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In connection with the cessation of the circulation of "wild" poliovirus on the territory of the European region, including Ukraine, the strategy of the vaccinal prophylaxis of poliomyelitis is reviewed. Its main aims are the creation of a high level of the specific protection of the population, the prophylaxis of vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis and a decrease in the intensity of the circulation vaccine polioviruses. These aims may be achieved only by the inclusion of vaccinations with inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine (IPV) into the immunization schedule. IPV "Imovax Polio" produced by the firm "Aventis Pasteur" (France) has been shown to have low reactogenicity and high effectiveness, especially with respect to type 3 poliovirus, under the conditions of Ukraine. On the basis of our studies all children, starting from the age of 3 months, are recommended to be vaccinated first with two injections of IPV, followed by further immunization with oral vaccine.

Effectiveness was studied of a new drug amyzonum in a complex therapy of mumps in 149 patients versus the group of 177 patients having been treated with conventional methods only. A positive effect was shown of the drug on clinical indices, with the incidence of complications having gotten lower, biochemical indices having returned to normal.

Presented in the paper is experience gained with the use of a new Ukrainian drug amyzon in treating angina. Administration of amyzon in adult patients with angina was noted to make for a quicker eradication of the infectious toxicosis syndrome and manifestations of local inflammation, normalization of the peripheral blood picture and indices for immunologic homeostasis. With amyzon complications develop less frequently. Angina patients when placed on amyzon tend to run a shorter course of their illness and achieve long-term clinical remission, which fact permits recommending its use in a complex therapy of angina in adult patients.

Efficacy was studied of a new anti-inflammatory interferon-inducing drug preparation amizon in a combined therapy of epidemic parotiditis in 118 patients versus the group of comparison consisting of 147 patients. A positive effect was ascertained of the drug on clinical parameters, decrease in the incidence rate and in severity of complications (orchitis, pancreatitis), immune indices.

An animal model for the study of the influence of immunomodulators on the development and preservation of postvaccinal antidiphtheria immunity was experimentally selected and the corresponding study was carried out. In this work the following immunomodulators were used: dibasol, prodigiosan, splenin, thymalin, reaferon, tactivin, methyluracyl. The study revealed that by day 120 of observation all immunomodulators stimulated the production of antibodies in higher titers than adsorbed DPT vaccine, introduced without immunomodulators. The most effective action was exhibited by splenin and prodigiosan (injected subcutaneously), dibasol and methyluracyl (administered orally). Two latter immunomodulators, if introduced prior to immunization, are the most promising preparations to be used in practical immunoprophylaxis.

We have isolated 29 HIV-1 variants from HIV-1 infected men, 83.3% of these variants having properties Slow/Low and 16.7% belonging to Rapid/High type. The variants of Slow/Low type are of low biological and infective activity. We suppose their properties to correlate with slow HIV-1 infection distributing in Ukraine.

It was found in acute experiments on white rats that injection of Salmonella typhimurium lipopolysaccharide activates renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and causes oligohydruria form of acute renal failure (ARF). Enalapril, angiotensin-converting enzyme, being injected simultaneously with endotoxin, increases diuresis, glomerular filtration rate, electrolytes excretion and reabsorption by proximal tubules, decreases proteinuria and blood nitrogen-down to the normal. Thus, RAAS takes part in endotoxemia ARF induction and enalapril has protective effect.

There have been under observation 63 patients with meningoencephalitis at the age of 15-52 years whose complex treatment included reaferon and 42 patients with the same disease who were not given the drug. Reaferon was noted to be effective in meningoencephalitis. It shortened the period of clinical manifestation of the disease, hastened sanation of the liquor, influenced beneficially interferon production and modulated activity of the natural killers.

A questionnaire was spread among Kiev physicians with the purpose of evaluating their level of information concerning the AIDS problem. An interrelation of level of knowledge and character of relation to the HIV infection was found. It was established that the idea of air-drop ways of HIV transmission is widely spread among the medical personnel with a tendency to stigmatization of the infected, underestimation of the AIDS problem significance. The authors emphasize the requirement of state-backed program on system of professional training of medical personnel in the AIDS problem.

Results are reported of a study of relationship of complement level, unspecific adaptative reactions, number of circulating immune complexes and some cellular parameters of the immunogram in patients with different forms of streptococcal infection. Different changes were found in acute and chronic forms of the disease. The possible mechanisms of development of these disorders are discussed.

The improvement of prophylaxis and the decrease of morbidity rate in hepatitis B are possible on the basis of the introduction of the information subsystem of epidemiological surveillance into practical health service, including health service in rural areas. The necessity of ensuring the specificity of highly sensitive immunodiagnostic techniques by using the combination of these techniques and competitive radioimmunoassay, as well as increasing their availability by the cooperation of laboratories at the district and regional levels, is emphasized.

The authors studied the activity of complement, nonspecific adaptive reactions of the body, the presence of antibodies to cross-reacting antigens of Streptococcus, the concentration of circulating immune complexes, some cellular characteristics of the immunogram in patients with different forms of streptococcal infection. The changes revealed allow a conclusion about the presence of autoimmune processes, most pronounced in chronic and recurrent forms of diseases. In the formation of streptococcal infection relapses, of the role is pathology of the complement system in combination with disorders in other components of nonspecific anti-infection resistance.

The published data on the lipids composition of influenza virus, the significance of lipid-protein interactions for support of the virion structure are reviewed. The roles of viral and cellular membrane lipids in the different stages of viral interaction with the host cell: viral adsorption to the cellular surface, penetration into the cell, maturation and assembly of virions are discussed. The data on the significance of lipid composition phenotype of the virus and host cell in realization of the viral infection of the cell are reviewed.

It was established as a result of these investigations that the immunoenzymatic method may be used for detection of enteroviruses both in materials from human subjects and from objects of the environment. It is shown that the immunoenzymatic method has advantages as compared with the virological.

An early response (activation) of the microcirculatory bed endothelial cells precedes other changes in the lung in the course of development of gram-negative infection. This response is manifested at various degree in different endotheliocytes and taking into consideration the microenvironment (alveolar macrophages, stromal elements, etc) is one of the main mechanisms in the development of infectious process.

The causes of repeated admissions of 35 patients with viral hepatitides were unraveled on the basis of studies of the serum markers HAV, HBV, HBsAg, anti-HBs, HBeAg, IgM-anti-HBc, anti-HBc, IgM-anti-HAV, anti-HAV, and anti-D. Mixed viral infections were diagnosed in 14 persons: 3 persons had superinfection with HAV associated with chronic HBsAg carriership, 6 had superinfection with HDV and 5 manifested superinfection with HAHB viruses. Reactivation of chronic hepatitis was diagnosed in 5 patients. The measurement of the activity of alanine aminotransferase in blood serum diluted 1:10 and of IgM-anti-HBc titers was shown to be of high differential diagnostic importance in the identification of relapses and reinfections. The effects of superinfections with HAV and HDV are under discussion.

High-active interferon was used in the complex treatment of 49 patients with nervous system diseases of viral-bacterial etiology. A control group of 28 similar patients were also analyzed. A positive clinical effect was observed in early use of interferon. The clinical course of the disease was milder, the duration of clinical symptoms reduced, healing of the CSF was enhanced, the development of protracted forms of the disease was preventable, lethality reduced 2.9 times with interferon in the complex treatment of these patients.

Experiments in mice using syngeneic transfer of spleen cells and intraperitoneal inoculation of cyclophosphamide, levamisole, hydrocortisone, and anti-0 serum demonstrated that influenza virus may inhibit T-suppressors from the first days of infection. Then the T-helper system of lymphocytes is inhibited and the capacity of the animals to show delayed type hypersensitivity is reduced. In this period, higher activity of T-helpers is observed. It is assumed that inhibition of the T-helper system is associated with the affection by influenza virus of the cells which activate T-helpers.

The authors studied the peculiarities of the course of experimental influenza infection induced by the administration of highly and poorly immunogenic strains of influenza virus to mice. Influenza viruses with varying immunogenic activity were obtained from the vaccine strain A/Victoria/35/72/50 (H3N2) by immunoselection modelling the process of natural selection. The administration of strains with high and poor immunogenicity to mice of the F1 (CBA X C57B1) line led to the development of acute influenza infection accompanied by reproduction of viruses in the tissue of the lungs and other internal organs. The poorly immunogenic strain 5/II-Victoria, unlike the initial virus A/Victoria/35 and its highly immunogenic variant 2/I-Victoria, is able to circulate for a long time in the organism of the infected animal causing development of chronic inflammatory processes and stimulating the formation of neoplasms. Immunogenicity is thus one of the factors determining the character of the course of experimental influenza infection. A conclusion was drawn concerning the epidemiological and aetiological importance of viruses with reduced immunogenicity and their role in the evolution of influenza virus. It is presumed that reduced immunogenicity is one of the adaptation mechanisms of aggression permitting the population of influenza virus to escape control by specific humoral immunity.

The antiglobulin serum (AGS) against spotted fever immunoglobulin of guinea pigs was studied for its effect on the in vitro created immune complex rickettsiae + antibody in experiments using the procedure of laboratory cultivation of Rickettsiae prowazekii according to Weigl. The biological activity of the pathogen is shown to be restored under the action of AGS. This fact may be used for detecting the antigen + antibody complexes in case of the spotted fever and for studying their role in the relapsive forms of the disease.

A factor, making noninvasive shigellae and other bacteria capable of suppressing immunological memory and secondary immune response manifested as delayed hypersensitivity, has been detected in the germ-free filtrates of the broth cultures of invasive S. sonnei.

The fatty acid composition of lipopolysaccharides of the strains of Y. enterocolitica, Y. intermedia, Y. frederiksenii and Y. ruckeri studied during cultivation on meat-peptone agar is characterized by the predominance of 3-hydroxytetradecanoic and dodecanoic acids. Closely related to the mentioned bacteria is the strain of Y. kristensenii which is distinguished only by its higher level of hexadecanoic acid. The strains of Y. pseudotuberculosis and the vaccine strain of Y. pestis have a uniform fatty acid composition of lipopolysaccharides with predominance of 3-hydroxytetradecanoic acid. Their relatively low level of dodecanoic acid conditions the characteristic fatty acid spectrum of lipopolysaccharides which differs from that of the above mentioned group of Yersinia. The peculiarities of the fatty acid composition of lipopolysaccharides of both groups of Yersinia are preserved during growth on meat-peptone broth, but the increase in the level of hexadecanoic acid balances the differences between Y. kristensenii, the other Y. enterocolitica-like bacteria and Y. ruckeri. The obtained results confirm close relationship of Y. pseudotuberculosis and Y. pestis, and also of Y. enterocolitica and Y. enterocolitica-like bacteria, showing propinquity of Y. ruckeri to the latter.