The Rostov-on-Don Anti-Plague Institute and it’s 90 years of scientific and practical cooperations

Introduction

Rostov-on-Don Anti-Plague Institute, since its foundation, has been distinguished, in terms of organisation and planning, by an integrated approach to the realisation of the set tasks and handling the issues aimed at ensuring the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the country’s population. The 90 years’ experience in eliminating the outbreaks of infectious diseases (in the Kara-Kalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, 1965; Astrakhan, 1970; Odessa, 1970; Kerch, 1970; Donetsk, 1971; the Republic of Dagestan, 1994; Armenia, 1988; Vilkovo, 1991; the Chechen Republic, 1995, etc.) has shown the effectiveness of close cooperation between specialists within a single department and different ones, as concerns information exchange, coordination of actions, development of the laboratory base, organisation of epidemiological surveys, etc. Many achievements in combating highly infectious diseases are a result of fruitful cooperation: the creation of a live tularemia vaccine [1] by N.A. Gaisky (Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute of Siberia and Far East) and B.Ya. Elbert (Rostov-on-Don Anti-Plague Research Institute), the use of which has significantly reduced the incidence of tularemia in the country; the sanitation of natural plague foci, which was the grounds for the award of the State Prize of the USSR to specialists from different anti-plague institutions; the development of a phagotyping scheme recognised by the World Health Organisation [2, 3], etc. The participation of the Rostov-on-Don Anti-Plague Institute staff in combating the new coronavirus infection should not be overlooked [4]: practical assistance in diagnosing SARS-CoV-2; assessing the epidemiological situation [5, 6], as well as the anti-epidemic alertness of the hospital base and the population immunity to COVID-19 [7]; study of the species composition of bacterial pathogens causing community-acquired pneumonias in corona-positive and corona-negative patients; revealing the spectrum of their sensitivity/resistance to antibacterial drugs [8, 9], etc. With regard to the risks of complications of sanitary and epidemiological situations in respect of infectious diseases on the territory of new entities of the Russian Federation [10], special attention is currently paid to providing practical, advisory and methodological assistance to local public health and Rospotrebnadzor (Russian Federal State Agency for Health and Consumer Rights) authorities. In addition, the institute consistently organises professional retraining and advanced training courses for specialists, with the use of modern forms and methods of counselling, on highly infectious diseases, natural focal infections, biological safety, genetic and serological research methods [11].

The aim of the study is to form a brief data overview of the interaction of Rostov-on-Don Anti-Plague Institute with other structures providing sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population.

The procedure for interaction of Rostov-on-Don Anti-Plague Institute, as well as other anti-plague institutions, with territorial agencies of Rospotrebnadzor and other organisations subordinated to it, is defined in the order of Rospotrebnadzor No. 274 as of 1 April 2015 “On organisation of activity in the system of plague control institutions of Rospotrebnadzor”¹ and is carried out on the basis of the agreement concluded between them which provides for the parties’ obligations to prevent especially dangerous, natural-focal and zoonotic infectious diseases and to ensure sanitary protection of territories of the Russian Federation entities, as well as biological safety when working with pathogenic microorganisms. By this order, the Rostov-on-Don Anti-Plague Institute is assigned to carry out its activities in the Rostov Region [10]. In addition, as assigned by the head of Rospotrebnadzor A.Yu. Popova, the Institute is a coordinating institution for monitoring cholera and natural focal infections on the territory of the new entities of the Russian Federation – People’s Republic of Donetsk (PRD) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.

The following activity areas are the basic components of interaction: joint research and development; preparation of joint publications; practical aid and organisation of advisory and methodological assistance.

Currently, within the framework of joint research work, the Institute interacts with a number of Rospotrebnadzor institutions on the issues of ensuring sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population in emergency situations of sanitary and epidemiological nature on the territory of the neighbouring states (Rospotrebnadzor departments for the Rostov Region, People’s Republic of Donetsk, Luhansk People’s Republic, Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions; Federal State-Funded Healthcare Institution “Hygiene and Epidemiology Centre in the Rostov Region, PRD, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions”); the epidemic potential of natural foci of highly infectious diseases in new entities of the Russian Federation (Federal Government Health Institution “Stavropol Research Institute for Plague Control” (Rospotrebnadzor-administered), Federal Government Health Institution “Volgograd Scientific Anti-Plague Institute” (Rospotrebnadzor-administered); analysis of the current activity state of natural and zoonotic foci of some arthropod-borne infections of viral and bacterial etiology and forecasting their epizootic and epidemic potential in the Rostov Region (Department of Rospotrebnadzor for the Rostov Region, Federal State-Funded Healthcare Institution “Hygiene and Epidemiology Centre in the Rostov Region”, Federal Government Health Institution “Stavropol Research Institute for Plague Control’ (Rospotrebnadzor-administered), Federal Government Health Institution “Volgograd Scientific Anti-Plague Institute” (Rospotrebnadzor-administered), Federal Budget Institution of Science “Omsk Research Institute of Natural Focal Infections” (Rospotrebnadzor-administered); improving the cholera monitoring organisation in the Russian Federation with regard to the epidemiological situation in the world and the risk of importation of the pathogen from cholera-prone countries (Federal Government Health Institution “Stavropol Research Institute for Plague Control” (Rospotrebnadzor-administered), Federal Government Health Institution “Anti-Plague Centre” (Rospotrebnadzor-administered), Federal Government Health Institutions: Black Sea, Elista, Chita, Crimean Plague Control Stations (Rospotrebnadzor-administered), Rospotrebnadzor departments and Federal State-Funded Healthcare Institutions “Hygiene and Epidemiology Centres” in the Rostov Region, Republic of Kalmykia, Krasnodar Territory, Republic of Crimea, Transbaikal Territory, and the federal-status city Sevastopol); extended characterisation of collection strains of the genus Vibrio on the basis of new molecular-biological technologies, tools and methods (Federal Government Health Institutions: Intracoastal, Black Sea, Crimean Plague Control Stations (Rospotrebnadzor-administered); development of the experimental combined treatment-and-prophylactic anti-choleric drug based on an immunoglobulin complex and bacteriophage mix (Federal State Institution of Science “Russian Research Anti-Plague Institute ‘Microbe’” (Rospotrebnadzor-administered); development of the system for ensuring biological safety when working with pathogenic biological agents in accordance with the requirements of the modern regulatory methodological framework (Federal State Institution of Science “Russian Research Anti-Plague Institute ‘Microbe’” (Rospotrebnadzor-administered); optimisation of scientific and methodological approaches to monitoring the etiologic agent of West Nile encephalitis (Federal Government Health Institution “Volgograd Scientific Anti-Plague Institute” (Rospotrebnadzor-administered); improvement of culture-based, serological and molecular biological approaches in laboratory diagnostics of leptospiroses (Federal Government Health Institution “Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute of Siberia and Far East” (Rospotrebnadzor-administered). The interaction takes place not only within the framework of Rospotrebnadzor’s sectoral research programme (2021–2025) and the governmental programme “Ensuring chemical and biological safety in the Russian Federation” (2021–2024) but also within the strategy “Sanitary Shield of the Country – Safety for Health (Prevention, Detection, Response)”².

Based on the results of research work, a due plan is prepared as well as a report on practical realisation, including by other institutions. In recent years only, the Institute has received implementation acts from the Federal Budget Institution of Science “Pasteur Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology” (the programme for identification of genes responsible for synthesis of siderophores in genome-wide nucleotide sequences of Enterobacteriaceae “Siderophore Analyzer”); Federal Government Health Institution “Astrakhan Plague Control Station” (Rospotrebnadzor-administered) (the programme “Salmonella Analyser” designed for the analysis of data of genome-wide sequencing of Salmonella spp. strains for identifying the antigenic structure, the pathogenicity factors and the INDEL loci with high resolution); Federal Government Health Institution “North-West Plague Control Station” (Rospotrebnadzor-administered) (the patent “The method for differentiating Yersinia pestis strains by molecular genetic typing with the use of IS elements as genetic markers”); Federal Budget Institution of Science “Nizhny Novgorod Scientific Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology named after Academician I.N. Blokhina” (Rospotrebnadzor-administered) (methodical recommendations on the work with the online programme “NoroNetRus” for the evaluation of Norovirus sequencing results); Federal Budget Institution of Science “State Scientific Centre for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology” (patents “The method for determining Francisella tularensis subspecies by multiprimer polymerase chain reaction”, “The method for differentiation of Francisella tularensis strains by molecular genetic typing”), and others. The introduction of scientific achievements and best practices both in the work of the Institute and the practice of other institutions is promoted by business trips of its employees for participation in conferences, symposia, seminars, etc.; research work; dissertation research; rapid response teams’ exercising to meet emergencies of sanitary and epidemiological nature; activities within the framework of the Federal Project “Sanitary Shield of the Country – Safety for Health (Prevention, Detection, Response)”, and others.

Publication of research results is an integral part of the research process. The share of collective publications, which represent one of the results of the joint intellectual work of the Institute, is about one-fifth of the overall activities, which creates favourable conditions for increasing the efficiency of the performed work. Information exchange also takes place in the form of the introduction of regulatory legal and methodological documents into the routine practice of different institutions. In particular, in recent years, a number of federal-level documents have been revised and compiled: Methodological recommendation [MR] 4.2.0263-21 “Methods of working with bacteriophages of I-IV pathogenicity group microorganisms”, Methodological guidelines on control methods [MGC] 4.2.3746-22 “Organisation and implementation of laboratory diagnostics of cholera in different-level laboratories”, MGC 4.2.3745-22 “Methods of laboratory diagnostics of cholera”, MGC 4.2.3886-23 “Laboratory diagnostics of diseases caused by parahemolytic and other vibrions pathogenic to humans”. Together with employees of other Rospotrebnadzor institutions, specialists of the Rostov-on-Don Anti-Plague Institute participated as co-executors in the development of sanitary regulations and standards [SRS] 3.3686-21 “Sanitary and epidemiological requirements for prevention of infectious diseases”, MR 3.1.0336-23 “Organisation and implementation of laboratory diagnostics of natural focal and other highly infectious diseases in a mobile monitoring and diagnostics laboratory”, etc. In addition, specialists from the Rostov-on-Don Anti-Plague Institute annually prepare information letters assessing the current-year worldwide epidemiological situation on cholera and give forecasts for the next year, which papers are sent to all Rospotrebnadzor institutions; they also publish reviews as primary authors [12, 13] and participate in their preparation as co-authors³. In addition, they provide quarterly information to the Department of Rospotrebnadzor for the Rostov Region on the results of the research on natural focal infections, as well as monthly information on infectious diseases in terms of the epidemiological situation in the world in accordance with the list of infectious (parasitic) diseases requiring due measures for sanitary protection of the territory of the Russian Federation, sent to Rospotrebnadzor institutions; they also provide information on Crimean haemorrhagic fever, tick-borne viral encephalitis, West Nile encephalitis, etc.

An important area is the organisation and provision of practical and advisory methodological assistance to Rospotrebnadzor institutions and organisations under the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. In particular, in its status of a Reference Centre for cholera monitoring, the Rostov-on-Don Anti-Plague Institute actively cooperates with regional centres in monitoring pathogens of infectious and parasitic diseases of pathogenicity groups II-IV; with regional centres for monitoring pathogens of infectious diseases of pathogenicity groups I-II; with conjoint Russian Federation entities and Centres for indication and diagnostics of pathogens of highly infectious diseases set up on the basis of anti-plague institutions; with national diagnostic verification centres and national centres exercising the functions of state collections and Rospotrebnadzor, research institutes, Rospotrebnadzor institutions and agencies and other bodies. The Reference Centre specialists engage in external quality control of cholera laboratory tests; analysis of external and internal epidemiological risks associated with the spread of the cholera pathogen and emergence of atypical and new strains; analysis of organisation and implementation of cholera epidemiological surveillance and cholera monitoring in microbiological laboratories of territorial, regional and federal level on the territory of the Russian Federation. In addition, the Centre annually evaluates the aptness of laboratory facilities of Rospotrebnadzor’s medical organisations and institutions to implement a set of anti-epidemic and prophylactic measures in case of detecting a patient (suspected) with cholera, and regularly holds training seminars and professional development courses for specialists.

The Rostov-on-Don Anti-Plague Institute also participates in activities that ensure the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the Rostov Region population. The efficiency of joint work, including interdepartmental cooperation, is assessed at extended meetings of the board of the Department of Rospotrebnadzor for the Rostov Region, where the results are discussed and priority tasks for the current year are set. At the same time, in accordance with the plan of the basic organisational activities set by the Department of Rospotrebnadzor for the Rostov Region involving Federal State-Funded Healthcare Institution “Hygiene and Epidemiology Centre” in the Rostov Region, the Federal Budget Institution of Science “Rostov Scientific Research Institute for Microbiology and Parasitology” (Rospotrebnadzor-administered), Federal Government Health Institution “Rostov-on-Don Anti-Plague Institute” (Rospotrebnadzor-administered), the following activities are carried out: realisation of federal projects and strategic planning documents; improvement of legal regulation of federal state control (supervision) with regard to the risk-oriented approach; improvement of federal state control (supervision) over compliance with mandatory requirements of the Russian Federation legislation in the field of sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population, protection of consumer rights, consumer market operation and ensuring due quality and safety of food; optimisation and development of the laboratory operation system within the activity of Rospotrebnadzor and its institutions in the Rostov Region; implementation of scientific research and development aimed at ensuring proper sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population; participation in international cooperation towards reducing threats to health and well-being of Rostov Region residents; development of human resources and implementation of a set of measures to prevent corruption and other offences; modernisation of the budgetary process in the context of introduction of the Department’s project-based methods; improvement of the state property management system; development of activities connected with data support and security of information not constituting a state secret; introduction of automation of service documentation, organisation and support processes in Rospotrebnadzor and its institutions in the Rostov Region; development of activities constituting provision of public services and implementation of state functions with the use of information and communication technologies; improvement of measures to handle citizens’ appeals.

New challenges require the development and application of new interaction mechanisms to compensate for missing competencies and to ensure a synergic effect. One of such formats is setting up consortia that represent provisional voluntary associations of universities with other organisations aimed to coordinate activities and consolidate resources for the realisation of breakthrough projects securing due scientific and technological development of the country [14]. Since 1 September 2022, the Rostov-on-Don Anti-Plague Institute has been a member of the interdepartmental scientific and educational consortium “The Future of Biology and Medicine”⁴, with the host organisation represented by the Federal State Institution of Science “Russian Research Anti-Plague Institute ‘Microbe’” (Rospotrebnadzor-administered). The purpose of the Consortium set up within the framework of the Federal project “Sanitary Shield of the Country – Safety for Health (Prevention, Detection, Response)” is scientific, methodological and information support of the processes of formation and development of the member organisations’ educational space in the field of epidemiology, microbiology, virology, biosafety, bioinformatics, bioengineering, molecular genetics and others. The main objectives of the Consortium are not only to unite the participants’ human, educational, scientific, intellectual, material and technical resources, or to develop the scientific and educational potential and communication links in the system “education – science – practice” and “science – practice – society – person” but also to popularise special knowledge for ordinary people, create due conditions for training specialists in the field of highly dangerous infections and to adapt educational programmes and develop international cooperation. Interaction is implemented through a work group composed of representatives of 33 consortium member institutions, one from each institution (22 Rospotrebnadzor institutions, 5 from the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 5 from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, and 1 from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation).

With regard to the objectives of the Consortium, the Rostov-on-Don Anti-Plague Institute engages in active career guidance for the students of the Faculty of Medicine and Prophylaxy of Rostov State Medical University. Its purpose is to form students’ practical skills and abilities enabling them to engage in high-quality professional activity and provide due safety when organising and implementing work with pathogenic biological agents, including pathogens of highly dangerous infections. The integration of the learning process with scientific activity is the most important element of a specialist’s adaptation to the conditions of further professional activity.

The interaction of the Rostov-on-Don Anti-Plague Institute with Rospotrebnadzor institutions and other agencies is carried out on the basis of concluded agreements with regard to its considerable experience and the cooperating parties’ mutual desire to systematically improve the efficiency and quality of research. For instance, in 2023, in order to strengthen the partnership relations and extend the areas of scientific activity, a cooperation agreement was concluded with the Institute of Disinfectionology under the Federal Budget Institution of Science “F.F. Erisman Federal Scientific Centre for Hygiene and Epidemiology” (Rospotrebnadzor-administered). Such interaction not only provides an opportunity for specialists to share experience and knowledge in solving complex problems but also enables them to reach significant results in research [15].

Conclusion

Thus, the coordinated actions of specialists from the Rostov-on-Don Anti-Plague Institute, jointly with the agencies and organisations of Rospotrebnadzor and the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, towards the improvement of the epidemiological surveillance, diagnostics and prevention of infectious diseases make it possible to engage in effective surveillance of highly dangerous infections. The Rostov-on-Don Anti-Plague Institute as a structural unit of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare has been carefully preserving and honouring the traditions of the national science for 90 years, developing its potential together with other institutions of the country and contributing to the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population.