Methodological Approaches to the Verification of Causes of Infectious Diseases in Emergencies

Abstract

Emergency situations (ES) of various genesis are accompanied by a change in the epidemic state of the territory and population, which requires the timely detection of an infectious striking factors (pathogenic biological agents and toxins) and non-infectious agents. The laboratory network is an important component in the emergency response system, which allows determining the etiology of infectious and parasitic diseases, treating of patients; directions of anti-epidemic support, effectiveness of measures.
 The aim of the study is to evaluate modern models of laboratory support for the indication of pathogenic biological agents (PBA), the tasks of the laboratory service at the main stages of an emergency: readiness, response and recovery.
 Laboratory diagnostics is an important component in the system of protection during emergencies, which ensures the detection of PBA and toxins, conducting clinical laboratory tests. The scope and directions of activity of the laboratory network are determined by the real situation and differ at the stages of readiness, response and recovery at ES.
 The indication of PBA begins at the stage of carrying out sanitary-epidemiological reconnaissance in the affected territories. The PBA detection and identification can be carried out by the laboratory network of health care institutions in the emergency zone, mobile laboratories of various types, and the laboratory network outside the affected areas. The methods of antigens detection based on an immune capture assay (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, fluorescent microscopy), spectroscopy as well as PBA genomes (multiplex PCR) allows to verify the diagnoses of infectious patients in up to 2 hours. In the case of using lateral flow chromatography, it is advisable to use sets of rapid tests taking into account the group of infections: intestinal, respiratory, contact, blood. Normally is the use of other principles of kit selection: group of particularly dangerous infections; sexually transmitted infections; central nervous system infections, etc.