Vol 55, No 2 (2010)

Segment NS in all human influenza A viruses and in the part of avian and animal ones was found to contain an additional (beside NS1 and NEP) long open reading frame (ORF) enabling to code a polypeptide of 18-26 kD in different strains. This ORF, in contrast to the NS1 and NEP, locates in positive sense orientation in the negative polarity genomic NS RNA segment and the encoded protein is referred NSP (Negative Strand Protein). Here, the NSP gene of human influenza A/WSN/33 (H1N1) virus was inserted into genomic DNA of baculovirus (insect nuclear polyhedrosis virus) and insect H5 cells (ovary cell line of Trichoplusia ni) were infected with the obtained chimeric virus. The NSP gene appeared to express 19 kD polypeptide which was intracellularly stable and accumulated predominantly in the cytoplasm of infected H5 cells. These data indicate that the NSP gene possesses sense sequence which is able to direct a physiological synthesis of stable protein in eukaryotic cells.

The paper demonstrates it possible to work out a phosphorescence analysis (PHOSPHAN) microplate technology-based microarray for concurrently examining human sera and detection of their specific IgG antibodies against two heterological West Nile and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever viruses. The sensitivity and specificity of the microarray were comparable with those of enzyme immunoassay with separate sample testing. The advantages of PHOSPHAN were associated with the microplate format of an immunoassay and its enhanced multiplexity, which may contribute to the lower cost of clinical sample testing.

The peripheral blood counts of CD4+, CD8+, and CD4/CD8 in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 subtype A-infected patients were comparatively analyzed with the data of a genetic study of the pol gene. Thirty peripheral blood samples from antiretroviral-naїve patients with grade 3 (sublinical) HIV infection were analyzed. According to the presence or absence of mutations V77I in protease and/or A62V in reverse transcriptase, the patients were divided into 2 study groups. The genetic analysis of the groups indicated that 19.5% of the study samples had no mutations; 75% contained one or both mutations, of them 36% contained both mutations. Immunological study showed that the median CD4+, CD8+, and CD4/CD8 in the patients infected with virus variants containing mutations V77I and/or A62V were increased by 25, 20, and 16%, respectively. The findings suggest that these mutations may be associated with an immune response in HIV-infected patients.

In 2007-2008, the Perm Territorial Center for Prevention and Control of AIDS and Communicable Diseases investigated the efficacy of the Russian antiretrovirus drug Nikavir used in various chemoprevention (CP) regimens for perinatal HIV infection, by analyzing epidemiological findings and the results of the clinical and laboratory studies of patients. The study covered 38 HIV-infected pregnant women aged 18-32 years and their 38 born babies. From 23-32 weeks gestation to labor, the women started receiving CP using Nikavir in combination with epivir (Group 1; n = 20) and highly active antiretrovirus therapy, including Nikavir with epivir and viramune or kaletra (Group 2; n = 18). During the investigation, the viral burden (VB) and the count of CD4+ lymphocytes were determined and physical examinations were conducted to reveal therapy-induced adverse reactions. Polymerase chain reaction used to test HIV DNA in babies at 1.5 and months of life for early diagnosis of HIV infection. Both CP regimens showed a high efficiency, as suggested by no perinatal infection in the born babies, by a reduction of VB in the HIV-infected women to the undetectable level, and by an increase in the count of CD4+ lymphocytes. No adverse reactions due to the intake of the drugs were recorded.

This paper presents data on the detection of hantavirus in the excretory organs of Apodemus mice which are natural carriers of pathogenic hantaviral serotypes in the Primorye Region. Acute infection periods were detected in naturally infected rodents with the highest hantavirus dissemination to the environment in different phases of rodent population cycles. There was a relationship between the rise of morbidity and the seasonal manifestation of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome morbidity and activity of hantavirus reproduction in the murine excretory organs.

This paper provides the first (as is known from the literature analysis) results of the use of specific egg yolk IgY from immunized hens to prepare immune reagents to tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). The IgY preparations are shown to possess a high specific activity in ELISA and can be used as reference reagents, and also for the construction of ELISA systems to detect TBEV antigen.