ABSTRACT
AIM: Analysis of epidemic manifestations of natural-foci infections (NFI), clarification of spectrum of their causative agents, determination of epizootic activity of natural foci in the Crimea Federal District (KFD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Epizootologic examination of 10 administrative districts of KDF was carried out. 291 pools (2705 specimens) of ixodes ticks and 283 samples of organs of small mammals were studied by PCRmethod for the presence of DNA/RNA of causative agents of a number of NFI. RESULTS: Morbidity by NFI in KFD was registered by 6 nosologies: Lyme borreliosis, Marseilles fever, leptospirosis; tularemia, intestine yersiniosis and tick-borne viral encephalitis, wherein, transmissive infections made up 91.6%. Circulation of causative agents of Crimea hemorrhagic fever, Q fever, group of tick-borne spotted fever, Lyme borreliosis, human granulocytic anaplasmosis, human monocytic ehrlichiosis, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, West Nile fever, tularemia and leptospirosis was established. CONCLUSION: Due to activity of natural foci of NFI further monitoring of epidemiologic and epizootologic manifestations of these infections in the Crimea, including using genetic methods of analysis, is necessary for ensuring sanitary-epidemiologic welfare of KFD population.
Subject(s)
Focal Infection/epidemiology , Lyme Disease/epidemiology , Tick-Borne Diseases/epidemiology , Viruses/isolation & purification , West Nile Fever/epidemiology , Animals , DNA, Viral/genetics , DNA, Viral/isolation & purification , Disease Reservoirs , Focal Infection/genetics , Focal Infection/virology , Humans , Ixodes/pathogenicity , Ixodes/virology , Lyme Disease/genetics , Lyme Disease/virology , Mammals/virology , Russia , Tick-Borne Diseases/genetics , Tick-Borne Diseases/virology , Viruses/genetics , Viruses/pathogenicity , West Nile Fever/geneticsABSTRACT
Genetic evidence of the Tula virus (TULV) in Crimea region of Russia is presented. Based on the reverse transcription PCR and subsequent sequence analysis, a total of 4 RNA isolates of the TULV were identified from the tissue samples of the Altai voles Microtus obscurus captured in the Bakhchisaray district of the Republic Crimea. Phylogenetic analysis of the S-, M-, and L-segment sequences of the Crimean TULV strains showed that they formed distinct genetic lineage, Russia IV, in the TULV variant. New sequences were most closely related to the lineage Russia I sequences obtained from common vole (M. arvalis) captured in the Tula region in Central Russia
Subject(s)
Orthohantavirus/genetics , Animals , Arvicolinae/virology , Orthohantavirus/isolation & purification , Phylogeny , Phylogeography , RussiaABSTRACT
Cases of tularemia were registered in the Crimea both before and after planned immunization. In 1981-1993 in 4.000 localities 35,100 mammals, 27,400 ectoparasites, 8,800 feces left by birds of prey and foxes and 900 environmental specimens were studied. 137 Francisella tularensis strains were isolated. Field mapping of the spread of F.tularensis and places of habitation of small mammals was carried out. The active polyhostal natural focus of tularemia was found to exist on the Kerch Peninsula, less affected by anthropogenic factors, where tularemia morbidity among humans, and tularemia epizootic coincided with the maximum rises in the number of myomorphs. The core of the focus constituted 2.4% of its area and were characterized by the stable complex of Ixodes ticks and the preservation of F. tularensis in the environment. In other regions of the flat part of the Crimea with considerable anthropogenic transformations of the landscape rises in tularemia epizootics and tularemia morbidity in humans were rare. In the mountainous part of the Crimea tularemia epizootics were registered only by the detection of specific antibodies and antigens.
