[Epidemiologic and economic efficacy of massive prophylaxis of influenza and other acute respiratory viral infections using curantil in Moscow enterprises]. / Epidemiologicheskaia i ékonomicheskaia éffektivnost' massovoi profilaktiki grippa i drugikh ostrykh respiratorno-virusnykh infekstii na Moskovskikh predpriiatiiakh s pomoshch'iu kurantila.

AIM: To evaluate epidemiological and cost-effect value of curantil in "in-office" prophylaxis of influenza and acute respiratory diseases (ARD) in Moscow. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Curantil was given once a week for 4-5 weeks in a dose 50 mg with 2-3-week intervals in autumn peaks of ARD and influenza epidemics. Participation of the population was 50-70% maximum. Prevailing influenza viruses causing epidemic in 1990-1991, 1991-1992 were A(H3N2) and B, respectively; ARD were caused by parainfluenza viruses, PC, P, mycoplasma etc. Efficiency index and rate were calculated: EI = a/b; ER = (a-b)/a x 100 where a--morbidity in the test group, b--in the control. Cost effectiveness was estimated by sick leaves pays for workers equal to the number protected by curantil and wages for those who worked instead of the ill workers or by the cost of the saved production. RESULTS: Epidemiological efficiency at enterprise 1 in autumn 1990 was the following (70% covarage): EI = 4.4, ER = 77.2%; in winter epidemic EI = 2.7, ER = 62.4% (covarage 50%). Close results were obtained in the next epidemiological season. In autumn in the enterprise 2 EI = 3.9; ER = 74.3%. Curantil prophylaxis at enterprise 1 protected 53 workers and saved 11278.88 roubles. CONCLUSION: Curantil effectiveness, wide spectrum of action, safety in oral administration 50 mg once a week make curantil convenient for mass prevention of influenza and ARD.

[Comparative evaluation of the reactogenicity and immunogenicity of inactivated influenza vaccines in the elderly]. / Sravnitel'noe izuchenie reaktogennosti i immunogennosti inaktivirovannykh grippoznykh vaktsin u lits pozhilogo vozrasta.

A comparative study was carried out to assess reactogenicity and immunogenicity of inactivated influenza vaccines (Begrivac, Vaxigrip, Grippol, Influvac, and Fluarix), licensed in Russia. Immunization of the elderly demonstrated low reactogenicity and high immunogenicity for all vaccines. Concomitant chronic diseases had no influence on the vaccine immunogenicity levels, which testifies to the benefit of vaccination in this age group. In the group of vaccinated the highest seroconversion to all vaccine strains was found for Vaxigrip (82-89% for group A viruses and 86% for group B virus); the vaccine demonstrated the highest level of diagnostic increase of antibody titers to all 3 viruses, i.e. 69.0% (p < .05), with 22.0% of vaccinees gained antibodies to 2 vaccine viruses (91.0% in total). The number of positive responses to 3 and 2 strains in subjects immunized with Fluarix, Begrivac and Influvac reached 85.0%, 85.0% and 83.0% respectively. It is noteworthy that the combination of surface antigens of A and B flu viruses in low concentration with polyoxidonium immune modulator in Grippol induced intensive immune response.

[Epidemiologic characteristics of hepatitis A morbidity among children from one of the districts of Moscow in 1982-1986]. / Epidemiologicheskaia kharakteristika zabolevaemosti gepatitom A sredi detei odnogo iz raionov Moskvy v 1982-1986 gg.

By the epidemic features, the district under study may be classified as a territory with moderate epidemic activity of hepatitis A (HA). The highest incidence was observed in children of 3-6 years of age. Annually, the seasonal wave in the district was started in school children. As a rule, the first case of the disease in preschool children's institutions (PCI) was due to infection contracted from schoolchildren or from adults. The further spread of the infection in PCI was due to breaks in the sanitary-hygienic regimen or principles of isolation of the quarantine group. When these principles and the sanitary-hygienic regimen were observed, the incidence in foci was limited to 1-3 cases of HA. In instances of late introduction of the infection into PCI with crude breaks in the sanitary-hygienic regimen or principles of isolation of the quarantine group "nonseasonal" (February or April) rises in HA incidence occurred in the district.

[Effect of multiple vaccination against influenza on the specificity of humoral immunity]. / Vliianie mnogokratnoi vaktsinatsii protiv grippa na spetsifichnost' gumoral'nogo immuniteta.

The influence of multiple vaccinations against influenza on humoral immunity specificity was studied by titration of sera from the vaccinees and non-vaccinees in radial hemolysis test (RHT). In order to determine the specificity of antihemagglutinins, the sera were adsorbed with the appropriate antigen followed by titration in RHT. The study showed the sera from vaccinees to contain the strain-specific antibody much more frequently, the titres and content being especially high to the vaccine A/Bangkok/1/79 strain used for large-scale vaccination of the human population in the three years preceeding the study. Fewer sera of the vaccinees contained cross-reacting antibodies. Both in vaccinees and non-vaccinees the total number of sera with antibody to the A/Bangkok/1/79 and A/Moscow/30/83 strains was approximately similar, however, antibody mean titre to these epidemiologically important strains was significantly higher in the vaccinees. The results of the study explain the narrow specificity of the protective effect of whole-virion inactivated vaccines used for mass immunization of the human population.

Results of a two-year study of humoral immunity to influenza A and B viruses in children under the age of 14 years in Moscow and its suburbs.

A serological survey of antibodies to influenza A(H1N1), A(H2N2), A(H3N2) and B viruses was done with sera collected in Moscow in October 1980 and November 1981 from 542 children under 14 years of age. The results of the study showed convincingly that influenza A(H2N2) viruses were not circulating in Moscow in 1980-81. Low titres found in the sera from four young children were due to cross-reactions which were eliminated from the sera by absorption with A/USSR/174/79(H3N2) virus. Low-level HI titres with A(H0N1) virus in 11 sera were not confirmed by single radial haemolysis (SRH).Serological data showed that A(H3N2) viruses were the main cause of acute respiratory disease in children in July-September 1980 and July-September 1981. These illnesses occurred at the end of the influenza A(H3N2) epidemic of 1979-80 in the third quarter of 1980. The influenza A(H3N2) virus circulated in Moscow during December 1981 and January 1982, but influenza did not reach epidemic levels. A low proportion (10%) of children with antibodies to influenza B virus at titres of 1:40 or higher in 1980 indicated the possibility of an epidemic due to this virus in Moscow in 1980-81. Such an epidemic did occur in December 1980 and January 1981.

[Humoral immunity to influenza A and B viruses in the blood sera of children younger than 14 in 1981]. / Gumoral'nyi immunitet k virusam grippa A i B v syvorotakh krovi detei molozhe 14 let v 1981 g.

Blood sera from 317 children with the history of noninfectious diseases or normal children pretreated with RDE were collected and examined for antihemagglutinins to 7 influenza virus strains in order to check the results of studies of 1980 and to study the immunity status to influenza A (H1N1), A (H2N2), A (H3N2) and B in the preepidemic period of 1981. Negative results of antihemagglutinin detection to influenza A/Iksha/1/57 (H2N2) in sera of all the children have confirmed the conclusion made in the previous paper (1) that influenza A (H1N2) viruses have not circulated in recent years among the population of Moscow City and suburban areas. Fourteen sera positive in HI tests with A/Shklyawer/49 virus similar to A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) in titres from 1:20 to 1:40 did not produce hemolysis zones with A/PR/8/34 virus in RHT, but most of these sera gave similar results of both tests with A/Brazil/11/79 and A/Khabarovsk/1/77 viruses. This attests to cross, nonspecific nature of hemagglutination-inhibition with A/Shklyawer/49 virus which evidently does not circulate now in the population of Moscow City and suburbs. An increase in the level of immunity to influenza B and A (H1N1)/1977 viruses reflected the epidemic situation of the previous year.

[Anti-influenza immunity and the prediction of influenza morbidity in the upcoming epidemic season]. / Protivogrippoznyi immunitet i prognozirovanie zabolevaemosti grippom na predstoiashchii épidemicheskii sezon.

The possibility of practical use of an increase in the level of antibody to a future causative agent of epidemic from minimal to the "critical" level in the human population against the background of a relative epidemic-free state in a town as a prepotent of an epidemic increase of influenza incidence was studied. During 4 spring and 3 autumn seasons (1978--1981) titres of antihemagglutinins to influenza A (H3N2) and B viruses were determined in 200--250 blood serum specimens from residents of Moscow selected with similar age distribution for each season against a working reference human serum. From the analysis of the antibody dynamics influenza A (H3N2) epidemic in 1979 and influenza B epidemic in 1980 were timely prognosed.

[Correlations of the antigenic specificity of human blood with the levels of antihemagglutinins to influenza viruses]. / Sootnosheniia antigennoi spetsifichnosti krovi cheloveka s urovniami antigemaggliutininov k virusam grippa.

The results of the observations show that after active circulation of influenza A (H1N1), A (H3N2), and B viruses the degree of immune response (a rise in antihemagglutinin titres to the causative agent of an epidemic) differed significantly in subjects with different blood groups of the ABO(H) system. After active circulation of influenza A(H1N1) and A(H3N2) viruses, rises in the antibody titres to the etiological factor of the epidemic was more marked in subjects with blood groups O and A than in those with blood group B. After an influenza A(H3N2) epidemic a rise in the titres to this virus in subjects with blood group B occurred a season later and did not reach those high levels observed in subjects with blood groups O and A. A reverse picture was observed during increasing morbidity and epidemic of influenza B virus. A rise in the antibody titres to this virus in subjects with blood group B significantly different from that among subjects with the other two blood groups occurred earlier, in the pre-epidemic season (the spring of 1980) and persisted till the end of the epidemic season. This time difference in the onset of the antibody titre rises appears to indicate a higher genetic sensitivity of subjects with blood group O followed by blood group A to influenza A viruses and, first of all, their increased sensitivity to A(H3N2) virus, as well as higher susceptibility to influenza B virus in subjects with blood group B.

[Use of indirect solid-phase radioimmunological analysis for studying the antigenic properties of influenza virus]. / Primenenie nepriamogo tverdofaznogo radioimmunologicheskogo analiza dlia izucheniia antigennykh svoistv virusa grippa.

A method of indirect radioimmunoassay (RIA) for investigation of influenza virus antigenic properties and serum titrations was developed. The method is based on the detection of immobilized specific antigen-antibody complexes using 125I-labeled antispecies IgG. Antigen immobilization is done on the surface of polychlorvynil plate wells at alkaline pH, 37 degrees C for 2 hours. As compared with RIA in solution, the solid-phase RIA is a rapid method, the entire reaction taking 5 hours. The method is highly sensitive (dozen ng), reproducible, and economic. The latter property is important for screening of paired sera during epidemiological surveys of large groups of human population, since the small amount of the blood required may be collected from a finger and not from a vein of the patient. Experiments on competitive inhibition of antigen-antibody reaction done by the solid phase RIA permit quantitative evaluation of antigenic relationships among different influenza virus strains.

[Interaction of vertebrate viruses and insect nuclear polyhedrosis viruses with transplantable diploid embryonal drosophila cells]. / Izuchenie vzaimodeistviia virusov pozvonochnykh i virusov iadernogo poliedroza nasekomykh s peresevaemymi diploidnymi émbrional'nymi kletkami drozofily

When the Drosophila cells were infected with the mixo- and arboviruses, in case of influenza A/WSN virus a rise in the titre and slight cytopathogenic effect with the subsequent decrease in the titre was observed. Since the decrease in the virus titer was not observed when actinomycin D was added, it was supposed that interferonlike inhibitor may be produced by the infected cells. Vacuolization and increase in the size of the infected cells were caused by all the nuclear polyhedrosis viruses tested. The number of the infected cells depended on the virus type and multiplicity of the infection.