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Healthy individuals and patients with pulmonary tuberculosis were typed by HLA antigens A, B, and C. They were all Tyvians and lived in different regions of the Republic of Tyva. Examination was made in 128 and 85 healthy individuals and 62 and 55 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis from the Todzhinsky and Erzinsky districts of the Republic of Tyva, respectively. The healthy populations of the districts in question were found to differ in a number of Class 1 HLA antigens, such as A3, A10, A11, A28, B7, B27, Cw4. In the Todzhinsky district, tuberculosis morbidity rates were also ascertained to be positively associated with the HLA antigen B13 whereas in the Erzinsky district they were associated with the HLA antigen B12. The findings may be used to form tuberculosis-risk groups in the study districts.

Ultraviolet laser radiation (a wavelength of 248 nm) was examined in vitro for its bacteriostatic and bactericidal actions on M. tuberculosis H37Rv. Sterilization was achieved when a dose of 10 m/J/cm2 was applied. This indicates that this type of radiation suppresses both the formation of colonies upon exposure of free Mycobacteria in the suspension and the incorporation of 3H-uracil by the mycobacteria phagocytized with peritoneal macrophages.

The paper presents the results of typing by HLA classes I and II antigens in 55 patients with tuberculosis and 85 healthy Tyvians in the Erza District. Republic of Tyva. HLA I and II antigens were determined serologically and polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Tyvian patients with pulmonary tuberculosis had HLA B7 antigen more frequently and HLA B12 antigen less frequently than the controls. The findings suggest that pulmonary tuberculosis is associated with HLA-DRB1 14(6) specificity in this district of the Republic of Tyva. These data may be useful in forming groups at risk for pulmonary tuberculosis in the district under study.

This study was inspired by WHO program for vaccine development. Our experimental model of lethal tuberculosis in mice was used to test whether rapidly growing avirulent M. smegmatis could be used as a live vaccination vector for screening rationalized M. tuberculosis cosmid library. The results suggest that M. smegmatis is not likely to possess protective activity against tuberculosis in C57B1/6 TB-susceptible mice. This negative result is satisfactory in that the immunity induced by M. smegmatis itself could not interfere with expected protection caused by the expression of M. tuberculosis genes in this vector. Our model makes it possible to find out which gene(s) of M. tuberculosis provide an ability to multiply in the host and whether virulence and persistence are controlled by the same genetic traits(s).

A total of 32 patients with aggravated chronic pyo-obstructive bronchitis were studied. Various immunological disorders and impaired non-specific responsiveness were detected in this group of patients. With this, abnormal T cellular immunity (reduced T cell counts at the expense of T helpers and their reaction to PGA) was the leading T cell immunity disorder. In the presence of the available immunity abnormalities, responses to inflammation (B-systems) and non-specific responsiveness were less pronounced. During treatment, the patients without substantial immunity disorders had normalized parameters of immunity and non-specific responsiveness, whereas the patients displayed this. The clinical efficacy of treatment was higher in patients without significant abnormalities in immunity and non-specific responsiveness.

A total of 33 patients with chronic pyoobstructive bronchitis with immunological disorders (of T-cell and other links) and nonspecific responsiveness. The use of thymogen in multi-modality treatment contributed to normalization of T-cell immunity (increases in E-rosette formation, responses of blast cell transformation to phytohemagglutinin, Tx/Tc ratio), as well as nonspecific responsiveness parameters (C3c, NBT-test, natural killers), resulting in higher clinical efficacy.