[Molecular-biological characteristic of Yersinia enterocolitica circulating in various regions of Russian Federation].

AIM: Complex characteristic by phenotype signs and main virulence genes of Yersinia enterocolitica strains circulating in various regions of Russian Federation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 46 strains of Y. enterocolitica of 2 - 4 biotypes and 401 strains of Y. enterocolitica IA biotype isolated in 15 administrative territories of Russian Federation (Siberian, Far Eastern, Northwestern, Urals Federal Districts) from infected people, rodents, agricultural animals, birds, the environment were studied. Phagotyping was performed in the reference laboratory of the Pasteur Institute (Paris). All the Y. enterocolitica cultures were studied for the presence of ail, ystB and ystA genes by PCR method. Presence of virulence plasmid pYVwas determined by gel electrophoresis by T. Kieser method. RESULTS: 447 strains of Y. enterocolitica biotype 1A and 2 - 4 were studied. Most of the strains belonged to serotypes O:3; O:9; O: 5; O: 6,30; O:6,31; O:7,8. Phagotyping was performed for part of the strains. Phagotypes Xz and Xo were determined in biotype 1A strains. 2 - 4 biotype strains circulating in Siberia and the Far East were characterized by phagotype VIII, X3 that are present in other countries, and phagotype Xz that is spread only in Russia. Phagotypes IXa, IXb, II that are characteristic for strains from Canada, South Africa, Japan were not detected in Russian Federation. All the strains of 2 - 4 biotypes had ail and ystA genes. Most of the recently isolated strains had pYV. The only pathogenicity factor detected in 81.3% of biotype 1A strains including 14 strains from patients was ystB gene. These infections were accompanied by an expressed clinical symptomatology of enteritis and enterocolitis. CONCLUSION: Isolation of 1A biotype strains from patients necessitates execution of diagnostic studies of intestinal yersiniosis in patients with diagnosis "acute intestinal infection of undetermined etiology".

[The laboratory diagnostic of pancreatitis of Yersinia etiology].

The effectiveness of diagnostic techniques detecting pancreatitis of Yersinia etiology is discussed. The agglutination reaction and immune-enzyme assay have been applied to detect the outer membrane proteins antibodies of various classes coded by plasmid of Yersinia virulence pYV. The polymerase chain reaction technique was applied to detect sites of chromosomal genes coding the factors of Yersinia virulence--superantigen toxin YPM Y. pseudotuberculosis and protein of adhesion/invasion of Ail Y. enterocolitica. The application of the complex of specific techniques of laboratory examination of patients with acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis with exacerbations permitted to confirm the Yersinia etiology of disease in 23.7% of cases. Then serologic techniques are the most informative in laboratory diagnostics.

[To the differential diagnosis of arthritis of pseudotuberculous and chlamydial etiology].

AIM: to define main differential diagnostic criteria for arthritides of chlamydial and pseudotuberculous etiology and to improve patient examination tactics. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Forty-six patients with pseudotuberculosis and 41 patients with chronic urogenital chlamydial infection with articular involvement were examined. A bacteriological method of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), agglutination test, enzyme immunoassay (EIA) (IgA, IgG, IgM), indirect hemagglutination (IHA) test were used to diagnose pseudotuberculosis. Diagnostic techniques for chlamydiasis involved cultural, direct immunofluorescence (DIF), real-time PCR, and EIA (IgM, IgG, IgA). RESULTS: Patients with pseudotuberculosis developed polyarthritis and oligoarthritis in 56 and 39%, respectively. The development of arthritides was accompanied by fever in 89%, exanthema in 57%, gastrointestinal lesion in 56%, hepatomegalia in 78%. The pseudotuberculous etiology of the disease was confirmed by the agglutination test in 71% of the patients and by IHA in 7%. EIA revealed IgG in 78% of the patients, IgA in 11%, and IgM in 29%. PCR of synovial fluid (SF), synovial shell, and other biological substrates revealed Yersinia pseudotuberculosis DNA in 43%. Chlamydiasis and polyarthritis developed in 71 and 19%, respectively. The diagnosis of chlamydiasis was verified by EIA detection of IgG and IgA in 76 and 27% of cases, respectively. DIF, PCR, and culture studies of urethral scrapes found Chlamydia in 9, 32, and 29% of cases, respectively. Examination of SF and synovial shells revealed Chlamydia trachomatis in 24% of the patients and culture studies detected the pathogen in 21%. CONCLUSION: Asymmetrical polyarthritides mainly involving the knee joints are the most common arthritides of pseudotuberculous etiology. EIA detection of serum IgG and IgA and PCR study of SF are optimal diagnostic tools. Artritides of chlamydial etiology are asymmetrical oligoarthritides predominantly involving the knee and ankle joints. Examination of urethral and cervical canal scrapes, SF by culture and PCR studies and that of serum IgA and IgG by EIA are optimal diagnostic tests.

[The immunological indices in pathology due to yersiniosis]. / Immunologicheskie pokazateli pri patologii, obuslovlennoi iersiniozami.

Immunological characteristics in the time course of infectious processes in pseudotuberculosis and yersiniosis were studied. In diseases caused by Y. pseudotuberculosis highly virulent strains, serovar I, the suppression of T-cell-mediated immunity and a decrease in the characteristics of nonspecific resistance, especially at the peak of the process, as well as the tardy production of specific antibodies, were observed. For the relapsing course of infection, less pronounced decrease of immunological characteristics, whose values remained low also at the period of expected convalescence, was established. The study of the immune status in yersiniosis showed differences in immunological characteristics, depending on the serovar of the infective agent. In comparison with yersiniosis caused by Y. enterocolitica, serovar O9, yersiniosis caused by Y. enterocolitica, serovar O3, was found to produce more profound disturbances in the immune system and to have the potential possibility for the development of autoimmune complications.

[The pathogenic properties of the causative agent and the immunological indices in an experimental Yersinia infection]. / Patogennye svoistva vozbuditelia i immunologicheskie pokazateli pri éksperimental'noi iersinioznoi infektsii.

In experiments on guinea pigs infected enterally with Y. enterocolitica isogenic strains of serovar O3 (pYV+ and pYV-) with known properties some characteristics of their cell-mediated and humoral immunity and nonspecific resistance were studied. The development of the localized infectious process and the corresponding immune shifts were noted only in infection with plasmid-containing Yersinia; in these cases a rise in the amount of T- and B-lymphocytes in the immunocompetent organs (the thymus, the spleen, lymph nodes), an increase in the functional activity of T-lymphocytes, a decrease in the ingestive activity of neutrophils and in the levels of nonenzymatic cation proteins and leukocytes, as well as the active production of specific agglutinins, were registered.

[The protective activity of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis antigens]. / Protektivnaia aktivnost' antigenov Yersinia pseudotuberculosis.

Samples of Y.pseudotuberculosis (serovar I) antigens, represent a high-molecular lipopolysaccharide (LPS) fraction with a mol. wt. of 22.5 kD and fractions of outer membrane proteins isolated by the method of M. Osborn and R. Munson (1974), were tested in comparison with the activity with live cells of Y. pseudotuberculosis I attenuated mutant KV 9/2, having lost its Cad plasmid of virulence with a mol. wt. of 47 MD and carrying 2 attenuating markers: resistance to crystal violet and nalidixic acid. In experiments on guinea pigs pathomorphological studies demonstrated high protective activity of Y.pseudotuberculosis I attenuated mutant KV 9/2 and a pronounced protective effect achieved after the immunization of the animals with complex biopolymers, including a high-molecular LPS fraction and outer membrane proteins.