[The effect of Clostridium tetani cultures on immunization with tetanus anatoxin in an experiment]. / Vliianie kul'tur Clostridium tetani na immunizatsiiu stolbniachnym anatoksinom v éksperimente.

The paper presents the data on the study, carried out on 383 guinea pigs, of the action of C.tetani cultures on immune reactions of the animals after the injection of tetanus toxoid. The state of the humoral and cell-mediated immunity of the animals (in the hemagglutination inhibition test, the neutralization test, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the skin allergic test with tetanin), as well as their resistance to challenge with C.tetani. The inhibiting effect of C.tetani on primary immune response to tetanus toxoid and their stimulating effect on secondary immune response have been established. This fact may be used for enhancing the quality of antitetanus preparations, such as toxoid and serum, as well as for working out tactical approaches for the rapid prevention of tetanus.

[Experimental imutiol stimulation of the primary immunological response to tetanus anatoxin]. / Stimuliatsiia imutiolom pervichnogo immunnogo otveta na stolbniachnyi anatoksin v éksperimente.

The data on the influence of imuthiol on humoral and cell-mediated immunity developing after immunization against tetanus are presented. Experiments were made on 166 guinea pigs with the use of imuthiol in doses of 25 and 125 mg/kg and tetanus toxoid in doses of 1.5 and 6.0 BU/kg. The dynamic observation of the animals lasted 30 days. The data of the passive hemagglutination test and the neutralization test indicated that imuthiol had considerable influence on the formation of humoral immunity. The results of skin reactions with tetanin, in vitro cell reactions, as well as resistance tests, showed that imuthiol exerted influence on delayed hypersensitivity, the mechanisms of cell-mediated resistance and survival after challenge. The data on the influence of imuthiol could be registered even at early stages after immunization, the immunostimulating action of the preparation reaching its maximum with tetanus toxoid used in a dose of 6.0 BU/kg and imuthiol, in a dose of 125 mg/kg.

[The immunological diagnosis of peptostreptococcal infection]. / Immunologicheskaia diagnostika peptostreptokokkovoi infektsii.

The work deals with different methods for the diagnosis of anaerobic streptococcal infection, experimentally tested and clinically approved in the examination of children with acute pneumonia. The passive hemagglutination test, the immune rosette formation test and the specific lymphocyte blastogenesis test were used for diagnosis. As sensitin and antigen, the preparation of the peptostreptococcal bacterial mass was used. The diagnostic titer of antibodies to anaerobic streptococci was 1:160. A twofold and greater increase in the number of antigen-dependent rosette-forming lymphocytes and in specific blast transformation in the presence of the diagnostic antibody titer confirms the etiological role of anaerobic peptostreptococci in the development of pneumonia in children.

[Dynamics of diphtheria morbidity and population immunity]. / Dinamika zabolevaemosti difteriei i immuniteta naseleniia.

Observations on the stratum immune to diphtheria among the population, carried out over a period of many years and involving more than 37,000 people, have shown its gradual decrease in all adult age groups. In recent years the number of adults susceptible to diphtheria exceeded the number of susceptible children by 10.6%, and in some age groups by 18.5-21.8%, which makes for the total increase of diphtheria morbidity in recent years owing to its rise among adults. Regular revaccination of the adult population against diphtheria, made simultaneously with that against tetanus, is recommended.

[Effect of metronidazole on the course of experimental anaerobic streptococcal pneumonia]. / Vliianie metronidazola na techenie éksperimental'noi anaérobnoi streptokokkovoi pnevmonii.

The effect of metronidazole in experimental anaerobic pneumonia in guinea pigs infected with peptostreptococci has been studied. In the untreated animals the prolonged pathological process in the lungs is mainly associated with the suppression of the functional state of the thymus-dependent link of the immune system. Metronidazole suppresses anaerobic flora, stimulates local immune reaction and arrests the development of inflammatory changes in the lungs. The drug eliminates the unbalance in some subpopulations of immunocompetent cells and restores the number of cells regulating immune response to the normal level. The results obtained in this investigation make it possible to recommend the trial of metronidazole in the complex therapy of peptostreptococcal pneumonia.

[Characteristics of the immune response of inoculated and intact animals to the administration of toxigenic and nontoxigenic strains of Clostridium tetani]. / Kharakteristika immunnogo otveta privitykh i intaktnykh éksperimental'nykh zhivotnykh na vvedenie toksigennogo i netoksigennogo shtammov Clostridium tetani.

In experiments on guinea pigs the immune reactions of the animals immunized and not immunized against tetanus in response to the injection of C. tetani spores were studied. In the immunized animals an increase in the production of tetanus antitoxin, the development of delayed hypersensitivity and the activation of the mechanisms of cell-mediated immunity were observed. The nonimmunized animals showed specific changes in the T-system of immunity without the appearance of the clinical symptoms of tetanus, which is, probably, one of the mechanisms of natural immunity.

[Comparative study of resistance to tetanus and indices of the passive hemagglutination reaction in experimental animals]. / Sravnitel'noe izuchenie rezistentnosti k stolbniaku i pokazatelei reaktsii passivnoi gemaggliutinatsii u éksperimental'nykh zhivotnykh.

The article presents the results of the study of resistance to tetanus in 450 guinea pigs immunized against tetanus in a single injection and having antitoxin titers in their blood, as determined in the passive hemagglutination test, from less than or equal to 0.01 IU/ml to 1.6 IU/ml and more. The degree of protection in the immunized animals was determined by their challenge with Clostridium tetani spores in DCL and LD50.

[Guinea pig resistance to infection by the spores of the tetanus causative agent at various levels of tetanus antitoxin and delayed hypersensitivity]. / Rezistentnost' morskikh svinok k zarazheniiu sporami vozbuditelei stolbniaka pri raznykh urovniakh stolbniachnogo antitoksina i giper-chuvstvitel'nosti zamedlennogo tipa.

Comparative experimental investigations on guinea pigs immunized against tetanus, carried out with the use of different methods for the determination of immunity to tetanus, have demonstrated the existence of a relationship between the results of the tests used in these investigations (the neutralization test, the passive hemagglutination test and the allergic skin test) and the resistance of the animals to challenge with C. tetani spores in Dcl and Dlm50. The mechanisms of not only humoral, but also cell-mediated immunity play an important role in protection from tetanus infection. The possibility of using, on principle, the allergic skin test with tetanin for the evaluation of immunity to tetanus in individual patients with the aim of differential approach to protection against tetanus in traumas has been shown.

[Various regularities of measles epidemic process during a period of mass vaccination of children]. / Nekotorye zakonomernosti korevogo épidemicheskogo protsessa i period massovoi baktsinnatsii detei

A detailed epidemiological study of a number of features of measles epidemic process was carried out and the results of examination of 2282 sera from children for measles antibody were analysed. The immune portion in the republic has been brought to 97% (not including infants of the first 10 months of life). The average annual incidence rate of measles has been reduced over 10-fold. The index of the epidemiological effectiveness of the vaccine is 13.8. Sufficiently intensive immunity persists in 90-95% of the vaccinees for 10 years or more without booster. However vaccination against measles cannot eradicate epidemic outbreaks. The remaining portion of susceptible children is sufficient for maintenance of the epidemic process. Periodic rises of the incidence and seasonal variations are retained and increasing. There are no indications for a wide revaccination against measles. A method for detection of non-immune children acceptable for mass surveys is needed. Circulation of a "wild" virus may be conducive to selective formation of insusceptibility in some children remaining non-immune after vaccination.