Relevance. The vaccine against the SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus is considered as the most promising approach to curb (tame) a current pandemic and prevent new one. Three vaccines (AstraZeneca’s СhAdOx1 nCov-19, CanSino’s vaccine and Russia’s Sputnik V one) are in Phase III clinical trials and have the S protein as immunogen but different adenovirus vectors. It is known adverse neurological events associated with the СhAdOx1 nCov-19 vacсine.

Aim is to investigate the distribution of homologous sequences of adenovirus proteins in human nervous and immune systems proteins, estimate potential risks of using adenovirus vectors in vaccines and discuss possible mechanisms inducing immune damage in the nervous system.

Materials and methods. For the computer analysis of peptide (immune epitope) relationship between adenovirus structural proteins and human proteins, the search of homologous sequences was made. All protein sequences were used from databases available on the INTERNET.

Results. Among adenoviruses (НАд5, НАд26 , ChАдY25, and SAd3) ChАдY25 has the highest content of sequences homologous to human nervous system proteins that may be the cause of autoimmune complications in vaccination.

Conclusion: In AstraZeneca’s СhAdOx1 nCov-19 vaccine there are a large number of peptide sequences homologous to human nervous system proteins and it allows to predict the possible risks with this vaccine.

Relevance. The relevance of protection against SARS-Cov-19 by means of BCG vaccination is important not only with respect to coronavirus infections. That issue should be considered in light of overall biological and immunological pillars (innate immunity system).

Aims. To consider the role of the lipid components and certain vaccines in stimulation of the innate immunity system, in particular, in induction of the heterogenous immune response and protection against various pathogens, including Covid-19, based on analysis of known scientific facts.

Conclusions. The relevant database has been analyzed (51 scientific publications), including studies with application of various methods from immunological tests (in vitro and in vivo) to epidemiological trials. The analysis revealed the meaningful potential of heterogenous protection against various infections by means of BCG immunization, and according to some data, measles vaccine capacity. Simultaneously on the basis of performed analysis, the following issues that so far remained unclear have been identified: what is the duration of heterogenous protection; what is the optimal timing for BCG administration as related to the outbreak period of dangerous infection for the sake of decrease of its harm. The analyzed materials of that review substantiate the rationale for further continuation of the scientific studies and possibility for application of already accumulated data in order to protect, primarily the risk groups, against dangerous infections, especially in the timeframe when no relevant vaccines are available. Besides, the conducted review serves as the leverage for expected development of the new preventive medicine dimension – the systemic vaccine prophylaxis.

Relevance. Population migration can play a crucial role in the spread of invasive strains of meningococcus, initiating outbreaks of meningococcal infection, and changing the incidence at the local level.

Aim. To assess the prevalence of meningococcal carriage among migrants arriving in Moscow and to characterize the antigenic and genetic properties of carrier strains of meningococcus.

Materials and methods. The study was conducted in March 2020 at the bases of the Multifunctional Migration Center of Moscow and the Federal Budget Institution of Science «Central Research Institute of Epidemiology». Samples of nasopharyngeal mucus were collected from 352 people. Nasopharyngeal strains of meningococcus were identified and identified using microbiological, serological, and molecular biological methods.

Results. The overall level of the carriage was 5.7%. Of the twenty selected strains, 10 have a serogroup defined: Y – 5 strains, W - 3, A, and B – 1 each. The obtained genetic and antigenic characteristics do not allow talking about the import into the RF of representatives of known hypervirulent clonal complexes. In this study, strains were identified that are part of the clonal complex ST-175 complex, which has not been previously described in the Russian Federation.

Conclusion. It seems promising to continue the dynamic monitoring of carriage of meningococcus in various groups, including among people entering the country to obtain a migration patent, as well as identifying risk factors for acquiring carriage. The data obtained will supplement current information on the incidence of the generalized form of meningococcal infection and will be crucial for determining the epidemiology at the country level, the population groups responsible for the transmission of the disease, and the need for targeted vaccination.

Relevance. The problem of purulent postoperative septic infection (the hospital acquired infection or HAI) is still one of the main cause of fatal outcomes of patients in cardiac hospitals, which demands significant material costs. The aim of the work is to evaluate the intensity of the epidemic process and risk factors for HAI among adults after various types of open heart surgery.

Materials and methods. The study of medical records of 1540 patients over 18 years old, who underwent open heart surgery for the purpose of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), prosthetics of valves and elimination of aortic defects, was held. Typical and donozological forms of HAI were taken into account in accordance with the epidemiological standard definition of cases.

Results. The incidence rates of typical and donozological forms of HAI in average was 39.6 and 72.7 per 1000 operations. The maximum incidence of HAI was detected after aortic surgery due to urinary tract infection (UTI) and hospital-acquired pneumonia.

Conclusions. It was found that the increased incidence of UTI and hospital-acquired pneumonia after aortic surgery is contingent on a longer cardiosurgical operations and, accordingly, a longer stay of patients in the Department of anesthesia and resuscitation, accompanied by artificial ventilation and catheterization of the bladder, than in other cardiac operations

Relevance. According to expert estimates, tens of thousands of people die every year from rabies infection, mainly in Asia and Africa, for whom the main source of transmission of the virus is dogs.

The purpose of the work is to establish the epidemiological characteristics of rabies infection in Belarus from 2013 to 2018 in the absence of cases of rabies among the population. Materials and methods. A retrospective epidemiological analysis of treatment demand for anti-rabies medical care (ARMС), analysis of data on an epizootic situation was applied.

Results and discussion. The population treatment demand for ARMС ranged from 209.6⁰/₀₀₀₀ to 227.2⁰/₀₀₀₀ and was characterized by higher rates 1.6–1.7 times (P ≤ 0.05) among people under the age of 18. The results of monitoring the epizootic situation of rabies revealed that among all wild animals the proportion of «fox» rabies was 80.7%, while 94.4% of the patients were injured by dogs and cats. In 2018 has increased in 3.3 times (P ≤ 0.02) the frequency of treatment persons with the 3rd damage category and in 1.6 increase (P ≤ 0.05) in the proportion of rabies of farm animals in the structure of the reasons for applying for ARMС in comparison with 2013.

Conclusion. In Belarus, the relevance of the problem of rabies infection is determined by the activity of the epizootic process, the consistently high treatment demand for ARMС, the events of contacts of the population, including mass, with rabies animals, the annual increase in the frequency of registration of the 3rd category of damage, as well as refusals of immunization and spontaneous interruption of preventive immunization by patients.

Relevance The World Health Organization has provided a list of resistant bacteria that pose the greatest threat to society. Among them, the most important (critically high priority level) are Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii strains resistant to carbapenems, as well as enterobacteriaceae producing extended spectrum beta-lactamases and carbapenemases.

Aim. To conduct a comparative analysis of the sensitivity to chlorhexidine of multiply-resistant gram-negative bacteria, the causative agents of infectious conditions in patients of various medical organizations, and to study the relationship between the presence of resistance genes and the minimum inhibitory concentration of chlorhexidine.

Materials & methods. The study included 138 Gram-negative multidrug-resistant strains isolated during 2018–2019 from various clinical specimens. Susceptibility of the isolates to antibiotics were determined using Vitek-2 compact and Phoenix М50, susceptibility to chlorhexidine were determined by agar dilution method. The resistance genes were detected by the real-time PCR method.

Results. The lowest level of resistance to chlorhexidine was determined in E. coli strains (MIC90 16 mg/l), other strains were highly resistant: MIC90 of P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii – 128 mg/l, K. pneumoniae, E. cloacae и P. mirabilis – 256 mg/l. The highest frequency of detection of carbapenemase genes observed in K. pneumoniae strains – 56.0% and P. aeruginosa – 48.1%. High prevalence of cepA gene was found out (the strains of enterobacteria – 47.8%, A. baumannii – 42.9%), genes qacE, qacEΔ1 were more often detected in non-fermenting Gram-negative bacteria then in enterobacteria. Conclusion. According to the results of our study, we did not reveal a significant correlation between the presence or absence of resistance genes and MIC of chlorhexidine in Gram-negative bacteria. However, taking into account complex mechanism of the adaptive response of bacteria to the effects of chlorhexidine, and to implement the concept of preventing health care-associated infections, it is proposed to continue dynamic monitoring of the resistance of microorganisms to antiseptics, disinfectants and antibiotics.

Aim. To study the relationship of the incidence of infectious and non-infectious diseases of the digestive system.

Materials and methods. A retrospective epidemiological analysis of the incidence of the population of the Russian Federation by diseases of the digestive system of an infectious and non-infectious nature for the period of 2002-2019. The data were sampled from state statistics forms No. 2, No. 23; determining the relationships between these disease groups using Pearson correlation methods and linear regression. A case-control study by questioning a sample of 107 people.

Results. A parallel increase in the incidence of diseases of the digestive system of a non-infectious and infectious nature is observed. The most pronounced increase is in the incidence of viral infections. Strong correlation exists between rotavirus infection and diseases of the liver, pancreas, intestines; between norovirus infection and diseases of the liver, pancreas; enterovirus infection and pancreatic disease; as well as hepatitis A and gallbladder diseases. Patients suffering from chronic non-infectious diseases of the digestive system, with a reliably high chance, often suffer from acute intestinal infections, rotavirus infection, hepatitis A, and are also better aware of their etiology than those who do not have such diseases.

Conclusion. Prevention of infectious diseases of the digestive system will reduce the incidence of noncommunicable diseases associated with them.

Background. The existence of antropogenic foci of Ixodid tick-borne infections (TBI) have been registered on the territory of many cities during several last decades. The infected ticks’ biting occurs directly in urban conditions. There is a lot of publications devoted to ticks and their hosts studying in the urbanized landscapes, but much less data concerning human infecting after tick bite in these conditions.

Аim – the comparative analysis of the cases of human infecting with TBI within the city limits and beyond, and determination the sites of infection risk on the territory of Irkutsk.

Material and methods. The epidemiological investigation cases records from Irkutsk Regional Center for Hygiene and Epidemiological Surveillance have been analyzed: tick-borne encephalitis (TBE, n = 1607), ixodid tick-borne borrelioses (ITBB, n = 938) dated 1995–2019 and tick-borne rickettsiosis (TBR. n = 270) dated 2001–2019. Statistical analysis was computed in Microsoft Excel Software. The map of infecting sites is made in ArcGis Soft (ESRI, USA).

Results. According to the patients reports, 281 of all registered TBI cases during period under the review, occurred within the city limits. There were 115 TBE cases (7.2% of all TBE cases registered among Irkutsk citizens), 139 ITBB (14.8%) and 27 TBR (10.0%). 86.5% of the patients associate their disease with tick bite. There are no valid linear trends in the dynamics of TBE and ITBB from 2001 (with available information on all three infections) up to the end of period under the review, but significant growth trend in TBR incidence. The groups of patients, infected within and beyond the city limits, differ in some ecological and demographical parameters and also in structure of TBI morbidity. Tree area groups with different risk level for TBI contracting have been determined in the city.

Conclusion. Judging by the fact that TBI occurs annually on the territory of the city, it is likely that there are perennial anthropogenic foci within its boundaries, which must be identified and studied all of their components.

Background. The influenza vaccination coverage has steadily increased in the Russian Federation. The introduction of new domestic influenza vaccines into practice and the study of their effectiveness are of great importance for public health. However, a systematic analysis of the effectiveness of vaccines manufactured and used in Russia in recent years has not been performed. The aim ofthe study was to assess the epidemiological effectiveness of three domestic influenza vaccines in St. Petersburg during the 2018–2019 epidemic season.

Material and methods. The organized community of 1892 young students aged 18 to 23 years has been under supervision during the period of time from October 2018 to March 2019. Influenza vaccines Grippol Plus, Sovigripp, and Ultrix were used for vaccination.

Results and discussion. Prophylactic vaccination with influenza vaccines Sovigripp, Grippol Plus and Ultrix in the fall of 2018 led to a decrease in the incidence of influenza and other acute respiratory infections (ARI) by a total of 1.6–3.8 times; a decrease in the incidence of influenza by 2.7–7.1 times; the total protective efficacy of vaccines against influenza and ARI was 52.4%, and against influenza, taking into account laboratory correction, 73.3%.

Conclusions. Under the conditions of the viruses circulating in Russia and in St. Petersburg in the 2018–2019 epidemic season the strains introduced into the composition of influenza vaccines, domestic influenza vaccines were characterized by good tolerance, were safe, areactogenic and had a pronounced protective effect. If the viruses circulating in Russia and in St. Petersburg in the 2018–2019 epidemic season corresponded to the strains introduced into the composition of influenza vaccines, domestic influenza vaccines, showing good tolerance, safety and low reactogenicity, had a pronounced protective effect.

Relevance. To address the issue of including vaccines against meningococcal infection (MI) in the Russian National Immunization Schedule (NIS), convincing arguments must be presented that demonstrate not only epidemiological, but also economic benefits.

Aim of this study was conducted to confirm them.

Materials & methods. For calculating epidemiological consequences, a dynamic predictive simulation model was constructed to compare the potential epidemiological burden of the disease in the current vaccination scenario (no MI vaccination in the NIS) and a new scenario involving vaccination of children aged 9 and 12 months with the MenACWY-d vaccine. The epidemiological outlook for meningococcal infection was assessed based on the dynamics of the main indicators of its prevalence in the General population that developed in previous years, taking into account the impact of double vaccination of children at 9 and 12 months on the survival period of each age cohort vaccinated in 2019–2034. The aim is to assess the predicted socio-economic consequences for different scenarios: while maintaining the current vaccination algorithm and including in the NIS vaccination against MI of all children aged 9 and 12 months using mathematical modeling.

Results and discussion. The greatest impact on reducing the number of clinical cases of the disease will be achieved in the age cohorts 0–1 years (-89%), 1–2 years (-84.5%), 3–6 years (-73.6%). Model calculations show that due to double vaccination of children under one year of age, 571 deaths can be expected to be prevented by 2034, which is equivalent to a reduction in losses of 40,509 years of life ahead and a social gain of 104.7 billion rubles in the monetary equivalent of the cost of these years (cumulative total). At the same time, taking into account the prevented cases of the disease, the total monetary equivalent of the benefits of society will begin to exceed the cost of vaccination earlier than in four years.

Conclusions thus, even an underestimated estimate of benefits that does not take into account the total amount of damage prevented (prevention of 571 deaths, loss of 40,509 years of life and 104.7 billion rubles in monetary terms of the cost of years of life to come), indicates the obvious importance of expanding the NIS and including vaccination of children aged 9 and 12 months from meningococcal infection.

The urgency of the problem of herpes zoster (shingles) consists in its wide distribution in the world, high incidence rates in a significant part of the subjects of the Russian Federation, as well as the severity of complications caused by this infection.

The aim of the study was to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of the incidence of herpes zoster in Russia.

Materials and methods. Epidemiological analysis of the incidence of herpes zoster in the Russian Federation was conducted using official statistics.

Results and discussion. In 2019, in a number of administrative divisions of the Russian Federation, there was a poor epidemic situation associated with the incidence of herpes zoster. In some regions, the incidence rates were significantly higher than the national average, and the elderly were the most vulnerable. It turned out that the existing methods of prevention of herpes zoster, aimed mainly at promoting a healthy lifestyle and hygienic education of the population, do not bring the desired results, and the incidence of herpes zoster (secondary VZV infection) remains high.

Conclusions. The analysis of the incidence of herpes zoster during the reporting period demonstrates the need for constant statistical accounting of the spread of this infection on the territory of Russia, actualizes the conduct of full-fledged epidemiological surveillance and the organization of a system of preventive measures, which should be based on the development, production and practical application of a domestic vaccine against herpes zoster.

Relevance. In perinatal centres problems of timely vaccination of newborns arise more often than in maternity hospitals, as vaccinations against viral hepatitis B and tuberculosis in accordance with the National Calendar are carried out in an early neonatal period and in time coincide with the stage of treatment and rehabilitation of the newborn, which implies medical withdrawal from vaccination. Vaccination of newborns from high perinatal risk groups is one of the problems of modern vaccinology and immunology.

Aims. On the basis of clinical and immunological characteristics of postnatal babies from mothers with gestational diabetes and fetoplacental insufficiency justify the necessity and safety of their vaccination in the maternity hospital of the perinatal center.

Materials & Methods. A cohort retrospective case-control study was conducted, and 135 birth and developmental history and newborn disease were analyzed. Statistical processing was carried out package «Statistica».

Results. The main nosological forms of pathology in maternity mothers and their newborn children, the volume of primary vaccination (against viral hepatitis B, tuberculosis) in maternity hospital in children with perinatal pathology and healthy newborns have been determined, and the reasons for medical contraindications to vaccinations against viral hepatitis B and tuberculosis have been established.

Conclusions. Newborns from high perinatal risk groups can be vaccinated against viral hepatitis B and tuberculosis in the maternity hospital within the time frame specified by the National Calendar of Preventive Vaccinations. In addressing this issue, the fundamental criteria are to assess the clinical condition of newborns from women with gestational diabetes and fetoplacental insufficiency. Changes in immunological values of umbilical cord blood and in children of 1 month of life are not a criterion for medical withdrawal from vaccinations against viral hepatitis B and tuberculosis.

Relevance. Polysaccharide vaccine quality assessment must, on the one hand, comply with modern domestic and international regulatory documents, and on the other hand, reflect the characteristics of newly developed drugs. The list of drugs registered on the Russian market is constantly expanding due to the development of new effective vaccines and the introduction of new production sites. Thus, the expert requirements for assessing the quality of these drugs and the information content of the documents submitted as part of the registration dossier need to be updated.

Aims. The aim is to update the expert assessment of quality in preclinical and clinical studies of polysaccharide vaccines, as well as to revise the evaluation of quality parameters depending on the composition and structure of the finished product.

Conclusions. We highlight the key problematic aspects of assessing the protective properties of purified polysaccharides: in particular, the problems related to the natural immunity of animals to diseases caused by bacterial species that are relevant to humans and, as a result, the lack of an adequate experimental model. Modern trends in the characterization and subsequent confirmation of the structure authenticity of purified and conjugated polysaccharides are taken into account. An analysis of the latest international and domestic pharmacopoeial requirements for the quality of polysaccharide vaccines is carried out. The disadvantages of selected methodological approaches to the evaluation of quality parameters such as «Identification» and «Molecular mass distribution» are noted. It is shown that it is necessary to generate recommendations for the examination of polysaccharide vaccines which would unify the recommendations for completing registration dossiers and forming specification files by taking into account each individual peculiarity of this type of drugs.

 Relevance. For over 30 years, ultraviolet bactericidal radiation has been widely used to disinfect water, air and surfaces. Currently, UV technologies are being dynamically introduced into various spheres of the national economy – industry, medicine, utilities, energy, transport, agriculture, etc.

Aims of this message to present the possibilities of UV radiation for the disinfection of water, air, and surfaces.

Conclusions. The task of disinfecting natural and waste waters was the driver of the development of UV technologies in the last 30 years. The scale of this task forced the world's leading institutions and lighting companies to raise the development and production of UV radiation sources (UV lamps) to a new level. In recent years, is in the usage of UV radiation for disinfection of air and air conditioning systems of buildings as a whole. Global migrations and communications of the population around the planet have aggravated the situation with the spread of infectious diseases transmitted by airborne droplets. In last decades, epidemics have ceased to be a local territorial phenomenon. A prime example is the current global COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. In medicine, the highest requirements are imposed on the disinfection of air and surfaces with a high degree of disinfection. To solve this problem, it is necessary to pay special attention to modern developments in the application of UV technologies, taking into account the effective UV doses in relation to various types of microorganisms.