[Q fever in the western region of Ukraine].

Multiple natural and mixed foci of Q fever have been revealed at the territory of six administrative regions of the western part of the Ukraine. Coxiella burnetii strains have been isolated from small animals and ticks, the specific features of their ecology in Poles'e and forest-steppe zones have been determined. The necessity of the study of natural foci of Q fever at not yet surveyed territories for at least 3-4 years has been substantiated.

[Effect of florenal on reproduction of influenza virus].

The antiviral, viricidal, and interferon-inducing activities of florenal (bisulphite derivative of 2-flourenylglyoxal) and its influence on RNA and protein synthesis were studied. The drug inhibited replication of A/WSN and A/Englang/42/72 influenza viruses in chick embryos infected with low doses of the viruses (10--1000 EID50), induced interferon production in cell culture and in chick embryos (16 and 32 units/ml, respectively) and showed viricidal activity in vitro. Florenal in concentrations 50 microgram/ml or higher reduced the level of RNA and protein synthesis both in non-infected and infected cells within the first 4--5 hours after its administration.

[Study of the effect of rimantadine on the course of mixed viral-bacterial infection in albino mice].

The results of the study of rimantadine effectiveness in a viral-bacterial infection in white mice caused by a mixture of influenza A2 virus (10 LD50) and hemolytic streptococcus group A (350 million bacteria). The drug showed no prophylactic or therapeutic effect in the mixed infection, whereas in influenza infection in the animals which served as a positive control rimantadine had marked antiviral activity (P less than 0.001).