Concerning the Allocation of Emerging Natural Foci of the Currently Important Infectious Diseases in the West of Kazakhstan

Abstract

Within the period of 2000-2011, in the West of Kazakhstan, identified have been five, previously unknown in the territory, natural foci of dangerous infectious diseases such as hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, Astrakhan spotty fever, Crimean hemorrhagic fever, West Nile fever, and tick-borne viral encephalitis. The reason is that key ecological factors for the persistence of the infections in the local biocoenoses occurred. It is characteristic that circulation of the agents of new infectious diseases is registered in the territory of the long-established natural plague and tularemia foci. Since 2000 and on, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome morbidity is registered in the Western-Kazakhstan Region on a regular basis. There is some evidence to identification of West Nile fever patients in the territory of Russia in 2012, which came from Kazakhstan. Based on the spatial distribution of the natural foci of various infections, Western-Kazakhstan Region has been subdivided into four areas. In order to provide for the effective prophylaxis of emerging diseases, it is essential that healthcare facilities and services dealing with infectious diseases are consolidated and reinforced, and epidemiological surveillance is improved with the current conditions in mind.

Serological investigation of orthohantaviruses in patients with fever of unknown origin in Kazakhstan

“…In the West Kazakhstan region from 2001 onwards, the investigation of reservoirs started. These showed the orthohantavirus antigen by ELISA in different species of rodents: bank voles, common voles, forest mice and house mice (Grazhdanov et al, ). Another report demonstrated that rodent tissue suspensions collected in the Almaty region Dzungarian, in the Alatau mountains in 2010–2016, 2.2% (15/684) were positive for orthohantavirus antigens using ELISA (Test system: Hantagnost, Russia), (Sutyagin, Belyaev, Kim, & Berdibekov, ).…”

“…Nevertheless, some rodent investigations revealed that the natural foci of orthohantaviruses are located between the West Kazakhstan region and Orenburg, the Samara regions of the Russian Federation (Alexeyev, Elgh, Zhestkov, Wadell, & Juto, ; Aminev, Korneev, Slobodenyuk, & Solovich, ; Grazhdanov et al, ). Annual registrations of HFRS in the West Kazakhstan region began in 2000, and a high incidence rate of 16 per 100,000 inhabitants was described in 2005 (Grazhdanov et al, ). In the West Kazakhstan region from 2001 onwards, the investigation of reservoirs started.…”

“…From 2001 to 2011, 49,676 small mammals were screened for the orthohantavirus antigen by ELISA in West Kazakhstan region. In four rodent species, 758 positive results were obtained (Grazhdanov et al, ). Nowadays the West Kazakhstan region is designated as an endemic area for orthohantaviruses.…”

Molecular Characterisation and Phylogeny of Tula Virus in Kazakhstan

“…Long-term investigations of host reservoirs starting from 2001 by colleagues from the Oral antiplague station revealed natural foci of orthohantaviruses in the floodplains of the Ural River. This area directly borders the Russian Orenburg and Samara regions, where orthohantavirus is also endemic [26,38]. Several small mammals that are also spread in this region such as M. glareolus, M. arvalis, A. uralensis, and M. musculus contained orthohantavirus antigens [26].…”

“…A total of 1.53% of different species, mostly Myodes glareolus, Microtus arvalis, Microtus minutus, Apodemus uralensis, and Mus musculus were positive. Therefore, so far, natural foci of orthohantaviruses were described in the four northern districts of the West Kazakhstan region (Borili, Bayterek, Shyngyrlau, and Terekti) and very preliminary in the Aktobe region [25,26]. However, in all investigations on orthohantaviruses in West Kazakhstan, contemporary molecular methods were never applied.…”