Cosmic dust samples from the surface of the illuminator of the International Space Station (ISS) were collected by a crew member during his spacewalk. The sampler with tampon in a vacuum container was delivered to the Earth. Washouts from the tampon’s material and the tampon itself were analyzed for the presence of bacterial DNA by the method of nested PCR with primers specific to DNA of the genusMycobacteria, DNA of the strains of capsular bacteriaBacillus, and DNA encoding 16S ribosomal RNA. The results of amplification followed by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis indicated the presence of the bacteria of the genusMycobacteriaand the extreme bacterium of the genusDelftiain the samples of cosmic dust. It was shown that the DNA sequence of one of the bacteria of the genusMycobacteriawas genetically similar to that previously observed in superficial micro layer at the Barents and Kara seas’ coastal zones. The presence of the wild land and marine bacteria DNA on the ISS suggests their possible transfer from the stratosphere into the ionosphere with the ascending branch of the global electric circuit. Alternatively, the wild land and marine bacteria as well as the ISS bacteria may all have an ultimate space origin.

Group A rotavirus (RVA) infection is the leading cause of hospitalization of children under 5 years old, presenting with symptoms of acute gastroenteritis. The aim of our study was to explore the genetic diversity of RVA among patients admitted to Moscow Infectious Disease Clinical Hospital No. 1 with symptoms of acute gastroenteritis. A total of 653 samples were collected from May 2019 through March 2020. Out of them, 135 (20.67%) fecal samples were found to be positive for rotavirus antigen by ELISA. RT-PCR detected rotavirus RNA in 80 samples. Seven G-genotypes (G1, G2, G3, G4, G8, G9, and G12) and three P-genotypes (P[8], P[4], and P[6]) formed 9 different combinations. The most common combination was G9P[8]. However, for the first time in Moscow, the combination G3P[8] took second place. Moreover, all detected viruses of this combination belonged to Equine-like G3P[8] viruses that had never been detected in Russia before. The genotype G8P[8] and G9P[4] rotaviruses were also detected in Moscow for the first time. Among the studied rotaviruses, there were equal proportions of Wa and DS-1-like strains; previous studies showed that Wa-like strains accounted for the largest proportion of rotaviruses in Russia.

Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has created serious health problems worldwide. The most effective way to prevent the occurrence of new epidemic outbreaks is vaccination. One of the modern and effective approaches to vaccine development is the use of virus-like particles (VLPs). The aim of the study is to develop a technology for production of VLP based on recombinant SARS-CoV-2 proteins (E, M, N and S) in insect cells. Materials and methods. Synthetic genes encoding coronavirus proteins E, M, N and S were used. VLP with various surface proteins of strains similar to the Wuhan virus, Delta, Alpha and Omicron were developed and cloned into the pFastBac plasmid. The proteins were synthesized in the baculovirus expression system and assembled into VLP in the portable Trichoplusia ni cell. The presence of insertion in the baculovirus genome was determined by PCR. ELISA and immunoblotting were used to study the antigenic activity of VLP. VLP purification was performed by ultracentrifugation using 20% sucrose. Morphology was assessed using electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. Results. VLPs consisting of recombinant SARS-CoV-2 proteins (S, M, E and N) were obtained and characterized. The specific binding of antigenic determinants in synthesized VLPs with antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 proteins has been demonstrated. The immunogenic properties of VLPs have been studied. Conclusion. The production and purification of recombinant VLPs consisting of full-length SARS-CoV-2 proteins with a universal set of surface antigens have been developed and optimized. Self-assembling particles that mimic the coronavirus virion induce a specific immune response against SARS-CoV-2.

The review presents the current state of the problem of prions and prion diseases with an emphasis on the epidemiological and epizootological risks of pathogens that cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases in humans and animals. The results of molecular genetic studies of the conversion of normal PrPc prion protein molecules to infectious forms of PrPd, resistance to physical disinfection methods, in particular exceptional thermal stability, and their ability to overcome interspecific barriers, while increasing virulence, are described. The possibility of infection not only by nutrition, when eating even heat-treated meat of sick animals, but also due to surgical interventions, especially neurosurgical and ophthalmic, as well as the use of immunobiological preparations, are emphasized. Since there are currently no means for the effective treatment of prion diseases in the world, attention is drawn to the high degree of relevance for the biosafety of the country to develop domestic highly sensitive test systems that can effectively detect prion infectious protein in vivo at the preclinical stage of the disease. The latest methods of automatic protein amplification and identification of prion proteins are briefly described as the most promising areas of research in the field of diagnosis of prion diseases.