The results of evaluating the effectiveness of C. diphtheriae inoculation using different types of dry swabs in studies simulating various conditions of its storage at the preanalytical stage of a ...laboratory study for diphtheria are presented. A typical toxigenic strain of C. diphtheriae biovar gravis No. 665 was used. A commercial dry, sterile cotton swab probe (Ningbo Greetmed Medical Instruments Co., LTD, China), a commercial dry, sterile swab probe (plastic and viscose) (COPAN, Italy), tufters with a fluffy probe-tampon on a polystyrene applicator, standard (DELTALAB, SL, Spain). The tampons were pooled with a 24-hour bacterial culture of C. diphtheriae, then immediately seeded on Tellurite-containing blood agar and Corynebacagar. Storage conditions were simulated for 3 hours: at room conditions +(20-25)°C, in the refrigerator +(4-8)°C, in a thermostat +(37±1)°C. Optimal storage of C. diphtheriae on all three types of dry swabs at + (4-8) ° C; at +(20-25)° C - growth is observed when seeding from a cotton swab; in a swab with a fleecy probe-tampon, a decrease in the inoculation of C. diphtheriae was noted; when using a viscose swab - a significant loss of C. diphtheriae. At +(37±1)°C, a significant decrease in the inoculation of C. diphtheriae on all three types of tampons was noted, up to the absence of growth when using a viscose tampon. To exclude the loss of C. diphtheriae, it is necessary to observe the conditions for taking and storing biological material at the preanalytical stage of a laboratory study, which will improve the quality of laboratory microbiological studies for diphtheria infection.
The aim was to determine how often the PCR method is used in different laboratories in Russia. In 2018, we conducted a questionnaire survey in diagnostic laboratories of medical organizations and the ...Centers of Hygiene and Epidemiology that performed PCR studies to identify microorganisms of the genus Bordetella in all 85 Russian regions. We found that in 2013 the PCR was used in 33 (38.8%) regions, but in 2017 the number of regions increased to 64 (75.3%). During 2013-2017 the study has not been applied in 21 regions. The number of PCR tests performed in the laboratories of medical organizations was significantly different. There has been an increase in the number of tests for the diagnosis of pertussis among people with clinical signs of infection and among contact persons in foci of infection. Compared to the Centers of Hygiene and Epidemiology, in medical organizations the rate of introduction of the PCR was higher. Between 2013 and 2017 the proportion of samples containing DNA B.pertussis decreased, but the proportion of samples containing DNA of other representatives of the genus Bordetella increased. Moreover, in the case of isolation DNA Bordetella spp. clinicians diagnose «Whooping cough, other unspecified organism», since there is no information on the species of the pathogen. Thus, in order to improve the diagnosis of pertussis, it is necessary to optimize PCR tests by including target genes that allow to identify of currently relevant DNAs of different representatives of the genus Bordetella.
The aim of the study was to characterize toxigenic strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae by examining 12 toxigenic strains of C. diphtheriae isolated in Russia between January, 2017 to June, 2019. ...The morphological, toxigenic and biochemical properties of C. diphtheriae was studied. Genotyping of C. diphtheriae strains was performed using MLST and dtxR gene sequencing with subsequent phylogenetic analysis. Results. Toxigenic strains of C. diphtheriae were isolated in the Novosibirsk, Samara and Chelyabinsk Regions, the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug — Yugra as well as the Republic of Northern Ossetia — Alania. Among these strains, 5 were isolated from diphtheria patients (moderate disease found in one case, mild course — remaining patients) and 7 strains were isolated from bacterial carriers. In two cases C. diphtheriae from diphtheria patients were identified as ST25 sequence type, gravis variant; in one case — ST8 type, gravis variant; two cases — ST67 sequence type, mitis variant. In asymptomatic carriers of tox-positive C. diphtheriae strains they belonged to ST25 sequence type, gravis variant — in two cases, ST67 type, mitis variant — in four cases. A sequencing type was not identified in one case. All sequence types were widespread globally being presented by a large number of isolates in the PubMLST and characterized by a substantial amount of derivative sequence types. At the same time, they belonged to different clonal complexes and differed markedly from each other contributing to their reliable difference as assessed by MLST. Study of gene dtxR sequence diversity showed that all allelic variants were typical for the representatives of these sequence types. New alleles of gene dtxR were not revealed in strains examined. It was shown that non-synonymous substitution C440T leading to A147V amino acid substitution was found solely in one allele distributed in ST8, ST185, ST195 and ST451 types suggesting at late mutation. In contrast, the polymorphism C640A resulting in the amino acid substitution L214I was found not only in the same allele, but also in the basal tree branches indicating that isoleucine was in the ancestral sequence of the protein.
The aim of the work was to develop an accelerated genodiagnosis method based on mPCR-RT for the detection DNA of B. pertussis, B. parapertussis, B. holmesii.
The study used 104 strains of ...microorganisms, of which: 50 strains of B. pertussis, 37 - B. parapertussis, 17 - heterologous species of microorganisms. Assessment of analytical specificity was carried out using DNA strains of various microorganisms with a concentration at least 109 GE / ml. To check the analytical sensitivity we studied a series of serial dilutions of bacterial cultures of the control strains B. pertussis № 143, B. parapertussis № 38b, B. holmesii DSM 13416 with a concentration of 5x109 - 5 μm/ml.
Insertion sequences were chosen as diagnostic targets: for B. parapertussis - a specific fragment IS1001, for B. holmesii - a specific fragment hlIS1001, for B.pertussis - a fragment IS481. To develop a genodiagnosis method specific primers were designed and combined into a single multi-primer mixture, the composition of the reaction mixture and the amplification conditions were selected. The analytical sensitivity of the developed method for detecting pertussis and pertussis-like pathogens was 5×101 GE / ml. Verification of the developed methodology of gene diagnostics showed 100% analytical specificity.
An accelerated genodiagnosis method based on mPCR-RT has been developed, it allows you to identify DNA of B. pertussis, B. parapertussis, B. holmesii, which expands the possibilities of examining patients with suspected pertussis and pertussis-like diseases in order to increase laboratory confirmation of the diagnosis.
The purpose of the work was to assess the state of bacteriological diagnosis of diphtheria infection in Russia in order to establish possible reasons for the decrease in the release of C. ...diphtheriae. The Reference Center for Monitoring the Pathogens of Measles, Rubella, Mumps, Pertussis and Diphtheria in 2018 in 85 subjects of Russia conducted a questionnaire of laboratories of medical organizations and the Centers for Hygiene and Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor, carrying out bacteriological studies for diphtheria infection. It was found that the number of studies conducted over the five-year period decreased by 1.2 times. The tendency to decrease the number of bacteriological studies for diphtheria is observed in the territories of almost all federal districts. In 99% and 29% of cases, the institutions of the FBUZ Centers for Hygiene and Epidemiology and medical organizations (MO) and use in their work documents regulating bacteriological studies for diphtheria infection. In a number of territories, the list of documents used includes documents that are invalid or do not define such studies. Most organizations use dry tampons when examining for diphtheria, however, 13.1% and 53.4% of FBUZ Centers for Hygiene and Epidemiology and medical organizations (respectively) use commercial transport environments, which does not comply with regulatory documentation. Analysis of the quality of work of bacteriological laboratories showed shortcomings at the stage of preparation of media (use of donor blood, or absence of addition of blood and potassium tellurite), Elek tests (addition of horse serum or absence of serum to the medium), setting of incomplete biochemical series (absence of tests for urease and nitrate reductase), absence of standard control strains, incomplete volume of internal laboratory quality control. Given the continuing circulation of the pathogen in various countries of the world and in our country, as well as the possibility of imported cases of infection from endemic regions, the analysis was aimed at drawing the attention of specialists to the problem of improving the quality of laboratory diagnosis of diphtheria in Russia.
The aim of the work was to comparison of rayon and flocked swabs for collection and transport of deep throat swabs for detection of bacteria causing whooping cough by multiplex real-time PCR assay. ...The study included 87 patients aged from 1 month to 37 years, hospitalized in Infectious Diseases Clinical Hospital No. 1 of the Moscow Department of Healthcare. 68 (78,2 %) people had a diagnosis of whooping cough, the main group of which consisted of children aged 1 to 12 months (median 4 months); 17 (19,5 %) - other diseases of the respiratory tract; 2 (2,3 %) - contact with sick whooping cough. The initial examination of patients was carried out on the 1 - 8th week of the onset of the disease. The material from the patients was taken at one-day interval with commercial rayon swabs and flocked swabs. Identification and differentiation of specific genome fragments of the causative agents of whooping cough in biological material was carried out by real-time PCR using the «AmpliSens® Bordetella multi-FL» reagent kit. The efficiency of PCR-based diagnostics of whooping cough using flocked swabs at the preanalytical stage was 83,8 %, and rayon swabs - 82,3 %. The use of a flocked swabs at the preanalytical stage increased the research efficiency by 1,5 %. Thus, when collecting biological material for PCR-based diagnostics of whooping cough it is possible to use flocked swabs.