[Southern taiga combined natural foci of spirochetoses].

AIM: Study of possibility of existence of combined natural foci of spirochetoses (ixodes tick borrelioses and leptospiroses) in typical taiga forests, and their etiologic and reservoir-host structure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Small mammals of 19 species were captured in 1992-2010 at a station in low-mountain southern taiga forests of Chusov area of Perm region. Borreliae were isolated by seeding urinary bladder or aural bioptates into BSK II medium, leptospirae--by seeding a suspension of kidney tissue into Vervoort-Wolf medium. 1350 animals were studied by seeding for borrelia infection and 1077--for leptospira. 287 of those, small animals of 6 species, were simultaneously studied for borrelia and leptospira infection. Borrelia isolates were identified by using PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism methods, and leptospirae--by using standard diagnostic agglutinating sera kit. Blood of 2893 rodents of 12 species and insectivorous of 7 species was studied in microagglutination reaction for the detection of antibodies against leptospirae. RESULTS: Infection by Borrelia garinii and Borrelia afzelii or Grippotyphosa serogroup leptospira was detected in 6 most numerous species of forest small mammals. 3 root voles and I bankvole were simultaneously infected by borreliae and leptospirae. B. garinii and Grippotyphosa serogroup leptospira were simultaneously isolated from 2 root voles, and B. garinii and Javanica serogroup Leptospira interrogans--from 1 root vole. A bank vole was infected by B. afzelii and Javanica serogroup leptospira. Mixed-infected animals composed 1.4% of all animals of background species studied in parallel. CONCLUSION: The data obtained indicate a presence of natural foci of leptospiroses in the southern taiga forest pre-Urals. The data confirm the conceptions regarding a predominant presence in European forest ecosystems of foci with Grippotyphosa serogroup L. interrogans pathogen, and the main carrier ofthese leptospirae being bank vole. Combined natural foci of spirochetoses of two groups (ixodes tick borrelioses and leptospiroses) were detected.

[Detection of leptospirosis infection in certain wild and domestic animals in Mongolia].

AIM: Serological examination for leptospirosis of domestic and certain species of wild animals in Mongolia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Collection of material from domestic and wild animals was performed in 2009--2010 in 7 aimags (regions) of Eastern, Central and Southern Mongolia. Serological study of filter paper dried blood samples obtained from 51 specimens of cattle and small cattle, camels, and 545 specimens of rodents of various species was performed in microagglutination reaction (MAR) of leptospirae with 13 reference strains. RESULTS: There is a presence in certain regions of Mongolia of anthropurgic loci of leptospirosis infection including arid zones where ecological conditions do not favor the development of epizootic process. The results of the study indicate the epizootic significance of Tarassovi serogroup leptospirae in cattle and Sejroe serogroup (probably hardjo serovar) in goats, sheep and camels. Results of serological studies of desert and steppe specimens of wild fauna of Mongolia suggest a possibility of circulation of leptospirae in natural foci. CONCLUSION: Detection in a significant percent of cases in tarbagan and long tailed ground squirrel blood sera of agglutinins to Pomona (mozdok) leptospirae with negative MAR results for Pomona (pomona) strain suggests a presence of a pathogen of a previously unknown serovar. However final conclusion could be made only after the isolation of cultures of the pathogen and their identification.

[Prevalence of the gene encoding the outer membrane lipoprotein LipL32 in leptospires of different taxons].

Primers flanking the fragment sized 677 bp have been constructed on the basis of nucleotide sequences of the gene encoding the outer membrane lipoprotein LipL32. PCR-analysis was used to reveal the prevalence of gene lipL32 among 73 Leptospiraceae family strains representing different genera and genomic species. The gene lipL32 appeared to be conservative across the pathogenic species. In contrast, it was not detected in the genome of nonpathogenic free-living leptospires. Thus the developed PCR test-system with primers LEP21/LEP22 may be efficiently used to differentiate these two distinct ecological groups of leptospires.

[Anaerobic microbial associations degrading aromatic amino acids].

Anaerobic microbial associations have been isolated that degrade aromatic amino acids to methane and carbon dioxide at high rates. Significant differences between the morphological, cytological, and physiological traits of cultures isolated from samples of adapted and unadapted sludge are shown. The effects of cultivation temperature, illumination, and presence of mineral nitrogen and bicarbonate in the medium upon adaptation of enrichment cultures to substrates and subsequent behavior of the anaerobic associations have been studied. Intermediate and final products of degradation of aminoaromatic compounds and the sequence of their formation in the cultures have been determined. We have also studied the effects of exogenous electron acceptors and additional carbon sources on the degradation of aminoaromatic compounds.

[A polymerase chain reaction method for studying host persistence of pathogenic leptospira]. / Metod polimeraznoi tsepnoi reaktsii v izuchenii gostal'noi persistentsii patogennykh leptospir.

Polymerase chain reaction has for the first time been shown to be applicable to indication of Leptospira interrogans in the organs of infected animals with acute or chronic leptospirosis (on the model of golden syrian hamsters). Polymerase chain reaction is superior to microscopic and bacteriological analyses in identification of leptospirae in organ suspensions. The sensitivity of the technique is 1-10 cells per sample in studies of kidney or brain suspensions or 100-1000 cells in studies of liver suspensions.