[Identification of Corynebacterium diphtheria biovar belfanti among circulating C. diphtheriae strains in Ukraine].

The biochemical test of the reduction of nitrates to nitrites made it possible to identify 5.2% of strains belonging to biovar belfanti among 135 C. diphtheriae strains, initially classified within biovar mitis.

[Microbiological monitoring of the microbic strain stability to antibacterial preparations in surgical in-patient clinics].

While performing of microbiological monitoring, conducted in surgical stationaries of Dnepropetrovsk, of 775 cultures, isolated during one year from patients and outer space, the S. aureus cultures were revealed, resistant to methicillin were 23.6%, to gentamycin 12.

[Variants in the immune response to revaccination with diphtheria anatoxin in adults].

The immunological effectiveness of the revaccination (made in two injections) of 488 adults aged 18-67 years with diphtheria-tetanus toxoid is discussed; the parallel study of the results of this revaccination was carried out in the diphtheria toxin neutralization test on Vero cells and in the passive hemagglutination (PHA) test. The specific features of the dynamics of the increase of diphtheria antitoxic antibodies, depending on the initial immunity level, the age and the sex of revaccinated persons, were determined. Among persons with the low level of circulating antibodies before revaccination four variants of immune response to the injection of diphtheria toxoid were registered: variant 1--rapid reaction like in secondary immune response (53.

[Diphtheroids and nontoxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae in the etiology of diphtheria].

The review raises a problem of cooperation between a laboratory and clinics for diphtheria diagnosis. According to scientific literature nontoxigenic diphtheroids cause different nosocomial infections of immunocompromised patients. Nontoxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae may cause such systemic infections as septic arthritis and endocarditis in people belonging to unsecured strata of the society.

[Diagnostic problems in diphtheria infection].

The problem of diagnosis of diphtherial infection has come to acquire especially significance at the present stage because here in Ukraine we have no legitimate standard procedure for identification of a case of diphtheria and because interpretation of results of bacteriological and serological studies in patients who might have diphtheria is often faulty. The diagnosis of atypical cases of mild localized diphtheria in the vaccinated subjects relies on the presence of chronic ENT-affections and a history of predisposition to sore throat. It is necessary that parallel culturing be done of smears obtained from the nasopharynx for diphtheria and pathogen microflora in order that no possibility of angina of other microbe etiology might be entertained.