Alexander E. Platonov, D. Sci. (Medicine), Professor.
Chief researcher of the Laboratory of zoonoses, Central Research Institute for Epidemiology, Moscow, Russia.
ORCID, SCOPUS AuthorID, Mendeley, ResearchGate
Research interests and main scientific achievements
Doctoral dissertation "The Role of the Complement System in the Pathogenesis of Meningococcal Disease" defended in 1997, has made a significant contribution to understanding the interaction of innate and acquired immunity systems with pathogenic meningococci and the causes of life-threatening complications of meningococcal disease (MD). In particular, for the first time more than 50 individuals with a rare inherited anomaly — terminal complement components deficiency — were identified and studied during 1987–2003. Their thousand times increased susceptibility to MD was demonstrated and the clinical features of their MD were described, the genetic mutations were identified, the partial but significant effectiveness of vaccination against MD was proved. Publications of this series continue to be quoted in papers and monographs to date.
Under his guidance in 1998-2009 there were conducted population-based studies of the incidence, etiology and clinics of pediatric meningitides in dozens of cities of Russia and the CIS countries. Thus. the prospects for vaccination against infections caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and pneumococci have been assessed. Numerous Russian meningococcal, pneumococcal and Hib isolates were subjected to multilocus sequence typing.
A.E. Platonov contributed to the investigation of the first major West Nile fever (WNF) outbreak in Russia in 1999. After that, he started the studies of vector-borne infections. The sequencing of the genome of pathogens isolated in 1942–2013 has cleared up their evolutionary and epidemic links. A series of works was published on epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinic, diagnosis and treatment of viral fevers: primarily WNF, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, etc. Since 2002, the increasing incidence of zoonotic infections has been considered in the context of changing climatic and environmental factors. It was shown that the incidence of WNF in Russia was highest in the years with the hottest summers (1999, 2010, 2013). In 2013–2020, the influence of climatic conditions on zoonotic diseases has being studied using the satellite remote sensing data (in collaboration with the Space Research Institute, Moscow).
In 2003, specialists of the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology discovered and, since 2009, under the leadership of A.E. Platonov actively studied a "new" infection — ixodes tick-borne borreliosis, caused by Borrelia miyamotoi (BMD). Epidemiological and clinical features of BMD are clarified, interaction of the pathogen with immune system is explored, large-scale serological studies of blood samples from a dozen regions of Russia, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway are conducted and the spread of BMD in these territories is confirmed. For the first time several clinical strains of B. miyamotoi have been cultured, their whole genomes are sequenced. Importantly, the "immune escape" phenomenon during animal and human spirochetemia was found, that might lead to recurrent BMD episodes.
Регистрационный номер и дата принятия решения о регистрации СМИ: ПИ № ФС77-75442 от 01.04.2019 г.