[Laboratory diagnostics of enterovirus cardiac infections]. / Laboratornaia diagnostika énterovirusnykh infektsii serdtsa.

Diagnostic efficacy of different markers of enterovirus cardiac infection (EVCI) has been evaluated. Testing of clinical samples from patients with myocarditis (n=50), dilatation cardiomyopathy (n=122), ischemic heart disease (n=34) and from healthy donors (n=50) revealed diagnostically significant markers in patients suspected for enterovirus cardiac infection: antienterovirus IgM in the patient's blood serum, the expression of viral proteins by myocardium cells and the presence of genome RNA and replicative intermediate in cardiac cells. The results obtained were used for developing up-to-date scheme of the EVCI diagnosis which included the data from the case history, the preliminary rapid diagnosis and the molecular biological study of the cardiac biopsies.

[Modified nested polymerase chain reaction in one tube for detection of Enterovirus]. / Modifitsirovannyi metod gnezdovoi polimeraznoi tsepnoi reaktsii v odnoi probirke dlia detektsii énterovirusov.

A method of a modified nest-type polymerase chain reaction (MN-PCR), made in one tube, was elaborated that enhances the sensitivity and cuts the risk of cross-contamination in enteroviruses (EV) detection. The method, as described in detail above, was used to detect EV RNA in 76.9% and 31.25% of examined autopsy samples (13 liquor and 16 cardiac-tissue samples, respectively). It enabled the detection of EV RNA in 6.25% of samples that used to be negative, when tested by MN-PCR in 2 tubes. MN-PCR with one tube is a reliable, sensitive and specific diagnostic tool; it can be recommended for the routine diagnostics of enterovirus infection.

[Outbreak of enteroviral infection in Vitebsk during pollution of water supply by enteroviruses]. / Vspyshka énterovirusnoi infektsii v Vitebske v usloviiakh zagriazneniia pitevoi fody énterovirusami.

The conducted virologic, serological and molecular-and-biological investigations showed that virus Coxsakie B4, isolated from cerebrospinal fluid and rhinopharyngeal lavages of patients, was the main etiological agent, which caused mainly an outbreak of enterovirus infection in the city of Vitebsk in 2001. Coxsakie B4 viruses were found in 30% of samples by using the cultural method and in 76.9% of samples--by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) while carrying out the sanitary-and-virologic investigations in drinking water, including in infection foci. Besides, we found infectious non-cytolitic enteroviruses (EV) with changed biological properties (which could not be detected by the classic cultural method) in drinking water by using the method of PCR integrated with cell culture in the "-" strand of EV RNA. Peculiar clinical-and-epidemiological characteristics of the disease outbreak, i.e. "explosive" onset, multiple clinical forms, mixed EV infections and disease decay after drinking-water chlorination, as well as the isolation of one and the same EV serotype from patients and from water testify to a possible water origin of the outbreak.

[Water-borne outbreak of serous meningitis caused by Echovirus-30 in Belarus]. / Vodnaia vspyshka seroznogo meningita, vyzvannaia virosom Echo-30, v Belarus.

In recent years outbreak of enterovirus infections caused by Echovirus-30 were rather frequently registered in different European countries. A major outbreak caused by this virus took place during the summer-autumn period of 1997 in the city of Gomel, Belarus. Sanitary epidemiological and molecular epidemiological studies made it possible to determine that the outbreak was water-borne. The sequence analysis of Echovirus-30 strains isolated from water and the cerebrospinal fluid of patients revealed a minor divergence between them (0.2%) indicative of their practical identity. The comparison of the Belorussian isolates with the strains isolated in Europe in 1994-1998 also showed a small percentage of differences in their genomes, which showed that the outbreak of Echovirus-30 infection was probably brought to Belarus from the territories of European countries.

[Active aluminum oxide--a new adsorbent for concentrating intestinal viruses from water]. / Aktivnyi oksid aliuminiia--novyi adsorbent dlia kontsentrirovaniia kishechnykh virusov iz vody.

Concentrating properties of a new adsorbent, active aluminum oxide, towards poliomyelitis virus type III and simian rotavirus are studied using virus contamination of sewage and drinking water. Optimal concentrations of the adsorbent for effective adsorption of both rota- and polioviruses are established (1.5 and 1 g/liter, respectively) at pH typical of sewage and drinking water (7.0-8.5), as well as the optimal time of virus contact with the adsorbent (30 min). Elution conditions are determined: 3% elution agent beef extract and pH 8.5-9.5 are optimal for both viruses. Active aluminum oxide is recommended as an adsorbent for elimination of enteroviruses from water objects.

[Use of rapid methods in detection of enteroviruses]. / Ispol'zovanie ékspress-metodov dlia detektsii énterovirusov.

Indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) and RT-PCR were used for rapid diagnosis of enterovirus infection during an outbreak of aseptic meningitis in Gomel. IgM to enterovirus were detected in 93.6% sera by IIF and in 71.4% cerebrospinal fluid specimens by RT-PCR. IIF takes only 1.5-2 h and RT-PCR 6-7 h. The methods are recommended for rapid diagnosis of enterovirus infection.