SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL STUDIES OF MALARIA IN THE CIS COUNTRIES AND GEORGIA.

The paper presents the scientific studies of malaria pathogens and vectors, which have been specially conducted in the endemic areas of the CIS countries and Georgia for use in an epidemiological surveillance system. The main ones investigate the structure of malaria foci and the level of G-6-PD deficiency among residents, determine the malariogenic potential. of the territory and the risk of infection in the population, and specify the taxonomy, systematics, and spread of major malaria vectors in .the countries ofWHO European Region. In addition, the time and magnitude of manifestations of long-term post-incubation tertian malaria were established; th6 susceptibility of P.vivax to antimalarials and the levels of resistance and irritability of malaria vectors to insecticides were studied. The experience in using a geographic information system for the epidemiological surveillance of malaria is given.

[Behavioral features of the imago of malaria mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae, Anopheles) in uzbekistan].

Morphological, cytogenetic, and molecular genetic analyses made in the Fergana, Chirchik-Akhangaran, Mirzachul, and Zarafshan physicogeographical districts of Uzbekistan revealed the closely related species An. artemievi malaria mosquito from the An. maculipennis complex. In the human settlements and natural biotopes under their canopy of 7 physicogeographical districts of Uzbekistan, there were 6 Anopheles mosquito species (An. artemievi, An. claviger, An. hyrcanus, An.martinius, An. pulcherrimus, and An. superpictus); An. superpictus is a dominant species in the human settlements and An. artemievi in subdominant. An.pulcherrimus was dominant and An. superpictus was subdominant under natural canopy conditions. The latter is of widespread occurrence in the mountain and piedmont areas of Uzbekistan. It is encountered in all the physicogeographical districts. An. artemievi is distributed in the river valleys in the Fergana, Chirchik-Akhangaran, Mirzachul, and Zarafshan physicogeographical districts. An. pulcherrimus is common in the plain river valleys, except in the Qashqadaryo physicogeographical district. An. martinius is found in the Qashqadaryo and Nizhneamudryo physicogeographical districts. Livestock houses are the most attractive day's rests for mosquitoes; utility rooms rank next in mosquito density. Housing premises are slightly occupied by mosquitoes. The maximum size of aggressive mosquitoes is noted in July, August, and early September.

[The distribution of the mosquitoes of the Anopheles maculipennis complex (Diptera, Culicidae, Anophelinae) in Central Asia].

The polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method, cytogenetic analysis, and investigation of egg exochorion have indicated that three representatives of the Anopheles maculipennis complex (subgenus Anopheles): An artemievi Gordeev et al., An. messeae Falleroni, and An. marinius Shingarev. An. messeae is a European-Siberian species that has extended the southern border of its habitat and has been distributed in the south of Kazakhstan and in the north of Kyrgyzstan. In, Kyrgyzstan, An. messeae inhabiting the plains of Europe and Siberia is encountered rather high up in the mountains: the highest point where this species is found is at 1,879 m above sea level. An. artemievi is present in the highland and piedmont regions of Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, southern Kazakhstan, and northern Tajikistan) and in the intermountain basins (Naryn and Fergana ones). The single finding of this species is in south-eastern Turkmenistan. On the contrary, An. martinius tends to be in the plains and occurs in north-eastern Turkmenistan, Karakalpakstan, and Kazakhstan (Kzyl-Orda). On the other hand, a population of this species is found in proximity to the foothills of the Gissar Range in the east of Uzbekistan. An.maculipennis s.str. is not seen in Central Asia. Early evidence for the presence of both An. maculipennis s.str. and An. martinius in Kopet Dag (Southern Turkmenistan) is rather questionable. It is not improbable that these data are appropriate for either the newly described species An.persiensis or the scientifically new representative of the An. maculipennis complex.

[PCR-RFLP and sequencing studies of malaria vectors (Diptera, Culicidae, Anopheles) in Kyrgyzstan].

The results of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis, obtained after treatment of PCR-products with restriction endonuclease CfoI, could identify two members of the Anopheles maculipennis complex: An. maculipennis and An. artemievi. Treatment of amplification products with restriction endonuclease BsuI gave rise to fragment lengths of 192 and 218 bp, characteristic of An. artemievi, in the populations of the Talas (settlement of Kizil-Adyr, Kara-Bura District), Dzhelalabad (towns of Tashkumyr and Kara-Kul), and Osh (town of Gulcha, Alai District; village of Langar, Kara-Suisky District) Regions. After treatment of PCR-products with restriction endonuclease BstACI, fragment lengths of 292 and 150 bp, characteristic of An. messeae, were obtained for the mosquitoes of Issyk-Kul (town of Balykchi) and Naryn (settlement of Kochkorka, Kochkor District) Regions. To identify the molecular forms of An. superpictus, the investigators sequenced the amplification products obtained by PCR with 5.8S and 28S rRNA gene-specific primers. Analysis of the primary structure of the second internal transcribed spacer, by using the international databases, has indicated that molecular form X is prevalent in the study districts of Kyrgyzstan. The COI-COII region of the mitochondrial genome of the vector also underwent PCR-RFLP analysis. Three new haplotypes with restriction patterns of about 540, 420, 200, 150, 140 bp, about 540, 360, 280, 150, 140 bp, and about 580, 540, and 150, 140 bp have been identified along with the previously described haplotype X characterized by restriction products of 540, 420, 260, 150, and 140 bp in length.

[Detection of Anopheles artemievi Gordeev et al. (Diptera, Culicidae) in Turkmenistan].

Anopheles artemievi (a member of An. maculipennis complex species) described from the Transfergana region (South Kyrgyzstan) in 2004 was first found in the Lebap veloyat (Eastern Turkmenistan). A single larva of this species was collected together with An. superpictus in the irrigation channel of a rice field. Species affiliation has been proven by a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. This species is to be included into a list of Anopheles species of Turkmenistan.

[Molecular genetic analysis of malaria mosquitoes of the Anopheles maculipennis (Diptera, Culicidae) complex in Azerbaijan].

Molecular genetic analysis of malaria vectors in the Republic of Azerbaijan has identified three species of malaria mosquitoes of the Anopheles maculipennis complex: An. maculipennis, An. sacharovi, and An. persiensis. An. melanoon has not been found. An. sacharovi has been ascertained to predominate in the low-lying areas of the country. An. maculipennis prevails in the north, on the foothills of the Great Caucasus and it is also observed in the south, on the Talysh foothills and mountains. An. persiensis has been first recorded for the malaria mosquito fauna in the CNS. This species has been detected only in the south of the republic (Lenkoran and Astar districts).

[Genetic analysis of malaria mosquitoes of Anopheles maculipennis (Diptera, Culicidae) complex from Armenia].

The results of morphological, cytogenetic, and molecular genetic analyses of malaria mosquitoes from Armenia have indicated that two representatives of the maculipennis complex, such as An. maculipennis s.s. and An. sacharovi, inhabit in the blotopes under study. The predominant species is An. maculipennis that is present in all the examined habitats. This species accounts for 15.5% of all the mosquitoes of the maculipennis complex. An. sacharovi has been found only in the Ararat valley where its proportion varies from 25 to 91.7%. Morphological, cytogenetic, and molecular genetic criteria are shown to be used to determine the warrior species of the maculipennis complex in Armenia.

[Anopheles mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae) of the Tien Shan: morphological, cytogenetic, and molecular genetic analysis].

Morphological, cytogenetic, and molecular genetic studies of the Anopheles fauna in the valley and foothills of the Tien Shan identified 5 species of malaria mosquitoes: An. artemievi Gordeev et al., An. messeae Fall, An. claviger Meigen, An. hyrcanus Pallas, An. pulcherrimus Theobald, and superpictus Grassi. An. claviger, An. hyrcanus, and An. messeae were prevalent in the Northern Tien-Shan. An. artemievi, An. claviger, An. hyrcanus, An. messeae, and An. superpictus were detected in the Western Tien Shan. An. artemievi was first recorded in Kazakhstan. An. artemievi, An. claviger, and An. superpictus were noted in the Inferior Tien Shan. An. messeae was first observed in the Issyk Kul hollow. An. artemievi, An. claviger, and An. superpictus were habitants of the foothills of the South-Western Tien Shan. An. artemievi, An. hyrcanus, An. superpictus, and An. pulcherrimus were in the plain. An. pulcherrimus and An. superpicts mosquitoes are regarded as important vectors in the new malaria foci of the Fergana regions. The role of An. artemievi in the transmission of malaria is to be specified.

[Malaria mosquitoes of the Anopheles maculipennis (Diptera, Culicidae) complex in Georgia].

Malaria mosquito larvae and imagoes underwent morphological, cytogenetic, and molecular genetic analyses in West and East Georgia. In the areas under study, the authors identified three related types of malaria mosquitoes of the maculipennis complex: An. maculipennis Meigen, 1818; An. melanoon Hacket, 1934; An. sacharovi Favre, 1903. The authors revealed the types An. maculipennis and An. melanoon in the Kolkhida cavity (West Georgia) and An. maculipennis and An. sacharovi in the Iveria cavity (East Georgia). The morphology of eggs was defined in the study types of mosquitoes. An. melanoon ovipositions similar in the exochorion pattern with An. messeae eggs were found in West Georgia.

[An outbreak of Plasmodium vivax malaria in Kyrghyzstan].

Malaria was not notified in the republic in 1960 to 1982, with exception of 1963 where one case of imported malaria was identified. Twenty-four cases of locally transmitted malaria were detected, 11 of them being registered in the Batken district, Osh Region, contiguous with Tadjikistan and Uzbekistan. In 1981 to 2000, a total of 101 cases of malaria were notified, in 2001 there was an increase in cases of malaria to 136, while in 2002, a total of 2744 cases of malaria were registered mainly in the Fergana valley. Malaria was imported from Tadjikistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. The infectious agent of malaria was P. vivax in 98% of cases and P. falciparum in 2%. The high malarial potential areas are the Osh, Zhalalabat, and Batken Regions and town of Osh. In 2002, the investigators identified patients with malaria, made its chloroquine eliminating treatment, seasonal chemoprevention of some 5000 dwellers of the Leilek District of the Batken Region contiguous with Tadjikistan, and larvicidal treatments of water reservoirs and rice checks with dimilin. Almost 1,988,000 m2 of premises were treated with Solfac. Mosquito fishes were placed into more water reservoirs in 2003. In 2003 there was a tendency for a decrease in the incidence of malaria, as compared with 2002, which may be ascribed to the small size of vectors, which is due to the cold spring and cool June and July. In 2003, there were treatments of premises, mosquito fish enrichment of water reservoirs, interseasonal chemoprophylaxis of patients who experienced malaria in 2002; impregnated bed curtains were available to protect the dwellers of foci from mosquito bites.

[RAPD analysis of the populations of the malaria mosquitoes Anopheles superpictus and A. pulcherrimus in the malaria foci of the central Asia].

RAPD-analysis was used to estimate intraspecies-specific variability in malaria mosquitoes, the major vectors of malaria in Central Asia. The high heterogeneity of RAPD-loci was found in 7 populations of An. superpictus and 2 populations of An. pulcherrimus. Genetic distances between the populations were determined on the basis of analysis of the frequencies of 15 RAPD-loci. There was a genetic similarity of An. superpictus populations in the malaria foci of Tadjikistan with those in the neighboring Surkhandariya Region of Uzbekistan.

[Description of the new species Anopheles artemievi sp.n. (Diptera, Culicidae)].

The paper describes the new species Anopheles artemievi belonging to a complex of the species maculipennis that may play an important role in the transmission of malaria in both the Fergana area and the Fergana valley. In terms of the morphological signs of imagoes, larvae, and the composition of the egg exochorion, the new species is the twin of An. sacharovi Favre and An. mihrtinius Shingarev. According to the pattern of polytene chromosomal disks, the described type is identical to An. maculipennis Meigen. The structure of the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) of a cluster of ribosomal genes in An. artemievi is species-specific and, in its nucleotide composition, differs from that in related species. The sequence of ITS2 in the new species has been registered at the GeneBank under No. AJ849886 and it is 419 p.n. The length of ITS2 in An. maculipennis and A. martinius is equal to 422 p.n. (AY238435) and 447 p.n. (AJ849885), respectively. The sequences of ITS in An. artemievi and An. maculipennis are 91% homologous; those in An. artemievi and An. martinius are 87% homologous. The nucleotide composition of ITS2 in An. artemievi differs from that in An. maculipennis in three deletions, 1 insertion, and 18 point substitutions and from that in An. martinius in 12 insertions, 2 deletions, and 40 point substitutions. The standard-type series is as follows: Kyrghyzstan, Batkensk Region, Leileksky district, Alga settlement, a cowshed, 1 male-holotype, l female-allotype. The paratypes are 2 males, 6 females.

[Malaria mosquitoes in Moscow and in the Moscow Region: cytogenetic analysis].

The species and karyotypical composition of malaria mosquitoes in Moscow and in the Moscow Region have been examined. A cytogenetic analysis in the Moscow Region has revealed 3 types of malaria mosquitoes: Anopheles claviger Mg., An. maculipennis Mg., and An. messeae Fall. An. messeae predominates in the Solnechnogorsk and Noginsk Regions, An. maculipennis prevails in the Ramensk and Serpukhov Regions. In the combined habitats, the ratio of two predominant types has been ascertained to vary during a season. The proportion of An. maculipennis increases by the end of summer and decreases during hibernation. The more northern type of An. messeae has been shown to be superior to An. maculipennis in fertility. Thus, the increased relative size of An. maculipennis during summer is due to the higher viability of the larvae of this type. In the Moscow water reservoirs, the larvae of both types develop concurrently; the proportion of An. messeae is 89.8%. The high level of chromosomal variability was found in the urban populations of An. messeae by the inversions of XL1, XL3, 2R1, 3R1. A role of chromosomal variability in the adaptation of mosquitoes to urban conditions is discussed.

[European region program--"Roll Back Malaria": its results and prospects for its control]. / Evropeiskaia regional'naia programma "Obratim vspiat' malariiu": rezul'taty vypolneniia i vzgliad v budushchee.

The WHO has committed itself to an intensive response to the burden of malaria and, by 1999, had developed a regional strategy as to Roll Back Malaria (RBM) program in the affected countries of the European Region. This strategy is presently being implemented on the ground. Malaria was on the agenda of the recent 52nd Session of the Regional Committee for Europe; and the regional resolution "Scaling up the response to malaria in the WHO European Region" was endorsed by all member states. This paper discusses the progress with RBM in the region and the results achieved and challenges to be addressed in the years ahead.

[Supplement to the list of Anopheles (Diptera, Culicidae) mosquitoes of Tadjikistan and the predominant types of vectors in the current foci of malaria in the republic]. / Dopolnenie k spisku komarov roda Anopheles (Diptera, Culicidae) Tadzhikistana i dominiruiushchie vidy perenoschikov v sovremennykh ochagakh malarii v respublike.

The species composition of and the indices of predominance of Anopheles mosquitoes were determined in the current foci of malaria in the Republic of Tadjikistan. The predominant types of malaria mosquitoes were An. superpictus, An. pulcherrimus, and An. hypcanus were found to be in the Khatlon Region of Tadjikistan and in the contiguous areas of Uzbekistan. An. superpictus prevailed in the study foci of malaria and, as An. pulcherrimus, were the most dangerous vectors of malaria in the south of the republic. The main vectors of malaria were shown to be An. maculipennis sensu stricto and An. superpictus in the environs of the town of Khudjand, Sogdi Region (Tadjikistan). An. maculipennis was first recorded for Tadjikistan and should be included into the list of malaria mosquitoes of the republic. It is suggested that An. pulcherrimus plays an important role in the spread of malaria in the north of Tadjikistan.

[Malaria as a re-emerging disease in the countries of the WHO European Region: lessons of history and the present day situation in Trans-Caucasian Region and Turkey]. / Vozvrat malarii v strany Evropeiskogo regiona VOZ: uroki istorii i sovremennaia situatsiia v Zakavkaz'e i Turtsii.

Despite vast investments and strenuous efforts, malaria has been never totally eradicated on the southern borders of the former USSR and Turkey. Throughout the 1970's and 1980's, malaria outbreaks and epidemics were registered in Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Tadjikistan. Although they were contained, it proved impossible to completely interrupt malaria transmission in the countries in question. The present malaria situation illustrates once again that the achievements of malaria eradication programmes in the countries of Europe could not be maintained indefinitely. Since the early 1990's, the incidence of malaria has been on the rise due to the aggravated political and socioeconomic situation, mass population movements, the deployed extensive development projects, and a near-complete discontinuation in activities for malaria prevention and control. Nowadays, we witness a massive return of malaria into the areas of Europe where it has been previously eradicated. The paper discusses the malaria situation in the countries of the Transcaucasian Region and Turkey with particular emphasis on successes and failures of the recent global eradication efforts, on the reasons for and the extent of resurgence of this disease; and on operational research findings concerning the management and prevention of malaria.

[The effect of antihormones on the susceptibility of Anopheles sacharovi Favre. mosquitoes to the causative agent of malaria Plasmodium gallinaceum Brumpt]. / Vliianie antigormonov na vospriimchivost' kpmarov Anopheles sacahrovi Favre. k vozbuditeliu maliarii Plasmodium gallinaceum Brumpt.

A laboratory model of circulation of the malaria causative agent P. gallinaceum has been used to show that the effect of precocene (antijuvenoid) leads to a statistically significant reduction in the proportion of infected females developing eggs after blood suction. The females failing to develop eggs are not infected. Trichopol (antiexdisone) inhibits vitellogenesis The females undeveloping eggs become susceptible to the causative agent though to a lesser degree than those developing them. The findings suggest that there is an association of the mosquito susceptibility to the malaria causative agent with the balance of hormones in the body of disease the carrier.

[The effect of iuvemon on oogenesis in female Anopheles sacharovi Favre mosquitoes and their infection with the malarial causative agent Plasmodium gallinaceum Brumpt]. / Vliianie iuvemona na oogenez samok komarov Anopheles saccharovi Favre i ikh zarazhaemost' vozbuditelem maliarii Plasmodium gallinaceum Brumpt.

The paper provides evidence that the An. sacharovi females which do not develop mature eggs after blood-sucking on the malaria-infected donor could not be infected by the bird malaria agent P. gallinaceum. The addition of juvemon (an analogue of juvenile hormone) to glucose solution (mosquito carbohydrate diet) before blood meal stimulates the vitellogenesis of the mosquito after blood digestion, as clearly demonstrated on the female with an incomplete portion of the infected blood. This study has demonstrated that the juvemon does not exert a direct effect on mosquito susceptibility to the bird malaria agent, but it increases the number of females with mature eggs, thus promoting the increase in the percentage of the infected specimens and the number of oocysts.

[The influence of reproductive system function in female mosquitoes on their capacity for infection with the causative agent of malaria]. / Vliianie sostoianiia reproduktivnoi sistemy samok komarov na ikh zarazhaemost' vozbuditelem maliarii.

The study of the vector-agent model (Anopheles sacharovi-Plasmodium gallinaceum) has shown that the development of ovaries of the vector stimulates its receptivity to the malaria agent. In the case of braking of follicle development the mosquitos were nearly not infected. The capability of mosquitos to be infected without previous carbohydrate feed is confirmed. The influences of the age of mosquitos and the quantity of blood soaked up on the egg development and on the receptivity to malaria agent are demonstrated.