[The epidemiological features of visceral leishmaniasis, revealed on examination of children by polymerase chain reaction, in the Papsky District, Namangan Region, Uzbekistan].

Patients with visceral leishmaniasis (VL) have been registered in the Papsky District, Namangan Region, Uzbekistan, over the past 23 years. A total of 95 patients were notified in 1987 to 2009. In 2007-2008, a mass survey using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) within the international INTAS project 05-100006-8043 was conducted in 5 population aggregates of the Papsky District, Namangan Region, Uzbekistan, where VL cases had been regularly registered in the last years. Bone marrow and venous and peripheral blood smears were used as a test material. A total of 234 samples, including 3 bone marrow biopsy specimens, 9 venous blood samples and 222 peripheral blood ones, were tested. All the samples were on the glass slides. Three groups were identified among the examinees. Group 1 consisted of 13 subjects who had been ill at different times. Group 2 comprised 27 children treated at hospital for various diagnoses. Group 3 (the largest one, n=190) included apparently healthy children. All the children of this group felt well and had no symptoms of any illnesses at the examination. In this group, 85 (44.7%) subjects were PCR-positive. Twenty-four (55.8%) of 43 children in the age group of 0-3 years were PCR-positive; the 4-7-year age group comprised 66 subjects and 33 (50%) of them were PCR-positive. Group over 7 years of age included 81 subjects; 45 (55.5%) were PCR-positive. The results of the mass survey with PCR, which covered the 5 population aggregates in the Papsky District, Namangan Region, Uzbekistan, suggest the epidemic activity of a synathropic focus of VL and make us look at many fixed notions of its epidemiology in new contexts.

[Experimental echinococcosis and alveococcosis and a trial of the preparation SK-1]. / Eksperimental'nyi ékhinokokkoz i al'veokokkoz i ispytanie preparata SK-1.

In autobred albino mice, the maximum nonlethal dose of the agent CK-1 was established, which was 19.0 g/kg, the agent was nontoxic. Cotton rats aged 30-45 days were infected by alveococcosis from a donor rat. The methods and formulas developed by Mikhailitsin et al. were used during experiments and investigations. At the beginning of treatment, 5 rats were found to have a great deal of parasitic larvocysts (PL) 10 days after infection. Eight rats formed a control group, 8 were treated with CK-1 in a constantly increasing doses of 0.1, 0.26, and 0.34 g/kg for 3 weeks. Following 40 days of infection, the animals were anesthesized and CK-1 was ascertained to have a high antialveococcal activity: the index of suppressed PL growth was 90.23 to 92.74%. In 14 piglets aged 1 month, infected by echinococcosis strains and treated CK-1 in high doses, was established to cause echinococcal death. In 14 puppies, the agent was highly effective in strobular echinococcosis.

[Experimental imaginal Echinococcus multilocularis infestation of golden hamsters]. / Eksperimental'nyi imaginal'nyi mnogokamernyi ékhinokokkoz zolotistykh khomiakov.

The imago stage of Echinococcus multilocularis development (prior to maturation of parasite oocysts) has been described in the intestine of golden hamsters infected by parenteral penetration of an Alveococcus agent and given hydrocortisone subcutaneously for 3 days before the infection and on the day of the infection, mean total drug dose being about 250 mg/kg. The number of helminths developed on days 8-35 of postinvasion ranged from 432 to 1863, their length was 1.0 to 4.0 mm and the number of segments did not exceed 2. Oocyst maturation was noted on day 20 of postinvasion. High oocyst invasiveness was confirmed by a biological test on 32 cotton rats aged 1-1.5 months who were administered parenterally 2-3 helminths containing 86 to 284 oocysts. All the rats died of severe hepatic alveococcosis on days 24-43 of postinfection.