[A study of the effect of thymotropin on immunologic indicators and excretion of virus in women with chronic cytomegalovirus infection]. / Izuchenie vliianiia timotropina na immunologicheskie pokazateli i ékskretsiiu virusa u zhenshchin s khronicheskoi tsitomegalovirusnoi infektsiei.

Thymotropic hormone was given subcutaneously in a dose of 100 mg twice a week for 3 months to 10 women with verified chronic cytomegalovirus infection. After termination of the treatment, in 8 women the virus excretion was decreased and this was accompanied with some improvement in immunological parameters: increased activity of natural killers, enhanced interferon-producing activity of lymphocytes, higher theophylline-resistant lymphocytes, and lower theophylline-sensitive T-cells. The above results confirm the association between the activity of cytomegalovirus infection and the state of immunity and allow thymotropic hormone to be recommended for treatment of other groups of patients with cytomegalovirus infection.

Simultaneous determination of the level of antibodies to influenza virus surface and internal proteins by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been adopted for simultaneous determination of the levels of antibodies to different influenza virus proteins in human sera with known haemagglutination-inhibition (HI) titre. Whole virus of serotypes H1N1 and H3N2, haemagglutinin (HA), matrix (M) and nucleoprotein (NP) proteins have been used as antigens. For detection of antibodies bound to the antigen, peroxidase labelled Staphylococcus protein A conjugate has been used. Correlation of the ELISA and HI titres of anti-HA antibody has been demonstrated. The use of isolated HA as antigen increased the specificity of ELISA. The analysis of human reconvalescent sera has shown that increase in the titre of antibodies to internal proteins does not always coincide with the increase of antibody level to HA. Out of 8 sera with significant increase of the HI titre to the H3 subtype 5 specimens showed 4-fold increase of antibody titre to NP protein. The antibody titre to M protein was elevated in 2 sera only, while 1 serum showed no rise of antibody response to the tested viral proteins.

[Action of acyclovir on cytomegalovirus in tissue culture and in chronic infection in women]. / Deistvie atsiklovira na tsitomegalovirus v kul'ture tkani i pri khronicheskoi infektsii u zhenshchin.

Acyclovir was capable to delay for some time the development of the cytopathic effect in cell cultures. When acyclovir was added to the infected tube cultures in a concentration of 250 micrograms/ml, virus reproduction was inhibited for 6 days. Then foci of lesions were observed, and by the 12-13th days the intensity of involvement of the cell layer was 80-90% and did not differ from that in control tubes infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV). No significant differences were observed in the inhibiting effect of acyclovir on the freshly isolated strains or the reference Ad-169 strain. A course of therapy with acyclovir showed the inhibiting effect of this drug on CMV reproduction in women with the CMV infection to be of short duration. The temporary improvement observed on the first day after treatment was accompanied by reduced virus excretion with both the urine and saliva. Antibody titres remained the same before and after treatment. After 1-2 months virus excretion was observed practically in all the women similarly to that before the treatment.

[Immunoglobulins in the cerebrospinal fluid and blood in acute neuroinfections]. / Immunoglobuliny spinnomozgovoi zhidkosti i krovi pri ostrykh neiroinfektsiiakh.

The authors have examined 42 patients with viral encephalitides and other central nervous system lesions using a complex of clinical and viroimmunological methods of examination. The main emphasis has been laid on measuring immunoglobulins A, M, and G in the blood serum and cerebrospinal fluid. The results have shown marked changes in humoral immunity. The degree of these changes is directly correlated with severity of encephalitis. Investigation into humoral immunity in patients with neuroinfections and other nervous system diseases contributes to the development of differential diagnostic criteria and better understanding of the relationship between severity and outcome of diseases.

[Virological studies in fatal outcomes in influenza and its complications in adults during the period of influenza A (H3N2) virus circulation from 1969 to 1983]. / Virusologicheskie issledovaniia pri letal'nykh iskhodakh ot grippa i ego oslozhnenii u vzroslykh v period tsirkuliatsii virusa grippa A (H3N2) s 1969 po 1983 g.

In the period of circulation of influenza A (H3N2) virus, 1969-1983, we examined virologically the autopsy specimens from 69 adults who died of influenza and its complications. Immunofluorescence examinations of organ impressions and infected cultures as well as virus isolations were used for postmortem laboratory diagnosis. Influenza viruses were isolated postmortem in all age groups, predominantly in older subjects (over 60), both in cases of early and late (after 7 days) deaths. The viruses were isolated more frequently from respiratory organs, less so from the blood, parenchymatous organs, cerebral tissue. A decrease in the number of lethal outcomes in adults and in the number of positive virus isolations postmortem was noted with the emergence of an antigenic drift-variant Victoria/75. Simultaneous employment of several laboratory tests verified virologically the diagnosis of influenza in adults postmortem in 85% of the cases.

[Evaluation of dipyridamole efficacy as an agent for preventing acute respiratory viral diseases]. / Otsenka éffektivnosti dipiridamola kak sredstva profilaktiki ostrykh respiratornykh virusnykh zabolevanii.

The epidemiological effectiveness of a low molecular interferon inducer, dipyridamole, as a means of prevention of influenza and ARD was studied in a double-blind epidemiological trial in a period of seasonal rise of ARD (Dec., 26, 1984-March 13, 1985). A statistically significant decrease of ARD incidence (1.91-fold) in the experimental group was confirmed by the results of serological studies and titrations of serum interferon in paired sera collected before the prevention and 10 days after its termination in selected subgroups from the experimental and control groups. The results indicate that the use of dipyridamole may be effective for mass prevention of influenza and ARD.

[Use of immunoenzyme analysis employing a staphylococcal protein A conjugate with peroxidase in the serodiagnosis of influenza]. / Primenenie immunofermentnogo analiza s ispol'zovaniem kon''iugata belka A stafilokokka s peroksidazoi v serodiagnostike grippa.

A test-system was developed on the basis of solid-phase enzyme-immunoassay using protein A/peroxidase conjugate for the determination of antibody levels to influenza virus in sera of humans who had experienced a natural infection or received a live influenza vaccine. The accurate observation of the test conditions was demonstrated to give the results well correlating with those of the HI test. The use of isolated hemagglutinin as the antigen considerably increased the specificity of the enzyme-immunoassay and in a number of cases detected a 4-fold or higher rise of antibody titres to hemagglutinin in paired sera of the vaccinees where the HI test showed no rise in antibody titres.

[Use of the agar diffusion precipitation method for detecting rotavirus antigen]. / Ispol'zovanie metoda diffuzionnoi pretsipitatsii v agare dlia obnaruzheniia rotavirusnogo antigena.

The possibility of rotavirus detection in feces of patients with acute enteric diseases by the agar gel diffusion (AGD) test was studied. The effectiveness of this method was compared with that of the standard method, direct electron microscopy. Both methods showed good correlation of the results, but the AGD test is methodically much simpler which recommends it for diagnosis of rotavirus infection. Rotavirus-specific hyperimmune calf serum may by used as a serological diagnostic preparation for the detection of human rotavirus antigen.

[Cytomegalovirus infection and immunodeficiency]. / Tsitomegalovirusnaia infektsiia i immunodefitsit.

The results of detailed clinical, hematological, immunological, and virological investigations of a female patient who within 16 months after hemotransfusion acutely developed a long-term disease with a undulant course accompanied by high fever, lymphadenopathy, hepatolienal syndrome, stomatitis, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia, are presented. Significant disorders in cell-mediated and humoral immunity were detected. Cytomegalovirus was isolated from the urine and saliva. The pathogenetic role of cytomegalovirus in the development and course of the disease is evaluated, and its etiological importance is discussed on a broader scale with regard to a possible association with retroviruses.

[Significance of various respiratory viruses in the development of chronic nonspecific bronchopulmonary processes]. / Znachenie razlichnykh respiratornykh virusov v razvitii khronicheskikh nespetsificheskikh bronkholegochnykh protsessov.

Combined virological and bacteriological studies were carried out in 83 patients with chronic bronchopulmonary diseases. Viral antigens, predominantly respiratory syncytial virus antigen, were detected in 72% of the patients in bronchial material obtained by bronchoscopy. Examinations for antibody of IgM and IgG classes specific for different viruses revealed acute infection in 79% of the patients which coincided with exacerbation of the process due to concomitant ARVD. The other patients had chronic virus infection. The over-time studies confirmed long-term persistence of viruses in bronchial epithelium in 15 patients (in 9 respiratory syncytial, in 5 adenovirus, in 1 parainfluenza virus). Thus, the above results showed respiratory viruses not only to play a role in exacerbation of chronic bronchopulmonary diseases, but in a number of cases apparently to be the main cause of their development.

[Effect of levamisole on the course of chronic cytomegalovirus infection in women]. / Vliianie levamizola na techenie khronicheskoi tsitomegalovirusnoi infektsii u zhenshchin.

The therapeutic effect of orally given levamisole in the treatment of women with chronic cytomegalovirus infection was studied. The patients were examined serologically, cytologically, virologically; the factors of cell-mediated immunity were also studied. Oral therapy with levamisole resulted in a definite increase of the cell-mediated immunity with a trend for decrease in antibody titres and reduced virus excretion. Evaluation of the clinical effect of levamisole therapy, however, revealed no distinct difference in the outcomes of pregnancy in the groups of women treated or not treated with levamisole.

[Detection and identification of the influenza virus in nasopharyngeal washings by solid-phase radioimmunological analysis]. / Obnaruzhenie i identifikatsiia virusa grippa v nosoglotochnykh smyvakh metodom tverdofazovogo radioimmunologicheskogo analiza.

In the period of epidemic rise of the morbidity level in 1983-1984, 207 specimens of nasopharyngeal washings from patients with influenza were analysed by solid-phase radioimmunoassay. Test sera containing a wide range of antihemagglutinating antibodies to different drift variants of influenza type A and type B viruses were used as diagnostic ones. The results indicate the predominance of influenza B infection (18.4%). Influenza A accounted for 14.5%, 9.2% of it being subtype H1N1. Noteworthy is a considerable portion (23.2%) of mixed influenza A and B infection. The results of this study are compared with analysis of paired sera from the same patients by the HI test.

[Virological and immunological research on patients with influenza and acute respiratory diseases with central nervous system involvement]. / Virusologicheskie i immunologicheskie issledovaniia u bol'nykh grippom i ostrymi respiratornymi zabolevaniiami s porazheniem tsentral'noi nervnoi sistemy.

Virological examinations of the cerebrospinal fluid and nasopharyngeal washings from 96 patients with influenza and other acute respiratory viral diseases and of the autopsy material from 14 patients who had had symptoms of the involvement of the central nervous system permitted isolation of respiratory viruses and detection of viral antigens in the cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue. The level of immunoglobulins in the cerebrospinal fluid was found to be increased, however, their concentration did not exceed that in the blood serum which only indicates the possibility of their penetration through the hematoencephalic barrier. This factor, as well as the pattern of pathomorphological changes in the brain tissues indicate the toxicoallergic genesis of meningoencephalitis in acute respiratory diseases.

[Epidemiological and immunological research on cytomegaly in parturients and newborn infants among the indigenous and immigrant population in the Far North]. / Epidemiologicheskie i immunologicheskie issledovaniia tsitomegalii u rozhenits i novorozhdennykh sredi korennogo i prishlogo naseleniia na Krainem Severe.

In the immigrant population of the Central Yakutiya, cytomegalic cells in the saliva and urine are found much more frequently than in the indigenous population (P less than 0.001). Significant differences were found in the content of complement-fixing antibody to CMV in parturients and newborns in the Extreme North as compared with the European USSR. While in the latter complement-fixing antibodies to CMV are more frequently found in newborn babies (86% in newborns and 69.8% in parturients), in the Extreme North it is vice versa (52.53% in parturients and 32.73% in newborns). Large numbers of seronegative women of the indigenous and immigrant population becoming pregnant get into the group of risk of infection with CMV which is explained by a high rate of detection of IgM in newborn babies of the indigenous (8.69%) and immigrant (9.8%) population and indicates congenital CMV infection.

[Detection of influenza virus C antibodies in the gamma globulins and native sera of children]. / Obnaruzhenie antitel k virusu grippa C v gamma-globulinakh i nativnykh syvorotkakh detei.

Influenza C virus has been found to be sufficiently widely prevalent in the human population of the USSR. Our evidence indicates its circulation in different climatic zones of the USSR. It has first been shown that the concept of "original antigenic sin" formulated by T. Francis for influenza A and B viruses is applicable for the evaluation of the immune response to infection with different influenza C virus strains. Our evidence allows an age-group of children most susceptible to influenza C virus infection to be distinguished and a preparation for prevention and treatment of this infection proposed.