[The etiology of El Tor cholera].

Vibrio cholerae eltor has been shown to exist in two variants: epidemic (V. cholerae eltor Hly-, tox+) and nonepidemic, or endemic (V. cholerae eltor Hly+, tox-); each of these variants determines the corresponding form of manifestation of the infection among the population and requires a differentiated complex of antiepidemic measures, as well as different tactics for the treatment of patients.

[Endogenous intoxication syndrome in critical states in infants. New diagnostic and prognostic possibilities].

New methods for the diagnosis of the endogenous intoxication syndrome (EIS) in critical states have been developed and tried in 585 infants. A complex of biochemical, hemorheological, biophysical, and optic polarization parameters characterizing the intensity of catabolic reactions and united under the term "endotoxicogram" is offered. Objective assessment of EIS is expressed by an integral index of intoxication which permits a universal assessment of the severity of patient's status, disease course, and efficacy of therapy and helps predict the disease outcome.

[The evaluation of the vibriocidal antibody test in establishing a diagnosis of cholera or Vibrio carriage].

On the basis of the serological survey of cholera patients, vibrio carriers and persons having had contacts with the source or reservoir of Vibrio cholerae the conclusion has been made that the test for the presence of vibriocidal antibodies, together with the bacteriological study of the patient, is of diagnostic importance in the diagnosis of cholera or vibrio carriership. The detection of vibriocidal antibodies, especially in the study of paired sera, permits the detection of cholera cases which have not been bacteriologically confirmed due to various reasons; besides, it makes it possible to exclude the diagnosis of cholera made only on the basis of clinical data. Like bacteriological study, the determination of vibriocidal antibodies must be obligatory for persons hospitalized in a provisory hospital or an isolation ward; it will undoubtedly improve the quality of cholera diagnosis and permit taking timely antiepidemic measures in the focus of infection.

[Brucella L-forms, their revertants and initial cultures].

The transformation of Brucella into a relatively stable bacterial L-form leads to a sharp decrease in virulence and the loss of their capacity for agglutination under the action of commercial brucellosis antiserum. When reverting from the L-form, Brucella cells partially restore their virulence and agglutinability. The pronounced restoration of these properties can be observed in revertants from the L-forms, obtained in vivo.