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A preflight study of Staphylococcus aureus carriage in cosmonauts has demonstrated that the microorganism harbors in 79.4% of the tested and microbial foci of the carriers amount to 10(2) ml. The isolated Staphylococcus aureus strains show a pronounced plasma coagulatory, alpha-toxic activity and 67.4% of them can be typed by the International set phages. Prophylactic administration of the native staphylococcal anatoxin increases specific antistaphylococcal immunity, reduces or eliminates completely Staphylococcus aureus in the upper respiratory airways.

The postflight investigation of cell mediated immunity of seven cosmonauts showed significant increase in spontaneous activity of lymphocytes of peripheral blood and decrease in stimulation of lymphocytes cultured with PHA at R + O. Variations in these parameters were transient, remaining within physiological limits. Two cosmonauts displayed a stable increase in lymphocyte activity during blast transformation test with Staphylococcus aureus culture filtrate.

After space flights of varying duration different adaptive changes in the protein composition of cosmonaut's blood were detected. A short-term 2-day flight induced a decline of gamma-globulin (immunoglobulins G and A) and beta 2-glycoprotein fractions. Longer-term 16- and 18-day flights caused an increase in albumin and most globulin fractions. A long-duration 49-day flight brought about an increase in the content of C3c- and C4-factors of the complement and immunoglobulins G, A and M. Return of the blood protein composition to the normal after prolonged space flights takes a long period of time.

The prolonged 49-day space flight resulted in a significant inhibition of immunological reactivity of the Salyut-5 crewmembers which involved a decline in bactericidal activity of the serum and lysozyme activity of the saliva, and a decrease in the content of immunoglobulins in the saliva and tonsillary lacunae. After the flight recovery of reduced immunoreactivity took a longer time than after shorter-term flights. The prolonged space mission led to an increase of most globulin fractions and a decrease of albumin in blood. With respect to globulin fractions, a predominant increase in the content of C3c and C4-factors of the complement and immunoglobulins G, A, M was noted. Blood proteins returned to normal within a long period of time.

Postflight changes in the blood protein composition involving albumin and globulin fractions with the predominant increase of most globulin fractions and an increase of total protein were noted. These changes were adaptive. The content of gamma-globulin fractions returned to the normal within a comparatively short period of time (four days post-flight). A complete recovery of the changes in the protein composition of blood required a longer period of time.

The study of serum samples, obtained from 15 cosmonauts before and after space flights, with the use of the indirect fluorescent method showed that in 7 cosmonauts antibodies to different elements of the human heart muscle appeared after flights. Strong and very strong luminescence of the elements of heart muscle tissue was detected in the cosmonauts after the third space flight. When studying the sera on sections of bovine heart muscle tissue, the reactions of the sera taken before and after flights were found to have no essential differences.