Characteristics of brucellosis epidemiology in children in the Kazakh SSR

The analysis of brucellosis morbidity among children in the Kazakh SSR for the last 10 years revealed the following facts. The highest morbidity rate among children was registered in zones with developed sheep breeding. Privately owned agricultural animals, mainly small cattle, proved to be the main source of infection, transferred in most cases through contacts. contacts. The occurrence of brucellosis among children was found to be directly related to their age. Most of the sick children were boys. The pronounced seasonal character of brucellosis morbidity, falling mainly on spring and summer, was observed. In surveying the population for brucellosis the use of a complex of sero-allergic tests permitted the detection of a great number of infected subjects. Most sick children showed a typical picture of acute brucellosis. Treatment resulted in their clinical convalescence.,     

Epidemiology of allergic diseases of the respiratory passages in the Kazakh SSR

Over a period of 20 years, the authors have been studying the distribution, aetiology and causes of increasing incidence of allergic respiratory diseases in various climatogeographic zones of the Kazakh SSR. Large groups of people living in towns and in the country were examined by various methods. The number of patients seeking advice in health service establishments because of allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma was found to increase every year. A number of factors influencing the incidence of disease were pointed out, such as the character of diet, duration of the person's stay, vaccination against brucellosis, pollution of the atmosphere, local flora, climate, and other factors. Morbidity also depended on the methods of studying the epidemiology of respiratory allergoses. The obtained results will help health service authorities in taking specific measures to reduce morbidity from the mentioned pathological condition.     

Q fever in the Ukraine

Q fever occurs in all geographical landscape zones and in most administrative regions of the Ukrainian SSR. The disease was diagnosed in those areas where no such cases had ever been registered. In the Kharkov region the examination of 425 fever patients with unclear diagnosis resulted in diagnosing 5 cases of Q fever. The proportion of seropositive persons among different professional groups of the population in the eastern part of the republic was determined (6.9% among workers of meat-packing factories, 8.7% among workers of fur- and wool-treating establishments, 5.2% among stock breeders). At the farms of the Kharkov, Poltava and Sumy regions the spread of infection among large cattle was 2.3% and among small cattle 5.6%. Rickettsial carriership revealed in hard ticks collected in the Kharkov region indicated the possibility of the existence of the natural focus of Q fever in this zone and increased the available information on the presence of the territories with the natural foci of this infection in the Ukraine.     

Temporal studies of factors associated with changes in transcription during Q fever

Temporal studies were made of factors associated with increased RNA synthesis in guinea pig liver during Q fever. DNA-dependent RNA polymerase activities increased immediately after infection. The major distribution of RNA polymerase classes shifted from class II to class I during infection. Ornithine decarboxylase activity was induced or stimulated soon after infection and remained elevated throughout the four-day period studied. S-Adenosylmethionine decarboxylase activity increased on the first day after infection and subsequently declined. Concomitantly elevated concentrations of the polyamines putrescine, spermidine and spermine reached a maximum on the first day after infection and then decreased. A model is presented to integrate these and other results to explain how RNA synthesis may be regulated during infection.     

Hereditary pathology of the nervous system in the urban population of the Kazakh SSR

The data are presented on clinical forms and prevalence of neurological diseases in two regions of Kazakhstan, where about 2180600 inhabitants live. The data may constitute a basis for regional registration of neurological diseases and planning extensive specific genetic counselling concerning the diseases in the regions under study.