[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.

[Epidemic security of the population of Tyrnyauz in Kabardin-Balkar Republic under the conditions of emergency situation caused by flood].

Materials characterizing the consequences of emergency situation caused by natural type in Tyrnyauz, the Kabardin-Balkar Republic, are presented. As shown in these materials, mud flows from the surrounding mountains resulted in the damage inflicted to the main life-supporting systems of the town: water supply and sewage, power supply, medical institutions and, partially, housing resources. As the result of urgent measures carried out in cooperation with the departments of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, health services and state sanitary and epidemiological surveillance services epidemiological safety could be ensured in the town.