the unit of enteric infections, Children's City Clinical Hospital Three, Novosibirsk, were tested for genotypes 1 and 2 noroviruses in January to December 2006. It was ascertained that 12.4% of the samples contained noroviruses, most of the detected viruses being genotype 2 noroviruses (94.4%); noroviruses along with other viral pathogens were found in 7.2% of the samples. There was an age-related association - 70% of the noroviruses were isolated from infants aged 6 to 18 months. There was a morbidity rise in December 2006 when noroviruses were identified in 39% of the samples, which allowed them to hold the lead, by outstripping the traditionally more common rotavirus infection. Twenty norovirus isolates of noroviruses were tested for nucleotide sequence in the 5'-region of the gene encoding the capsid protein. The study isolates were shown to be very close and different in nucleotide sequence by not more than 4.5%.

-511C > T and 3953C > T polymorphic loci of the IL1B gene and VNTR polymorphism in the second intron of the IL1RN gene were analyzed in 335 patients with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and 300 seronegative donors. As compared with the controls, the patients with HFRS were significantly less frequently found to have IL1RN*I/*II genotype (p = 0.03; OR = 0.69; 95% CI 0.49-0.96) and combinations of I/II-C/T-C/C and I/II-C/ T-C/T (IL1RN*VNTR - IL1B*-511C > T - IL1B*395C > T) genotypes (p = 0.03; OR = 0.58; 95%CI 0.36-0.95 and (p = 0.008; OR = 0.53; 95% CI 0.32-0.87, respectively). IL1B*C/*T genotype at the locus -511C > T of the IL1B gene (p = 0.04; OR = 1.77; 95% CI 1.02-3.09) and combinations of C/T-I/I (IL1B*-511C > T - IL1RN*VNTR) genotypes were predominant in patients with severe HFRS (p = 0.002; OR = 2.44; 95% CI 1.38-4.29). Furthermore, the carriers of IL1B*C/*T genotype at the locus -511C > T of the IL1B gene and combinations of C/T-I/I (IL1B*-511C > T - IL1RN*VNTR) genotypes were at higher risk for infectious-toxic shock (p = 0.03; OR = 2.78; 95% CI 1.10-7.38 and (p = 0.02; OR = 2.67; 95%CI 1.15-6.13, respectively). The likelihood of disseminated intravascular coagulation was higher in individuals with a combination of T/T-C/T genotypes at the polymorphic loci -511C > T, 3953C > T of the IL1B gene (p = 0.009; OR = 6.4; 95% CI 1.45-21.3). The performed study confirms the assumption that the polymorphisms of -511C > T and 3953C > T of the IL1B and VNTR polymorphism of IL1RN gene has impact on predisposition to HFRS and the pattern of its course.

The double-blind placebo-controlled study evaluated the efficacy of cytovir-3 and rimantadine used to prevent acute respiratory diseases (ARD) and pneumonias in an organized collective body. The high epidemiological efficiency of using cytovir-3 for the prevention of ARD and community-acquired pneumonias was established during Pneumo-23 and Grippol vaccination, which substantially exceeded the efficacy of rimantadine.