In spring, 2011 within the frames of epizootiological survey of the Isle Russian territory, identified were five species of Ixodic ticks: Ixodes persulcatus, I. pavlovskyi, Haemaphysalis concinna, H. japonica douglasi, Dermacentor silvarum. Those ticks were infected with the agents of tick-born encephalitis, borreliosis, rickettsiosis, and monocytic ehrlichiosis. Further preparations for the hosting of APEC Summit in the territory of the Isle in September 2012 involve large-scale construction of various facilities, transformation of natural biotopes, and significant increase in population numbers both permanently and temporally residing in the region. In this connection, a complex of preventive measures aimed at protection of local population and participants of the Summit from tick-borne infections is currently under consideration.

Presented is the survey of emergency in the sphere of sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population as per reported cases and data of the monitoring which has been carried out in 2010. Natural and anthropogenic disasters where such emergency is appeared or can appear are considered too. Natural catastrophes - earthquakes, volcanic explosions, overflow water, tsunami, dry spell and anthropogenic catastrophes - humanitarian, technogenic catastrophes, bioterroristic acts, accidents, related to operation with pathogen biological agents are examined in this review as the conditions preceding the emergency. Nosological entities for the infection diseases, which are most common in natural and anthropogenic catastrophes as well as conditions and factors predisposing to their activation, are identified. Shown is the data of adverse epidemiological situation caused by natural and anthropogenic catastrophes and the examples of use of the biological agents for terroristic aims.

Disinfestation and deratization remain the main ways of non-specific disease prophylaxis in natural plague foci. Modern strategies, tactics, methods and means of control over carriers and vectors of plague and associated infectious diseases are selected with due consideration to epidemiological potential of territories, epizootic activity of a foci, peculiarities of population ecology of animals that are of a medical significance, preservation of biodiversity in natural ecosystems, and the requirements for human and natural environments protection from pollutants.

Shown was the influence of modern day warming and some other factors on natural plague foci of the European South-East of Russia. Analyzed were the basic mechanisms of transformation of biocenotic structure of natural foci complexes. It was shown that the tendency of gradual change of dominant carriers species would be preserved due to further warming of climate. As a result, the expansion of polyhostal natural foci of plague of semidesert type would be continued.

Compared are the gene sequences of the global phoP/phoQ and rovA transcription regulators in original Yersinia pestis strains of different subtypes. Detected is overall identity of the sequenced phoQ fragment and high conservatism of the rovA gene. All the plague agent strains belonging to the main subspecies have a missense mutation in phoP gene. It is a substitution of a single nucleotide G→A in the position 643 from the beginning of the gene, which causes amino-acid residue shift Gly→Ser in the position 215 in polypeptide chain of the PhopP protein, and, is a possible cause of alteration of the PhoP transcription activity in Yersinia pestis strains belonging to the main subspecies.

Outlined is a review of the literature data on the modern technologies for examination of the spatial (3-D) submicroscopic structural arrangement of biological objects with a high spatial resolution.
Capacities of the instrumental visualization and analysis of a three-dimensional biological object significantly facilitate the overall characterization of its structural-functional properties.

Modern insights into cholera vibrios physiology in different life conditions are considered in the review. Described are metabolic peculiarities of V. cholerae growing on nutrient media and in vivo, as well as in cholera patient organism, with special emphasis on alterations of pathogenicity factors synthesis at different stages of the disease. Considered is biofilm role in V. cholerae preservation in inter-epidemic period. Regulation of cholera vibrios growth is shown to depend upon environmental signals which shift metabolism and alter nutrient requirements.

Accessory cholera enterotoxin (ace) gene of Vibrio cholerae, amplified by PCR, is cloned into the BamHI-HindIII sites using plasmid pQE30. Expression of ace gene is under the control of T5 promotor. The Escherichia coli strain M15[pREP4]pAce90 (KM 194), containing recombinant plasmid, is an active producer of 6His-Ace protein, which possesses biological activity in the models of suckling mice and causes accumulation of fluid in the intestine. The product is contained in inclusion bodies found in the cells of coliform bacterium. The engineered producer strain can be used to obtain Ace preparations with a view to study its significance as pathogenicity factor in cholera vibrio.

Studied are non-epidemic strains of V. cholerae O1 biovar El Tor taken from the National collection of pathogenic bacteria lodged at the Russian Research Anti-Plague Institute Microbe, which were not sensible to diagnostic cholera bacteriophage El Tor ctx^- at the time of isolation. Represented are the results of investigation regarding a cause of a phage-resistance of these cultures using specialized test-system consisting of indicator strains. Identified is the carriage of temperate phages among 88,0 % of the cultures examined.

Analysed are the methodological approaches used for identification and typing of B. mallei and B. pseudomallei. Suggested are recommendations for improvements of algorithms of laboratory diagnosis of glanders and melioidosis including wide range of biochemical, immunodiagnostic and molecular genetic methods.

The risk of occurrence of emergency situations different in their character is still a pressing issue for all the states of the world's community, including the Russian Federation. Nowadays, development of the modern methods and tools for rapid toxin detection and identification holds a high position in biological safety system. Specified means for biological toxin detection do not comply with the requirements of rapidness. One of the prospective means for rapid toxin indication is immune-chromatographic, immunochip, and immunosensor test-systems with high sensitivity, differentiation capacity and expression. In this review described are some up-to-date foreign and home-grown technologies for rapid toxin indication.

It is stated that due to epidemic manifestations Crimean hemorrhagic fever (CHF) has recently become one of the most pressing issues in the South of the European part of the Russian Federation, the area where its integrated natural focus is situated. In this respect, analyzed are the data on CHF monitoring over the past decade (since 1999); determined are the main epidemiological peculiarities of the infection in the modern period. Furthermore, outlined are the basic principles of development of the unified standard concerning epidemiological and laboratory diagnostics of the disease. Emphasized is the importance of differentiation in scope and nomenclature of diagnostic investigations in laboratory facilities of different echelons, which makes it possible to increase plausibility and quality of the surveys conducted, and carry out verification of the results obtained.

The set of oligonucleotide primers was designed to identify β-lactam-resitance determinats in isolates of pathogenic Burkholderia using PCR. Simultaneously identified was certain molecular class of detected β-lactamases. PCR with primers specific to metallo-β-lactamase (class B) and oxacillinase of D-ala carboxypeptidase family (class D of β-lactamase) gene sequences allowed to differentiate among pseudomallei group of Burkholderia species.

The atomic power microscopy (APM) is used to study the cell surface structure of particularly dangerous infectious diseases agents and to carry out the morphometric analysis. APM shows similar results with scanning electron microscopy. However, its application makes it possible to avoid time-consuming and labour-intensive procedures of samples preparing for testing by fixation, dehydration and sputtering of conducting layer. Methodological approach has been elaborated for preparing and analysis of samples of agents of particularly dangerous infectious diseases by means of APM. This approach includes a selection of optimal substrate, mode of disinfection and scanning of samples.

Studied was dissemination of avian influenza virus (AIV) in the organism of chickens after intranasal challenge with 10-100 LD₅₀. The primary organ of accumulation of AIV A/H5N1 (A/Chicken/Kurgan/05/2005strain) is the respiratory tract (nasal mucosa), where the virus is registered in 18 hours after challenge. The accumulation of pathogen is observed in many organs and serum of chicken in 30-32 hours after challenge. The animals die in 54 hours, the concentration of virus reaches critical value in all studied samples. The highest AIV loads (7 lg of chicken embryo infective dose - EID₅₀/g or ml) are registered in lungs, blood serum and kidneys of chicken. The results of AIV loads measuring using titration and real time RT-PCR show high degree of correlation (r=0.89).

Summarized and analyzed are modern literature data on capability of cells (neutrophils, eosinophils and labrocytes) realizing the mechanisms of innate immunity, to form extracellular traps that capture and kill pathogens by secretion of DNA and antibacterial granules content into extracellular space. The efficiency of capture and bacterial clearance is higher in extracellular traps than that in phagocytosis. The mechanism of extracellular bactericidal activity is supposed to play an important role in protection of organism from bacteria which are resistant to phagocytosis by leukocytes.

Protective antigen, extracted from Bacillus anthracis asporogenic recombinant strain, triggers progression of a high-grade adaptive immunity in vivo. Two-fold immunization of rabbits with the purified protein preparation in a dose of 50 mcg induces production of specific antibodies in titers higher than those registered in case of immunization with vaccine or genetically engineered anthrax strains. It is determined that the recombinant B. anthracis strain initiates further production of antibodies towards S-layer protein of anthrax agent.

Justified is the possibility of application of fixed rabies virus Moscow 3253, reproduced on the cell culture Vero, as an antigen for heterologous anti-rabies immunoglobulin production. Application of the adjuvant - aluminium hydrate - is determined to be effective. Herein, by the day 73 post immunization, specific antibodies titer is ≥ 1:500 (wherein specific activity has been identified by means of neutralization test, carried out on white mice, and dot-blot immunoassay). The level of specific activity in experimental samples of anti-rabies immunoglobulin, isolated from rabbit immune serum, corresponds to 332 and 347 ME/ml. Physicochemical and biological properties of anti-rabies immunoglobulin, produced with the help of cultural antigen, fully comply with regulatory requirements specified for commercial preparation of heterologous anti-rabies immunoglobulin.

Designed is a differential-diagnostic solid nutrient media for isolation and identification of anthrax agent. This media contains: nutrient base (enzymic hydrolysate of fishbone powder), agar-agar, D (+)-sorbite, pH indicator bromthymol blue, and broad-spectrum antibiotic (polymyxin). The media makes it possible to differentiate virulent (capsular) and avirulent (non-capsular) Bacillus anthracis strains, as well as closely related saprophyte microorganisms, depending upon the color and colony morphology.

Studied is the kinetics of major antigen accumulation at growing of Vibrio cholerae M-41 Ogawa and 569 B Inaba strains in industrial and engineered reactors. Demonstrated is the possibility to obtain conditional native protective antigens in the engineered bioreactor. Shown is the identity of physiological and morphological properties of industrial Vibrio cholerae strains during their submerged cultivation in industrial and engineered bioreactors. Cholera bivalent chemical vaccine obtained using engineered bioreactor possesses quality indices meeting the requirements of normative documents and equal to those of preparation received by traditional approach.

Developed was the DNA-biochip to identify subtypes of influenza A virus, pathogenic for humans. Microchip was capable of detecting H1, H3, H5-subtypes of hemagglutinin (including H1-subtype of pandemic A/H1N1(2009) influenza virus ) and neuraminidase subtypes N1,N2 of influenza virus. This microchip was successfully tested on the strains of A/H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, A/H1N1(2009) pandemic influenza virus, A/H1N1 and A/H3N2 seasonal influenza viruses.

Collected are the data on sanitary-hygienic and parasitological aspects of rock pigeon vital activity in Saratov. Distinguished are the types of pigeon exterior pathologies, their character and frequency of occurrence. Synanthropic population and nests of the birds are searched for the presence of helminthes and ectoparasites. Identified is the role of nesting sites, located in attics of residential buildings, in sanitary and epidemiological situation of the city settlement zone.

The analysis of the structure of quality management system and the areas of its activity is presented. Trends for its further improvement are defined.