[Gene typing of infectious tularemia strains isolated from the Stavropol and Krasnodar Territories]. / Genotipirovanie shtammov vozbutelia tuliaremii, vydelennykh na territoriiakh Stavropol'skogo i Krasnodarskogo Kraev.

The typing of F. tularensis strains by four variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) loci has been carried out. Among the strains isolated in the Stavropol and Krasnodar Territories seven genotypes have been detected and their spread in different natural foci has been analyzed. The data thus obtained suggest that the VNTR analysis may become an important instrument for studying the structure of the natural foci of tularemia and evolutionary relationships between individual areas of these foci.

[Situation of brucellosis in the regions of Stavropol Territory affected by the flood of 2002]. / Obstanovka po brutsellezu v raionakh Stavropol'skogo Kraia, postradavshikh ot navodeniia v 2002 g..

The emergency situation caused by inundations and high floods on the rivers in the affected regions exerts no direct influence on brucellosis morbidity among humans. Still the urgent evacuation of agricultural animals in connection with the natural calamity, their displacement and regrouping give grounds to prognosticate the deterioration of the epizootic situation in this infection in a number of regions of the territory where no sufficient veterinary surveillance has been ensured.

[Epidemiologic situation of brucellosis in the regions of the Republic of Dagestan affected by the flood of 2002]. / Epidemiologicheskaia situatsiia po brutsellezu v raionakh Respubliki Dagestan, postradavshikh ot pavodkov v 2002 g.

The Republic of Daghestan is at present one of the most unsafe territories in the Russian Federation with respect to brucellosis morbidity among humans. The figures of human morbidity in brucellosis grew from 3.4 per 100,000 of the population in 1999 to 10.5 per 100,000 of the population in 2002, thus exceeding the figures for the whole of Russia 15- to 20-fold. The analysis of human morbidity in the Kizlyar region (where the interregional regrouping of the cattle was made) after the natural calamity, as well a in other regions where live-stock was evacuated, indicated that by the end of 2002 an essential deterioration of the epidemiological situation took place in these regions. In view of grave epizootological situation and the absence of epidemiological safety in brucellosis in the Republic of Daghestan the sanitary, epidemiological and veterinary services should, together with other priority tasks in their work aimed at the liquidation of the emergency situation, pay greater attention to measures for the prevention of the spread of brucellosis.

[The epidemiological characteristics of brucellosis in the region of the northern Caucasus]. / Epidemiologicheskie osobennosti brutselleza v regione Severnogo Kavkaza.

At present, the Northern Caucus Region is the most unfavourable brucellosis area of the Russian Federation where 43.5% of the total Russian incidence of this infection was recorded in 1993. Over the past years (1988-1993) there was a highly unsteady-state improvement of the epidemiological situation, however, the rates of human morbidity with this infection greatly lag behind those in Russia. The active foci of small cattle brucellosis as the leading source of human contamination with brucellosis are of major epidemiological importance. There is a trend to the activation of the epidemiological factors associated with the operation of individual-sector stock farms (such as farmers', peasants', rental and cooperative ones for processing agricultural products), which corresponds to the changes emerged in the economic mode of production in agricultural areas.

[Taxonomic position and ecology of the causative agent of brucellosis isolated from murine rodents in regions of the northern foothills of the Greater Caucasus. II. The ecological and pathogenetic characteristics of Brucella strains isolated from murine rodents]. / Taksonomicheskoe polozhenie i ékologiia vozbuditelia brutselleza, vydeliaemogo ot myshevidnykh gryzunov v raionakh severnykh predgorii Bol'shogo Kavkaza. Soobshchenie II. Ekologicheskie i patogeneticheskie osobennosti shtammov brutsell, vydeliaemykh ot myshevidnykh gryzunov.

To establish the possibility of the circulation of brucellae among the population of myomorphous rodents, the mass survey of these rodents was carried out in the mountainous and foothill regions of the Caucasus. In the area of the northern foothills of the Caucasian Mountains 23 Brucella cultures were isolated from 2715 rodents under examination; these cultures proved to be similar to B. suis 1330 in respect to their pathogenicity and the character of pathomorphological changes induced in guinea pigs. Experiments on white mice demonstrated the possibility of brucellar contamination through sexual route and through feces.

[Taxonomy and ecology of brucellosis pathogens isolated from Muridae in the northern foothills of the Caucasus mountains. I. Cultural and biochemical properties of Brucella isolated from Muridae]. / Taksonomicheskoe polozhenie i ékologiia vozbuditelia brutselleza, vydeliaemogo ot myshevidnykh gryzunov v raionakh severnykh predgorii Bol'shogo Kavkaza. Soobshchenie 1. Kul'tural'nye i biokhimicheskie svoistva brutsell, vydeliaemykh ot myshevidnykh gryzunov.

The results of the study of 65 Brucella strains isolated from myomorphous rodents in the Northern Caucasus are presented. The study was made with the aim of finding out additional characteristics for the identification of these strains. Using the main tests recommended by the FAO/WHO Subcommittee on the Taxonomy of Brucella, as well as some additional tests, we have revealed that the strains under study are very similar to B. suis. At the same time their capacity for agglutination with anti-melitensis monospecific serum, their high sensitivity to pyronin B, safranine T and gentian violet, their low urease activity and their oxidizing activity in respect to L-alanine, L-asparagine, L-glutamic acid, L-arginine, DL-ornithine, DL-citrullin and L-livin make it possible to consider them the fifth independent biotype of B. suis.

[Comparative evaluation of the spectrum of lytic effects of bacteriophages TB, Wb, Fi, BK 2 and R on various Brucella species]. / Sravnitel'noe izuchenie spektra liticheskogo deistviia bakteriofagov TB, Wb, Fi, BK 2 i R na razlichnye vidy roda Brucella.

The lytic activity of Brucella phages TB, Wb, Fi, BK2 and R on various Brucella species has been studied. Phage TB has been found to lyse B. abortus, B. suis and B. neotoma, phage Fi has proved to be no different from phage TB, while phage Wb has shown higher activity in respect of B. suis; phage BK2 has been found to lyse B. abortus and, to a lesser extent, B. suis and B. melitensis; phage R has shown low activity, while splitting out phages capable of lysing B. abortus cultures in the S-form. All these phages multiply well in the corresponding indicator strains grown in Martin's broth. The Brucella cultures isolated from myomorphous rodents in the northern foothills of the Caucasus have been found to be similar to B. suis in respect to their spectrum of phage sensitivity, differing from B. suis only by forming smaller negative colonies in the presence of phage Wb.