[Improvement of laboratory diagnostics of cholera due to genetically altered (hybrid) variants of cholera Vibrio biovar El Tor].

Aim: Improvement of laboratory diagnostics of cholera taking into the account appearance of hybrid variants of cholera vibrio El Tor biovar in the 1990s.

Materials And Methods: Phenotypic and molecular-genetic properties of typical toxigenic (151 strains) and hybrid (102 strains) variants of El Tor biovar cholera vibrios, isolated in the Caucuses in 1970-1990 and 1993-1998, respectively, were studied. Toxigenicity gene DNA fragments, inherent to El Tor biovars or classic, were detected by using a reagent kit "Genes of Vibrio cholerae variant ctxB-rstR-rstC, REF" developed by us.

[Effect of intra-abdominal pressure in pregnant women on level of spina block and frequency of hypotension during cesarean section].

Introduction: It is common knowledge that an increase of intra-abdomninal pressure (lAP) causes a decrease in the volume of cerebrospinal fluid in the lumbar and lower thoracic region, which may contribute to the development of more high spinal block. There is currently no research devoted to studying the impact of intra-abdominal pressure in pregnancy on the development of high spinal blockade.

Goal Of The Study: To investigate effects of intra-abdominal pressure in pregnancy on the development of spinal blockade and incidence of hypotension during cesarean section.

[Antibacterial susceptibility/resistance of Vibrio cholerae eltor clinical strains isolated in the Caucasus during the seventh cholera pandemic].

The data on antibacterial susceptibility and resistance of Vibrio cholerae eltor phenotypes with different sets of the susceptibility or resistance markers conditioning the outbreaks and sporadic cases of cholera in the Caucasus within 1970-1998 are presented. An increase of the number of the Vibrio cholerae phenotypes resistant to tetracycline and chloramphenicol usually used in the treatment of cholera was recorded in 1990-1994 vs. 1970-1989.

[Comparative study of the biological properties of various nutrient media used for the isolation of Legionella pneumophila].

Three diagnostic selective media used for the isolation of Legionella pneumophila were compared. These included BCYEAalpha (Oxoid, a reference medium), BCYEAalpha (Hi Media), and elective legionellosis medium (ELM) developed at the Rostov-on-Don Research Institute for Plague Control. The virulent L.