Viral water contamination as the cause of aseptic meningitis outbreak in Belarus

In the recent years Echovirus-30 associated outbreaks have taken place in different European countries. Aseptic meningitis caused by Echovirus-30 was the main diagnosis of a large outbreak in Belarus in Summer-Autumn, 1997, involving 460 patients. Echovirus-30 was detected in cerebrospinal fluid of the patients with aseptic meningitis. This serotype played the dominant role in the outbreak. Minor serotypes and mixtures of enteroviruses were detected in faeces and nasopharyngeal lavages. Investigation of environmental samples gave evidence of expressed viral contamination of drinking water and water sources (river and ground sources). River water sources were considerably contaminated with viruses. The incidence of virus isolation was 50%. After cleaning procedures, the incidence became two times lower, proving imperfect water purification and disinfection procedures. Sequence analysis of isolates from Belarus (isolates from water and patient's cerebrospinal fluid) showed the difference of 0.2%. The outbreak peculiarities such as high attack rate and wide-spread of the disease incidences, clinical form variability, isolation of outbreak strain from water and a good agreement between minor serotypes isolated from faeces and water samples as well as correlation in the dynamics of acute intestine infections, aseptic meningitis morbidity and bacterial water contamination can be considered as evidence of its water-borne. Echovirus-30 isolates from Belarus were very closely related to each other and to several European isolates. Sequence difference between isolates of 1994-1998 from European countries was found to be 4.3%. The data can point to the common primary source of enterovirus infection, connected to water and to the possibility of epidemic strain transmission from neighbouring states to the Republic of Belarus.     

Infectivity of 18–20 kD proteins isolated from the brain of victims of amyotrophic leukospongiosis

Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 116, N ^o 10, pp. 409–412, October, 1993     

Virus-Induced morphological changes in arteries of rabbits with herpetic keratoconjunctivitisand of patients with generalized herpes infection

It is found that herpetic keratoconjunctivitis in rabbits and generalized herpes infection in humans is associated with virus-specific arterial damage. Experiments on rabbits show that virus-induced morphological changes in the aorta can be corrected with furavir. The role of herpes infection as a possible risk factor in atherogenesis is considered. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 121, No. 6, pp. 702–706, June, 1996     

Synthesis and biological activity of adamantane derivatives. VIII. Adamantyl pyridinecarboxylates

Pharmaceutical Chemistry Journal -     

Synthesis and biological activity of adamantane derivatives

Pharmaceutical Chemistry Journal -     

Participation of reticuloendothelial system in the pathogenesis of experimental amyotrophic leukospongiosis

Spleen and peripheral blood lymphocytes were found to play an important role in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic leukospongiosis (AL). At early stage of AL they are the sites of reproduction and accumulation of an unconventional virus; they also provide its dissemination in the body of infected animals. In lymph nodes and visceral organs the AL pathogen was detected in much lower quantities and only in the period of clinically manifest disease. The level of the complement was significantly decreased in the serum of animals with experimental AL. This decrease correlated with the development of clinico-morphological lesions and reached its maximum at the terminal stage of disease.     

Role of inhibition of cell Na+/H+ exchange and glycolysis in antiviral action

Belorussian Research Institute of Epidermiology and Microbiology, Minsk. Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 109, No. 1, pp. 33–35, January, 1990.