Search

Significant aspect in the provision of anti-epidemic readiness for Ebola fever importation into the Russian Federation is to determine the scope of measures to be undertaken toward individuals who have been in contact with index case. Analyzed have been the published data on the imported case records resultant in the secondary transmission of the disease; measures, performed in relation to contact persons in non-endemic countries; possible mechanisms of transmission; presence of virus in biological material from an infected individual; risk of exposure to virus onboard the aircraft. Based on the results of the analysis of publications, WHO, CDC and Rospotrebnadzor recommendations, with due consideration of the current regulations, put forward is an approximate procedure for individuals who have been in contact with EVD case onboard the plane, including transportation of persons, exposed to the increased risk of infection into a specialized hospital.

Climate changes determine dynamics of epizootic activity of natural plague foci in the XX and XXI centuries. Obvious shift to continentality in the Northern hemisphere can put an end to inter-epizootic period in lowland steppe and semi-desert natural foci of the Pre-Caucasian region, North and North-West Caspian Sea regions. Presently observed conjoined development of inter-epizootic periods in natural plague foci with different biocoenotic structure in the territory of Pre-Caspian Lowland gives the grounds for assuming the presence of a common cause preconditioning parasitic system depression in the region. One of the key elements of this phenomenon is a change of status of little souslik – formerly the main plague carrier in the region. Subsequent to the climate change the key role of plague carrier is more often played by non-hibernating rodent species nowadays. Thus a significant increase in epizootic potential of steppe natural plague foci in the territory of Kazakhstan and Central Asia is prognosticated. With the further temperature fall during wintertime, snow cover height increase and glacial area extension epizootic activity of the mountain and high mountain foci must drop off significantly. Alongside with this updated data on plague agent ecology, predetermining possibility of its existence in the soil biota, confirm the key role of climactic factors in the plague enzootic outbreak.

Considered are modern principles of prokaryotes classification, definition and limits of prokaryotic species as classification and identification unit, criteria of validity of scientific names of the microorganisms. Traced are main alterations in classification of some pathogenic representatives of the Bacillus, Brucella, Burkholderia, Francisella, Vibrio, Yersinia genera, first of all - of I-II groups pathogens, after Validation Lists of Bacterial Names were issued in 1980. Prospects of development and refinement of prokaryotic classification based on 16S rRNA phylogeny are discussed.

The retrospective epidemiologic analysis of HFRS morbidity carried out from 2001 to 2007 showed that the highest sickness rate was registered in Privolzhsky federal district with 20.4±2.3 average index that exceeded the similar one countrywide 4-fold and the incidence specific weight was 88.0 % of the total number of cases. The indexes of HFRS incidence in the rest 6 dis­tricts were lower than the Russia wide one 3-4-fold and more. During the analyzed period the tendency to increase the HFRS incidence level was observed in Privolzhsky, Ural and Far East districts and in the country.

The development of two deep depressions in the numbers of small sousliks, observed in the 50ths - 60ths and 80ths - 90ths of the twentieth century, was shown to be significantly contributed to by the climatic factors in the North-Western Pre-Caspian region. The important role of the present-day climate warming upon the evolution of the inter-epidemic period in the North-Western Pre-Caspian steppe natural plague focus was ascertained, too. Search for Yersinia pestis strains in the rodent burrows soil in the areas of stable plague manifestations was recognized as a perspective surveillance measure to be practiced.