[The attack activity of Uranotaenia unguiculata Edwards, 1913 mosquitoes on man]. / Aktivnost' napadeniia komarov Uranotaenia unguiculata Edwards, 1913 na cheloveka.

Field observations of the activity of U. unguiculata mosquitoes, carried out in the daytime, and 225-min estimations of their numbers against a white screen, lighted with an electric lamp, with half-an-hour intervals between the estimations, that were carried out in the evening and night hours in June, 1988, in the Divichinskii District of Azerbaijan, have demonstrated the aggressiveness of these mosquitoes towards humans. Daily changes in the activity of these mosquitoes were revealed, that consisted of an evening (high) and morning (poorly manifest) maximums and the high and daytime minimums. U. unguiculata bites were not so painful and the skin reactions poorly manifest in comparison with those of other mosquito species, which fact explains, in the authors' opinion, the inadequate interest of scientists to these mosquitoes.

[An outbreak of cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania infantum in Geokchai District, Azerbaijan SSR]. / Vspyshka kozhnogo leishmanioza, vyzvannogo Leishmania infantum, v Geokchaiskom raione Azerbaidzhanskoi SSR.

A more than 60-case outbreak of cutaneous leishmaniasis was documented in the Geokchai District of Azerbaijan between 1987 and 1988. The disease was noted in the rural areas only. All age groups were involved. The clinical picture of the disease was significantly different from anthropogenic cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. tropica but similar to cutaneous patterns caused by L. infantum which was a prevalent pattern in the southern France. Isoenzyme assay of the strain isolated in the Geokchai causative agent defined it as Leishmania donovani sensu lato. Though an undoubted similarity of its enzymatic profile to L. infantum was observed it was distinguished as a singular zymodeme. A total of 9 Phlebotominae species were isolated in the Geokchai District. Among them 5 species (P. kandelakii, P. tobbi, P. transcaucasicus, P. brevis, P. alexandri) were reviewed in the literature with regard to L. infantum transmission. Thus cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. infantum species in the rural area of the USSR was identified for the first time.

[Visceral leishmaniasis in Ordubad District, Nakhichevan ASSR]. / Vistseral'nyi leishmanioz v Ordubadskom raione Nakhichevanskoi ASSR.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) focus in the Ordubad District of the Nakhichevan ASSR has become active for the last years. Complex study of the focus, performed in 1985-1987, allowed to establish the following: VL causative agent, circulating in the Ordubad District belongs to the Leishmania infantum species. It was identified by isoenzymatic analysis (for 12 enzymes) and the Adler serological test. Disease cases prevailed in the upper part of the town of Ordubad and were confined to a small area (4 adjoining streets). Little children (up to 2 years old) prevail among patients. Spatial distribution of the disease correlated with indirect EIA data on healthy urban population (3116 persons examined) and stray dogs (152 animals examined). Mean percentage of positive assay results for the titers ranging from 1:80 to 1:20 was 8.0, for human population of Ordubad, and 19.1 for the dogs. Ten Phlebotominae species were found in Ordubad and its suburbs: Phlebotomus (Laroussius) major, Ph. (L.) kandelakii, Ph. (Adlerius) halepensis, Ph. (A.) balcanicus, Ph. (Phlebotomus) papatasi, Ph. (Paraphlebotomus) sergentii, Ph. (Par.) caucasicus, Ph. (Par.) alexandri, Sergentomyia dentata, S. palestinensis. Authors suggest that stray dogs are reservoirs of infectious agents in the Ordubad focus, while Phlebotominae of the Laroussius and Adlerius subspecies are disease carriers, the disease being regarded as a Mediterranean form of visceral leishmaniasis.