The pathogenesis of Q fever in the intratracheal infection of guinea pigs]

The intratracheal introduction of R. burnetii is the method of infection, highly similar to aerogenic infection, the most widespread route of R. burnetii infection in humans under natural conditions. This suggests that the study of the pathogenesis of Q fever resulting from the intratracheal infection of guinea pigs is highly topical. The authors have established that after the penetration of the infective agent generalized infection develops in the animals with rickettsiae accumulating mostly in the lungs and the organs of the reticuloendothelial system being affected; this infection is commonly more pronounced than that developing after the intraperitoneal inoculation of rickettsiae.     

Hantavirus infections: epidemiology and pathogenesis

Hantaviruses are enveloped RNA viruses that persistently infect rodent hosts without ill-effect. The host persistently excretes virus in urine and saliva. Man becomes infected from the rodents when one enters the ecological niche of the other. There are two major clinical presentations--haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, found worldwide in various forms and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, found only in the Americas. This review examines the virology, epidemiology and pathogenesis of these emerging pathogens.     

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.