[Paralytic poliomyelitis in Russian Federation in 1998-2005].

From 1998 through 2005 3,294 cases of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) including 93 cases with clinical picture of poliomyelitis were registered in Russian Federation. From the latter cases 91 were classified as vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis (VAPP): 66 were VAPP cases in oral poliomyelitis vaccine (OPV) recipients and 25--VAPP cases in contacts. VAPP rate was 1 case per 1.

[Epidemic outbreak of meningitis and meningoencephalitis, caused by West Nile virus, in the Krasnodar territory and Volgograd region (preliminary report)].

Sera from 102 inpatients from the Volgograd region (64) and Krasnodar region (38) were tested for antibodies to West Nile (WN) virus in hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test and for IgM and IgG antibodies in enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Diseases etiologically associated with WN virus were diagnosed in 81 patients: in 50 out of 64 in the Volgograd region and in 31 out of 38 in the Krasnodar region, which makes 79.4%.

[Japanese encephalitis in citizens of Russia who travel abroad].

Typical and atypical forms of Japanese encephalitis (JE) in the Russians visiting Asian countries endemic for JE are described. A patient who contracted the disease in China developed 5 months after returning to Russia acute meningoencephalitis with mental disorders and a lethal outcome on day 5 with bulbar symptoms. JE virus (strain SP-69) was isolated from his brain.

[The isolation of measles virus strains and the study of their hemagglutinating activity].

Three measles strains Gag, Il, and Buk, were isolated from a suspension of mononuclear cells derived from measles patients in the active stage of the disease. Continuous Vero cell cultures were used for virus isolation. In the infected cell culture, all the isolates produced symplasts of different sizes and star-shaped or spindle-shaped multinuclear cells.

[Acyclovir in the treatment of severe generalized forms of herpes zoster].

Aciclovir administration in 8 herpes zoster patients aged 14-74 to manage resistant generalized herpetic eruption, serous meningitis, meningoencephalitis resulted in a pronounced response in 5 of them. Aciclovir has the advantage of its effectiveness in spite of late treatment (on herpes zoster day 6-22). This is particularly important for those forms of the disease which manifest severe symptoms during the second phase, i.