Vol 71, No 3 (2026)

The global virome (virosphere; unformal domain Viraea) has evolved over at least three billion years through continuous co-evolution with the major domains of life, including Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. All viral pathogens known to cause human infectious diseases are of zoonotic origin, having entered human populations at different stages of human evolution and societal development. This process remains ongoing today.

The global virome constitutes an immense reservoir of viruses with pandemic potential. Continuous shaping of viral population gene pools under environmental selective pressures drives the emergence of novel human infections. Certain zoonotic viruses have adapted to sustained human-to-human transmission, becoming anthroponotic or zooanthroponotic pathogens, whereas others remain primarily zoonotic. To date, more than 500 viruses (representing over 180 species) have been identified as causative agents of human infectious diseases. Collectively, viral infections affect nearly the entire global population annually: acute intestinal viral infections account for approximately 6 billion cases, acute respiratory viral infections for 1–5 billion cases, vector-borne viral fevers for 450 million cases, parenterally transmitted viral hepatitis for 3 million new cases, and HIV infection for 1.5 million new cases, resulting in an estimated 10–15 million deaths annually, excluding long-term sequelae.

Viruses transmitted via the aerosol route periodically give rise to pandemics associated with millions of deaths. At the time of emergence, humanity is typically unprepared, lacking effective means for prevention and treatment. The annual economic burden attributable to major viral infections–including HIV, parenteral viral hepatitis, and influenza–is estimated at hundreds of billions to trillions of U.S. dollars, while the COVID-19 pandemic alone inflicted global economic losses estimated at USD 8.8 trillion, with long-term consequences projected to reach USD 16 trillion (roughly 10–15% of annual global economic output). Persistent, centuries-long pandemics caused by herpesviruses, papillomaviruses, polyomaviruses, and parvoviruses are associated with oncogenesis and a broad spectrum of systemic diseases, for which preventive and therapeutic options remain limited.

Ensuring biological security requires continuous genomic surveillance of the virome across both natural and anthropogenically altered ecosystems. Such surveillance will improve the capacity to predict pandemic emergence and inform strategic approaches to prevention, including vaccine development, as well as antiviral therapies targeting multiple stages of viral life cycle. Fundamental research into virus–host interactions and the pathogenesis of viral infections remains essential for advancing preparedness against current and future viral threats.

Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are microorganisms capable of replicating in host cells only in the presence of a helper virus. Despite their defective nature, they exhibit broad tropism for various organs and have a ubiquitous distribution. There are no definitive data on the effects of these viruses on the human body under conditions of natural infection. For a long time, AAVs were considered nonpathogenic, even in immunocompromised individuals, which led to their use as vectors in gene therapy. Currently, evidence exists for both neutral interactions between AAVs and the human host, as well as for pathogenic and protective roles of these viruses. A growing body of evidence describes the involvement of AAVs in the oncogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma, the development of hepatitis, including cases associated with gene therapy, and an increased risk of male infertility, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and spontaneous abortions. At the same time, beneficial effects on human health have also been reported, including the prevention of cervical cancer through suppression of human papillomavirus replication.

The aim of this review is to presents data on the diverse effects of AAVs on human health, with a focus on the natural history of AAV infection.

Introduction. Chronic active herpesvirus infection (CA-HVI) caused by reactivation of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) is widespread and accompanied by the development of asthenic syndrome leading to disability in patients of working age. Data on the immunological and clinical features of this condition are fragmented and require systematization. The aim of the work is to identify the features of the immune status and clinical picture of asthenic syndrome in patients with HA-GVI based on a systematic analysis of domestic and foreign publications from 2011 to 2024.

Materials and methods. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, RSCI and eLibrary.ru databases for the period 2011–2024 using inclusion criteria (original studies and systematic reviews on immunological and clinical aspects of asthenic syndrome in adults with laboratory-confirmed active herpesvirus replication) and exclusion criteria (acute primary infection, pediatric populations, animal experimental studies). 20 sources (12 domestic and 8 international) were included in the final analysis.

Results. Patients with asthenic syndrome in CA-HVI exhibit a consistent set of immunological abnormalities: quantitative and functional deficiency of CD8⁺ T-lymphocytes and natural killer cells (CD16⁺/CD56⁺), reduced production of type I interferons, elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8) without adequate compensatory increase in anti-inflammatory factors (IL-4, IL-10, IL-1 receptor antagonist). Mixed EBV and HHV-6 infection is associated with more severe clinical course, higher frequency of cognitive impairment (87.4% vs. 38.8% in mono-infection) and more pronounced immunological changes.

Conclusion. Asthenic syndrome in CA-HVI represents an independent neuroimmunological disease with a stable set of clinical and immunological features. Combined reactivation of EBV and HHV-6 is an independent prognostically unfavourable factor, which determines the necessity of molecular biological (PCR) confirmation of infection activity in diagnosis.

Background. Bats are a natural reservoir for various viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Bat cell cultures are used to study the cellular tropism of zoonotic viruses, which helps determine the range of hosts and their possible origin.

The aim of the study is to assess the sensitivity of the bat kidney cell primary culture of Murina hilgendorfi to infection by different genetic variants of SARS-CoV-2.

Materials and methods. To study the tropism of coronaviruses, a primary culture of M. hilgendorfi bat kidney cells was prepared and infected with strains of different SARS-CoV-2 genetic variants from the Collection of Pathogenic Microorganisms of the G.P. Somov Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology of Rospotrebnadzor (Wuhan, Delta, and Omicron). Vero-E6 cells were used as a positive control. The effectiveness of viral replication was assessed in dynamics by cytopathogenic effect (CPE) and RT-qPCR in the supernatants of cell cultures, with determination of the threshold cycle (C_t).

Results and discussion. On the 7th day cultivation of the primary culture of the bat kidney cells, a heterogeneous monolayer of cells with 70–80% confluency was formed. The monolayer was represented by fibroblast-like and epithelial-like cells. After infecting a culture of bat kidney cells with different SARS-CoV-2 genetic variants, the virus’s CPE was already evident at the initial time points and increased over the period of observation. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in the supernatant of bat kidney cell lysate on the 2nd day after infection, by the 6th day, the C_t values in RT-qPCR decreased for all three genetic variants. This indicates that coronaviruses replicate in bat kidney cells. The reproduction of coronaviruses in the kidney cells of M. hilgendorfi indicates the possibility of virus carriage by representatives of this species, as well as their potential participation in the epidemic process as carriers of viruses. This, in turn, allows us to talk about the role of bats in the formation of natural reservoirs of coronavirus infection.

Conclusions. The primary culture of kidney cells of M. hilgendorfi was obtained for the first time. This culture is susceptible to strains of different SARS-CoV-2 genetic variants (Wuhan, Delta, and Omicron), as confirmed by CPE and RT-qPCR. According to the results of the RT-qPCR analysis, no differences in sensitivity were observed between the three genetic variants.

Introduction. Infection of canids with canine parvovirus (CPV), especially in puppies, leads to serious damage to the gastrointestinal tract in a short period of time, up to a fatal outcome. In this regard, early and rapid diagnosis is crucial for initiating therapy and preventing the spread of infection. In this connection, immunochromatographic analysis (ICA) is the preferred method because it allows rapid detection of virus infection. In addition, this method is highly specific and does not require complex laboratory equipment, which greatly simplifies its use in comparison with other common methods for detecting canine parvovirus.

The aim of this study is the development of an ICA test system for the detection of the VP2 protein of canine parvovirus.

Materials and methods. Monoclonal antibodies to the recombinant VP2 protein of canine parvovirus were obtained using hybridomic technology. Colloidal gold is synthesized by the citrate method.

Results. Monoclonal antibodies (MABs) against the VP2 protein of canine parvovirus were obtained and characterized, colloidal gold (AuNPs) was synthesized, the conditions for conjugation of MABs with AuNPs were selected, and the optimal ratios of the components of the test system were determined. The visual limit detection (vLOD) was 1.56 ng/mL. The developed ICA test system has shown high diagnostic efficiency in model experiments with a known concentration of VP2, as well as in sick animals with a confirmed diagnosis.

Conclusion. An ICA test system has been developed to determine the VP2 protein of canine parvovirus. The resulting test system can be used as a fast and effective diagnostic tool for detecting CVP in the canine clinical specimens.

Introduction. 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of Russia's oldest scientific journal of virology, «Problems of Virology» («Voprosy Virology»). This article attempts to reconstruct the history of the appearance of this journal, as well as to analyze the features of the first years of publication of the only virological periodical in the country at that time. The purpose of the work is to reconstruct the history of the appearance of the Russian scientific journal «Problems of Virology» in the mid–1950s and its functioning in the early years of its existence.

Materials and methods. The study was based on the analysis of unpublished and published sources. The first group includes materials from the Scientific Council of the D.I. Ivanovsky Institute of Virology of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences addressed to M.A. Suslov, a member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, which were identified in the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's office files in the Russian State Archive of Contemporary History. The published sources include issues of the journal «Voprosy Virusologii» from 1956 to 1957.

Results. The appearance of the Soviet scientific journal «Problems of Virology» was associated with the initiative of the staff of the Institute of Virology of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences named after D.I. Ivanovsky, expressed in an appeal in 1955 by the leadership of the institution directly to a member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU M.A. Suslov. Thanks to this appeal, the authorities made a positive decision, and since 1956, the country's first virological journal, Problems of Virology, has been published in the Soviet Union under the auspices of the USSR Ministry of Health. In 1956–1957, the main sections of the printed publication were established, and the features of the magazine's content and format were regulated. The first editor-in-chief V.M. Zhdanov, who led the publication from 1956 to 1987, played a significant role in the magazine's development.

Conclusion. The publication of the journal «Problems of Virology» in 1956 marked a significant milestone in the development of Soviet virology, serving as the primary platform for publishing research findings by both domestic and international scientists, facilitating scientific discussions, and facilitating the exchange of knowledge and expertise among virology institutions.