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The Bank of Standard Sera created in the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology provide for evaluation the epidemiological situation in any separate territory and in the whole of the country. The collection of certified blood sera is divided according to different territories of the country and makes it possible to obtain the retrospective and operative information on the level of population immunity and the immune structure of the population with respect to different infective agents, and to reveal the susceptible group of the population. The analysis of the unfavorable character of the epidemiological situation in the inspected territory with due consideration of its climato-geographical and anthropogenic environmental, socio-demographic characteristics, the level of population immunity and the immune structure of the population with respect to different infective agents makes it possible to carry out the epidemiological diagnostic (an outbreak, the import of infection, the use of a bacteriological weapon), prognosis and the prophylaxis of diseases, as well as the epidemiological cartography of territory.

The analysis of a large number of diphtheria cases (1326) at the peak of diphtheria morbidity in Russia (1993-1994) revealed that the intensity of antidiphtheria antitoxic immunity was age-dependent with a sharp immunodeficiency in the population aged 35 years and older. As adaptive capacity of the organism decreases, the positive associative links between immunity to diphtheria and the AB0 blood groups become evident. Populations with phenotype B (III) had the largest diphtheria immune stratum at the age of 35 years and over as compared to 3 other phenotypes. The genotypic analysis of serological data may be of practical importance for the detection of the degree of predisposition of humans to infectious diseases.

Polymorphism of the AB0 blood groups, haptoglobin Hp, vitamin-D-binding protein (Gc), transferrin (Tf), alpha 1-antitrypsin (alpha 1-AT) and serum alkaline phosphatase (Pp) was studied in a group of children suffering from rickets (VDDR) and in a adequate control group of healthy individuals of the same sex-age composition. Considerable differences were revealed between the VDDR patients and healthy individuals in frequencies of the PIM1 and PIM2 factors on the alpha 1-AT system, r and p of the AB0 system as well as the Hp. Increase in a portion of one of the homozygotes for the Hp and for the alpha 1-AT system took place at the expense of other homozygote proportion (the latter being decreased). Heterozygotes frequencies remained intact in both compared groups. Atypical combination of phenotypes and gene frequencies was observed in a group of patients in the alpha 1-AT and AB0 systems as compared with usual distribution in European population. Higher frequencies of rare alleles of the loci under study were observed in the VDDR patients, which is partially reflected in increase in heterozygosity level in total within a cogort of patients analysed. Combination of the Hp 1-1 (Hp)--A(AB0)--M2M2 (alpha 1-AT) factors should be considered as unfavourable in rickets prognosis.

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.

Representatives of Klebsiellae tribe (K. pneumoniae, Ent. cloacae, Ent, aerogenes) were isolated in examination of pharyngeal discharge and feces of members of the polar expedition suffering from diarrhea and their contacts; the same microbes were revealed in the antarctic lake which served as the source of drinking water. The mentioned bacteria possessed typical cultural and morphological, as well as biochemical properties. K34 serovar was determined in serological identification of Kl. pneumonia. At the same time it was demonstrated that Klebsiella--representatives of Enterobacteriaceae could be facultative psychophils and persist in the external environment under low temperature conditions; entering human organism they could cause diarrhea, i.e. could act as pathogens.

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.

Surgical treatment can lead to the appearance of a purulent staphylococcus infection of endogenous etiology. Endogenous infection originates as a result of the patient's diminished resistance, indicated by an increase in the number of pathogenic staphylococci, the appearance of representatives of the intestinal flora in the oral cavity and on the surface of the skin. No iogenous purulent infection.

Bacteria of Klebsiella genus and psychrophylic microbes affiliated by morphological and biochemical properties to Bac. psychrosaccharolyticus were isolated in bacteriological examination of diarrhea in 8 of 14 participants of the 12th Soviet Antarctic expedition. Psychrophylic bacteria isolated from the human intestinal contents possessed pathogenicity signs, i.e. these microbes liquefied gelatine, produced a cytotoxic action in the cells line Hep-2, and caused death of 50% chick embryos in infection with a dose of 5 X 10(8) bacteria.

Extreme conditions of the Antarctic continent caused adaptive changes in the protein composition of human blood, expressed in the increased level of blood globulin fraction. The detected reduction in the Beta1A-gloubulins in the blood indicated a reduction of the infection immunity level. An increase of blood transferrin content of polar explorers served as a response of the organism to the influence of hypoxic hypoxia.

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.

Surgical trauma of the brain in neurooncological patients is accompanied by acute blood loss, results in a significant suppression of the resistance of the body, thus favouring the development of endogenous infection. The mobilization of the body resistance forces falls behind the growth of the number of pathogens. An active tactics is mandatory for the restoration of the suppressed immune systems by way of specific and nonspecific immunity stimulation.