The burden of tick-borne diseases in the Altai region of Russia.

This article presents the results of a comprehensive survey of the burden of tick-borne infectious diseases (TBIDs) in the Altai region of Russia. Official data for TBID incidence were analyzed and 201 samples from patients with suspected TBID were studied. Furthermore, questing ticks and ticks recovered from humans were examined to estimate prevalence of TBID-causative agents.

New evidence on tick-borne rickettsioses in the Altai region of Russia using primary lesions, serum and blood clots of molecular and serological study.

Tick-borne rickettsioses (TBRs) have similar clinical symptoms and can give serological cross-reaction. We firstly found that in the natural foci of North Asian tick typhus (NATT) in the Altai region of Russia, TBRs can be caused by two Rickettsia species: Rickettsia sibirica subsp. sibirica (causative agent of NATT) and Rickettsia heilongjiangensis.

[The rheological properties of the blood in patients with tick-borne typhus].

Rheological characteristics of blood were studied in 50 patients with north Asian tick typhoid varying in severity and duration. In addition to standard diagnosis--verification tests, blood macrorheological and microrheological examinations were made (blood viscosity, hematocrit and red cell deformability and aggregation, respectively). It was found that both in the acute disease and recovery there were changes in blood and plasma viscosity red cell hardness.

[The current course of Brill's disease].

The paper presents the data on the clinical course and laboratory diagnosis of Brill's disease in 30 patients. The absence of absolute and not infrequently basic and indicating signs of the disease as well as its frequent course in the presence of the concurrent diseases significantly hinder its clinical diagnosis, particularly at the initial stage of the disease. Unwanted clinical and epidemiological consequences could be avoided only in case of a constant medical alertness and understanding of specificity of the current course of Brill's disease as well as a provisional hospitalization within 5 days of all the patients with unclear diagnosis who have fever into the infectious department of a hospital.

[The differential diagnosis of acute intestinal infections].

The authors evaluate contemporary possibilities of clinico-epidemiological and laboratory diagnosis of intestinal yersiniosis in the clinical practice. Data are reported on infestation of the environment with yersiniosis pathogen in this territory and the clinical picture of gastrointestinal form of yersiniosis and its symptomatology that is of help in the diagnosis. Perfection of laboratory diagnosis is of great importance in this respect.