Apples are widely consumed by people all over the world due to their taste and nutritional value. However, apple trees are prone to various environmental stresses, including fungal diseases. Among them, Cytospora canker (or Valsa canker) can cause dieback of branches and twigs. Although Kazakhstan is well known as an origin of apples, very little is known about canker diseases that spread across all commercial orchards. Therefore, an accurate identification of the causal agents of those diseases is needed for further application of informed disease management strategies. In this study, eleven isolates belonging to four Cytospora species were isolated from multiple cultivars, grown in six different orchards within the Almaty region, Kazakhstan. As a result of a multilocus phylogenetic analysis using ITS, LSU and tef1-α marker genes and morphological characterization, these isolates were described as Cytospora parasitica, Cytospora sorbina, Cytospora pruinopsis and Cytospora chrysosperma. Moreover, a pathogenicity test was conducted on detached twigs, and it demonstrated that two of these fungi were highly virulent. Overall, this paper is a first report of the causal agents of apple canker disease in Kazakhstan and could be a trigger for conducting future studies to better understand the disease epidemiology, as well as build management strategies.

Opisthorchiasis is currently widespread not only in the Republic of Kazakhstan but also in many other countries, making it a significant concern in modern medicine and veterinary science. Accurate diagnosis of this disease is crucial for effective treatment. The specificity of diagnostic tests relies on antigen preparations that contain various antigens. Our research focused on studying antigens of different chemical natures derived from the pathogen Opisthorchis felineus. As a result, we obtained three types of antigens: excretory-secretory (ESA), egg (EA), and somatic (SA). We analyzed their protein composition and identified the number of major proteins as follows: ESA - 21, SA - 20, and EA - 33. Protein fractions with molecular weights of 105 and 250 kDa exhibited immunogenic properties. The immunogenic and antigenic properties of these antigens were confirmed. Mass spectrometry analysis of ESA, which includes 214 secretory proteins from the parasite, allowed us to identify three highly immunogenic proteins: cathepsin F, glutathione transferase, and paramyosin, through immunoprecipitation with specific sera.