[The syndromal approach to the diagnosis of toxic food poisonings].

The authors criticize the nosological principle of the diagnosis of toxic infections and believe that in a vast majority of cases such diagnosis must be based on syndromes. The only exceptions are cases of mass outbreaks and hospital infections. The definition of alimentary toxic infection is given, the difficulties of their clinical diagnosis and the ways to overcome these difficulties are indicated.

[The biological properties of Salmonella strains isolated from adult patients at different seasons of the year].

Biological properties of Salmonella strains, isolated in different seasons from patients with the corresponding disease of moderate severity, were compared. Their morphological, biochemical, serologic properties, sensitivity to antibiotics, capacity for synthesizing O-antigen, as well as their virulence for experimental animals, have been studied. Seasonal changes in the virulence of Salmonella strains have been established: the strains isolated in autumn have proved to be more virulent than those isolated in winter.

[The capacity of microorganisms in the genus Campylobacter for mobile growth].

The capacity of Campylobacter for mobile was studied on the cultures of 5 reference strains and 153 newly isolated strains of clinical origin, used as an experimental model. The study revealed that the capacity of Campylobacter for mobile growth was best manifested in cases of its cultivation in nutrient media based on tryptose agar with the density of 0.35% at 37 degrees C in the usual atmosphere: under these conditions the capacity for mobile growth was exhibited by 92.

[A method of isolating hemocultures of the causative agent of abdominal typhus and other salmonellae].

The suggested method for the isolation of hemocultures of Salmonellae is based on the inoculation of the patient's blood into special semiliquid medium. After stirring, the medium is poured into Petri dishes. If Salmonellae are present in the blood, characteristic colonies colored black or dark-gray, 5 to 15 mm in diameter, are detectable on the surface of and deep in the medium.

[Biological properties of the causative agents of salmonellosis in young children].

The study of the biological properties of 161 Salmonella strains isolated from the feces and faucial mucus of 121 young children revealed that at the initial period of salmonellosis the occurrence of Salmonella strains in these materials was the same. Salmonella strains sensitive to antibiotics, as well as group C salmonellae, were shown to be capable of causing hospital infections. Statistically significant results revealed that Salmonella strains isolated from the nasopharynx were more virulent than those isolated simultaneously from the feces of the same children.

[Utilization of the swarming phenomenon for the purpose of isolating pure cultures of salmonellae from feces. II].

A comparative study of the efficacy of two methods of isolation of salmonella from feces was conducted; it was shown that the method based on the capacity of these bacteria to swarming on special elective media was more sensitive than the conventional one. The swarming method proved to be less time consuming and less expensive, because two stages of conventional examination--i.e.

[Use of the swarming phenomenon for the purpose of isolating pure cultures of salmonellae from feces. I].

The authors elaborated and tested a number of elective-differential media for swarming of salmonellae. When pure cultures of Proteus, E. coli and salmonellae were seded on these media the latter exeeded the rest of enteric bacteria by the intensity of swarming.

[Use of the passive hemagglutination test for diagnosis of meningococcal infection].

A considerable percentage of patients with meningococcus infection displayed an increase in the actibody titres to meningococcus, group A, detectable in the passive hemagglutination test (PHAT). An increase in the antibody titre was mose frequent in the patients with clinical manifestations of meningococciemia and meningitis. The PHAT can be used as an auxiliary method of diagnosis permitting to establish the meningococcus etiology of the disease in a number of cases.