[An HIV prevalence study by means of sentinel epidemiological surveillance among injection narcotic abusers in Saint Petersburg].

The data on the study of the spread of HIV infection among injecting drug users in St. Petersburg, carried out by the method of the random testing of blood remaining in used syringes, are presented. Injecting drug users visiting buses working in accordance with the program "Buses for Assistance to Drug Addicts" were chosen as a study group.

[The use of a method for the quantitative determination of HIV-1 RNA for assessing the severity and prognosis of the development of the disease].

The informatory role of a new marker of HIV infection, characterizing the content of HIV-1 RNA in the biological fluids of the patient's body, is evaluated. The quantitative determination of HIV-1 RNA, carried out in a single assay, was made in the blood of 25 HIV-infected patients. These studies confirmed that the determination of the level of RNA in the plasma (viral load) was a reliable criterion indicating the severity and progress of the disease.

[A recombinant HIV-1 strain causing an epidemic among injection drug addicts in Kaliningrad].

The analysis of the genetic structure of HIV causing the epidemic in Kaliningrad Province. A new recombinant virus of subtype A/B was detected with the use of the polymerase chain reaction, the cloning of amplified fragments, sequencing and the phylogenetic analysis of the obtained data. The results thus obtained indicate that the epidemic in Kaliningrad was caused by a recombinant strain, and not due to co-infection caused by two HIV strains of different subtypes.

[The identification of the genetic subtypes of HIV-1 circulating on the territory of Russia].

In this work the results of the genotyping of HIV strains obtained from 12 patients residing in Russia are presented. Proviral DNA from lysates of mononuclear cells was amplified with the use of primers, complementary to the conservative site of gene gag p7/p9 with the subsequent sequencing of the amplified material and phylogenetic analysis. 9 strains were classified with subtype B (most frequently occurring in Western countries), 2 of them being found closely related (probably, of African origin).

[Postmortem detection of antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus].

The authors have demonstrated the possibility of detecting antibodies to HIV in cadaveric blood by enzyme immunoassay, agglutination tests, dot- and immune blotting tests with Russian and imported commercial test systems. The qualitative and quantitative results of anti-HIV antibody indication, as well as of HBsAg indication in the postmortem blood sera completely coincided with the findings of the life-time tests in seronegative and HIV-infected subjects, whatever the subject's age. These results evidence the possibility of postmortem serologic diagnosis of HIV infection and AIDS in cases with lethal outcomes, if the condition was not diagnosed in life time.