Genetic characterization of Plasmodium vivax in the Kyrgyz Republic.

At the end of 2016, Kyrgyz Republic was certified by the World Health Organization as a malaria-free country, while only a decade ago this disease posed a serious health threat. The progress achieved by Kyrgyz Republic provides a unique example of tertian (Plasmodium vivax) malaria elimination. This success was based on an integrated approach, including measures for the treatment of infected people and disease prevention, vector control and the development of an effective national epidemiological surveillance system. Lower P. vivax msp-1, msp-3α, csp and dbpII genes polymorphism was revealed in Kyrgyz Republic in compare with that in Tajikistan. Molecular characterization of the causative agent found that P. vivax populations in Kyrgyz Republic was comprised by several lineages, highly divergent in the south-western and genetically homogeneous in the northern regions of Kyrgyz Republic, d. Such profile in the northern regions was compatible with several recent introductions rather than a long-term endemic circulation of the parasite. A low level of genetic variability suggested that the parasitic systems of tertian malaria, were not adapted, which, along with other factors, largely determined the possibility of malaria elimination in northern Kyrgyz Republic. Other determinants included environmental, social, and epidemiological factors that limited the spread of malaria. South-western Kyrgyz Republic, a region with a high level of interstate migration, requires considerable attention to prevent the spread of malaria.

SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL STUDIES OF MALARIA IN THE CIS COUNTRIES AND GEORGIA.

The paper presents the scientific studies of malaria pathogens and vectors, which have been specially conducted in the endemic areas of the CIS countries and Georgia for use in an epidemiological surveillance system. The main ones investigate the structure of malaria foci and the level of G-6-PD deficiency among residents, determine the malariogenic potential. of the territory and the risk of infection in the population, and specify the taxonomy, systematics, and spread of major malaria vectors in .the countries ofWHO European Region. In addition, the time and magnitude of manifestations of long-term post-incubation tertian malaria were established; th6 susceptibility of P.vivax to antimalarials and the levels of resistance and irritability of malaria vectors to insecticides were studied. The experience in using a geographic information system for the epidemiological surveillance of malaria is given.

[Genotypic Diversity of Wolbachia pipientis in Native and Invasive Harmonia axyridis Pall., 1773 (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) Populations].

The distribution and variability of reproductive symbiotic Wolbachia pipientis bacteria were studied in seven native and six invasive H. axyridis populations. Wolbachia-infected individuals were found in two invasive and two native populations. We demonstrated for the first time an infection of invasive H. axyridis populations with Wolbachia. Two new molecular forms of Wolbachia were detected by a system of multilocus typing. The supergroup A Wolbachia was found for the first time in H. axyridis. The detected genotypic diversity of Wolbachia indicates repeated and independent infection events in the evolutionary past of H. axyridis.

[Identification of potentially invasive species of black flies [Diptera: Simuliidae] from Armenia based on an analysis of variability in the mtDNA barcode of the cox1 gene and chromosomal polymorphism].

Black flies (Diptera, Simuliidae) are well known for their medical, environmental, and veterinary importance. The simuliid fauna of Armenia includes 53 species. A number of dominant species are of ecological importance. Complex analysis, which involved morphometric, cytogenetic, and molecular genetic approaches, was conducted to characterize the species status of black flies inhabiting the territory of Armenia. It was shown that the predominant simuliid species, Simulium paraequinum and Simulium kiritshenkoi, belong to a group of species with minimal variability of the cox1 gene. The recently discovered species, Simulium noellery and Simulium [B.] erythrocephalum, which are new to Armenia, can be considered as potentially invasive, which is supported by the low level of variability of the cox1 gene.

[Drosophila melanogaster Cell Culture as an Experimental Model to Study Recombination in Wolbachia pipientis].

Wolbachiapipientis is an obligate intracellular endosymbiont that commonly infects arthropods. Comparative genomic studies of Wolbachia reveal traces of numerous events of intergenic and intragenic recombination. The molecular mechanisms of recombination in Wolbachia are not currently known. We conducted experimental verification of the possibility of recombination of two strains of Wolbachia: wMel and wRi, after using these strains for double infection of the Dm2008Wb1 (D. melanogaster) cell culture clone permissive to Wolbachia. We obtained cell culture subclones with double Wolbachia infection and subclones infected only by strain wMel. Dual infection with the Wolbachia strains wMel and wRi has been stably maintained in the subclones for two years. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of the obtained subclones revealed the presence of dual infection for all five Wolbachia genes used for MLST Cloning and nucleotide sequence analysis of individual forms of the fbpA gene of Wolbachia from cell clones with dual infection showed intragenic recombination events between strains wMel and wRi, which occurred in the permanent D. melanogaster culture cell culture. The fact that putative recombination sites contain no insertions of nucleotide sequences of phages or IS elements, as well as the asymmetrical character of recombinants, favors the hypothesis that gene conversion is the most probable molecular mechanism of recombination in Wolbachia.

[Mitochondrial genome variation in domesticated sable (Martes zibellina)].

The first comparison of mitochondrial variations in sables from captive and natural populations of the Urals, Central Siberia, Yakutia, Kamchatka, and Japan has been performed. The object of comparative analysis was a 427-bp 5' fragment of the mitochondrial control region, including the D-loop. Two main haplogroups of the sable mitochondrial genome have been found, which provides new data for reconstruction of the spread of the sable over its current range. Asymmetry of the haplotype abundances in the captive populations of sables has been detected. The mitochondrial haplotypes characteristic of sable breeds have been identified. The possible role of the frequent mitochondrial haplotypes of the captive population in the sable adaptation to the conditions of captivity is discussed.

Intragenomic heterogeneity of rDNA internal transcribed spacer 2 in Anopheles messeae (Diptera: Culicidae).

Because Anopheles messeae Falleroni (Diptera: Culicidae) is one of the main vectors of malaria in Russia, studying its genetic markers is important for reliable identification of this species. This species is distributed nearly throughout the Palearctic region, and it exhibits high genetic variability. We investigated polymorphism of the rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 2 of An. messeae in various regions of Russia, and we found intragenomic heterogeneity of ITS2 copies verified by chromatograms, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, and cloning PCR products. In total, we found nine different ITS2 variants. ITS2 variants that were considered specific to An. messeae and Anopheles daciae Linton, Nicolescu & Harbach were simultaneously present in one individual. These findings improve methods of species identification of An. messeae, and they do not support the species status of An. daciae.