[When will the new tuberculosis vaccine appear?].

The problem of tuberculosis prophylaxis remains actual for many countries of the world including Russia. The search of candidates for substitution of the only authorized BCG vaccine has been ongoing for some time, because it does not prevent reactivation of the causative agent in the latent stage and causes generalized BCG-infection in individuals with pronounced immune deficiency. In October 2013 in Lille at the European Congress "World Vaccine 2013" results of multi-year projects and trials of around 40 novel tuberculosis vaccine candidates were presented. The article contains a critical analysis of the materials presented at the congress. 12 vaccines have been developed or are being developed for priming. Among those a live VPM 1002 vaccine based on a genetically modified BCG Mycobacterium bovis (HLY+rBCG) strain and an attenuated vaccine based on Mycobacterium tuberculosis (att. MTB-MTBVAC) have passed phase II clinical trials. 17 candidates are being examined as booster vaccines, among those 6 vaccines have passed phase II clinical trials, and are presented by both modified M. bovis strains and partial proteins of M. tuberculosis. Characteristics of the 3 most perspective vaccines have been presented at the congress: VPM 1002, H &H56 and MVA85A. VPM 1002 is the vaccine closest to introduction. This is a live recombinant anti-tuberculosis vaccine based on the BCG strain, its DNA had genes partially deleted, that code synthesis of listeriolysin. The trials have shown that protective effectiveness of the vaccine is significantly higher than the parent BCG due to better induction of CD4+ and CD8+ cells, as well as IFN-γ, IL-18, 12 and other cytokines responsible for cell immunity function against M. tuberculosis.

[The action of a preparation of Escherichia coli M-17 growth autostimulants (Actoflor) on the growth of pure and mixed bacterial cultures]. / Deistvie preparata autostimuliatorov rosta Escherichia coli M-17 (Aktoflor) na rost chistykh i smeshannykh kul'tur bakterii.

The effect of the preparation of E. coli M-17 low-molecular exometabolites (Actoflor), containing growth autostimulators, on the growth of pure cultures of E. coli M-17 E. coli K-12, Salmonella enteritidis, Serratia marcescens and Bifidobacterium adolescentis MC-42 was studied. This preparation was shown to stimulate the growth of all above-mentioned bacteria. The addition of Actoflor also led to the acceleration of growth in the cultivation of mixed cultures of E. coli M-17 with E. coli K-12 (or S. enteritidis), the producer strain (E. coli M-17) showing the highest degree of acceleration. Moreover, the action of Actoflor led to the elimination of competitor strains and to the increase of the antagonistic activity of E. coli M-17. Actoflor may be supposedly used as a therapeutic or prophylactic remedy.

[The gene identification of bacterial species and serovariants by the polymerase chain reaction with universal oligonucleotides: the reidentification of earlier isolated strains of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis]. / Genoidentifikatsiia vidov i serovariantov bakterii metodom polimeraznoi tsepnoi reaktsii s universal'nymi oligonukleotidami: reidentifikatsiia ranee vydelennykh shtammov Yersinia pseudotuberculosis.

Genetic analysis of 19 standard strains belonging to 6 Yersinia species (Y. pestis, Y. pseudotuberculosis, Y. enterocolitica, Y. kirstensenii, Y. frederiksenii, Y. intermedia) revealed that gene typing by the method of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with the use of universal primers permitted the identification of species in bacterial cultures by PCR patterns and the determination of Y. pseudotuberculosis serovars within 4 hours. By this method 23 Y. pseudotuberculosis strains (serovar 1), earlier isolated in different regions of the USSR from humans and rodents, were studied. The study showed that out of 14 strains of human origin only two strains could actually be classified with serovar 1, while the remaining strains were reidentified as belonging to serovar 5. Among 9 strains isolated from rodents those of serovar 1 prevailed (8 strains). The authors suppose that strains of serovar 5 cause outbreaks and sporadic cases of pseudotuberculosis, occurring considerably more often than it is commonly believed in the USSR.

[Serologic diagnosis of intestinal yersiniosis. The design of a stable erythrocyte preparation for the indirect hemagglutination reaction]. / Serologicheskaia diagnostika kishechnogo iersinioza. Konstruirovanie stabil'nogo éritrotsitarnogo preparata dlia reaktsii nepriamoi gemaggliutinatsii.

Nine types of erythrocyte diagnostica of serovars O3 and O9, differing in the methods of obtaining sensitins and the physical state of erythrocytes, were put on trial. The preparations were used for the titration of hyperimmune sera and blood sera obtained from about 500 healthy persons, 300 patients with Yersinia enteric infection and 300 patients with other diseases. Freeze-dried diagnostica, when compared with liquid ones, were found to be less sensitive, but more stable and specific. Sensitins isolated by the methods of Westphal ad Boivin showed the highest degree of specificity. The authors believe freeze-dried sheep red blood with activated Boivin's antigen adsorbed onto them to be the optimal preparation for use in the passive hemagglutination (PHA) test. The preparation was found to retain its serological activity for as long as 2-3 years. The titer 1:160 (1:200) in the PHA test is recommended as the minimal diagnostic indicator. Erythrocyte diagnosticum is more sensitive, specific and stable than bacterial one. Since 1984 dried Yersinia erythrocyte diagnostica (serovars O3 and O9) have gone into quantity production at the Leningrad Research Institute for Vaccines and Sera.

[The choice of rational methods for determining antibodies to Yersinia enterocolitica. The agglutination reaction]. / Vybor ratsional'nykh metodov opredeleniia antitel k Yersinia enterocolitica. Reaktsiia aggliutinatsii.

Six tests suitable for the detection of antibodies to Y. enterocolitica, serovars 03 and 09, were studied. The results of the study of hyperimmune sera revealed that the agglutination test and the indirect hemagglutination test were the most promising methods and deserved efforts for their further development. Bacterial diagnostic agents were prepared from live, heat-killed and formalin-killed Yersinia cultures and tested. The titration of homologous and heterologous sera revealed no essential differences in the preparations; in the serological examination of healthy persons (102), patients with Yersinia enteral infection (150) and with other acute enteral infections (92), the results obtained with the use of the above-mentioned preparations carried the highest information content. OH diagnostic agents proved to have the highest specificity; of these, the diagnosticum obtained by treatment 0.3-0.4% formalin vas found to be the most stable and technologically effective preparation. The minimal diagnostic titer of the agglutination test for the presence of Yersinia enteral infection was established (1:60 = 1:320). This titer was determined in 73% of the patients with bacteriologically confirmed Yersinia enteral infection and only in 1% of healthy persons and patients with other acute enteral infections.

[Protective action of remantadine in experimental influenzal-staphylococcal infection]. / Zashchitnoe deistvie remantadina pri éksperimental'noi grippozno-stafilokokkovoi infektsii.

The effect of remantadine on the course of influenzal-staphylococcal infection was studied in white mice. When the drug was injected to the mice infected with remantadine-sensitive strain of influenza A virus and Staphylococcus the lethality decreased from 93.3% to 26.7%, the survival time increased from 3.8 to 10.1 days, the incidence of pneumonia decreased from 85.7% to 48.7%, the average intensity of pneumonia decreased from 66.4% to 9.9%, and virus titres in the lungs decreased by 3.5-4.0 lg EID50 (p less than 0.05). In the groups of mice infected with remantadine-resistant strain of influenza virus and Staphylococcus remantadine showed no significant effect on these parameters: the lethality decreased by 6.7% only, the average survival time increased only by 0.33 days, the incidence of pneumonia decreased by 9%, its intensity by 19.2%; influenza virus titres in the lung tissue did not change significantly.

[Use of solid-phase immunoenzyme analysis for the serodiagnosis of pseudotuberculosis]. / Primenenie tverdofaznogo immunofermentnogo analiza dlia serodiagnostiki psevdotuberkuleza.

The diagnostic test system based on the solid-phase enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for the detection of antibodies to Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in the sera of patients with the use of Soviet-made preparations and reagents has been developed. The test has been performed in microchambers for immunological reactions, thus making it possible to decrease the consumption of reagents 10-20 times in comparison with the traditional technique with the use of plates. The results of the titration of 42 sera in EIA and in the passive hemagglutination test (PHAT) are indicative of the presence of positive correlation (r = 0.78; p less than 0.05) between antibody titers in EIA and PHAT. A fourfold or greater increase in antibody titers has been determined by means of EIA in 80% of cases and with the use of PHAT in 55% of cases. The minimum diagnostic titer yielded by EIA has been determined: 1:256.

[Clinical picture, diagnosis and treatment of anaerobic abscess of the lung and pleurisy]. / Klinika, diagnostika i lechenie anaérobnykh abstsessov legkikh i plevrita.

Bacteriological examinations of 65 patients with abscesses of lungs and pleuritis have shown that non-sporulating anaerobic bacteria were isolated in 85% of purulent foci (without a concomitant aerobic microflora). Express-methods of diagnosis taking only 30-40 minutes give opportunities for early etiotropic therapy. Best results of treatment of anaerobic abscesses of lungs and pleuritis were obtained by a combination of sufficient drainage with the purposeful antianaerobic therapy.

[Action of sodium chloride on Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Yersinia enterocolitica]. / Deistvie khlorida natriia na Yersinia pseudotuberculosis i Yersinia enterocolitica.

The bacteriostatic and bactericidal action of sodium chloride on 60 Y. pseudotuberculosis strains, 75 Y. enterocolitica strains and 158 urine-fermenting strains has been studied. A new specific feature of Y. pseudotuberculosis has been revealed: high sensitivity to sodium chloride. The suitability of the sodium chloride test has been shown for the identification of Yersinia and the differentiation of Y. pseudotuberculosis and Y. enterocolitica.