Journal of microbiology, epidemiology and immunobiology

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The Journal is published on behalf of the Russian scientific and practical society of epidemiologists, microbiologists and parasitologists.

This Platinum Open Access peer-reviewed Journal intends to publish the cutting edge research results focused on control of spread, prevention and treatment of human infectious diseases in the field of medical microbiology, virology, epidemiology, immunology including immunodiagnostics and immunoprophylaxis.

The Journal covers the issues of human infectious diseases from the point of research of pathogen — bacteria, viruses and prions in relationship to the human immune response, intra- and interspecific interaction, environment, as well as related evolutionary processes and public health.

The Journal is intended for professionally interested physicians, epidemiologists, researchers, university lecturers, postgraduates and students.

The Journal accepts for publication Russian and foreign original research articles, reviews, short communications, mini reviews, opinion and other special featured articles as well as lectures, methodological materials related to its profile.

All papers are subject to mandatory double-blind review.

The Journal does not charge authors any fees.

JMEI belongs to the IV quartile of SJR (2022) in the specialties Epidemiology, Immunology, Immunology and Microbiology (miscellaneous), Virology and to the III quartile in the specialty Medicine (miscellaneous), is included in international bibliographic systems and international citation databases: SCOPUS, DOAJ, ULRICHS PERIODICAL DIRECT, EBSCO, OPENALEX, Fatcat, RSCI, RUSMED, ZEITSCHRIFTEN DATENBANK, GOOGLE SCHOLAR, CYBERLENINKA, RUCONT, to the recommended by Higher Attestation Commission “List of peer-reviewed scientific publications in which the main scientific results of dissertations for the degree of candidate of science should be published, competition for the scientific degree of Doctor of Science" in the following specialties:

  • 03.02.02 Virology (medical and biological sciences)
  • 03.02.03 Microbiology (medical and biological sciences)
  • 14.02.02 Epidemiology (medical and biological sciences)
  • 14.03.09 Clinical immunology, Allergology (medical and biological sciences).

In accordance with the recommendations of the Higher Attestation Commission (Letter of the Higher Attestation Commission dated December 06, 2022 No. 02-1198), the Journal belongs to the K1 category, as a publication included in the SCOPUS and RSCI databases.

The Journal follows the ICMJE's Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals.


The Journal is presented in the following online sci-hub libraries and abstract and citation databases:

  1. SCOPUS
  2. DOAJ
  3. ULRICHS PERIODICAL DIRECT
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The most significant articles by the decision of the Editorial Board are published in full-text translation on the Journal's website under the same DOI as the original.

Each article of the Journal is assigned a digital object identifier — DOI (Crossref).

The content is available under the Creative Commons — Attribution 4.0 International, CC-BY license.

The CrossMark service is used to keep the content of the Journal up-to-date and to inform readers about changes in published articles if they occur.

The Journal uses Online First Pre-Publication — the online publication of the final version of an article that has been reviewed and accepted for publication in the Journal, without waiting for placement in a specific issue and pagination. DOI are assigned to the articles, which makes it possible to fully cite before the publication of the Journal issue.

The Editorial Board consists of 24 leading Russian and 8 foreign microbiologists, virologists, immunologists and infectious diseases doctors, including 11 full members and 6 corresponding members of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

All papers are subject to mandatory double-blind review.

The Journal is registered by the Federal service for supervision of communications, information technology and mass communications. Certificate of PI NOFS77-75442.

The Journal publishes regular issues bimonthly, six times per year.

Founders:

  • Central Research Institute for Epidemiology
  • Russian Scientific Society of Epidemiologists, Microbiologists and Parasitologists

Publisher:

  • Central Research Institute for Epidemiology 

Current Issue

Vol 101, No 1 (2024)

ANNIVERSARIES

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100 years of the Journal of Microbiology, Epidemiology and Immunobiology
Zverev V.V.
Journal of microbiology, epidemiology and immunobiology. 2024;101(1):9-10
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Life is in profession, profession is in life (to the 120th anniversary of Professor I.I. Elkin)
Briko N.I., Sokolova T.V.
Abstract

The life and the career of a well-known Russian epidemiologist, health care organizer, public figure, authoritative scientist and pedagogue Professor I.I. Elkin has been portrayed in the article.

Journal of microbiology, epidemiology and immunobiology. 2024;101(1):11-18
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ORIGINAL RESEARCHES

Genotypic portrait of SARS-CoV-2 in Primorsky Krai during the COVID-19 pandemic
Popova A.Y., Shchelkanov M.Y., Krylova N.V., Belik A.A., Semeikina L.M., Zaporozhets T.S., Smolenskiy V.Y., Persianova E.V., Prosyannikova M.N., Belov Y.A., Iunikhina O.V., Pott A.B., Khomichuk T.F., Simakova A.I., Abramova S.A., Romanova O.B., Detkovskaya T.N., Kryzhanovskiy S.P., Besednova N.N.
Abstract

Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic, etiologically related to SARS-CoV-2, was the longest-lasting pandemic for an acute respiratory disease and had a significant impact on demography, economics and politics globally. Experiences with this pandemic are significant for the sustainable development of human society. A detailed analysis of these experiences in epidemic control should include details of the pathogen evolution down to the regional level.

The aim of the study was to establish the regularities of the COVID-19 epidemic process in connection with the change of the pathogen genetic variants on the territory of Primorsky Krai.

Materials and methods. A retrospective epidemiological analysis of COVID-19 incidence and dynamics of circulation of SARS-CoV-2 genetic variants during the pandemic of this disease (11.03.2020–05.05.2023) in Primorsky Krai was carried out. Data was gathered from the Department of Rospotrebnadzor in Primorsky Krai, the Centre of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Primorsky Krai, as well as the G.P. Somov Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Federation and Russian Platform for Aggregation of Information on Virus Genomes (VGARus). In particular, 1055 nucleotide sequences of full-length SARS-CoV-2 genomes from Primorsky Krai, among which 553 were sequenced at the G.P. Somov Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology were included in analysis.

Results. When analyzing the epidemic dynamics of COVID-19 in Primorsky Krai (2020–2023), 7 rises in incidence with different clinical and epidemiological symptoms depending on the genetic variants of the pathogen were identified. At the beginning of the pandemic in Primorsky Krai, as well as throughout Russia, Wuhan-like variants of SARS-CoV-2 were predominant, though later, Delta and Omicron genetic variants were in the majority. By the end of April — beginning of May 2023, the proportion of Omicron sub-variants (XBB.1.9.2 and XBB.1.16) in Primorsky Krai was higher than the Russian average and comparable to that in neighboring countries (Republic of Korea and Japan).

Conclusion. Due to the ongoing evolution of SARS-CoV-2, the possibility of the emergence of new pathogens, the peculiarities of the geographical location as well as political and economic importance of Primorsky Krai, it is necessary to consistently improve regional capabilities for operational molecular virological monitoring.

Journal of microbiology, epidemiology and immunobiology. 2024;101(1):19-35
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Single intranasal immunization with attenuated Wuhan-like SARS-CoV-2 provides highly effective cross-protection against Delta and Omicron variants of concern
Faizuloev E.B., Gracheva A.V., Korchevaya E.R., Ammour Y.I., Smirnova D.I., Khokhlova D.M., Drokov A.O., Pankratov A.A., Trunova G.V., Khokhlova V.A., Vorontsova M.S., Leneva I.A., Svitich O.A., Zverev V.V.
Abstract

Introduction. Despite the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the problem of vaccine prevention of this disease appears highly relevant. The emergence and widespread distribution of the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern (VOC) and its sublineages has dramatically reduced the efficacy of vaccination. The possible approach to solving this problem is to develop a nasal live attenuated vaccine capable of activating humoral, mucosal, and cell-mediated immunity, providing a prolonged immune response and cross-protection against different VOCs.

The aim of the study was to determine the immunization efficacy with attenuated cold-adapted Wuhan-like SARS-CoV-2 D-D2 strain against homologous and heterologous challenges.

Materials and methods. The study was conducted on an animal model of coronavirus pneumonia in golden Syrian hamsters. The efficacy of immunization was assessed by comparing the dynamics of weight, viral load in organs and histopathological changes in the lungs in immunized and unimmunized animals.

Results. Single intranasal immunization of golden Syrian hamsters with D-D2 strain showed its high immunogenicity: seroconversion was evident in all immunized animals. Wuhan-like D-D2 strain provides highly effective protection of hamsters against the development of productive infection and pneumonia when challenged both with ancestral virus and heterologous strains related to Delta (AY.122) and Omicron (sublineages BA.1.1 and BA.5.2) variants.

Conclusion. SARS-CoV-2 attenuation is a promising strategy for the development of a highly effective nasal live COVID-19 vaccine.

Journal of microbiology, epidemiology and immunobiology. 2024;101(1):36-51
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Retrospective evaluation of the results of immunodiagnostics for tuberculosis in children
Volkova N.A., Mikheeva I.V., Melnikova A.A., Akimkin V.G.
Abstract

Introduction. For early immunodiagnostics of tuberculosis (TB) in Russia, the Mantoux test (MT) has been used for decades; since 2013, the recombinant tuberculosis antigen (RTA) test has seen widespread use.

The objective of this retrospective analytic observational cohort study was to evaluate the results of immunodiagnostics for TB in children with newly diagnosed active TB.

Materials and methods. We studied data from Russian TB institutions on the results of MT and RTA assay in children with active and inactive TB first detected in 2013–2018, as well as children with active TB first detected in Moscow in 2017–2022.

Results and discussion. In 2013–2018, out of 12,902 examined children with active TB, 11,673 (90.5%) had positive results of both skin tests and 198 (1.5%) had negative results. A negative RTA assay result with positive MT was found in 861 (6.7%) patients, and a positive RTA assay result with negative MT in 170 (1.3%). The sensitivity of the RTA assay in detecting active TB was 91.3%, while the sensitivity of MT was 97.2% (p < 0.01). Similar data were obtained in the same regions in 14,127 children with inactive TB: the sensitivity of MT was higher than that of the RTA assay — 97.2% versus 95.2% (p < 0.01). In Moscow, due to the small number of observations in 2022, it was not possible to show statistical reliability of the difference between the sensitivity of MT and RTA assay in detecting active TB in 2017–2022 (95.8% and 92.1% respectively; p > 0.5). For the results obtained in 2017–2021, the difference was significant (p < 0.05).

Conclusion. The sensitivity of MT is higher than that of the RTA assay in screening children for TB. It is recommended to use the more sensitive MT test for screening children; screening with the RTA assay will increase the number of undetected and undiagnosed cases of active TB in children. Currently, MT cannot be excluded from the algorithm of early TB diagnosis in children.

Journal of microbiology, epidemiology and immunobiology. 2024;101(1):52-60
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Hepatitis B virus preCore/Core region variability in pregnant women in the Republic of Guinea
Ostankova Y.V., Balde T.A., Boumbaly S., Serikova E.N., Zueva E.B., Reingardt D.E., Schemelev A.N., Davydenko V.S., Anufrieva E.V., Esaulenko E.V., Totolian A.A.
Abstract

Introduction. The vertical route of hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission is a significant problem in African countries, which is characterized by late diagnosis of the disease and high mortality. The high prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Africa may be due to variability in the HBV preCore/Core region, mutations in which contribute to disease progression. Molecular genetic characterization of strains circulating among pregnant women may reflect the overall mutational profile of the pathogen in the population.

The objective of this study was to analyze the variability of the HBV preCore/Core region circulating among pregnant women in the Republic of Guinea.

Materials and methods. The study material included 480 plasma samples obtained from HBV-positive pregnant women from the Republic of Guinea. For all samples, the nucleotide sequences of the preCore/Core region of the HBV genome were sequenced and analyzed.

Results. Amino acid variability in the preCore region was determined in 211 (43.96%), and in the Core region in 473 (98.54%) patients. 12 polymorphic sites of the preCore region were identified in which amino acid substitutions occurred, including 8, 2 and 5 positions identified for genotypes E, A and D, respectively. In the Core region, 67 substitution positions were identified, including 46 in samples of genotype E, 23 in HBV genotype A and 26 in genotype D. It was shown that the distribution of substitutions in the preCore and Core regions in HBV genotypes E, A and D differs significantly with a predominance in mutations among HBV genotype E — p < 0.0001. Individual characteristic mutations have been identified for each genotype. The most common clinically significant mutations in the preCore/Core region in the study group were identified, including pc-H5D (27,08%), pc-W28* (35,21%), c-E64D (33,54%), c-L116I/V/G (91,46 %), c-T146N (73,13%). The double mutation A1762T/G1764A in the basal core promoter was shown in 74 samples of HBV genotype E, which accounted for 15.42% of the total group and 16.59% of patients with HBV genotype E.

Conclusion. The frequency of clinically significant preCore/Core mutations among pregnant women in the Republic of Guinea was determined. The data obtained reflect their prevalence in the general population and can be used to predict the progression of chronic HBV among the region's population.

Journal of microbiology, epidemiology and immunobiology. 2024;101(1):61-71
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An integrative approach to assessing the pathogenic potential of Escherichia coli strains isolated from urine
Makarova M.A., Matveeva Z.N., Kaftyreva L.A.
Abstract

Introduction. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are characterized by the ability to survive and reproduce in the urinary tract due to the presence of specific virulence factors. In routine laboratory practice, the detection of diagnostically significant bacteriuria does not provide an idea of the level of infection of the urinary system (renal parenchyma, bladder), the pathogenic potential of the strain in the progression and chronicity of the infectious process, and the occurrence of life-threatening conditions (urosepsis, meningitis).

Objective. To characterize the population structure, genetic diversity and pathogenic potential of E. coli strains isolated from urine.

Materials and methods. 194 strains of E. coli isolated from urine were studied. Detection of 17 genes encoding the synthesis of: adhesins (pap, fimH, sfa, focG, afa), toxins (hlyA, cvaC, cnf, cdtB), capsular antigens (kpsMTII, kpsMTIII, kpsMT K1), siderophores (fyuA, iutA), invasins (ibeA), genetic markers of the pathogenicity island (PAI) of UPEC CFT073, the gene (traT) encoding serum resistance capacity and phylogenetic groups were performed by PCR (CXT-1000, BioRad, USA) with published primers (Synthol, Sibenzyme, Evrogen, Russia). To assess the statistical significance of differences, Fisher's exact test was used. Differences were considered significant at a confidence interval of 95% (p < 0.05).

Results. E. coli strains more often (p < 0.05) belonged to the phylogenetic group B2 (57.7%). Pathogenetically significant virulence determinants were identified in 97.9% of strains. Based on the combination of 17 genes, 134 individual virulence genotypes were identified. In 93.3% of strains, a genetic predisposition to the occurrence of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) was revealed, in 6.9% there was a potential for the development of pyelonephritis and recurrent cystitis. Markers of life-threatening complications of UTI were identified in 12% of strains, of which 10.7% were the development of urosepsis and 1.3% were meningitis.

Conclusion. Detection of a complex of genes in E. coli strains isolated from urine confirms the etiological significance of the isolate and allows one to assess the pathogenic potential for the development of chronic and severe life-threatening complications.

Journal of microbiology, epidemiology and immunobiology. 2024;101(1):72-79
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Multilocus sequence-typing scheme for Borrelia miyamotoi — the erythema-free ixodid tick-borne borreliosis pathogens
Mironov K.O., Titkov A.V., Kuleshov K.V., Platonov A.E.
Abstract

Introduction. Borrelia miyamotoi is a pathogen of erythema-free ixodid tick-borne borreliosis (ITBB), a disease widespread in Russia. To date, there are no generally accepted methods for B. miyamotoi genotyping. The multilocus sequencing typing (MLST) scheme of Borrelia was originally developed for B. burgdorferi, and does not have the required discrimination power for monitoring the ITBB pathogens.

The objective of this study is to develop the MLST scheme for B. miyamotoi.

Materials and Methods. The whole genome sequences of 10 reference strains (GenBank) were analyzed for the selection of the house-keeping loci. The MLST scheme development was based on principles published by the authors of the method. For this experiment, 81 B. miyamotoi strains and positive clinical samples were used to test the MLST scheme.

Results. After analyzing the genomic data, 8 house-keeping loci were chosen for MLST, for which the PCR and sequencing primers were designed. Each MLST loci was represented by several alleles (from 4 to 7) which form 15 sequence types. The genetic diversity of pathogens isolated from ITBB patients and ticks were characterized.

Discussion. Based on pairwise distances between allelic profiles, the sequence types can be classified into four groups. The first two groups are clonal complexes; the other two groups are formed by once identified sequence types. The first clonal complex unites 11 sequence types (80 or 88% of the characterized B. miyamotoi), the second consists of 2 sequence types (9 or 9.8%). The genetic differences between B. miyamotoi are associated with the sources of strains and biological isolates. The MLST based classification confirms the previously described genetic heterogeneity of B. miyamotoi populations associated with ecologically unrelated vectors of ITBB pathogens.

Conclusion. The proposed MLST scheme is an appropriate tool for ITBB pathogen classification and evolutionary change characterization within clonal complexes.

Journal of microbiology, epidemiology and immunobiology. 2024;101(1):80-88
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Characteristics of Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage in the pediatric population
Isaeva G.S., Zaripova A.Z., Bayazitova L.T., Khusainova R.M., Chazova T.A., Tyupkina O.F., Nikitina E.V., Tsvetkova I.A.
Abstract

Objective: to investigate the regional peculiarities of Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage in the pediatric population and characterize the dominant serotypes of the pathogen.

Materials and methods. The clinical study group consisted of 509 healthy children attending preschool institutions. Examination of nasopharyngeal samples for the detection of S. pneumonae was carried out by classical bacteriological and molecular biological methods. The serotype was determined by real-time PCR. Genome-wide sequencing of the serogroups 15 and 11 isolates and bioinformatic analysis were performed.

Results. The S. pneumoniae bacterial carriers in the group of healthy children was detected in 207 children (40.7%), while the frequency of detection of S. pneumoniae in urban children living in Kazan was significantly higher than in children living in rural area and amounted to 53.4 and 31.1%, respectively (p < 0.05). Among children vaccinated with the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13), S. pneumoniae carriers were not detected in 57.5% of cases. There were no significant differences in the degree of nasopharyngeal contamination depending on the vaccination status. Analysis of the serotype composition indicates the predominance of vaccine serotypes (57.7%), while the share of serotypes included in the PСV-13 vaccine accounts for only 24.7%, the share of non-vaccine serotypes was 32.1%, untyped — 10.2%. In unvaccinated children, vaccine serotypes that are part of the PCV-13 and 23-valent polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine prevailed (PPSV-23): 6ABCD (21%), 11 AD (15%), 14 (13%). In vaccinated children, serotypes not included in the active vaccines dominated: 15AF (17.4%), 23A (19.2%), as well as 11AD (19.6%) (11А is included in PPSV-23). The 27 Kz isolate (serotype 15C) belonged to one of the most common sequence types ST1025. The 105_Kz isolate (serotype 11D) belonged to another common sequence type ST 62.

Conclusion. In order to improve epidemiological surveillance of pneumococcal infection, it is necessary to introduce the monitoring of circulating clonal complexes of dominant S. pneumoniae serogroups and analyze the genetic determinants of antibiotic resistance and virulence depending on the sequence type.

Journal of microbiology, epidemiology and immunobiology. 2024;101(1):89-99
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Phylogenetic position and genetic features of HIV-1 in CNS
Piterskiy M.V., Khodakov O.A., Mikheeva T.V., Bilalova N.V., Konkova-Reidman A.B., Zakharova Y.A., Semenov A.V.
Abstract

Background. Due to the wide coverage with antiretroviral therapy, the life expectancy of HIV infected people has significantly increased. Against the background of a decrease in mortality from HIV infection, HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders, which develop even during effective treatment, are of high importance. The overall prevalence of this pathology among HIV-infected people reaches 42.6%.

The objective of the study was to research the genetic features and phylogenetic position of HIV-1 persisting in the central nervous system.

Materials and methods. The clinical study group consisted of 38 patients with severe neurocognitive disorders against the background of HIV infection in stage 4B. The viral load of HIV-1 in blood plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was measured using the "AmpliSens HIV Monitor-FRT" reagents kit. Sanger sequencing was performed using the AmpliSens HIV-Resist-Seq assay kit on an Applied Biosystems 3500 analyzer. Phylogenetic analysis of the pol gene fragments of HIV-1 strains (the site encoding the viral protease and part of the reverse transcriptase) was carried out using maximum likelihood method with the GTR+G nucleotide substitution model. Comparisons of the tertiary structure of viral proteins were performed according to three-dimensional models of the protease and p51 and p66 reverse transcriptase subunits obtained by homologous reconstruction using the SWISS-MODEL tools.

Results. The viral load in the sample of patients with severe CNS lesions in blood plasma was 6.27 times higher than in CSF and amounted to 4.67 and 3.87 lg copies/ml respectively by median (p = 0,004).

Phylogenetic analysis with the use of all available HIV-1 genomes from GenBank, which differed from the studied ones by less than 5% showed close genetic relations of viruses circulating in Chelyabinsk region, apart from strains circulating in Russian Federation, with viruses circulating in neighboring countries, in most abundance — from Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan, slightly less — from Belarus, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Armenia and also with strains from certain foreign countries: Poland and Germany. Phylogenetic analysis of 38 HIV-1 genomes revealed significant genetic distances between HIV isolates from blood plasma and CSF in 5 patients, 4 of whom were PWID, which may indicate an event of superinfection.

The amount of independent amino acid substitutions in protease in isolates from blood plasma ranged from 1 to 3, in isolates from CSF — from 1 to 2. An amount of such substitutions in a fragment of reverse transcriptase in isolates from blood plasma ranged from 1 to 6, while in isolates from CSF, it ranged from 1 to 7. HIV isolates from blood plasma and CSF from 5 patients had differences in the tertiary structure of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase p51 subunit in amino acid positions 16–20 and 210–235. Isolates from 3 other patients differed in the tertiary structure only in amino acid positons 210–235. Isolates from 3 patients differed in the structure of HIV-1 RT p66 subunit in a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor binding pocket (NNRTI) region. Fixed differences in the tertiary structure of p51 subunit required at minimum only 1 amino acid substitution to emerge. Alterations in the tertiary structure of p66 subunit required at least 3 amino acid substitutions.

Conclusion. Microevolution of HIV-1 proceeds in parallel within the same patient, in different compartments, which is reflected in the accumulation of amino acid substitutions different from another compartment in the conserved pol gene. There is a weak correlation between the viral load level in plasma and in CSF. The genetic heterogeneity of HIV strains from patients of the Chelyabinsk region indicates a high frequency of reintroduction of HIV infection in the region from other countries. Differences in the tertiary structure of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase between blood plasma and CSF isolates are regularly fixed in certain domens, which also confirms the presence of parallel HIV microevolution during virus persistence in tissues separated by the blood-brain barrier which allows a better understanding of the fixation trends of individual amino acid substitutions during HIV-induced damage to central nervous system.

Journal of microbiology, epidemiology and immunobiology. 2024;101(1):100-113
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Study of the circulation and properties of the West Nile virus in Russia in 2022
Toporkov A.V., Putintseva E.V., Udovichenko S.K., Boroday N.V., Molchanova E.V., Bondareva O.S., Antonov A.S.
Abstract

Introduction. The relevance of the study is due to the need to assess the real expansion of West Nile fever (WNF) in Russia, analyze the manifestations of epizootic and epidemic processes and study the population structure of West Nile virus (WNV).

Aim. To obtain objective data on the intensity of WNV circulation in certain territories of Russia and study the properties of the isolated strains of the pathogen.

Materials and methods. 4564 samples of field material from 23 subjects of the Russian Federation and 1547 samples of clinical material from 12 subjects of the Russian Federation were examined. A set of laboratory diagnostic methods was used: ELISA, RT-PCR, virological, sequencing.

Results. In 20 out of 1331 (1.5%) examined febrile patients, IgM antibodies to WNV were detected, including positive cases identified for the first time in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Tver and Vladimir regions. The presence of immunity to WNV was found on average in 8.6% of 11 federal subjects' population with high seroprevalence rates in Zaporozhye (24,5%), Tula (15,4%) and Kursk (11,1%) regions. Low-avidity IgG antibodies were detected in 44 (33,1%) samples from a population of 9 federal subjects. Intensive circulation of WNV lineage 2 in the epizootic cycle in the southern part of European Russia was confirmed. 12 WNV isolates were obtained, including those isolated for the first time in the Republic of Crimea, the Karachay-Cherkess Republic and the Stavropol Territory. The heterogeneity of circulating WNF causative agent's strains related to the two clades of the WNV lineage 2 formed in 2021 and 2022 was established.

Conclusion. In the course of comprehensive monitoring studies, a new northern border of the WNF range was established, which as of 2022 passes through the territory of the Tver region. Data from seroepidemiological studies, including the detection of low-avidity IgG antibodies, confirm fairly intense, but undiagnosed contact of the population of the European part of Russia with the WNF pathogen. In the southern region of the European part of Russia, WNV genotype 2 predominantly circulates, belonging to at least two clades formed in 2021 and 2022.

Journal of microbiology, epidemiology and immunobiology. 2024;101(1):114-126
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Nanocomposites consisting of titanium dioxide nanoparticles, antisense oligonucleotides, and photoactive groups as agents for effective action on nucleic acids
Levina A.S., Repkova M.N., Mazurkov O.Y., Makarevich E.V., Mazurkova N.A., Zarytova V.F.
Abstract

Relevance. Studies on model systems have confirmed the effectiveness of antisense oligonucleotides, including those that contain photoactive groups, for the modification of nucleic acids. However, this strategy has not yet found wide application due to the lack of successful methods for the cellular delivery. The development of effective preparations capable of acting on target nucleic acids in cells is an urgent task.

The objective of the work is to create nanocomposites consisting of TiO2 nanoparticles, antisense oligonucleotides, and photoactive groups and to study their effect on target nucleic acids by the example of inhibition of influenza A virus replication in the cellular system.

Materials and methods. Influenza virus A/Aichi/2/68 (A/H3N2), N-succinimide ether of p-azidotetrafluorobenzoic acid, TiO2 nanoparticles, and oligodeoxyribonucleotides have been used in the work. The antiviral activity of the proposed nanocomposites has been studied on the MDCK cells infected with the A/H3N2 virus.

Results and discussion. Unique nanocomposites have been created, which consist of three functional components, i.e., titanium dioxide nanoparticles, antisense oligonucleotides, and the photoactive tetrafluoroarylazide group, respectively, providing penetration into cells, selective interaction with target nucleic acids, and photomodification of the targets. A significant antiviral site-specific action of the nanocomposites has been demonstrated against the influenza A virus in the cellular system, which exceeds the effect of the analogous samples that contain no photoactive groups.

Conclusion. The biological activity of the created nanocomposites has been demonstrated by the example of highly effective suppression of influenza A virus replication in the cellular system. The results indicate the prospects of using the proposed drugs to affect target nucleic acids inside cells.

Journal of microbiology, epidemiology and immunobiology. 2024;101(1):127-132
pages 127-132 views
Dampening of proteomics activity associated with the COVID-19 patients afflicted with asthma based on gene expression pattern
Dawood A.A.
Abstract

Introduction. It is established that the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections varies between individuals without underlying health conditions and those with chronic illnesses like asthma.

Aim: to assess the gene expression of COVID-19 patients with and without asthma.

Materials and Methods. 20 patient profiles out of a total of 288 were selected from Gene Expression Omnibus (GSE178399). All patients have positive PCR tests and were divided into 4 groups. GEO2R was used to estimate the comparison between groups. STRING tool was used to measure the correlation between genes. The phylogenetic tree was extracted using iTOL. The heat map was extracted using iDEP.96.

Results. MMP10 (Matrix metalloproteinase-10), TNFRSF11B (Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 11B), CCL23 (C-C motif chemokine ligand 23), CD274 (Programmed cell death 1) CX3CL1 (C-X3-C motif chemokine), and IL17C (Interleukin-17C) had down-regulation for all patients. Transcriptome data conducted no correlation between the expression of MMP10 and asthma, although there is a significant correlation between the expression of MMP1 and sensitivity. The expression of IL17A, which is strongly related to allergic asthma, is decreased in non-asthmatic individuals but elevated in asthmatic patients, notably in survivors. Patients who were not asthmatic had significantly higher CXCL9 levels.

Conclusions. The study revealed a disparity in the relationship between imbalanced gene expressions in the groups examined. The gene expression of asthma patients who survived and died was not significantly different.

Journal of microbiology, epidemiology and immunobiology. 2024;101(1):133-142
pages 133-142 views

REVIEWS

The cell cultures in virology: from the past to the future
Kuznetsova T.A., Besednova N.N., Aliev M.R., Shchelkanov M.Y.
Abstract

The aim of the review is to give a brief characteristic of cell cultures obtained from mammalian tissues and to consider the current possibilities and prospects for their use in virology.

The analysis of the literature data presented in the main databases, such as Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Elsevier, Google Scholar and RSCI (as of July 2023), indicates that various types of cell cultures are currently used in virological studies. The use of cell culture has a number of advantages over other in vitro and in vivo methods of virological research. The review provides numerous examples on the development of new methods of obtaining cell cultures for the cultivation of viruses. Among them are sensitive and reporter cell systems, the design of which can be a promising tool for diagnostics of existing and new unknown viral infections. Cell cultures are characterized as potential in vitro models in virology for developing new diagnostic test-systems and antiviral drugs. An important area of cell cultures application is their use as a substrate for the production of culture-derived vaccines. Another aspect of the cell cultures application is also highlighted, such as the study of the effect of the viruses on the host immune system or the mechanisms of immunopathogenesis of viral infections. It is concluded that the use of cell cultures remains currently and in the near future one of the most important methods in practical virology and in scientific research.

Journal of microbiology, epidemiology and immunobiology. 2024;101(1):143-153
pages 143-153 views

OBITUARIES

In memory of Boris Savelievich Naroditsky (September 20, 1941 – January 10, 2024)
Journal of microbiology, epidemiology and immunobiology. 2024;101(1):154-155
pages 154-155 views


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